I stopped using my freeze dryer as a vacuum and literally now just use my vacuum. We have a central vacuum in our house and it, of course, is made for sucking up particulates, no problem. So now what I do is take a tack and poke a hole in the top-ish area of the mylar bag, then seal the bag with an oxygen absorber inside, and take the house vacuum and suck the air out of that tiny hole, then I pinch it with my fingers and take it to my hair straightener and seal a square inch in every direction around that little hole. Works like a charm!
Great segment Mr Rowell! What you discussed was honest and is true for everyone. I'm a poultry farmer and I'm glad I viewed this episode. I will do my best to take your thoughts to heart and adjust accordingly. Thank you Sir for sharing your wisdom.
I have heard that you need to turn down the tempature for things that have living ingredients like Sourdough starter, kefir, active probiotic yogurt, yeast....so that it doesn't kill it off. They say somewhere around 90-95 degrees. Might be helpful for someone who decides to try any of those. Thanks for this great video!
My FD is about a week away from delivery, thank you for your channel. Im trying to learn as much as I can to minimize the learning curve. I appreciate your honest appraisal of experimenting.
Thank you for wasting your time so I wont! I appreciate your information so much! As I decided with another channel I love, living traditions homestead, I'm watching the commercials so you get paid! I just found you today and subscribed! I can't wait til I can afford a fd!!!
I'm so glad and can't wait for the future videos. I have only done real foods so far, fruits and veggies and some meats. And since I'm new to all of this I'm very excited about the video how to store food, and learn from your years of experience.
Hello Blue Wolf, I have not given much effort to thinking about oil filtration other than to decide that it would be a good idea. I am looking at several You Tube videos that show different ways to do it but with everything else I'm doing it's hard to fit in the time but I will put one together. Thanks for reaching out, Evan
Your testing is brilliant! Don't stop the experimentation, I think you inspire new ideas from everything that you're doing. I love the chopstick to seal off a small opening and I'm going to use that idea, apply it at the end of my vacuum sealer hose attachment to hold the seal until I can iron crimp. The end goal just trying to get as much of the 02 out as possible with an 02 absorber to complete the process. As for the modifications to use the freeze dryer for vacuum sealing, I'd hate to modify the operation of the machine because it could void the warranty and cause downtime, but I do think these are helpful for Harvestright as they lean forward and modify future systems. I hope they are also watching you!
What you say about modifying the FD is true but I don't think stuffing a cloth into the Vacuum port qualifies as a warranty modification. In any case I plan to make an external filter that I can put in line with the vacuum pump. My aim is to make it simple and affordable and then I will make it part of a future video. Thanks for the comment Ma N, Evan
Very interesting and saves me time. Last year, I was cleaning out my dead freezer and I sliced, by hand, the hot dogs and freeze dried them. They do have fat on them - but, I intended to put them into a heated iron frying pan - and putting them into a coconut wrap with what ever I am in the mood for. Hope it works and the fat is still there. I do not eat normal bread due to digestion. Very good points you make.
FD slices of bread. Wrap in lightly dampened paper towel. Place in a Food Saver plastic bag and vacuum pack (with the food saver handheld). Sit 3 hrs to overnight. Best if toasted on a lighter setting then for fresh bread.
Hello Prius. yes I imagine that the process of rehydrating bread can be perfected and the method you present sounds legitimate but that still begs the question "is it worth it?" For me the nutritional return on bread is not worth the time, energy, effort, and space requirements when the basic ingredients for many loafs of bread can be stored in a relatively compact space and provide the user with fresh bread when the need arrives. Thanks for the comment, Many have tried and failed but your method makes sense and sounds like it probably would work. :) Evan
would a regular vacuum sealer with the appropriate bags work for storing freeze dried products ? also would the bags you have be able to be sealed with a regular vacuum sealer?
Hello Natalie, the short answer is No and No. Regular vacuum bags meant to be used with a typical Foos Saver type unit are meant for short period storage and will permeate oxygen after a couple months. I have tested this and have yet to have a bag last more than 2 months before the vacuum was completely gone. As for storing FD'd food in a food saver bag without a vacuum you are looking at 3-5 years before the bag starts to let moisture in because freeze dried food is a moisture sponge and will actually draw moisture in if it can. Unlike food saver bags that are ribbed, Mylar bags have a smooth surface that will not allow air past the clamp, you will get some vacuum but not much before the unit decides the bag is completely packed and then it will try to heat-seal the bag. low heat is the second problem. Unless you have a commercial quality sealer that produces enough heat to seal a 7 mil mylar bag (the only ones I recommend for long term storage) like an impulse sealer made for that purpose, the Food saver type unit will not produce an adequate seal that will not eventually leak. Thanks for reaching out, Evan :)
I agree with simply making bread. You can also solve the yeast problem by maintaining a sourdough starter which uses yeast in the air. All kinds of bread products can be made with that starter. I’ve successfully done this.
I know starters can be promoted over Long periods of time. I have heard of starters that have a lineage of over 150 years but they do have to be cut, doubled and cared for. I do like your thought, a good well maintained starter is a great way to ensure you always have a live yeast culture on hand. Thanks for the great comment, Evan
Someone had posted one of your vids to a FD Facebook group on doing cheeses and I am really glad they did. You are definitely filling a niche. I got to thinking that another way of thinking when prepping is getting the most bang for your buck. I have never done hot dogs as too many people were not having success. There are a couple of grocery stores that sell products that are close to the end of their shelf life and I often see Ballpark hot dogs going cheap, maybe 99 cents a package and I think there might be a pound of meat in those packages. When a pound of beef is going for $4.99, one might be able to get 5 times the food value when buying these hot dogs and going thru the process that you did -- I wouldn't be looking at trying to reassemble a ground hot dog back into a hot dog, but turn it into something to eat if SHTF. While you may have decided that the effort doesn't make sense, I took something else away from this vid that putting hot dog meat into long term storage just might make sense. Anyway, I really do like the way you do your vids and have subscribed.
Thanks WD and you are correct, ground, boiled, and FD hot dog meat stored for the long term would work, there is wisdom in what you say. Ground hot dog tastes good in Mac N' Cheese and on salad when still dry. A creative mind will always find a way. Thanks Again, Evan
Hi Evan, My husband and I have watched all your videos. We enjoyed them and found them interesting and they raise alot of interesting conversations. One of Our questions we had for you is what kind of Impulse sealor do You have, as the seal doesnt resemble the one we have. Your seal mark is much wider than the seal our impulse sealer makes. Now maybe some would say that it doesnt matter. For the most part it doesnt, except when Vacuum sealing it in the Freeze dryer. The wider band seems to facilitate that vacuum needle in some maybe all the instances of Vacuumn packing. So could you please tell us if your vacuum sealer is a different kind/brand and perhaps is it a wider sealing band? Thanks so much. Keep up the Great Videos!
Hello Linda, Actually I have 2 sealers. The one you are probably referring too is my 18 inch hand held sealer that makes a ridged seal about half an inch wide. I got it primarily to seal large 2 - 5 gallon bags but I sometimes use it to seal gallon bags that are very full. Although I can adjust the heat it stays at the dialed in temperature until you turn it off. My other sealer is the one I got from harvest right, a 12 inch impulse sealer that I use most of the time for bags a gallon or less. As for using the freeze dryer as a vacuum packer either sealer will work well but I find myself primarily using the narrower impulse sealer most often even though I did use the wide one for the video. Controlling the small opening I make (after the bag is sealed) with the chop sticks and the clip is what is important along with keeping the bags from ballooning. There is another concern when using the FD to vacuum pack involving dried food dust and the pump so I have developed a way to deal with it and that 3-part video will be out very soon. Thanks for being a fan, Evan
Two questions: is it necessary to vacuum seal the bags after FD? I notice Mountain House doesn't. Also, I was thinking perhaps an inline, clear fuel filter type filter in the hose might work as long is it doesn't prevent the suction.
Hello Jimmy. Vacuum packing is not absolutely necessary as long as you have sufficient O2 absorber, however, vacuum packing with the O2 absorber will preserve food freshness and taste better than without. Also vacuum packing makes it so you can put more Mylar containers in a smaller space so although I like to vacuum pack very tightly, simply pulling out as much air as you can is sufficient. As for Mountain House their food is made with unvacuumed storage in mind so the product has preservative and quality issues that require an excess of sodium and sweeteners to make up the difference so the food tastes good but would not be something you would pack for yourself. Also, although Mountain House touts long term storage, the vast majority will be used sooner than it needs to be. About the yellow cloth filter I used, it was never meant to be a permanent procedure. I mentioned in the video that I was investigating how to put an inexpensive particulate and moisture filter in line with the pump. The yellow cloth is just an interim solution until I can develop a permanent one so stay tuned. Thanks for the comments, Evan
Hello Prius, I have to apologize, I thought it was obvious where the dowel was and what it was used for but perhaps not, allow me to explain. There is a hole in the side of he barrel to which the vacuum hose is attached. This hole is about an inch in diameter. As a temporary measure catch moisture particulate I used a wooden dowel to shove a portion of the cloth into the hole and then remove the dowel. Thank you for your inquiry, next time I will endeavor to make the video a little longer so as to be more succinct in me explanations. Thanks again, Evan
much easier to filter your oil...all the time. I have an external oil filter, and water separator. My oil stays like new clean, batch after batch. I drop the water about every 5th batch. I am a few dozen batches in, and have not changed the oil.
It's a great idea if a person is confident enough to configure one and put it together. I have seen others make such inline filter units and I am thinking of putting one together myself in the near future (when I find time). Thanks for the comment, Evan
Your bread dough that you ground up didn’t work because when you ground it up you sheared all of the gluten strands. That’s what all the time kneading dough is meant to produce. It’s sort of like the vulcanized rubber tire analogy you used.
I will, thank you! I can understand why it would work. The problem with bread is the delicate balance of dough to moisture. Portions of bread get mushy while the rest stays hard. With French Toast the egg mixture saturates the bread and then it is cooked. Egg rehydrates very well so I can certainly imagine that French toast would do well, now It's on my list of things to try, Thanks again, Evan
I stopped using my freeze dryer as a vacuum and literally now just use my vacuum. We have a central vacuum in our house and it, of course, is made for sucking up particulates, no problem. So now what I do is take a tack and poke a hole in the top-ish area of the mylar bag, then seal the bag with an oxygen absorber inside, and take the house vacuum and suck the air out of that tiny hole, then I pinch it with my fingers and take it to my hair straightener and seal a square inch in every direction around that little hole. Works like a charm!
Very ingenious, I like it! 😃 Evan
Great segment Mr Rowell! What you discussed was honest and is true for everyone. I'm a poultry farmer and I'm glad I viewed this episode. I will do my best to take your thoughts to heart and adjust accordingly. Thank you Sir for sharing your wisdom.
I have heard that you need to turn down the tempature for things that have living ingredients like Sourdough starter, kefir, active probiotic yogurt, yeast....so that it doesn't kill it off. They say somewhere around 90-95 degrees. Might be helpful for someone who decides to try any of those. Thanks for this great video!
110 is low enough.
My FD is about a week away from delivery, thank you for your channel. Im trying to learn as much as I can to minimize the learning curve. I appreciate your honest appraisal of experimenting.
Mine too!!! I'm so excited!!!
Thank you for wasting your time so I wont! I appreciate your information so much! As I decided with another channel I love, living traditions homestead, I'm watching the commercials so you get paid! I just found you today and subscribed! I can't wait til I can afford a fd!!!
Thank you mr Rowell very helpful info
You are a Food Scientist ❤
I think I have to go back and watch video 1. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Great videos
I'm so glad and can't wait for the future videos. I have only done real foods so far, fruits and veggies and some meats. And since I'm new to all of this I'm very excited about the video how to store food, and learn from your years of experience.
Ever look into a remote oil filter?
Hello Blue Wolf, I have not given much effort to thinking about oil filtration other than to decide that it would be a good idea. I am looking at several You Tube videos that show different ways to do it but with everything else I'm doing it's hard to fit in the time but I will put one together. Thanks for reaching out, Evan
thanks for asking "why"! LOL You are great
Thank you Evan, I learn so much from you! Looking for the next video!
Your testing is brilliant! Don't stop the experimentation, I think you inspire new ideas from everything that you're doing. I love the chopstick to seal off a small opening and I'm going to use that idea, apply it at the end of my vacuum sealer hose attachment to hold the seal until I can iron crimp. The end goal just trying to get as much of the 02 out as possible with an 02 absorber to complete the process. As for the modifications to use the freeze dryer for vacuum sealing, I'd hate to modify the operation of the machine because it could void the warranty and cause downtime, but I do think these are helpful for Harvestright as they lean forward and modify future systems. I hope they are also watching you!
What you say about modifying the FD is true but I don't think stuffing a cloth into the Vacuum port qualifies as a warranty modification. In any case I plan to make an external filter that I can put in line with the vacuum pump. My aim is to make it simple and affordable and then I will make it part of a future video. Thanks for the comment Ma N, Evan
Very interesting and saves me time. Last year, I was cleaning out my dead freezer and I sliced, by hand, the hot dogs and freeze dried them. They do have fat on them - but, I intended to put them into a heated iron frying pan - and putting them into a coconut wrap with what ever I am in the mood for. Hope it works and the fat is still there. I do not eat normal bread due to digestion. Very good points you make.
FD slices of bread. Wrap in lightly dampened paper towel. Place in a Food Saver plastic bag and vacuum pack (with the food saver handheld). Sit 3 hrs to overnight. Best if toasted on a lighter setting then for fresh bread.
Hello Prius. yes I imagine that the process of rehydrating bread can be perfected and the method you present sounds legitimate but that still begs the question "is it worth it?" For me the nutritional return on bread is not worth the time, energy, effort, and space requirements when the basic ingredients for many loafs of bread can be stored in a relatively compact space and provide the user with fresh bread when the need arrives. Thanks for the comment, Many have tried and failed but your method makes sense and sounds like it probably would work. :) Evan
would a regular vacuum sealer with the appropriate bags work for storing freeze dried products ? also would the bags you have be able to be sealed with a regular vacuum sealer?
Hello Natalie, the short answer is No and No. Regular vacuum bags meant to be used with a typical Foos Saver type unit are meant for short period storage and will permeate oxygen after a couple months. I have tested this and have yet to have a bag last more than 2 months before the vacuum was completely gone. As for storing FD'd food in a food saver bag without a vacuum you are looking at 3-5 years before the bag starts to let moisture in because freeze dried food is a moisture sponge and will actually draw moisture in if it can. Unlike food saver bags that are ribbed, Mylar bags have a smooth surface that will not allow air past the clamp, you will get some vacuum but not much before the unit decides the bag is completely packed and then it will try to heat-seal the bag. low heat is the second problem. Unless you have a commercial quality sealer that produces enough heat to seal a 7 mil mylar bag (the only ones I recommend for long term storage) like an impulse sealer made for that purpose, the Food saver type unit will not produce an adequate seal that will not eventually leak. Thanks for reaching out, Evan :)
@@evanrowell5266 This video is old so you might already be aware. There are textured mylar bags for vacuum sealing now.
@@Mark-mm9br Interesting, do you have a link?
I agree with simply making bread. You can also solve the yeast problem by maintaining a sourdough starter which uses yeast in the air. All kinds of bread products can be made with that starter. I’ve successfully done this.
I know starters can be promoted over Long periods of time. I have heard of starters that have a lineage of over 150 years but they do have to be cut, doubled and cared for. I do like your thought, a good well maintained starter is a great way to ensure you always have a live yeast culture on hand. Thanks for the great comment, Evan
Someone had posted one of your vids to a FD Facebook group on doing cheeses and I am really glad they did. You are definitely filling a niche. I got to thinking that another way of thinking when prepping is getting the most bang for your buck. I have never done hot dogs as too many people were not having success. There are a couple of grocery stores that sell products that are close to the end of their shelf life and I often see Ballpark hot dogs going cheap, maybe 99 cents a package and I think there might be a pound of meat in those packages. When a pound of beef is going for $4.99, one might be able to get 5 times the food value when buying these hot dogs and going thru the process that you did -- I wouldn't be looking at trying to reassemble a ground hot dog back into a hot dog, but turn it into something to eat if SHTF. While you may have decided that the effort doesn't make sense, I took something else away from this vid that putting hot dog meat into long term storage just might make sense. Anyway, I really do like the way you do your vids and have subscribed.
Thanks WD and you are correct, ground, boiled, and FD hot dog meat stored for the long term would work, there is wisdom in what you say. Ground hot dog tastes good in Mac N' Cheese and on salad when still dry. A creative mind will always find a way. Thanks Again, Evan
Hi Evan, My husband and I have watched all your videos. We enjoyed them and found them interesting and they raise alot of interesting conversations. One of Our questions we had for you is what kind of Impulse sealor do You have, as the seal doesnt resemble the one we have. Your seal mark is much wider than the seal our impulse sealer makes. Now maybe some would say that it doesnt matter. For the most part it doesnt, except when Vacuum sealing it in the Freeze dryer. The wider band seems to facilitate that vacuum needle in some maybe all the instances of Vacuumn packing. So could you please tell us if your vacuum sealer is a different kind/brand and perhaps is it a wider sealing band? Thanks so much. Keep up the Great Videos!
Hello Linda, Actually I have 2 sealers. The one you are probably referring too is my 18 inch hand held sealer that makes a ridged seal about half an inch wide. I got it primarily to seal large 2 - 5 gallon bags but I sometimes use it to seal gallon bags that are very full. Although I can adjust the heat it stays at the dialed in temperature until you turn it off. My other sealer is the one I got from harvest right, a 12 inch impulse sealer that I use most of the time for bags a gallon or less. As for using the freeze dryer as a vacuum packer either sealer will work well but I find myself primarily using the narrower impulse sealer most often even though I did use the wide one for the video. Controlling the small opening I make (after the bag is sealed) with the chop sticks and the clip is what is important along with keeping the bags from ballooning. There is another concern when using the FD to vacuum pack involving dried food dust and the pump so I have developed a way to deal with it and that 3-part video will be out very soon. Thanks for being a fan, Evan
Two questions: is it necessary to vacuum seal the bags after FD? I notice Mountain House doesn't. Also, I was thinking perhaps an inline, clear fuel filter type filter in the hose might work as long is it doesn't prevent the suction.
Something like this maybe: www.amazon.com/Beck-Arnley-043-0645-Fuel-Filter/dp/B000CAXTWO/ref=pd_lpo_card_2?pd_rd_i=B000CAXTWO&psc=1
Hello Jimmy. Vacuum packing is not absolutely necessary as long as you have sufficient O2 absorber, however, vacuum packing with the O2 absorber will preserve food freshness and taste better than without. Also vacuum packing makes it so you can put more Mylar containers in a smaller space so although I like to vacuum pack very tightly, simply pulling out as much air as you can is sufficient. As for Mountain House their food is made with unvacuumed storage in mind so the product has preservative and quality issues that require an excess of sodium and sweeteners to make up the difference so the food tastes good but would not be something you would pack for yourself. Also, although Mountain House touts long term storage, the vast majority will be used sooner than it needs to be. About the yellow cloth filter I used, it was never meant to be a permanent procedure. I mentioned in the video that I was investigating how to put an inexpensive particulate and moisture filter in line with the pump. The yellow cloth is just an interim solution until I can develop a permanent one so stay tuned. Thanks for the comments, Evan
@@evanrowell5266 Thanks. Will do. Looking forward to future videos.
Put the dowel and rag where?? You didn’t say and the photo doesn’t show where!
Hello Prius, I have to apologize, I thought it was obvious where the dowel was and what it was used for but perhaps not, allow me to explain. There is a hole in the side of he barrel to which the vacuum hose is attached. This hole is about an inch in diameter. As a temporary measure catch moisture particulate I used a wooden dowel to shove a portion of the cloth into the hole and then remove the dowel. Thank you for your inquiry, next time I will endeavor to make the video a little longer so as to be more succinct in me explanations. Thanks again, Evan
@@evanrowell5266 it was obvious.
much easier to filter your oil...all the time. I have an external oil filter, and water separator. My oil stays like new clean, batch after batch. I drop the water about every 5th batch. I am a few dozen batches in, and have not changed the oil.
It's a great idea if a person is confident enough to configure one and put it together. I have seen others make such inline filter units and I am thinking of putting one together myself in the near future (when I find time). Thanks for the comment, Evan
I have a premier pump and filter my oil every 25 batches. It’s always pristine.
Your bread dough that you ground up didn’t work because when you ground it up you sheared all of the gluten strands. That’s what all the time kneading dough is meant to produce.
It’s sort of like the vulcanized rubber tire analogy you used.
Great info sir. Keep up the great work.Thanks for wasting your time so we don’t have to. Lol
Thanks for doing these things so we don't have to. I always enjoy your videos and your new ideas. Keep up the good work.
U can freeze dry and rehydrate French toast! Check out "School Reports" channel.
I will, thank you! I can understand why it would work. The problem with bread is the delicate balance of dough to moisture. Portions of bread get mushy while the rest stays hard. With French Toast the egg mixture saturates the bread and then it is cooked. Egg rehydrates very well so I can certainly imagine that French toast would do well, now It's on my list of things to try, Thanks again, Evan
Thanks for wasting my time.... sort of.
So much gabby talk for not much useable info! Please edit! This whole video could have been done in under a minute!!