Home Freeze Drying – Read this Before You Buy a Freeze Dryer
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.
Thinking about getting a freeze dryer? We’ll explain how home freeze drying works, and answer questions about freeze dried food storage for emergencies and more.
Why get a freeze dryer?
I’ve been curious about home freeze drying ever since I did an interview with Dr. Prepper back in 2015. The doc raved about his home freeze dryer. He loved the quality of the food, how much money it saved him, and what a great addition it was to his preps.
In early 2016 Harvest Right home freeze dryers contacted me to do a review of their product. I could purchase it at a discount, as long as I did a review. My other option was to get it for free, if I committed to a series of endorsements.
Being the stubborn individual that I am, I didn’t want to commit to selling you something that was such a big investment without thoroughly testing it. I purchased a freeze dryer and have been using it since May 2016.
My conclusion – if you want long term food storage or portable food storage, check out freeze drying. Commercial freeze dried foods are pricey and often have questionable ingredients. Home freeze drying puts you in control.
How Does Freeze Drying Work?
Here’s the official definition of freeze drying (Lyophilization) from the FDA:
Lyophilization or freeze drying is a process in which water is removed from a product after it is frozen and placed under a vacuum, allowing the ice to change directly from solid to vapor without passing through a liquid phase.
The process consists of three separate, unique, and interdependent processes; freezing, primary drying (sublimation), and secondary drying (desorption).
So, how do we do that at home?
- First, you get a heavy duty freezer (the Harvest Right units drop to -30°F (-34°C) or colder).
- Second, you pair this up with a completely airtight chamber that can hold a vacuum (no oxygen) every single time you use it.
- Third, you tie in a high end vacuum pump strong enough to suck the stripes off a zebra.
- Fourth, you add a heater and thermostat, so you can cycle the temps up and down, repeating the sublimation process for hours on end.
- Fifth, tie in a humidity sensor to make sure the water is out, triggering the cycle completion.
There’s a reason the big commercial freeze drying units are priced from $5000 to over $100,000 – the freeze drying process is significantly more complicated than other home food preservation options.
If you’re wondering how freeze drying compares to dehydrating, you can read more about that in the post “What’s the Difference Between Dehydrating and Freeze Drying?“
Harvest Right Home Freeze Dryer Basic Information
Here’s some information everyone should know before buying a Harvest Right freeze drying machine. Since the time this review was originally posted, Harvest Right made a number of upgrades. They now have HR pumps in two different styles, slight design changes in the main units, and new software that speeds up freeze drying times.
Freeze Dryer Dimensions
Harvest Right has three sizes of home freeze dryers – large, medium and small.
Each unit includes a detachable vacuum pump weighing 35 lbs that sits outside the freeze dryer. They also have a drain hose that routes below the unit. Oil free pumps are available at an additional cost. (More on this below.)
Small Freeze Dryer
- Overall product dimensions: 16.5″ W x 18.5″ D x 25″ H
- 3 trays (7.75″ W x 14″ L x 0.75″ H)
- 61 lbs.
Medium Freeze Dryer
- Overall product dimensions: 18″ W x 21.25″ D x 28.5″ H
- 4 trays (7.5″ W x 18″ L x 0.75″ H)
- 112 lbs.
Large Freeze Dryer
- Overall product dimensions: 20.25 ” W x 23.75″ D x 30.75″ H
- Perfect for counter top, cart, or table.
- 5 trays (9″ W x 20.5″ x 0.75″ H)
- 138 lbs.
Moving these units is a two person job, unless you put it on a rolling cart, which many owners do.
I have a mid-sized unit of the old design, updated with new software.
How much food can you freeze dry?
Small Freeze Dryer
- Freeze dry 840 pounds of fresh food per year (4-7 pounds per batch).
- In a year’s time, you can freeze dry 195 gallons of food.
Medium Freeze Dryer
- Freeze dry 1,450 pounds of fresh food per year (7-10 pounds per batch, roughly equal to 1.5 to 2 #10 cans).
- In a year’s time, you can freeze dry 312 gallons of food.
Large Freeze dryer
- 2,500 pounds of fresh food per year (12-16 pounds per batch).
- In a year’s time, you can freeze dry 546 gallons of food.
Why can’t I stuff more food in, and stack those trays fuller? During the freeze drying process, ice builds up on the walls of the freeze drying chamber. Add too much food, and the ice buildup will get too thick for the unit to work properly.
Freeze Dried Food Q&A
What foods can you freeze dry?
Fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy products, meals, desserts, and more. Freeze drying is safe for preserving cooked pasta and grains, unlike canning.
Those of you who follow me on Instagram know that I’ve freeze dried plenty of fruits and veggies, but I also tried some more interesting items like scrambled eggs and fajita filling.
What foods can’t you freeze dry?
Anything that’s mostly fat or mostly sugar will not freeze dry well. Fat won’t dry – but it can heat up and melt in the unit and coat every surface. When I tried pre-cooked pork sausage patties, they made a big mess.
Sugar binds to water, trapping it in the food. This is great for inhibiting bacteria growth, but it means you can’t freeze dry jams and jellies that are mostly sugar. Plain fruit and most desserts are fine.
How long does freeze drying take?
Around 24 hours was the estimated freeze drying time for an average load, but with the new software, I’ve freeze dried loads in as little as 13 hours. Warm, humid conditions increase drying time.
When you load up your home freeze dryer and hit “Start”, the unit takes you through a short menu. You select whether the food going in is already frozen (or not), and whether it is solid or liquid. Then the freeze dryer prompts you to close the drain valve and begin the cycle.
The new software is smart. The main differences between the old and new software are as follows:
- It measures the freezing temperatures (it used to only measure the warming temps)
- The vacuum pump is used as part of the freeze (when the temp of the food hits 0 degrees F, the pump turns on). This is important because the food gets colder faster.
- Once the food is frozen cold enough, it clicks immediately into drying (it doesn’t wait for the full freeze time to finish)
- The drying phase ramps up to the specified shelf temperature (this helps you get a better finished product)
- The final dry is the same
The biggest benefits occur if you put pre-frozen food it. However, there is still a decrease in the processing times for foods that aren’t pre-frozen. Anyone who gets a new freeze dryer also gets the new software.
The new software will be sold as an upgrade to older users, due to the customer service involved with it. Harvest Right has almost 50,000 freeze dryer customers. I received a copy of the new software to test and review.
Can you mix foods in the freeze dryer?
Yes, but watch placement. The website claims that flavors don’t mix, but we have found that they do. We ended up with freeze dried kiwis with a hint of green beans. Advice from the freeze drying groups suggests placing stronger flavored items on the upper shelves, milder items on the lower shelves.
As always, proper food safety rules should be observed. Avoid cross contamination, dry thoroughly, and package promptly.
How do I know the food is done freeze drying?
The freeze dryer senses the moisture content of the food and finishes the cycle automatically, but sometimes it’s a little off and you need to add extra time.
When you first remove food from the dryer, it will be a little cool from the ice buildup inside the chamber, but not “cold”. I always break open some larger pieces and check inside for cold spots. If you find cold spots, put the trays back in and add time to the drying cycle. Your freeze dryer will prompt you to check for dryness.
One of our readers, Rose, shares what she does to check dryness:
One thing I did choose to add to my arsenal for safety was a FLIR thermal imaging camera. With one easy picture, I can quickly identify areas on the tray that might not be completely dry, and pose an issue for long term storage. The image will show as being “cold” in the area that is not completely dry.
In the MANY loads I have done, I have only had one that didn’t pass (the pre-mashed potatoes) the very center of the tray was still cold. I was able to quickly extend the dry period for a couple more hours and produce a perfectly done product with no fear!
FLIR ONE IOS Thermal Imaging Camera for iPhone – works with the phone
FLIR C2 Compact Thermal Imaging System – standalone camera
How do I use freeze dried foods in recipes?
The book “Freeze-Drying the Harvest” provides detailed guidance for using your freeze dryer and rehydrating your freeze dried foods.
Freeze dried fruits and vegetables (those with less sugar) get so dry they are easily crushed into a powder in a blender or food processor. The resulting powder is bright in color and intensely flavored. You can use this powder in smoothies, or for flavoring. For instance, add strawberry powder to make strawberry flavored whipped cream.
How do I store the freeze dried food?
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! Once the freeze dry cycle is complete, you must package the food in containers that moisture and oxygen proof, such as Mylar, mason jars or cans. Adding an oxygen absorber helps to ensure freshness.
Meat with any amount of fat will go rancid in a matter of weeks if not properly sealed in an airtight container with oxygen absorber. Putting it in a mason jar and screwing on the lid won’t cut it. (We made that mistake only once.)
We use Mylar bags for most of our long term storage because they are light and durable. You can reuse Mylar, but of course the bag will be slightly smaller. Mylar is great for camping and travel.
Mason jars are a good choice if you:
- Aren’t concerned about the weight
- Have room for glass jars
- Don’t deal with tectonic disturbances or any type of disasters that might tip over your storage
You can use a Foodsaver attachment to vacuum seal jars, or remove the shelving from your Harvest Right freeze dryer and use the vacuum cycle. For long term storage, food is vacuum packed with oxygen absorbers in the jars. For short term storage, I vacuum seal without oxygen absorbers.
Can I use FoodSaver plastic bags for storing freeze dried foods?
No, not for long term.
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My friend Gale discusses the difference between Mylar and foodsaver bags in her post “Using Mylar Bags for Food Storage“:
First and foremost, the term “Mylar” is actually one of many trade names for a polyester film called BoPet film. For the technically inclined and the curious, that stands for “Biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate”. This film was developed by DuPont in the 1950’s and was first used by NASA for mylar blankets and long term storage as it increases the shelf life of food by eliminating oxygen. Think superpowered aluminum foil.
Since then, many uses for Mylar have been embraced due to its high tensile strength and its moisture, light, gas and aroma barrier properties. Mylar is also a good insulator against electrical disturbances, which is why it is used for making emergency blankets.
For all of these reasons and more, Mylar bags are considered the gold standard when it comes to long-term food storage.
What about Vacuum Sealed Bags?
Vacuum seal bags, such as those for the FoodSaver are a wonderful convenience and easy to use. But alas, they do not have the thickness nor the strength of Mylar bags and they may start to leak after 3 or 4 years.
They are still a great alternative for your short-term and mid-term storage items, especially if you are diligent about rotating foods and using them for your normal meal preparation activities.
Your FoodSaver bags do not need to be improperly sealed to let air and moisture in. They are simply not as thick or as tough as Mylar.
Alternatives to the HarvestRight Freeze Dryer
There are knockoffs available from China. Based on reviews, they are inconsistent in quality and operations. Although they are cheaper we do not recommend them. We only recommend HarvestRight.
How much is a freeze dryer?
Home freeze dryers range in price from $1,995 to $3,495, depending on size and exterior finish. This cost includes the Freeze Dryer, Vacuum Pump, Vacuum Pump Oil, Oil Filter, Stainless Steel Trays, Mylar Bags (50 ct), Oxygen Absorbers (50 ct), Impulse Sealer, and HR Guide to Freeze Drying.
All units have a 3 year Limited Warranty, versus the one year warranty on many appliances.
Harvest Right also offers 0% interest financing, allowing you to lock in sale prices with a $250 minimum down payment. You pay as much as you want, when you want.
When you reach the designated down payment for the unit of your choice, they ship your unit. You then pay the remaining balance over 12 months with 0 interest.
Harvest Right also offers different accessories separately, such as extra trays, mats, Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers.
These units are a big investment. If you know you’re only going to use it a couple times per year (or not at all), spend the money on something else you know that you will use.
If you want more food security and food preservation options, read on. Home freeze drying is more affordable than ever.
Layaway Option
Harvest Right offers a layaway option so you can lock in sale prices or reserve your machine. (They are experiencing a backlog in orders right now.)
How the layaway works:
- Lock in your sale price with a downpayment ($250 minimum)*
- Pay as much as you want, when you want
- Receive 0% interest until paid in full. Your freeze dryer will ship after you’ve made your final payment.
Locating your Freeze Dryer
Freeze drying machines eat up a fair amount of real estate. This is not a toaster oven or blender. The main unit is about the size of a dorm fridge, plus it has a hose and vacuum pump. Many owners buy a heavy duty rolling table to hold the unit, but a counter top or table can get the job done.
I currently have mine on a counter in the garage, against a wall. The on/off switch is at the rear of the unit, plus the pump has its own on/off switch. You need to be able to access both of those and have clearance for power cords.
Power requirements: The small and medium units use a standard 110 volt outlet, but it’s best to have it on its own circuit if possible. If you try to pair it with another heavy load appliance, you’re likely to trip a breaker. (I found that out the hard way, and we installed a dedicated circuit.)
The large unit requires a 110 volt (NEMA 5-20) outlet and a dedicated 20 amp circuit.
Watch the temperature. The recommended temperature range for operation is 35-90°F. The most efficient temperature range is between 50-75°F.
Although safe, operating your freeze dryer in temperatures above 90°F will affect batch times and reduce the life of the condensing unit (freezer).
As the temperature rises where your freeze dryer operates, so does the length of time it takes to finish batches of food. This happens because with hotter operating temperatures it is harder to reach the extreme cold required by freeze drying.
Don’t operate the unit below freezing. You are likely to have water within the compressor, and it can freeze and destroy your compressor.
Home Freeze Dryer Noise
During the first part of the cycle, the refrigeration unit is running. During the second part of the cycle, the vacuum pump is running. The noise isn’t super loud – think vacuum cleaner, not jackhammer – but it is noticeable. I’d highly recommend planning to have it in an area where the door can be closed.
Freeze Dryer Maintenance
As I mentioned earlier, the freeze dryer does a complicated job, so there’s a little more to it than just flipping a switch.
Think lawn mower, not kitchen mixer. If you regularly abuse your power tools and don’t do basic maintenance, don’t get a freeze dryer. I know many of my readers fix and maintain not only their own things, but other’s people’s equipment, too, so I’m not too concerned about this.
We drain the oil after each use and refill the vacuum pump with clean oil. Oil is filtered and reused. Before filtering, we freeze the oil. After freezing, we pour the oil off the top of the container into the filter. The water (as ice) sits in the bottom of the container.
Visit “Harvest Right Freeze Dryer Oil Change and Filtering” to see a video of the oil change itself and the use of an inexpensive homemade oil filter that works.
Oil-Free Freeze Dryer Pumps Now Available
Harvest Right listened to customer feedback, and they’ve developed a premium oil-free pump. All new freeze dryers ship with standard Harvest Right brand pumps, but the oil-free pumps may be purchased at an additional cost.
If doing an oil change every time you’re freeze drying sounds like a bit of a hassle, the oil free pump may be right for you.
Note that the oil free pump does use slightly more electricity than the default vacuum pump.
Things I Love About the Harvest Right Freeze Dryer
Home Freeze Dried Food is Tasty
Hands down, my favorite thing about the Harvest Right freeze dryer is the quality of the food. The commercial freeze dried food I’ve tried has been okay, but our home freeze dried products are amazing. I mailed some to a friend recently as part of a gift exchange, and she wrote back, “Okay, Laurie, spill the beans on how you freeze dried the fruits. My kids are absolutely in love with them!”
The texture of freeze dried food is light and crisp – more like chips than jerky – even freeze dried meat. We freeze dried fajita meat strips, and they tasted like crunchy little meat flavored Cheetos, the boys called them Meatos.
When we prepped freeze dried fajita filling for dinner, all we did was add a little water to the pan with the food, cover and heat through. Dinner was ready in less than 5 minutes. (If you happen to have a Sun Oven, they work well for rehydrating freeze dried meals.)
The fruit is so good – absolutely, intensely fruity, light and crisp. You can also powder your freeze dried fruits and veggies and use them as natural food colors (and flavors), as noted above.
Home Freeze Dried Food is Easy to Make
Filling the unit is easy. For meals or other prepared food items, simply cook your food and let it cool. Cut into small piece, or thin slices (if needed). Load the food on the trays; place the trays in the unit.
For freeze drying fruits and vegetables, I prep them as I would for freezing or dehydrating. Blanching is recommended for vegetables, especially for cabbage family crops like broccoli. Without blanching, they may outgas during storage, potentially bursting the storage seal.
If you want to freeze dry soup or liquids (like milk), you can do that, too. It helps if you reduce the amount of water to cut drying time, but you can freeze dry “as is”.
You Can’t Beat Freeze Drying for Long Term Food Storage
The shelf life of properly stored freeze dried foods is amazing. Low fat content foods like fruits, vegetables, lean meat, rice, noodles, etc. have a shelf life of 20+ years when packaged properly. Higher fat foods have a 10-15 year shelf life. No other food supply compares for long term food storage.
Why bother with food storage that lasts so long? Because life happens. One year I might have an amazing crop of a particular item, then crop failures for several years. If there’s a job loss or an emergency, with my freeze dried food I know we’ll have a stash of food we actually like to eat.
Food prices keep creeping up, so why not preserve food now to take advantage of lower prices?
Freeze Drying at Home Can Be Allergy Friendly
Food allergies and sensitivities are becoming more and more common. Freeze drying allows you to safely preserve a wider variety of foods than any other food preservation technique. You know you’re only minutes from a safe meal. When traveling, you don’t need to keep food in a cooler.
I have a friend whose daughter has EoE (an allregic swallowing disorder). She found that freeze dried foods didn’t trigger her gag reflex, and was finally able to eat more of a variety of foods.
Home Freeze Drying is Cool
Pun or no pun, home freeze drying allows you to experiment with options you won’t see with commercial freeze dried foods – or other food preservation techniques.
One member of an online forum had his aging grandmother cook her favorite meals. He then freeze dried them to share with the family after she was gone. What an amazing gift to be able to taste a loved one’s cooking one more time.
Another couple was freeze drying some of their wedding cake and the bride’s bouquet. Still another took meal pouches to work and just added hot water to have a real meal while her co-workers were gnawing on granola bars as they worked through lunch.
My boys love crunchy snacks, so we’ve freeze dried things from sweet potato fries to pickled beet slices as chip and cracker alternatives. Freeze dried yogurt drops turn bulk yogurt into a special treat. Combining berries and yogurt into cute silicon molds makes a melt in your mouth dessert bursting with creamy berry flavor.
Are you ready to invest in a Home Freeze Dryer?
Do you:
- Want more options for long term, healthy food storage that your family will enjoy eating?
- Have someone with allergies who needs safe food options?
- Need ready made meals to go?
- Try to store abundant produce for when harvests aren’t so good?
- Get excited about trying new food options and preserving special memories?
If any of these sounds like a fit, take a closer look at freeze drying. I’m happy to answer any questions you may have. If I can’t answer them, I’ll find someone who can. Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!
My referral link: https://affiliates.harvestright.com/115.html
If you choose to purchase a Harvest Right freeze dryer through my site, I receive a commission at no extra cost to you. (Thank you!)
You can watch the video below to see how I freeze dry strawberries. (These are the berries that had my friend’s kids raving about them.)
You may also find useful:
- The 5 Best Freeze Dried Foods
- Dehydrator Versus Freeze Dryer – What’s the Difference?
- 11 Freeze Drying Mistakes to Avoid for Best Storage Quality
- Harvest Right Freeze Dryer – Cost Analysis and Optimizing Load Size
- Home Food Preservation – 10 Ways to Preserve Food at Home
Originally published in 2016 with the title “Home Freeze Drying – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”, updated in 2019 to current title. Harvest Right fixed “the ugly”, which was the original messy pump, so I took that out of the title. I’ve also added information based on reader feedback. Please scroll through the comments for more Q&A!
Hi, you mentioned freeze drying the fajitas. My main interest in the units is to freeze dry complete meals, but I have a hard time believing the texture of different items will return when rehydrated. Do you have any more experience with that type of thing you could share?
Ground beef, pulled beef, sliced beef, ham chunks and chicken chunks have all rehydrated amazingly close to their original texture, to the point that I don’t think someone could tell that they had been freeze dried. Pork sausage patties are the only meat that we’ve tried so far that didn’t work well. They had a more jerky like texture.
Pasta was a bit softer after freeze drying, but not bad. Definitely firmer than canned commercial pasta. Rice is good, too.
Vegetables and fruits are not going to have a crisp texture after rehydrating. When we want crisp, we keep them dry (usually for snacking). Otherwise texture is similar to cooked veggies/fruits, or frozen that have been thawed.
I’m still confused about storage requirements after FD. I’m interested in one of these because I’m terrified of botulism and canning. Am I basically canning after FD? Or do I drop an oxygen absorber into the jar and screw the lid closed, or drop one into a mylar bag and suck the air out with my Seal-A-Meal? (I don’t think mine actually pulls all the air out, but it’s o.k. for freezing meat) What about snack items that aren’t all eaten in one sitting, such as banana chips or dried sliced strawberries, where my kids may want to grab a handful and screw the lid back on the jar, or mixed vegetable soup blends where I only want to use a small portion of what is in the jar/bag? All this talk about vacuum sealing after putting in jars puts me back into my “improper canning/botulism” frame of mind…
First off, don’t panic.
Botulism spores are found all over in the soil. They hang out, we hang out, and most of the time there’s no trouble.
I discuss botulism in detail in the post “Botulism, Causes, Symptoms, Treatment Tips for Safe Home Canning“. As I note in the article:
In freeze dried food, you could end up with the first three conditions met – but you lack water.
Clostridium botulinum bacteria won’t multiply and produce spores in dry conditions. Neither will other microbes that produce spoilage. Get your food super dry, and it gets stable. That’s the primary preservation concept behind freeze drying. Oxygen in the air causes oxidation and spoilage, so we try to get that out of the storage, too. Thus, the O2 absorbers and/or vacuum sealing. There are different sizes of O2 absorbers for different sizes of containers.
To keep your food safe after it gets out of the freeze dryer, you need to keep it dry and not exposed to excess oxygen.
Glass and metal containers are airtight. They do the job well if properly sealed. Mylar also works well, and it light and easy for you to seal at home.
Regular plastic vacuum sealer bags look airtight, but they are still slightly permeable, and let some air and moisture through. For a year or two, they’d be okay, but not for longer storage.
For longer storage, I usually use Mylar with an oxygen absorber. Sometimes I use glass, either with an oxygen absorber, or with vacuum sealing the jar. I don’t have a way to seal metal containers at home.
As long as a container is resealed after opening, the food will stay stable for a time, especially high sugar items like fruit. (Sugar and salt bind free water and inhibit bacteria growth.)
If you don’t expect to use up the contents of an open container within a week or two, reseal it with the vacuum sealer or a fresh O2 absorber for longer storage.
If you you have a lot of humidity, you can stick a moisture absorber in the bottom of the mason jar that’s being opened frequently to help keep the food stable.
Vacuum sealing doesn’t work well on Mylar bags, because they have a smooth surface. The bag opening sucks shut and no air can get out. People have rigged up an assortment of tricks to work around this, but an O2 absorber gets the job done with less fuss.
Does that make sense?
Based on your review of both the unit and the customer service I purchased one of the large units. I am still a very new newbie, so I don’t have any discussion yet, but I do have a question. My wife is busy planning her next year’s kitchen garden, but I am more of a meat man. Will the unit adequately dry slices of corned beef, and if so, what is a maximum thickness? I would extend your answer to slices of roast beef, pork roast or chops, lamb, and even salmon. What do you think? Should these slices be cooked first or may they be dried raw?
Meats and fish can be freeze dried cooked or raw. I’ve seen people freeze dry lean steaks that were one inch thick, but most people stick to 1/2 inch thick or less. Raw meat also seems to rehydrate faster than cooked meat. Just make sure to observe proper food safety rules and don’t cross contaminate cooked and uncooked foods. Thinner slices freeze dry faster.
Salmon tends to be an oily fish, so I wouldn’t cut that too thick.
Some notes on steak from one of the freeze drying groups that I’m in:
“I do raw steaks. Some people use broth to rehydrate meat. I just use cold water for mine. I put them in a bowl of cold water and stick them in the fridge for 20 mins. If I’m in a hurry, I use my food saver and vacuum marinate to force the water in faster.
Not sure on the thickness because I just buy mine at Ralph’s (Kroger) and throw them on my trays. Make sure you trim all your fat as it doesn’t Fx and will go rancid.
When you cook after rehydrating, don’t cook as long as normal. The cook really really fast.”
“I would not go over half an inch, keep it under 10 pounds and preset times work fine. 9 freeze and 7 final dry. I use broth or water and put it in a ziplock of cool water overnight to rehydrate since it is raw.”
“I did an experiment a while back with some Filet Mignon, sliced around 3/8″ thick. I seared a piece to medium and put it in the FD along with a raw steak. When I tried to rehydrate the cooked one, it was over-cooked. The raw one I tried rehydrating with hot water and also cold. The hot water overcooked it. the cold water was perfect though. Once rehydrated, it cooked up just like a fresh piece of steak. Very, very good results.”
“We usually freeze dry thinner pieces and double stack in the freeze dryer. It rehydrates better.”
Can you put a cold trap in line, on the vacuum hose, to reduce the amount water going into the pump?
I know people have added different modifications, but something like that would void the warranty and may impact efficiency.
Changing the oil is pretty easy.
Deb Miller comments always enjoyed. She’ should be a freeze dryer spokesperson.
Reason for my comment, tho, other than that, is I’m thinking seriously bout buying an oil free pump soon and am so grateful for your site, was wondering if it would benefit you in anyway if I order it thru you. Thanks.
Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Bill. Yes, anything ordered after clicking through to Harvest Right using my affiliate link supports the site, whether it’s a full unit, a pump, or accessories.
Are there any sales coming up in the near future? These seem so pricey. Can get a sawmill for under $3000 so this seems like an awful lot for what it is. Any coupons?
Harvest Right quite frequently runs different sales and promotions, but it is a complicated piece of equipment with computer controls, sensors, and parts that need to operate under extremes of pressure and temperature. They do offer layaway to lock in sale pricing, and zero percent financing.
You can get three sizes, the largest is roughly $3000. The small is around half that on sale. I have had both small and large. While I love the capacity of the large, the speed of the small (and size) was a plus. I think in retrospect I would have gotten the “standard” or medium size one, but it all depends on how you want to use yours. I have found the freeze dryers worth the cost of ownership and a whole lot of fun. I make my own healthy cat food, save all my harvests, and buy in bulk from trusted sources and not have to worry about shelf life.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Deb. I find that the standard is a handy size for our family of four, and the new software has significantly improved drying time from when I first started freeze drying food at home back in 2016, even though I still have an older unit.
Great blog and comments! Lol’d at some of them. I’ve learned a lot and am convicted. If I wait for a sale with Harvest Right but purchase through your affiliate link, do I still get the sale price? We’ll be ready to buy in September.
I don’t do Fakebook but I’ll relent and join that group if that’s the best way to get info. Been preserving food since 2009 and I’ve gotten very adventurous with canning/dehydrating. Can’t wait to jump into my next obsession!
Thanks!
You can use the affiliate link at any time (and thank you for doing so). They also have a layaway program that lets you lock in a sale price with a small amount down ($250 minimum downpayment), so you can take advantage of the sale and complete the purchase when you are ready.
From their site:
1. Lock in your sale price with a downpayment($250 minimum)*
2. Pay as much as you want, when you want
3. When you reach the downpayment amounts shown below, your freeze dryer will be sent to you
$1,400 (Small Freeze Dryer)
$1,500 (Medium Freeze Dryer)
$2,000 (Large Freeze Dryer)
4. Pay the remaining balance equally over 12 months with 0% interest
It looks like you can go to the site to put the order in the cart (which should credit the Common Sense Home affiliate link – I think – may have to ask about this), but then need to call 1-800-700-5508 to finalize the layaway.
We have some very helpful readers who are willing to share their knowledge here, but the Facebook groups have 24/7 freeze drying and nothing but freeze drying. The stuff that people run through their dryers is a little crazy. Youtube also has a TON of freeze drying videos, so you can stalk people without the commitment of Facebook.
One thing I recently found out from a friend of mine (and need to add to the post) is that the oil free pump does use a little more electricity than the default pump, so if you live in an area with high electric rates, that’s something to consider.
Since surving Hurricane Florence in Sourheastern NC, I joined a very small food salvage mission.
Our local community has a robust system of retail recovery, collecting near dating fresh convenient foods (hummus, sushi, wraps, pastas, soups, etc -and- produce from both grocers and farmers. There is such an abundance of farmed food they never makes it to the mouths and tummies of humans.
When we learned any-and-all unclaimed fresh foods were being taken away by hog farmers to feed their livestock at the days end, I began wondering… how could this food be recovered more thoroughly?
So much perfectly fresh produce, either near coding out dates or “too ugly” to make the cut for the “prim & proper” produce stacks available at any corner local or big chain grocer. The bend of a banana isn’t curved enough. A dented Apple, Even much of the claimed food loses essence as its transported from donors to food banks that break down shares to various pantries.
With the good being free, could freeze drying be a new wave of preserving food salvage for non-profits?
We still have regions of poverty sticken families in food deserts 8 months post recovery.
I’m curious if freeze drying would be an economical option for not only recovering free donated foods, but also truly building a bank of high quality real food nourishment.
The amount of waste that continues despite a crisis state is unimaginable.
If you know of any projects using freeze drying to take food salvage a step further, please let me know!
It depends on labor costs and electricity costs. If you have willing hands to prep the food for freeze drying, that’s the first step. You’d also need to seal the finished food in airtight containers quickly after processing, so it didn’t soak up humidity from the air.
The large freeze dryer holds 12-16 pounds of food per batch, which may or may not be enough to make a dent in the volume of food you’re seeing. It’s quite a bit for a family, but not necessarily for an organization.
I have not heard of a group using freeze drying to salvage food, but I will certainly be on the lookout.
I want to know if harvest right provided in india
I believe they do ship internationally. You can call their toll free sales support at 1.800.700.5508.
How do you make crunchy, sweet & salty freeze dried green beans like you can get at Yoder’s Market?
I tried just adding olive oil and sea salt but not the same. The ingredients list state Dextrin, which I cannot find to anywhere. I have Maltodextrin, would that work? How much would I use?
Hmmm…you’d have to ask the folks that make the green beans at Yoder’s market to know for sure, but dextrin is likely part of the equation.
From “Difference Between Dextrin and Maltodextrin“:
Dextrin:
A thickening and binding agent in food applications and pharmaceuticals and paper coatings
A crispness enhancer in foods
Used as a thickening agent to thicken food sauces
Maltodextrin:
Used in beer brewing to increase the specific gravity and improves the mouthfeel of alcoholic beverage
Used to produce “light” peanut butter in order to maintain the texture
Used as a cheaper food additive to thicken food products such as infant formula
Used as a filler in sugar substitutes
Production
Dextrin: Dextrin is enzymatically derived from corn, potato, arrowroot, rice or tapioca starch.
Maltodextrin: Maltodextrin is enzymatically derived from corn or potatoes starch in the USA and from wheat or barley starch in Europe.
From “HOW TO USE TAPIOCA MALTODEXTRIN“:
Maltodextrin traps fats inside its granules. When consumed, it dissolves on the tongue, releasing the flavor of the original fat. Powdered fats can also be sprinkled on plates (instead of drizzled) or food for a different look and texture.
HOW TO POWDER FATS (BASIC METHOD):
1. Measure out your fat and maltodextrin (see how to weigh molecular gastronomy ingredients for the basic method).
The standard proportion for powdering fats is 60% fat to 40% maltodextrin by weight. You may need to adjust this proportion for some fats.
2. Optional: Melt the fat if necessary (bacon fat, duck fat, white chocolate, etc).
3. Combine the fat and maltodextrin in a food processor (preferably a mini food processor or mini work bowl if appropriate for the amount you’re making) and blend until a powder forms. Stop the processor occasionally to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
4. Break up any large clumps and serve, or pass through a mesh strainer for even finer powder.
Store any leftover powdered fat in an airtight container in a cool, dark, dry place.
If you don’t have a food processor, powdering fats can also be done with a sturdy whisk or spoon, but takes considerably more work.
I thought I would let y’all (ok, I live in Alabama) know of something I tried lately… a test… I got a BIG jar of Mt. Olive dill pickles (from Sam’s, about $5) and tried freeze drying them. My husband loved them, he took them to one of his clients and left them by accident and THEY loved them. The pickles didn’t require much processing time, and they are crispy. You can taste the saltiness… My thought is to MAKE YOUR OWN pickles (that way, you can get the best pickles fixed the way you like them) and freeze dry them for a tasty treat without any oil (like a lot of folks around here like them — fried pickles are a thing) that is also fairly healthy. If my cukes come in, that is what I will do!
I’m glad you liked them. We tried freeze dried dill pickles and found them to be amazingly salty. I did like pickled beet slices freeze dried.
I ran across your site the other day and sent for 2 sets of 2 packages of things to try. One was fruit and the other scalloped potatoes. I gave one set to my daughter and kept the other for my self. My husband and I tried the fruit and I found it to be quite good. My daughter called and said ” MOM, we gotta get this. It’s great, even if you only use it to preserve fruit. ” I had to agree with her, the fruit was great. I would cut the bananas a little thinner.
I learned how to can from my mom when I was young. When I left home and started my own family. I canned almost every thing I grew in our garden. As time went on I also took up dehydrating fruits and vegetables. I have all the canning jars a person needs. I have the vacuum sealer because it helps keep the foods from getting freezer burn. I can and dehydrate the foods we grow and it helps cut food costs. When fruits that I can’t grow go on sale I can or dehydrate them. I think the freeze dryer will just help me keep the things I already do safe longer.
My husband and I spend most of the summer on our sail boat sailing around Lake Superior. I can see where freeze dried foods would actually be a better choice on how to carry foods with us. On a sailboat you do not have a freezer so frozen food is out of the question. Canned foods have a tendency to get rusty because of all the moisture on a boat. Home canned jars help here but finding containers to hold glass jars so they don’t break is not real easy. I do have several plastic storage boxes designed to hold them but then I have to try to keep them from moving around and the weight can get quite heavy. My husband says we loose 2 inches on the water line every time I stock the boat with food for the summer. I can see where the freeze dried stuff would be a lot lighter and easier to carry.
If you can, dehydrate or even freeze dry, you can save foods that would otherwise end up going bad because you can’t eat it all when it gets ripe. This way, in the winter when we have 4 feet of snow outside I can sit back and enjoy the raspberries, plums and apples that would otherwise gotten over ripe and gone to waste. My daughter and I plan on getting a freeze dryer, that we can share right after payday. We both are looking forward to using it. Thank you for listening to me and letting me say a few things. Sorry I said so much. Donna
No need to apologize, Donna. Hearing what readers are up to is helpful, as everyone has a little bit different situation. Freeze dried foods would definitely be lighter to pack. You’ll need water for rehydrating, but impact resistant water containers are much more common.
I bought a medium size and like it. I just wish there was more info of FD all drying all things. It seems a lot of folks don’t want to share of all the things that might be able to FD. The books I’ve seen have a low limit of what I can FD. Can I FD cat food, dog food, corn on the cob, etc. FD has been around long enough to have updated. The books I’ve seen are lame and not informational on what is already out there. I don’t want to FD and make my family sick or poisoned. I feel the hype doesn’t live up to what I wanted. Don’t get me wrong I FD a lot, but not enough of what I thought I thought I could do for my family. Am I missing the advance info?
Are you on Facebook at all? There are several groups where people share a ton of information on different items they freeze dry. Also, you can bop around youtube, where there are channels dedicated to nothing but freeze drying. If you want information on freeze drying specific unusual items, odds are it’s out there if you look for it. Check out Harvest Right Freeze Dryers – Freeze Drying Adventures. Over 15,000 people who do nothing but talk about freeze drying. They’re freeze drying everything from bulk pork loin to moringa to horseradish.
Regarding cat food and dog food – what types of cat food and dog food? I’m guessing you mean canned food, not dried. If so, there shouldn’t be an issue with freeze drying it, as long as you follow standard food safety rules, as noted. The food in the cans is processed until sterile, even if it was made from scraps that wouldn’t normally be used for human consumption. Clean everything thoroughly between loads, and don’t cross contaminate.
Corn on the cob would not be a good candidate for freeze drying, since the center of the cob would likely retain moisture. If you slice the cob into circles, you could probably do it it, but then you’d have corn cob slices.
Hi Laurie We are looking into buying the meduim Harvest Right Freezer. I love the idea of doing this in my home but I have read reviews about the customer service is with Harvest Right. What are your thoughts of the customer service and how long have you had you freezer? Some of the reviews about getting parts sent to them or even getting returned phone calls was not very satisfactory.
Hi Shelia.
We’ve had our unit since 2016, and have not had significantly issues with it. With the original JB pump (which they no longer ship), I did swap out some of the interior parts with stainless steel versions of the parts. The original parts got some corrosion because a little water gets into the pump oil when you use the unit. Not a big thing. We’ve done no maintenance on our new Harvest Right pump other than filtering the oil after each use. It’s running well.
Last summer, we ended up installing a dedicated circuit for our freeze dryer in our garage, because it was on a 15 amp breaker with the garage opener and freezer and would sometimes trip the breaker. Now that that’s done, no more breaker tripping. My friend, Dennis, rigged up equipment to measure energy use of the unit, and found out that it does spike above 15 amps at certain times in the cycle. so a 20 amp circuit is preferred.
I haven’t had the need to contact customer service for our unit, but the majority of reports I’ve read online have been positive. Once in a while, I’ll read something from someone who feels their complaint has not been addressed in a timely fashion, but it is not the norm. They ship out thousands of units. Satisfied users seem to far outnumber those with issues. Having dealt with thousands of questions and comments over the years, I know there is no way on earth to please everyone. It’s the nature of the beast.
Not all canned goods have a 20 to 25 year shelf life.. I was at my grand mother’s house years ago and we heard small explosions…it was some of her canned goods exploding ..what a mess and they were only a couple of years old..
Absolutely. A poor job of canning can be VERY dangerous. Also wide temperature changes can even cause commercial canned foods to explode. The safest storage, is a cool (55F) low to moderate humidity location with steady temperature (no temperature variance). The most important though is starting with safe canning practices. We suggest mylar with an oxygen absorber for the freeze dried or dehydrated food for this very reason, it reduces sun exposure, wont break or crack if knocked off a shelf by accident or in an earthquake. Always check your food, purchased or home canned, before you eat canned or otherwise preserved food. If it looks or smells bad, throw it out.
If you cook a steak medium rare, will it rehydrate medium rare or be well done?
It will rehydrate to the doneness level that it had when it went into the freeze dryer. The freeze dryer does not reach cooking temps.
I’ve been using the standard sizes unit for 6 months now and have put away a lot of food. Gardeners, hunters and fishing fans can get this unit to pay off.
When seasonal shrimp comes in cheap/on sale, it gets peeled, deveined and FD’d. Raw meat and seafood seems to work best. For raw shrimp, rehydrate in a bowl of iced water, covered in the fridge. I do that in the morning. By evening, just toss the shrimp and its soak water in a pan, bring to a boil. After 30 seconds, drain and chill with cold water. Tasted, texture was like fresh! Frozen shrimp doesn’t keep for long; the same is true with fish.
We save TIME by cooking large batches of, e.g., Dal, chili or baked winter squash and FD-ing it, so a quick meal can be had with minimal prep.
We live in a rural, pretty remote place. During snowstorms, power can go out for a week, or roads can be blocked for days. One year, a hurricane caused regional power to go out for a week, mostly due to downed trees. We’re used to this and have the usual “country” essentials: generator, oil lamps, Coleman stoves, wood stove, etc. I’m putting more and more food up as freeze-dried. It’s lighter, more shelf stable, and, in many cases, the best way to store foods (esp. meat, fish etc.) long term (over 6 months). Every food has best most practical preservation methods.
Dehydrated tomatoes are better tasting and easier to use than FD. Canned tomato sauce makes more sense than FD’d., especially in mason jars with corrosion-proof Tattler lids. But, if you want to make tomato powder, for quick sauces etc. : slice>FD> crush to a powder with an old-fashioned potato masher> sieve out seeds & skins>store. It’ll thicken tomato juice into sauce in no time.
I’m experimenting with whole fish fillets. Some retain damp cores (thick fillets) so get refrigerated in a double bag and re-dried after this “conditioning”, moisture equilibrating about 24-48 hours. The cores of fresh meat and fish tend to be fairly sterile, so spoilage can be delayed during the above. In any case, this is better than trying to FD cooked fish, because the product will ultimately be sterilized by final cooking. I think, as FD-ing foods becomes more common, we’ll see methods evolve to condition foods, much the way dehydrated foods are conditioned, to insure uniform and complete dryness.
Thank for sharing your experience and tips, Rob.
I”m considering buying a freeze dryer to make backpacking meals. Can the meals be re-hydrated in the bag? (provided I remove the oxygen absorber). Can the oxygen absorber be re-used? since I have to carry it out with me anyway….) Is the oxygen absorber necessary for short term storage? (ie less than 6 months)
Yes, you can rehydrate in the Mylar pouch, like the lady I mentioned in the post who was bringing meals into work for working lunches. Some foods will work better than others, so you would probably want to experiment at home to see which of your personal recipes work best.
There’s no way that I know of to recharge oxygen absorbers. It’s a one way chemical reaction. Some moisture absorbers can be recharged. You can probably skip the O2 absorber if you know for certain the food will be used within 6 months.
Adding to Laurie’s reply… which I don’t disagree with at all! I will say that I do reuse the oxygen absorbers in a limited way. For short term stuff, I put them in a mason jar with a small oxygen absorber. I leave the absorber in the jar until the jar is empty. The jar gets opened and shut in the meantime. It does still absorb oxygen, as there is a seal on the jar. I do not recommend this for anything that will be kept long term.
I would also add that info that is included with my oxygen absorbers claims they are efficient up to 30 mins exposure. 30 mins is a lot of opening and closing
You can remove rack from freeze dryer and put jars inside with loose lids and close and turn on pump and it’ll vacuum seal jars. Lid inserts will rattle and then seal. There’s a demo on YouTube about it
Thanks, Bill. I’d heard about doing this, but hadn’t checked out the videos since I have a FoodSaver.
Here’s the video demo:
Where can I buy the sealing unit you use to seal the food in jars? What machine/ brand is it? Do you have a link for that?
I use a FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer Jar sealer accessory. They come in regular and wide mouth options. You have to use them with a Foodsaver vacuum sealer. Jar sealer link – https://amzn.to/2Oqdgfd.
More info on vacuum sealers – https://commonsensehome.com/vacuum-sealers/
This FoodSaver unit (FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer FM24350ECR System) is currently available and will work with the jar sealer – https://amzn.to/2xbLBbh.
Laurie, you have the standard size and as you know, I had the small and now the large. What is strange is that the time it took to finish a batch of food in the small dryer varied greatly depending on what I was drying. The large freeze dryer takes 46 hours no matter what I am drying. So far I have done previously frozen veggies, fresh green peppers and cut corn, green beans…all 46 hours….do you think that is strange? Btw, the large is. 110, but required a different outlet.
That seems odd to me, although those things are probably all quite similar in water content and drying properties. Something completely different (non veggie) like fruit, or meat, or dairy might be a better test to trigger a different time. Is there anything in the manual? You might want to contact Harvest Right. That seems like an unusually long cycle, even with the big unit.