To choose the right trays, consider the size and model of your freeze dryer, the types of products you'll be drying, and the required capacity. Ensure the trays are compatible with your specific freeze dryer model and suited to the materials you plan to preserve.
Instead of buying expensive commercial freeze-dried meals which often contain ingredients we prefer not to eat, we use our freeze dryer to prep our own meals and meal ingredients.
Freeze dried food is often confused with dehydrated food. But the two are actually very different, both in how they are produced, and the quality and shelf life of the finished product. Freeze dried food typically lasts much longer and retains more of the food’s nutrient profile and taste.
The versatility and personal control can’t be captured in break-even charts, so keep that in consideration.
Freeze Drying Handbook: Many brands ship out an owner’s manual and offer guides, but some people prefer a hard copy. Plenty of information is readily available online, so this isn’t an accessory I use.
We’re always looking for new and better equipment, so if you have a freeze dryer that you swear by let us know in the comments. We review most of our roundups annually, so we can always try to coordinate testing one before the next roundup and see if it makes the cut and beats out our top picks.
In addition to preserving food, Harvest Right freeze dryers serve specialized industries, such as cannabis processing. These units are widely used in the production of bubble hash for rosin extraction, ensuring the preservation of essential cannabinoid and terpene content.
Trimleaf makes the process seamless by working directly with Harvest Right to provide comprehensive warranty coverage and post-purchase support. That means you are covered by the latter’s standard warranty which covers:
How much food you will be freeze drying – If you plan on freeze drying small amounts of food for your future personal use, then a small freeze dryer should serve you well.
Removing 80% of the moisture does ensure a much longer life for the food (if it is properly stored). But heating the food in this fashion causes it to lose approximately 50% of its nutrient value, and changes some of the baseline characteristics of the food as well.
Every owners manual has at least a few pages dedicated to the machine operation, and it’s worth the time to go through them. I often skip over instructions myself, but there is so much going on with these machines that it is worth the small time Shop Now investment to familiarize yourself in the manual.
We hit a small snag with the setup, discovering we needed a dedicated power outlet only after the dryer arrived. Luckily an electrician quickly solved the problem for us, but it’s a reminder to prep the space first.
We focused on freeze-drying machines designed for home food preservation rather than laboratory-grade pharmaceutical models and massive industrial models. Of course, those are useful for their purposes but our review is focused on increasing food storage shelf-life.
Simply press start on the touch screen and the patented Smart Freeze™ technology senses when it’s done.