I also love finding clearance deals on produce and other items. My family is no longer surprised when I bring home piles of produce, meat, cheese, or whatever else I find a deal on.
5) Next up I insulated the pipes where condensation forms directly from the compressor. I used inexpensive water pipe insulation from copyright or Home Depot to wrap all exposed parts that had potential for condensation.
Our electricity was very high when we had it in AK because our electric company charged a lot, but in Texas, it’s very cheap to run. I don’t mind that I can’t freeze dry some things, as most of the things that you can’t freeze dry, you can purchase commercially or they shelf stable as is. For instance, I don’t freeze dry butter, but I do buy powdered butter. Oh, here’s one more potential con:
I would prefer those fittings to have internal Este rings and knurled thread on ports (similar to R134a vacuum gauge sets) that do not require high torque compression fittings. Finger tight and you are good to go. You spot a leak, change the O ring and you're back in business.
And once you have resolved your issue I hope you will stay around and talk to us all about what you have been drying in your machine, etc.
Of course the bags were frozen right in to the mass of berries so it was quite a painful struggle to get the mess to the point where I could hack off slices of the berries to put on the trays.
The differing vacuum levels during the system tests would be consistent with either a door seal leak or an drain valve leak.
8) The vacuum port was up next. You can see the condensation on the Shop Now brass fitting. That means cold is escaping and heat is getting into the chamber. This small section was placed inside the panel.
This is why so many people are buying their own freeze dryers to use at home. The market is essentially cornered by Harvest Right, which isn’t a bad thing since their quality and customer service are both superb.
The alternative was to simpIy cut a small section from the guard at the lowest point and allow the water to run down the front of the panel in a single stream. I am not crazy about the look, but it is absolutely necessary to protect my investment and the electronics. If you look carefully you can see the hole in the gutter beneath the center screw.
Thirdly, I like to know what is in my food. When I process my own food, I know what is going in it. Also, I like to grow my own produce so when I freeze dry that, I know exactly where my food came from and how it was grown. Some commercially freeze dried foods contain preservatives.
Cooked eggs can be freeze dried, but they tend to be rubbery when reconstituted. If you want to freeze dry cooked eggs, I recommend slightly undercooking them and then rehydrating them with boiling water. It will finish cooking them without making them rubbery.
If you don’t have the time or money, or if you believe the food crisis will hit hard very soon, then it makes more sense to buy freeze-dried food instead.
Making food in your own freeze dryer is less expensive than purchasing it commercially. You can purchase food in bulk and freeze dry it for later. With the current high food prices (which could easily continue to skyrocket), it’s nice to buy in bulk or on clearance to save money.