I'll be trying combined foods next. The Small size works here. The pictured instructions are helpful. The reading material gets you off to a good start and you can get Harvest Right App for endless possibilities!
After the 3rd cycle I had hit my 20 cycle oil limit so it was time to change the oil. This time I took the time to add a flush port to my pump. When I replaced the plumbing with larger diameter brass and a cutoff valve I did not think to add the oil flush out port.
. We have some really great 'techy' type guys here who are, as they have been exploring the FD mechanics and sharing that in their posts, writing what is turning out to be a 'troubleshooting manual' for us less capable folks.
One of the reasons I like the small freeze dryer is the size. At the same time, my large freeze dryer takes up space equivalent to a clothes dryer—the small one doesn't.
It freezes the product and lowers pressure to remove ice by sublimation. Sublimation is the transition of a substance directly from the solid to the gas phase without passing through the liquid phase.
Upon turning off the pump (no isolation valve on the pump - standard setup), the chamber pressure rose quite rapidly going to 2000 mTorr and continuing up in a couple of minutes or so.
You can count on me sticking around to talk about the food side of things! My wife looked at me a little oddly when I got the freeze dryer, but now she's a fan too. I'm discovering things that it can do that I hadn't expected, such as making low carb snacks.
The unit can also connect to and communicate the freeze Shop Now dryer cycle data to a nearby PC through an ethernet cable.
And therein lies the cons to buying a freeze dryer. It takes time to make them cost effective. Depending on humidity in your area, a single run can take up to two days to complete.
Pre-frozen food takes less time to process since the machine doesn’t have to completely freeze the food. Your climate (humidity and temperature) can also affect the cycle length. My average load takes around 24 hours, but it can be significantly longer.
- Nutritional Preservation: This method retains about 97% of the original nutrients in food, making it superior to other preservation methods like canning or dehydrating.
You can freeze dry soy and almond milk as well as most non-dairy yogurt, sour cream, and cream cheese substitutes. This has been especially helpful in avoiding food waste, as my son is the only one who uses the non-dairy substitutes, and he rarely is able to finish them before they go bad. I just throw them in the freeze dryer for him to eat later.
The next way to save money is to watch Harvest Right's website for seasonal sales and promotions. Sometimes, patience pays off in the form of significant discounts.
Freeze dried Skittles are a favorite in my family. They end up with a crunchy texture. Other candies have a crunchy Buy Now exterior and an airy interior.