Unfortunately, freeze-dried food can often be very expensive. We’ve seen this first hand as the only company that sells both frozen beef boxes to store in the freezer for up to a year as well as freeze-dried beef cubes to store in the closet for over a decade.
Harvest Right has created the world’s first high quality, affordable Home Freeze Dryer. It is less than one quarter the cost of comparable freeze drying systems, and is easier to use than a microwave.
Fillings for chocolates is a perfect idea! Should be able to get some really intense flavors that way.
These commercial freezers are also a must-have for commercial kitchens that need to freeze very large containers or boxes that cannot fit inside of a conventional freezer. You can purchase several different sizes of walk-in freezers. They’re custom-made to the kind of space you have.
The one "gotcha" I encountered in making this is that a typical car oil filter attaches with a 3/4x16tpi threaded pipe. I could find no such pipe anywhere. My solution was to use instead a 3/4x16tpi bolt, and then drill a hole through it.
4) I made a plastic shield to protect the main circuit board of the FDer. it simply slides into place and protects the top and both sides of the board from condensation.
That means that if you find any authorized online retailer that has a lower price than us, just let us know and we'll match their price!
It appears that the ice build up inside the chamber sublimates as well as the ice in the food. Eliminate the ice and the process is faster, and less water ends up in your oil.
Using sublimation, the food retains much of its original texture, flavor, and nutrition when rehydrated. Freeze drying is broken down into two simple processes: freezing and vacuum drying. Foods are first frozen to well below 0°F. The colder the freeze the more efficient the next step will be. Once frozen, foods are subjected to vacuum drying. The air and water vapor (gas) are removed from the food processing chamber using a vacuum pump. This includes removing the water vapor that was once inside of the foods. When these two steps are properly completed, the food is dry enough to allow for safe storage at room temperature. Is freeze drying food safe?
Did you know that there are many ways to preserve your chiles? This resource offers the resources you need to learn how to freeze, can, dry, and store your chiles!
Removing water quickly is very important because the longer a harvested plant or compound retains water, the higher the chance it has of spoiling, losing nutrition, and losing potency.
I want to suggest to Teppy that you get a bunch of Shop Now oito quart hard plastic foodsaver containers to keep your products in under vacuum, being so low in moisture they attract water and soften rather easily. E-bay is a good source.
Obviously things like ice cream and marshmallows you would want to let the freeze cycle run longer. When I'm ready to start the drying cycle, I open the door, remove the insulator, and check the temperature of the food on the trays with an infrared thermometer. As long as it's below -10F I start the dry cycle. A side note for TonyC, have you ever thought about attaching a mirror to each side of the tray rack to reflect the radiant heat back in to the trays? I've looked at some mirror finish stainless on ebay, and it looks like you could do it for about $40. Not sure if it's worth a try or not. I would think it would let you get more water out in a cycle because the radiant heat wouldn't be warming the ice on the chamber walls. Just a thought.... Edited December 16, 2015 by Pipsqueak duplicate post (log)
Is it as cheap as buying at the store? Pelo. But properly freeze-dried and stored meats can last ten years or more without refrigeration. The freeze-drying process can be challenging, but those who have the time and patience should consider doing it.