Trader Joe's vs Home Freeze Dried Food // Strawberries, Pineapple, Blueberries
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- Опубліковано 1 лип 2024
- trader joe's vs Home Freeze Dried Food in the Harvest Right freeze dryer. Home freeze dried food is easy when you have a Harvestright. Trader Joe's freeze dried food is expensive, it doesn't look very appetizing and it only gives you a small amount. Today, we put the Trader Joe's freeze dried strawberries, pineapple and blueberries against home freeze dried food. Someone brought to my attention that most large distributors of freeze dried food dehydrate and then freeze dry to save money. If you look at them, it is noticeable. Also, many times the food they are freeze drying is a factory "second" or something that did not meet their quality expectations for other foods. This video goes over the entire cost difference, quality of food, a taste test, energy consumption and cost and my thoughts on the two compared side by side.
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Blueberries HAVE to be pierced before freeze drying. Otherwise it will take forever to get out the moisture. I use a wooden skewer and do each one. Yes, it's labor intensive, but the results are amazing! I also use 12 hour drying time for all fruit, especially strawberries and blueberries. Love your videos!
Thanks so much for the tips!
I've been using a strawberries slicer (looks like an egg slicer). Makes the cutting go faster. Just drop a strawberry in and push down. You get perfect slices each time. Also, afterwards I just move them at a slant and drop them onto the trays.
Thank you so much! It’s nice to know the comparisons.
Thank you thank you thank you! Your content is incredible and your delivery exceptional! Better than Anyone I’ve seen……WAY AWY BETTER!
Thanks for the video! Love these where you compare readily available commercially freeze-dried products to home freeze-drying.
It really helps justify the big up front cost.
Absolutely love watching your videos. I get so much information from them. Have a medium HR freeze dryer too and you're my go to for answers. Keep it up!
Awesome! Thank you!
Great video Brian!! Thank you for all the work you put into this. This is a good one to share with people on the fence about buying a freeze dryer.
more to come on these comparison videos
I really enjoy and appreciate your videos. I have had my harvest right for about 3 weeks now and have over 350 hours on it. I absolutely love it. The way the world is I’ve been running it non stop. Bought an extra set of trays and pre freeze using the garage refrigerator/freezer saves it least 8hours per batch.
For sure. Utilize something that is already running 24/7
Just got mine in on Friday. After doing the initial functional test, and a burn-in batch of bread to get rid of the 'new car' smell... I've been doing the same thing. Only break it's gotten since Saturday is the 2-hour defrost stage between batches. Today is Monday. I've got the small unit (it's just me and hubby) and have already done 5 batches of raw scrambled eggs (no dairy, just eggs), and a batch of pancake batter that I made a double batch of, Saturday morning. The second half went into the HarvestRight and then I powdered them all up, jarred up. It's like having your own 'Bisquick' but with the ingredients I want in the pancake batter (duck eggs, buttermilk, King Arthur unbleached, unbromated AP flour, vanilla extract, melted butter, salt, baking powder, baking soda), rather than ingredients I have absolutely no idea of the quality of. I'm particular, because of gut issues, what I take in.
as a new owner of a Harvest Right Freeze Dryer, I soooo appreciate your very helpful videos! Thank you, thank you!!
I'm going to join the community soon. Waiting for my freeze dryer to arrive.
Just put a freeze dryer on hold, looking forward to 2022!! Big investment but thinking as a small side hustle, should work. THanks for the inspiration.
Can't wait to get ours we ordered 🙌
Respectfully, I've been watching him for a minute he has excellent credibility. YHVH Bless You
Including a taste comparison of both would have been a nice addition.
I like these vs. videos. They are really interesting
Love it. Thank you
Thanks for the videos! I just got my freeze dryer a week ago. The one thing you are leaving out is the Time it takes you to prep the fruit. I'd rather have the best quality ingredients than the commercial store leftovers.
Your Trader Joe’s cost are outrageous compared to my local store. I buy freeze dried strawberries for around $3. I got “dried” pineapples for $5.99. Mine were rings and cored and seemed almost like 2 pineapples worth. I’m very surprised by your TJ’s cost. Thanks for sharing! Really enjoy your videos! Buying non organic freeze dried products are expensive for sure if you eat them often, which I would if I had the freeze dryer.
Those pineapples look amazing 🤩 I wish I could try it
I definitely like the pre-packaged frozen pineapple outcome in my FD, but the fresh & pre-frozen took forever to dry. I wouldn't have thought there would have been much of a difference but there was. I spent $2.00/pineapple - a great deal!
Love your videos! Makes me want to get a freeze dryer so bad! I’d love to see a meal made from freeze dried food. For example: lasagna. Freeze dried cottage cheese, cheese, sauce, either freeze dried noodles, or make your own (from flour, water and freeze dried eggs).
i'm working on them. probably do a series of ethnic foods. Italian, mexican, indian chinese etc.
Thanks for the tip on blitzing the blue berry I am going to try it and maybe on grapes
I know someone who blanched red and green grapes for a minute, and then freeze-dried them whole. They came out great. Drop them in small batches into boiling water, and when they float to the top, remove them to a colander, pat dry, and then to the FD trays.
I used your link today. Hoping it’s a long term investment 😊
Been watching your freeze dryer videos for a while and I really appreciate all the effort you put into it. In a previous video a while back you had an oil less pump behind cardboard (I think) and said you would give more information on it at a later date. Have you and did I miss it? I'm getting ready to order a large freeze dryer and would like a cheaper option for an oil less pump. Thanks for all you do!
Still top secret!🙃 ill keep you posted as soon as i can.
Good job!
Brian, our first load of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and orange slices are in the new, medium @HarvestRight freeze dryer. We got it a week ago, and after some fine-tuning with set-up, we are on our fourth batch. Love your channel. We're looking forward to using a lot of what you've taught us over the years. Side note: We ordered/received stackers from you VERY quickly, as well as some other items, and the stackers are a game-changer for pre-freezing. Thank you!
Congrats on your purchase and happy freeze drying! Hope you find our resources helpful
Like the videos. I have mine running about 5 days a week. The quality of the final product is excellent. Like you, I really like strawberries and pineapple. I haven’t done blueberries yet but I have a couple pounds of huckleberries in the freezer that will get dried soon.
Great to hear!
Are you buying the TJ fruit online from third-party sellers? Those prices much higher than TJ in-store prices.
Where did you get your meter? The one I bought didn't fit the FD plug
How about tropical fruit like mango, papaya and dragon fruit
I got my HRFD at the end of August and just did my 20th batch last night. It was the first time I tried unfrozen food (green beans fresh from the farmers market, cut and blanched). While I understand doing it for the cost comparison, I don’t think I will ever do an unfrozen load again. We have the freezer shelf space and after 7 hours, it was still up in the 20s. Thanks for the videos! You were a big part of my learning process while I waited for my delivery.
I agree. If you have a freezer, it's running 24 hours a day regardless. Might as well use it.
Good for you Robbin! Welcome to the FD community. I use a large dryer and oil less pump since Dec 2018 - love it. It really is a lot of fun (for me anyway). I like learning how to do new things. I've actually lost track how many batches I've done - but it runes almost 24/7 with something. I look for sale items and stock up on them to freeze dry. Home made MRE's are great too.
I think you did a great job breaking down the costs in your comparisons. I had not considered purchasing a freeze dryer, but the saving in space, plus the quality of freeze dried food, is causing me to consider it. 🍓🍍🍉🍎🍌
Glad it was helpful!
FYI - the large dryer will process more food than the small and medium dryers....combined. In my opinion - the large dryer is the best value in the long run. These dryers will pay for themselves when you compare to buying commercial FD foods. I've had my large dryer and oil less pump since Dec 2018 and have put over 2700 pounds of foods. I haven't done the math but I'm sure I've saved thousands of dollars.
@@jerrysmith372 Thank you. It's so helpful to hear from someone who is using one. I appreciate the heads up 🙂
Could you take the “dried pineapple” and freeze dry it?
I wonder if freezing the blueberries before hand and adding them frozen would help. I always notice that when I thaw my blueberries they kind of burst, and I wonder if that could help speed things up
N when u rehydrate them? Also dried vs freeze dried rehydrate them?
If you plunge the blueberries into boiling water for a very short time it will take the waxy coating off so they dry better. Don't know the times but it may be on the net somewhere. Thanks for this video. It shows I did a good thing with my freeze dryer!
I love doing these videos. It justifies the harvestright cost. Thanks for your tip!
Can you do some rehydration comparisons HR vs Store
i will be doing some vs. videos with store bought meals in the future
I love how you do the breakdown of cost. Plus there’s no waste and it will last forever. I think most people end up throwing most of their fruits and vegetables away because they’ve gone bad in the refrigerator.
Did we forget the price of the freeze dryer? Cough. lol.
Just have to add this little discovery, my husband & I were eating lunch at a Mexican restaurant today & ordered margaritas. Mine was a pineapple version, & was delicious, but the garnish is really what brings me here. The picture of Trader Joe's Dried Pineapple (@5:12 in video) was hard to process...until today! My margarita had a whole slice of dehydrated pineapple on the edge of the glass. Upon closer inspection, I was able to identify what's in the bowl...it is totally the pineapple's core. As Bryan said, they use the crap no one wants & sell it to unsuspecting consumers. The raised, center portion is the core. It was plain as day on the slice I got today. I also had ordered HFFD food samples in 2018 & hadn't ever opened them. Did so last night, just on a fluke, & the mixed fruit pouch had beautiful bite-sized wedges of pineapple. Lovely, soft lemony color, the flavor was amazing, & they rehydrated very well. The Trader Joe's are just scary! Anxious for my freeze dryer to arrive!!
You have great videos! I’ve gone through most of your videos looking for something on fd onions and garlic but can’t find any. I might be overlooking it though as I get caught up in watching a video I hadn’t seen. It seems people across the web have different thoughts about this and I would like to know what yours are. I’m a newbie-about a month now. I have an over abundance of onions and garlic. Not sure yet of what, when and how so am thankful for your carefully planned out and informative videos. Again, many thanks.
Garlic does great. Onions do well with the exception of making everything in the freeze dryer smell like onions. Best to do.an onion only load.
Also, I like dicing garlic before I freeze dry. It will depend on what you do with it in the future I suppose.
Super video! How do you get blueberries in bulk?
We have found them at Amish stores
New here what’s the difference? Dried than freeze dry
Maybe try a pizza dough roller docker to pierce the fresh blueberries and strawberry/hard boiled egg slicer for the fresh strawberries for less prep time😊
Keep it up buddy! HR freeze dryer is the best investment I ever made. Thanks for your hard work and videos!
Thanks! Will do!
Ditto! I love my dryer!!
👍🏿
Man. I want a dryer. But $2000 is alot to pay for an appliance at the moment.
If I am planning to sell these at my farmers market how would I determine the retail price for them? Should I ask the same as Trader Joe’s ?
Where do I find “freeze dried” items at ALDIS???
I noticed your shirt. Do you live in KY? I'm in Louisville!
QUICK QUESTION - When you "blitzed" the blueberries, what machine did you use and for how long do you do it for? P.S., I would rather "blitz" them, if yours turned out good, than skewer them one by one. Thank you for your time to answer. Oh, we love watching your videos. Very informative and entertaining to watch.
I just use a food prcessor
I came to ask what the fug is BLITZING?! I can’t stand when I’m tryna learn something and ppl use terms that ONLY users of said thing understand…… to teach ppl who don’t use said thing!!! So they don’t know the terms used!! WHY😭
I have my freeze dryer running as fast as I can for each new load right now. I have an older model and yes, it does take time for those 'wet' fruits and veggies(beets). But, I can throw me or my dog many of the f.d. items with no rehydration at all and they are absolutely delicious. Oh Strawberries - yum yum.
If you are a member of the Facebook group we are giving away a free set of trays this month.
@@live.life.simple. Although I really would like another set of trays, I do NOT do anything but youtube. I restrict my surveillance by restricting - I know they are still there watching and listening, but very little info on the web.
TY for your kind thought.
What is blitzing? Also, is it possible to over freeze dry?
blitzing is a quick pulse in a chopper/ food processor. It is not possible to over freeze dry. Once there is 0 water, you can't remove any more. The machine will also let you know, that you have reached that point.
Where did you get your trader Joe's prices from? It seems like you ordered them from Amazon or something because the freeze dried strawberries are $3.49 not almost $7 which makes your comparison look more appealing for the freeze dryer. You're paying a lot in transportation and storage cost for them transporting fresh fruit and then refrigerating it at this grocery store or as they can just freeze dry it right on site and put it in a package which is why it's pretty much almost as cheap as your method
New to freeze drying. My thought is that doing it yourself, you absolutely know what the ingredients are. Packaged food??? I don't trust anything after the bio shots. Can't believe anything the gov says or industry. Just saying. Both, have list all credibility.
can a inline inlet filter be used between pump and unit
I have seen it done. If you have the premier pump, it separates water and oil for you and you only have to filter every 25 batches.
How do you "blitz" a blueberry without destroying them? They must be frozen first before blitzing? Please tell me about blades, time to blitz and the food processor technique (or a link if you've already done this).
Just pulse them in a food processor. If they are frozen or partially frozen it does help keep them together
Good channel
Glad you like it!
Thanks for the videos. Can you discuss the different pumps and if the oil-less option is worth the price?
I would if i could. Back when i purchased my freeze dryer, the only option was the JB pump. It was loud and you had to change the oil every batch. It got the job done though. I now have an oil less that i love and don't miss oil changes. However, the new oiled pumps only have to have oil changes every 20-30 batches. Your best bet would be to post on my facebook group and ask opinions. You will get answers from both sides and it could help make your decision.
facebook.com/groups/retiredat40livelifesimple/
@@live.life.simple. thanks!
Where do I buy 10 lbs of blueberrys
Hey what do u mean to blitz blueberrys? Cut them? Im a newbie so thats was the first time ive heard that. Thanks in advance for the info
Throw them in a food processor or cut a slice in each one. There has to be somewhere for water to escape
@@live.life.simple. thank u
Can I ask how you got your affiliate deal with harvest right?
Asked for it😃
Since I'm a new subscriber, I'm not sure if I can get a response to my question in this social app...what is blitzing that you talked about?? Is it like blancing???
Its a quick run through the food processor. Usually just enough the cut them a bit and pierce enough for moisture to escape during freeze drying
I'm wondering about the cost of the freeze dryer plus the oil you need to run it plus the electric pans and accessories. Would it be cheaper to buy say augason farm or any other freeze dryer food? I would like to buy a harvest rite but I don't know if cost wise if it would be worth it .
Augason farms is expensive and probably full.of junk you don't want to eat. For me, its good to know that I know what is in the food I fd and I can determine my food prices etc.
@@live.life.simple. I agree about knowing what is going in your food. Does it require a lot of maintenance and is it loud while it is running?
I tried to freeze dry blueberries with pineapple, strawberries, and bananas. I froze all of them ahead of time. I did not blitz any of the blueberries. The did basically exploded in the freeze dryer, and they did not dry out. They were super sticky and were hard to get off of the try even though I used the silicone liners. The rest of the fruit was fine. So, I had to clean the inside of the tray stackers in the chamber. I will not be doing blueberries again.
wow.. you didn't include the cost of your mortgage (or lack thereof). in the calc.. LOL
What food processor is that?
I like buying our local Hy-Vee brand frozen bagged pineapple chunks, mango chunks, sliced strawberries, sliced peaches for 9..99 for 48oz bag
Trader Joe's dried baby pineapple is one of my favorite treats. Ultra tasty to me & $3.99 where I'm located. It's worth it to me. Quick & tasty treat.😊 I'm shocked at the prices you pay for food. This is 2 yrs later, & even w/inflation, I'm still paying way less. Freeze-dried blueberries were 1.99, I believe, 2 yrs ago (now $3.99) & the pineapple $2.99 @Trader Joe's, now $3.99. Of course, the prices are continuously changing bc of inflation, but I can't even imagine what they must be now in your area 2 yrs later.
Sorry if this is dumb but what is blitzing the blueberries mean?
a "blitz" in the food processor (quick pulse)
Another important cost reducer is that a freeze dryer lets you leverage peak season and bulk. Fruits prices are very seasonal and the food cost was the main cost in each comparison. At peak season you can probably get freeze dried pineapple for less than the fresh pineapple used in this test.
It may seem extra frugal, but i see fd food as an investment. You can open a bag of something in 10 years and you have a food that cost $x but 10 years in the future it costs $xx
@@live.life.simple. That's a really good point. The long shelf life is worth a lot.
Walmarts great value brand has 1 oz bags for 2.88 around me, but I'm still getting a freeze dryer for the 9 apple trees we have 😂
Nice. Dip your apples in lemon water before freeze srying so they dont brown. Also, throw some cinnamon on them....mmmmm
@@live.life.simple. definitely doing the cinnamon and thanks for the lemon tip!!!!
epic!!
Oh man that dried pineapple looked horrible! Nice shirt! :-) Got the same one!
I'm surprised they would turn out such a terrible looking product.
A Trick with Blueberries, puncture them. I use an exacto knife. Blades are super cheap. You will need to DISPOSE the blade after.
Boy, did you ever get ripped off on that pineapple, lol. Whole pineapple on sale is def the way to go.
I would say a more fair comparison would be using volume not weight. If the dehydrated fruit is freshly made, it already has less nutritional value than freeze dried once it hits the storage bag.
Freeze dried means 100% nutrients for years if packaged properly.
It's not about how much it weighs but the nutritional value
I would have to guess the store bought brands use rejects or lower quality foods to start with as well
You should have freeze dried the Trader Joe’s dried pineapple then compared them.
Where did you buy your 25# bulk blueberries. Great videos!
Lots of Amish markets in Iowa
What happens if you freeze dry a dried fruit?
you mean whole?
Both companies, Trader Joe and Aldi are owned by a pair of German brothers. The own the huge chain of Aldi in Germany and the rest of Europe, think Wally World of Europe...that is Aldi. So they decided to come here but disagreed on many things. So, one took the West coast the other took the other side. Not sure if they have overlap now as each chain is different now.
Literally munching on trader joe freeze dried fruits. I don't have a freeze dryer. Too expensive for me as a young adult.
Idk where you got $6 a oz. It’s 2023 now and they are 2.99 a bag. My 6 year old is obsessed and we go through one bag a day min.
The berries made me think of pemmican. Freeze dried pemmican would probably last 1000 years lol
The saving if one was to grow their own fruit ! Most people in your neighborhood just let the fruit fall to the grains and go to waste
We used to get 100's of pounds of apples from our neighbor and freeze dry them with some cinnamon.
Try blitzing the freeze dried pineapple to a powder and using as ice cream topping - or go the next level and make pineapple ice-cream. Its amazing!
Commercial freeze dryers dry way more than our home freeze dryers
Unfortunately they are 100s of thousands more $
Seems like an odd strategy for them to dehydrate them first then freeze dry. 2 machines and steps instead of 1 for an inferior product? They can't possibly be saving that much time, if any. How strange.
I think you are right. I think they are just a bad fruit and a bad freeze dried process. They look more vacuum dried than freeze dried.
T
I hate to be the bad guy. You forgot the most expensive part!! The companies include their cost of their freeze dryer and expected maintenance costs amortized across it's expected life. ife of What is the expected running life of your freeze dryer?
I see that as an obvious cost
i dont understand the math? it seems as you are dividing everything; $5 divide 0.84 equals "X" divide that by 0.25 equals "X"
$5 is the food cost
.84 is 1/4 of the total electric cost $3.40 (4 trays)
.25 is the cost of packaging
I love watching your videos but wayyy too many Commercials!!
Adii and Trader Joes is NOT owned by either company. The 2 brothers in Germany that stared Aldi"s Parted ways. One Stated in Germany and the other stared Trader Joe's, but they are in no way a joint business.
Are you buying these things AT Trader Joe’s?? Your cost seems excessive. Freeze dried fruits at my TJs is significantly lower.
Hey Brian, I think y’all just punched Trader Joe right square in the nose...
I warned them on aldi, now they have to walk around with that silly 🚑gauze up their nose
If I were you I wouldn't bother freeze drying fruit - especially berries that could be sprayed directly with pesticides - that aren't organic. Also, when you do your cost analysis you REALLY should be factoring in what you paid for the freeze dryer.
it's not possible to factor in the freeze dryer unless you know it's life span. It would be easier to figure how long it would take to break even using the machine against buying store purchased.
So after about one thousand batches, you’re even!
He paid $9 for $2 worth of pineapple. Not a good comparison on the pineapple. Run the freezer 5 days a week and it will pay for itself (in savings) in 4 months or less for most.
That dried pineapple looks disgusting!
The Trader Joe's pineapple looked disgusting! I wouldn't eat it.
Ok. I'm NO math expert by a LONG SHOT.. but.. lets just do the pineapples. 6 oz.. 8.99 .. you came out with 9.40 .. you stated that each tray cost .84centsl.. so are you telling me that the One large tray of pineapples was just 6 oz?? cuz .84 cents per tray?
Or as always.. am I missing something here? lol
I believe that's per serving
Your analysis is not exactly correct, if you were running a business you have to account for all costs. You need to consider capital equipment and amortize the cost of the freeze dryer over the number of runs it might do which for a Harvest Right doesn't seem to be too many if the other videos are correct.So it you think 1000 runs that adds $3 to each run. Maybe add in something for repairs because these things break. Additionally you need to amortize the cost of the vacuum pump over its short lifetime and then add oil changes. And is your time worth anything? Try minimum wage and see how the numbers come out.