Freeze Drying - Prefreezing Food in Pans
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- Prefreezing food before freeze drying.
A bit of why & how.
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Before buying a freeze dryer, perhaps research to find out more about the downside of the machine; some people have problems with their machine and it's big and heavy and hard to return!
When trying to decide what to freeze dry you can start by asking why.
Start by asking yourself this question. Why are you freeze drying food? Knowing this should help you decide what you should freeze dry first.
I'm freeze drying because:
Just to freeze dry leftovers?
You want to make your own food for camping/backpacking?
For if/when the SHTF?
For a short term emergency?
You have your own garden and want to freeze dry the food?
You love Costco but don't have a family of 6?
You are good at finding the food sales but only have 1 freezer?
When you cook homemade chili just for yourself you make 10 gallons? Because you have 3 full freezers and are worried about power outages?
If I knew then what I know now, I would have freeze dried things in a different order. Or maybe not, because I started freeze drying because we had 3 full freezers, I was thinking of getting another one, and I decided I should buy a walk-in freezer instead. I started looking into walk-ins and realized they were expensive to buy (even used ones) AND expensive to own and operate. Then I found out Harvest Right was making home sized freeze dryers. One of my first thoughts was "I like Mountain House!" I have used their food for backpacking almost 45 years and we even kept some in our travel trailer, for just in case.
Freeze dried food will stay fresh for many years and be ready and waiting when you need it.
We do videos showing how we are using our Harvest Right Freeze Dryer to freeze dry food for long term storage. (We have the medium size machine that we got in August of 2017) We talk about how to load and unload the freeze dryer, how to know if the food is dry, is it better to freeze dry raw food or cooked food, and do a few taste tests. Freeze dried food is also great for prepping or just for camping and snacking!
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As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases from the links provided. By clicking on the links, you can explore the products and tools I use.
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We have been buying oxygen absorbers and 7 mil Mylar bags from PackFreshUSA since early 2018. During all that time (1000's of bag and oxygen absorbers, and about 6 year before before we added this affiliate link) we have been happy with the products and service we have received from them.
I earn from qualifying purchases from the links provided. - packfreshusa.com/?rfsn=7877576.a54e2a
Use the discount code "SchoolReports5" to get 10% off your first purchase when using the link.
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Harvest Right - If you are thinking of buying a freeze dryer, please consider supporting us by purchasing through our link. It helps us and costs you nothing!
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Before buying a freeze dryer, perhaps research to find out more about the downside of the machine; some people have problems with their machine and it's big and heavy and hard to return!
Prefreezing is good. I can’t keep up because I bought a second machine when they went on sale so I buy frozen food like potatoes O’Brien, potato patties, corn, hamburger patties, shrimp etc.
We do a _lot_ of bags of frozen foods. Instant prep - I love it!
This is a great short video for newbies of FDing! I shared it with a friend who just ordered her FDer. Thanks for doing these fabulous videos.
Do you sell the dividers you make to make 1/2 a pan? I love that whole idea. Just trying to figure out if I should buy a FD, but these would be so happy if i splurge and get one.
Sorry, I'm not currently planning to get into making/selling items. (I don't have the time and definitely don't need the headaches!)
😁 Even if you never get a freeze dryer, freezing food in these pans works great. We had been freezing stacks of meals in these pans for decades before we got our freeze dryer.
I finally made a couple of the dividers without using the 3D printer a short time ago. It turns out it's an easy craft project and my sister says they are working well. (I will be making more non 3D printed ones, they're easy, cheap, and work!)
Making Dividers for My Pre-freeze Pans Without Using a 3D Printer (For Our Medium Freeze Dryer) ua-cam.com/video/XNsbWn29xdE/v-deo.html
Stay tuned. 😁 I'm going to show another way using 1/2 thick cutting board. (For people with more tools and/or skills)
Excellent info and tips! Always look forward to your vids!
Thanks for sharing , here in Australia we get meat on clear plastic trays so i wash them really well and use them to pre freeze my foods , of course i only keep and use the ones that are the same width as our freeze dryer trays :)
That would be great!
Thank you for the video i would buy ur dividers for that pan .... even the one with the magnets it looks like thank u for your time effort and energy.... ohio
Thanks for watching and commenting!
The dividers are just something I made. The dividers are designed to fit the pans we got at a Dollar Tree store. They were called 8x8" but the bottoms are about 7x7", 2 1/2 pans are a perfect fit ** for our medium freeze dryer trays. (Turns out they have them online too www.dollartree.com/cooking-concepts-square-cake-pans-75-in/10065 ) The file is on Thingiverse. www.thingiverse.com/thing:3848619 (Some people feel that it's wrong to have food touch plastic - it's low on my personal risk list) I've updated the Thingiverse listing to include a new version of the divider that is slightly narrower at the bottom to fit more of the pans.
** Clarification on the 2 1/2 pans per tray; it only works IF the divider is the thickness I use. (or thicker) The freeze dryer trays actually
fits about 1/2" less than 2 1/2 pans; that's one reason I made the dividers that thick, that and to fit the magnets.
For those without a 3D printer, here's my best ideas for getting some 3D printed dividers. Lots of areas have Maker's places with people that would love to do it for you. Or, better yet, some schools have 3D printing labs. Check with a the local charter school that has junior high or high school age students. I taught 3D Design and Printing for 3+ years at a local 6th - 8th grade charter school. We loved it when we could find/were given a real-world project with a real need.
I finally made a couple of the dividers without using the 3D printer a short time ago. It turns out it's an easy craft project and my sister says they are working well. (I will be making more non 3D printed ones, they're easy, cheap, and work!)
Making Dividers for My Pre-freeze Pans Without Using a 3D Printer (For Our Medium Freeze Dryer) ua-cam.com/video/XNsbWn29xdE/v-deo.html
Stay tuned. 😁 I'm going to show another way using 1/2 thick cutting board. (For people with more tools and/or skills)
Hello. Sorry I was unable to find which video it was that we were discussing the cutting of the pan dividers. You had asked me about my neighbor having such a difficult time cutting the cutting board. He didn’t go into details but he did mention burning while cutting. . I assume this could have been the speed he was cutting, perhaps the blade he used or it was just the operator! lol I would think the blade used would make a huge difference with size and sharpness. . Thank you for helping me with this. I appreciate you giving the pattern.
Well, now I can hardly wait to try it! Thanks!
Do you think this works better for you than just buying extra freeze dryer trays?
Great question!
For us, _most of the time,_ it's far superior to prefreezing in the freeze dryer trays for a number of reasons. (We do prefreeze in the trays occasionally)
With the little pans the food is pre-portioned and ready for bagging in serving (or 2 servings?) sizes. The blocks are smaller from the 7x7 pans which makes them a lot easier to store in the freezer. The frozen blocks from the big pans often break when taking them out and they need a big plastic bag for storing the blocks in the freezer. Leaving them in the extra freeze dryer trays works great, but we would need at least 15 sets of extras and they do take a lot more space in the freezer than blocks without trays.
If we were never going to prefreeze more than 2 or 3 batches ahead I would probably opt for extra trays with dividers.
Do freeze dryers freeze in some specific way that would have the same result as a blast freezer, whereas the ice crystals formed are small & minimal because of the blast freezers speed? Or is it just like your normal freezer that ends up creating larger ice crystals that damage the structure of some more delicate food items, because it takes longer to freeze?
The resulting food mush when thawed compared to the original fresh food is what I'd like to avoid.
If no, and it means saving for a blast freezer so be it. But figured I'd ask. Thanks
P.S. I would still pre freeze other non delicate (meats, etc) foods in my regular freezer, to save time and energy costs.
Yes, in general the faster the freeze, the smaller the ice crystals. Not an issue at all if your going to eat the item dry. (not rehydrated) The HR freeze dryer is _not_ nearly as fast at freezing as a blast freezer. Not close. But sometimes we want bigger ice crystals than the blast freezing gives us. Also, we are never going to thaw our food after it's been frozen.
With fruits, we've been happier with the results when they have been frozen slower. With IQF fruits, we have tested letting them warm up to just about the freezing point of the fruits, somewhere around 26 to 31ºf (different temperatures depending on the fruit) and then we freeze them slowly. (regular freezer speed) This does seem to help them do better, but still not as good as fresh. IQF vegetables don't seem to have this issue. I assume it's because of the sugar level in the fruit helps to keep it flexible and vegetables have a lot less sugars and a different cell structure.
Mountain House has been successfully freeze drying food for more than 50 years. Here is what the Senior VP of manufacturing says here about ice crystals - ua-cam.com/video/OzOvsDVL_Q8/v-deo.html (sometimes bigger is better)
Remember, I'm just another idiot on the internet. I could be wrong. The #1 joke at our house is "But, I saw it on the internet!" I look at what commercial companies are doing. If they can do it, we probably can too. (with method adjustments)
"If you read it on the Internet, it's absolutely true!" - Abraham Lincoln
Pre freezing definitely shortens the run time in the FD. Depending on what it is you're FD'in it shorten it by at least one hour or more. This makes a huge difference if your're trying to maximize the available run time hours with your FD'r.
I suspect that prefreezing may also make a big difference for keeping water out of the oil that some people have experienced.
Have you tried silicone pans, the ones that measure 1 cup or 2 cups? They have them on Amazon for easy measuring.
These are the only silicone pans/molds we have tried: (Amazon affiliate links)
64-Cavity Square Mold amzn.to/3RTWCrx
6-Cavity Large Round Disc Mold amzn.to/3TvPuD8
4oz, 3'' Round Silicone Mold amzn.to/47dqfsg
6 Cavities Baking Pan - 2 1/2 Inch amzn.to/48sMA69
8x8 Baking Pan Silicone Cake Molds amzn.to/47f22Sm (The bottom is 7x7 and the blocks fit the medium trays)
what size and brand are the pans that you are using? Do you share the 3d print files for your dividers?
Thanks for watching and commenting!
The dividers are designed to fit pans we got at a Dollar Tree store. The pans are a near perfect fit ** for our medium freeze dryer trays. (Turns out they have them online too www.dollartree.com/cooking-concepts-square-cake-pans-75-in/10065 ) The file is on Thingiverse. www.thingiverse.com/thing:3848619 (Some people feel that it's wrong to have food touch plastic - it's low on my personal risk list) I've updated the Thingiverse listing to include a new version of the divider that is slightly narrower at the bottom to fit more of the pans.
** Clarification on the 2 1/2 pans per tray; it only works IF the divider is the thickness I use. (or thicker) The freeze dryer trays actually fits about 1/2" less than 2 1/2 pans; that's one reason I made the dividers that thick, that and to fit the magnets.
I assume you have a printer, but for those without a 3D printer, here's my best ideas for getting some 3D printed dividers. Lots of areas have Maker's places with people that would love to do it for you. Or, better yet, some schools have 3D printing labs. Check with a the local charter school that has junior high or high school age students. I taught 3D Design and Printing for 3+ years at a local 6th - 8th grade charter school. We loved it when we could find/were given a real-world project with a real need.
I did make a couple of the dividers without using the 3D printer a short time ago. It turns out it's an easy craft project and my sister says they are working well. (I will be making more non 3D printed ones, they're easy, cheap, and work!)
Making Dividers for My Pre-freeze Pans Without Using a 3D Printer (For Our Medium Freeze Dryer) ua-cam.com/video/XNsbWn29xdE/v-deo.html
Stay tuned. 😁 I'm going to show another way using 1/2 thick cutting board. (For people with more tools and/or skills)
Would you be willing to make some of those dividers and sell them to me?
Sorry, I'm not currently planning to get into making/selling items. (I don't have the time and definitely don't need the headaches!) 😁I wasn't planning to get into teaching 3D design and printing either, but ended up teaching for 3 years a few years back, so who knows
For those without a 3D printer, here's my best ideas for getting some 3D printed dividers. Lots of areas have Maker's places with people that would love to do it for you. Or, better yet, some schools have 3D printing labs. Check with a the local charter school that has junior high or high school age students. I taught 3D Design and Printing for 3+ years at a local 6th - 8th grade charter school. We loved it when we could find/were given a real-world project with a real need.
I finally made a couple of the dividers without using the 3D printer a short time ago. It turns out it's an easy craft project and my sister says they are working well. (I will be making more non 3D printed ones, they're easy, cheap, and work!)
Making Dividers for My Pre-freeze Pans Without Using a 3D Printer (For Our Medium Freeze Dryer) ua-cam.com/video/XNsbWn29xdE/v-deo.html
Stay tuned. 😁 I'm going to show another way using 1/2 thick cutting board. (For people with more tools and/or skills)
We have found the pre-freezing is the best tip. Saves a lot of time. Great video.
Where do you get your FD log sheets?
I've just been using ones that my spreadsheet tech made for me. (wife:)
If you have suggestions for useful added data fields, please let me know.
This is the worksheet I have been using:
Freeze Drying batch worksheet - 4 tray - 2 per sheet (Feel free to download a copy and use it anyway you want. You don't need to ask :) docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14_1KDR7-eEv_h9EdwJcHb2Dex5MuhnxlDV24qPR7H6c/edit?usp=sharing
Here are sheets for other number of trays:
Freeze Drying batch worksheet - 5 tray - 2 per sheet (Feel free to download a copy and use it anyway you want. You don't need to ask :) docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1tgNrGRD3BICKsokLxuClAbQAYvHfDTmbXu6XvA089nc/edit?usp=sharing
Freeze Drying batch worksheet - 6 tray - 2 per sheet (Feel free to download a copy and use it anyway you want. You don't need to ask :) docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1d3x-gaD3_5SYravfrmk-SxUsp875T0lZsRmi8MLrKPU/edit?usp=sharing
@@SchoolReports thanks for sharing
Thanks man, this video is a game changer.
Thanks for checking it out!
I just sat in amazement as I listened to a well spoken review of what must have been a compilation of several different videos piecemeal-ed into one. This was the first video on this channel of yours where you stated using a 3D printer. Wish I could afford one and had 1/10th the energy you do. I also don’t have a dedicated freezer or a sister with her own machine.
I envy you.
You made us chuckle a bit with this one. Energy! And me getting up at the crack of noon. 🤣 (BTW - 7 of my oldest 10 videos are about 3D printing)
This video was in response to a viewer asking for more information about how and why we do the prefreezing in the pans. As you surmised, it was mostly a compilation of a number of different older videos, plus short bit showing the pans.
We have been making large batches and freezing them in meal portions for decades, long before we started freeze drying. Even before we had kids. Our process was about the same - cooking, portioning in the pans, freezing, popping the blocks out of the pans, storing in ziplocs - all about the same right up to the point where they now go into the freeze dryer instead of staying in the freezer. We've lived with 3 freezers since before we started freeze drying, in fact one of our freeze drying goals has been to get it down to 2 or maybe even 1 freezer.
The interesting (odd?/funny?) thing about posting videos on the internet is that people only see what we share, and that's how we're seen. (Duh! - Of course!) For example, I didn't start putting myself on the videos until I was able to go hours at a time without having to wear my Aspen collar. I don't like to show myself that way; that's why my neck and head are seldom seen in my older videos. I even tried to make sure I didn't show a reflection of me wearing the collar. The energy people see in the videos is all the energy I have! 😁 If I'm going to do something physical, I'm probably going to video it.
3D printers are cheap nowadays. Machines under $300 are better than the ones I have. (Don't get me wrong, mine work just fine - one's printing right now) If you were close, I happily give you one of my extras just to get rid of one.
Having access to 2 freeze dryers (and 2 sets of everything) makes troubleshooting much, much easier. Think the vacuum hose is leaky? Swap it out with a known, good, tested, one and check! Not sure about the seal? Swap it. Vacuum pump? Ditto! Etc, etc.
I tried to persuade her to _not_ buy one, but it is nice to have a second one so close.
@SchoolReports
I wish I had read my post before sending. I see I wrote it wrong. I meant to say this was the first time I’ve seen one of your videos on this channel talking about 3D printing. I watch videos haphazardly, yours and about 6 other freeze drying channels. Having just started watching many in November 2023; 2 months prior to buying a FD, there are hundreds to watch and I don’t see them in any particular order. Usually it’s YT’s analytics that bring them to my attention. I don’t know where you started talking about 3D printing, I only know this was the first one I’ve watched where you mentioned it in such a way as to suggest you have one, as opposed to using some one else’s or having access to one.
I had to look up “Aspen collar” as I had no idea what you were referring to. It amazes me just that much more that you’re sharing all the energy you have on a particular day to video (I >almost< said video tape 😂) yourself doing the things your viewers love to see.
I’ve tried talking so many others to show their faces in their videos. I think I actually talked this one slot player into doing it as he started shortly after I mentioned it. His argument was “no one wants to see my face!” But now his channel has started to take off, he finally got over 1,000 subscribers. ‘John in Bibs’ started showing parts of his face, but I can’t take credit for that, he had to just to properly video the product he’s been showing off recently. Though I did tell him “you don’t need to look at the camera, just allow people to see the person talking.” I still think that’s an option many don’t consider.
For you, showing yourself in the collar now would just gather comments like “what happened?” from viewers who don’t know you wear one when not on camera, thinking you had just recently been in an accident or something. Though it would probably garner some sympathy views 🤔, likes and subs.
Except for Tuesday morning bingo, I get up at the crack of never. I spend most of my days laying in bed watching UA-cam through my Roku on my TV, grabbing my phone to comment like now, laying sideways, before returning to the TV or rolling over for another nap. The Freeze Dryer has actually given me a reason to get up and do something. I used to spend a couple hours every day in a movie theater, watching every movie that’s been released, but losing my job and my girlfriend (she broke up with me) in 2019, six months before the pandemic, put me in such a mood I didn’t get up except to go to the 🚽. I gained 100 pounds and now I can barely walk as a result. Permanently disabled is what my doctor says, and apparently the government agreed though probably not due to my physical condition but rather my mental one. I’m on the Autism Spectrum, and lost my last job over it. I have difficulty talking to people and most jobs require it these days. I was diagnosed in 1977 but it was before Aspbergers even had a name and I received no help in coping with it. I was re-diagnosed in 2016. Looking back it’s why I’ve never held onto work. My longest job was 10 years as a bill collector, but lost it when HR started talking to me socially.
Sorry to rant like this.
@@MisterEMystery I often wish I'd read my posts before sending!🤣(and re-read) I find it hard to be clear with typing.
I actually did assume you had meant it was the first video of mine you'd seen mentioning 3D printing. My first big foray into video making & editing was to make How-to videos for my students, to show them detailed (very detailed:) step-by-step instruction for how to design their first object (keyring fob with their name) and then operate the 3 different models of printers we were using. The videos were then put on each of their computers so they could reference them as needed.That was a few years before I started posting online.
You've really nailed the main reason I wouldn't want to wear the collar on video. It's not what I want the videos to be about.
One of the first "photos" 😁 of me online is in the first few seconds this video from a few years ago: Channel Update: Never Look Back - ua-cam.com/video/07ENggGmlZU/v-deo.htmlsi=8K36Qj1z5nClY2Ad
Here's the short version. There was a boating accident (40+ years ago) that I wasn't involved in, but was the only one seriously injured. It took about 8 years to rebuild my jaw. Then about 20 years later I started to became paralyzed because of some of the damage, and I've had to have some additional work done a couple times to slow it down. For most of the first 20 or so years it didn't really slow me down much, I stayed at the same company for another 15 years, then had a photography business for a few year, built the house we now live in, home schooled our kids, and taught 3D design & printing to classes of 6th to 8th graders.
@SchoolReports When I first read the caption “Channel Update: Never Look Back” I thought you were telling me, not stating the title of the video 😂. Just returning from commenting there.
Perseverance is what you have, and aside from UA-cam comments; something I lack.
Do you have those old instruction videos by any chance? You seem to be somewhat of a packrat and I would think it’s something you’d have hung onto. If you do, and can transfer from the computer or video tape or whatever the medium is to your other channel, I’d really like to see them! I still use keyring fobs, for keys that aren’t big and too bulky for a keyring like my car’s fob. And learning things about 3D printers would make them less off-putting to me.
If you tell me what state you’re in, and I don’t mean mentally 🤣, if I ever go on a road trip again, I’ll be happy to stop by and take one of yours off your hands 😁👍!!
I’m in MN and have gone via Interstate to GA and back.. though that was 15+ years ago when I could sleep in my SUV at road stops.. I am thinking about/planning to travel via road back to Las Vegas to see all the changes over the last 35 years (I lived there from 1987-1993).
It’s getting late, I should find something to munch on and consider opening the large cans of sliced peaches I recently picked up and freeze dry them. So until your next video release.. adieu
No, no relation to John Smith 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@MisterEMysteryHA! The "Never look back" was a play on the fact that you can't go back, and that after this amount of the cervical spine is fused you can't turn your head more than a few degrees. Mine is fused from C3 through T1.
I'm on the west edge of Greater Idaho! 😇 (or the upper-middle of the State of Jefferson)
I am hoping to go driving and camping with our van after I finish "Transforming Minivan for Camping" on the second channel!
Of course I have all of my teaching videos and resources. Considering the lack of editing power what I was using then, they actually still work pretty well. If I were going to teach it now I'd update a few things, but it would still work as is for the age group I was teaching.
Here are a few of the things I would share during the class introduction: (There were 8 to 12ish depending on which class)
Small - phys.org/news/2012-03-3d-printer-nano-precision.html
Big - 3D Printed Concrete Castle - ua-cam.com/video/sgjrmoBJ-AI/v-deo.html
What is 3D printing good for? -
MakerBot and Robohand 3D Printing Mechanical Hands - ua-cam.com/video/WT3772yhr0o/v-deo.htmlsi=yOgW1gsmwoUClaSB
How 3 D printed arms are changing kids' lives around the world - ua-cam.com/video/x8yreQhV3yg/v-deo.html
Burton prototyping video - ua-cam.com/video/U9p8piIGhgw/v-deo.html
I'll look at making a playlist of some of the videos on the second channel.
❤️ Thanks for sharing ❤
WalMart also have those cheap 7*7 pans and they are non-stick which is nice.
That would be great! The ones I found at Walmart were a bit heavier and didn't flex as easily, making it a little harder to get some block out. Maybe they had others that I didn't see. To be fair, we didn't really go looking for pans, these were just ones we already had and they happened to be the right size.
@@SchoolReports These are thin and flex. They do have thicker ones you could actually use in baking, but these are under $2.
@@shaunnichols4664 Thanks, I'll have to look for them.
Great video!! I just bought a small freezer to dedicate to freeze dryer pre-frozen items. I have used your pan method and really like it. I can’t freeze dry in the summer because the room gets too hot. Even though it has a/c. Over 90 degrees outside and the A/C can’t keep up. I have tons of squash and zucchini that I need to freeze. So, I bought a small freezer. Your method is my plan. Thanks for helping me out.
Thanks!
Having a small freezer dedicated for your slabs of prefrozen food waiting for their turn in the freeze dryer is a great idea. Even a small freezer can hold a lot of the slabs! (Did you happen to hear my suggestion on how to do zucchini when my sister brought over some? :)
It's too bad your AC can't keep up and let keep you freeze drying all year.
@@SchoolReports I missed the zucchini tip. It is 5 cubic feet. I set it up yesterday and yes, I can put a lot of frozen prepared food in there. It is going to be a busy winter. LOL!
Here is the spot where I gave my "suggestion" on what to do with zucchini. (I'm not a fan of zucchini) 😁 Batch 574 - Sister's . . . ua-cam.com/video/pZ2I1JtB6k4/v-deo.htmlsi=VfDsCilTEVfoTTqx&t=1857
Here is the video were we did freeze dry my sister's zucchini - ua-cam.com/video/OWX6o82wR7w/v-deo.htmlsi=2DOi3G3f9sVV6DaY
@@SchoolReports LOL. Yep, I told my husband not to waste the garden space next year. 😜. I would much rather have summer squash or something else.
@@historyteacher4402 I'm curious. What is the temperature of the room? My sister's machine would tell her it was too hot where hers is even when it wasn't actually too hot. (72ºf) The temperature probe had moved (probably during shipping) and was too close to the condenser and I had to adjust it. Made a big difference. I should make a video of it.
I don't mention the probe, but you can see it and the wire (kind of:) for it a little at this part in this video. ua-cam.com/video/91gEssGQsYw/v-deo.htmlsi=0qmDQQKGsNuzKO3v&t=2292
I did purchase these pans and they are going to work great! Off the subject but we discussed on another video about the dividers. You show. I also purchased the cutting board material to cut into these dividers as you have for a future video. What do you plan on cutting that particular 1/2 inch cutting board material with to cut into dividers of correct shape? A hack saw of some type? I’m still trying to figure how I am going to cut the boards. Thank you for each and every video you share!
I'm hoping to make it work using the table saw. (any day now, I swear! I've been working on a bunch of home projects I've been putting off for the last few years)
@@SchoolReports no pressure. If we cut ours soon I will share our experience. Happy holidays to you and yours.
@@Judten1 😁 One of the cutting boards I bought for this has been sitting on my table saw for a _long_ time!
"Procrastination: The key to flexibility" 🤣
Thanks. I'll go look for those pans - I wasn't thinking the cheap ones would be 7 inches. I'm just beginning.
We got our pans at a Dollar Tree store. They were called 7.625x7.625x2-in but the bottoms are about 7x7" (You can see a picture of them on their listing - www.dollartree.com/cooking-concepts-square-cake-pans-75-in/10065 )
What kind of cutting boards are you going to use to make the dividers? Very interested.
I'll add a picture to the community page of the cutting boards that I bought. (I got them in May and they're still waiting:)
Where can I find your community page? Sorry
Here's a picture - www.youtube.com/@SchoolReports/community
You are not cheap, you are frugal. 🙂
I love your pans and pre freezing but mine is a small freeze dryer so those pans are just a little too big, I did find some plastic pans that fit my freeze dryer pans that work for prefreezing. Thank you so much for all the info you share.
Which pans did you find for the small trays?
They are a black plastic pan with a lid from walmart. They are quite deep so you have to be careful how full you make them but I think 3 on the small tray works well. The food pops out of them quite easily and with the lids they are stackable in the freezer. I am still on the hunt for metal pans that do not break the bank.
@@SchoolReports
@@sherrellloyst1296 Thanks for the info. What are the dimensions of the bottom of the inside of your trays?
13 1/4 inches by 7 inches @@SchoolReports
@@sherrellloyst1296 If I understand it correctly, the blocks made in the pans I use fit across the tray (7"), but 2 of them are too long for the tray. Do I have that right? Two of the whole blocks from our little pans would be 7" x 14"
If you had dividers in the 7x7 pans, you would end up with 4 half blocks for a total of 7" wide and 13" long.
Do you spray your pans first or just put the food in?
Dang! I knew I forgot to show something! I use a _very_ light coating of oil for most foods. Raw eggs really seen to stick, so I put use a bit more oil for those.
I have those pans. They are thin and slightly flexible. Frozen food comes right out without spraying anything.