On that point, I was first introduced to home freeze dryers while overseeing the guard force at the Embassy in Baghdad.
The shelf heaters can be set to automatically control the rate of sublimation during the primary drying cycle.
1. Inadequate Drying Time: If your food is not completely dry after a cycle, it may require additional time. Always check moisture levels before sealing.
Truth be told, there isn’t much of a difference in terms of interface, but the Pharmaceutical models do offer a bit more customization in terms of settings. The Home Pro models however get the job done just as well and have bigger capacity for the money.
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)
I did a couple of batches (peas and carrots, and another load of precooked chicken meatballs cut in half) and it all worked perfectly. Looking forward to trying out some new things and sharing the results.
The Celiac diagnosis was the real catalyst that made up my mind to purchase a freeze dryer. I can now freeze dry my son’s favorite homemade gluten-free foods as well as a few pre-made gluten-free foods that are safe.
The system records and maintains a log of the pressure and temperature during all parts of the freeze-dry cycle.
•The system records and maintains a log of the pressure and temperature during all parts of the freeze-dry cycle.
We have two freezers in the garage as well. All of these machines generate heat and humidity. Our FDer front regularly sweats up an storm and water drips off the door and from around the entire chamber perimeter down the front of the unit. It got so bad that I taped a plastic shield above the display to route the water around it. You can see the water on the door and on the stainless steel front past the 4 screws on the Know More unit.
Then I just have to take rolls and a gluten-free pie for my son. It’s much less stressful on everyone, and my son doesn’t feel that he’s being deprived of having traditional holiday foods.
So the bottom line is this: If you can afford the money, space, and time to spend on freeze-drying your own food and you believe the need for the food is many months or years away, then eventually the Harvest Right freeze dryer will pay for itself.
It definitely helps to have a freezer nearby. You’ll cut time tremendously by freezing the food first rather than having the freeze dryer do it. It’s also cheaper.
The industry standard machine for drying ice water hash at commercial operations that need serious throughput