Freeze Drying - Batch 661 - Making and Freeze Drying Big Batches of Beef Stew Mexican-Style
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- Making and freeze drying some large batches of Beef Stew Mexican-Style. This was a food request by # 1 child.
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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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PackFreshUSA
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!
affiliates.harvestright.com/995.html
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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 I do sauces and stews, I use a fork or ice pick to make a perforation down the middle of the dried product so I get a nice clean / even break of the larger size pans so they fit nicely in the mylar bags instead of breaking up coursly. I like nice flat mylar bags instead of a bulge to fit more in my storage containers. Those rods you use before the thermometer would probably work well. Also a guy on the web says not to put a fan on your vac pump...It works better warmer...IDK if he's right or not.
We have used the thermometers to make a perforated line for breaking the blocks a few times. When we want the whole blocks in a bag, and have the block stay whole, we use a larger flat bag. Works great and we can/do just put them back in the same pans for rehydrating. Rehydrating Freeze Dried Scalloped Potatoes - ua-cam.com/video/YTy93dh2AqA/v-deo.htmlsi=hs8kQTIxoSd7V_r5
We do run fans on our vacuum pumps.
I understand the reasoning for having the pumps run hot (to help make sure the water vapor doesn't condense in the oil - but it's never been an issue for us), but most electric motors run more efficiently and last longer when kept well under 160ºf. (My pump runs hot) Very high temperatures also degrade the oil faster, leading to less effective vacuum and the need to change the oil more frequently. After 7 years with fans, we're still happy with the results.
Remember, I'm just another idiot on the internet. 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)
where do you buy your blue cake pan dividers? Can you add a link so we can order them ? TIA
Thanks for watching and commenting! Sorry, I didn't buy them, I made them.
The dividers are just something I made. The dividers are designed to fit the 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.
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)
Don’t like beer or wine. Whiskey? 😂 I have that cookbook! I’ll look it up! Looks great. Glad daughter #1 can have home cooked meals at her disposal. Yet another benefit!
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I love watching your videos. I don’t have a freeze dryer but I feel like I learn so much on how to properly go through a process.
Thanks!
I find it interesting how YT will say 7 views of a 47 minute video only 2 minutes after posting. Does it count the views when started, because there’s no way 7 viewers could have seen an entire 47 minute video in only 2 minutes.
I noticed the steel rods laid on a plastic piece before freezing (to keep them from sinking into the liquid), I was going to ask regarding the removal of it, but I see my question was already answered while loading your sister’s machine (that’s what I get for pausing the video to type questions at the same time, so as not to forget my train of thought 🤣).
Knowing when your sister got her machine was very helpful, thank you! It’s the last of the “old” machine setup. In August 2023 Harvest Right came out with the latest model and with the 4 tray levels becoming 5 levels I can only imagine you hating it, because 5 levels in the same amount of space (the drum is the exact same size), means that a person is more constrained to the height of the food going in (there’s less clearance). It doesn’t affect those who can keep the food under the top of the tray sides.
You would still hate it because instead of 2 1/2 pounds per tray you might be limited to 2 pounds per tray in order to achieve the same 10 pounds in the drum…and create the same amount of ice in said drum. I think I would like your machine better as well, especially because yours was the last time ordering a Red one was possible. Also, the thermometer wouldn’t fit on top of the food like it is shown in your sister’s machine, there isn’t that much room.
I noticed your sister’s vacuum pump is close to the dryer. Mine is one to two feet away from the dryer (and on a completely different shelf unit) at about the same height. Is there a “plus” in having it so close to the machine I haven’t considered (“plus” is the closest word I can conceive of right now to the word I would rather use, but can’t think of)?
How do you get the machine to Not give off the incessant beeping when the process is done (while you weigh and reload)? I know your machine probably had this beeping as ‘John In Bibs’ has the same exact machine as yours and I can hear the beeping of his in the background after he pulls his product out (he received and has a 6 or 7 year old unboxing video from when he received his “big red” as he calls it). You even mention not turning off your sister’s beeping.. and still don’t… how is it done?
I liked your comment at the end about taking a trip (to texas) and that it would be long done and gone before seeing this video 🤣! How prophetic 🤔
This will take me a couple of replies to cover everything. 😁
I won't pretend to understand half of what YT does. (And things seem to change on a whim) I think that YT counts "views" after a short time after beginning to watch.
Turning off the beep on (2022) Harvest Right - ua-cam.com/video/Lp2uc3ePfSs/v-deo.htmlsi=XoxXZxXxxzNjV0iF
It has to be done again after power outages, which is what happened here.
The 5 trays vs 4 trays - I think I would like the 5 tray machine. I could spread the food over 5 trays instead of 4, and therefore it should dry faster. I love the idea, I'm just too cheap to get it at this stage when we really don't need faster times. (And I'm sure I could convert mine myself if I wanted to, plus I have access to a second machine. Faster drying doesn't really matter to me with the amount I already have on the shelf) I can adjust the hole for the thermometer to allow the thermometers to hang just over the front of the trays, between the tray and the door.
The red machine is the best color:)
@MisterEMystery
Vacuum pump location - Our vacuum pumps really just ended up where they are was mostly just a function of the cart they are on. Mine is at the far edge so it would be above my oil filter system and I wanted to leave an empty space in the middle to put trays when needed. My freeze dryer blows the air from right to left through the machine.
My sister's pump is right next to her machine because we wanted to leave the bagging and sealing space on the right. It's on the raised stand to get it out of the stream of hot air coming off the refrigeration condenser. Her machine blows the air through it from left to right.
I will share a _long_ video of the Texas trip soon-ish. Mostly hyperlapse of the drive with some sound track. I didn't know it would take me this long to get things edited, including this Beef Stew Mexican-Style video, which I started shooting at the end of May.
@SchoolReports Actually you have already done the Texas trip video. I think it was posted in On The Go.
I agree red is the better color!!
While I saw your videos first, the color never entered my mind. When I saw John’s unboxing video (going back through 330+ vids to almost the beginning), that’s when I realized there used to be a red available…and now I WANT ONE 😭 but can’t get anything other than Black, white, or (for more money) Stainless steel. I don’t understand since they’re all steel, why would it cost more to have one Not painted Black or white 😵💫
@@MisterEMystery 😁 I included a tiny bit of the trip video at the end of the recent Freeze Drying Mushrooms video. I've only posted 8 videos total since we got back (4 on each channel), and I'm pretty sure that's the only clip I've used so far. (I'd have to watch them to be sure:) I'm planning to do a long version video of the trip. Two to 6 hours, depending on how the edit goes.
Our machines are not steel, they're aluminum. (at least both of ours are) Of course that doesn't change your point that they are painted and why not have more colors. Maybe it's like the old Fords - you could have any color you want, as long as you wanted black!
Looks great , family and friends got a little addicted to the Gay Time bites so i ended up doing 5 trays of them ( cut in 1/2 ) :) my husbands machines runs almost every week now .
Great to hear his is running. Did you get your machine running again?
@@SchoolReports No not yet :( Hubby works away a lot then when he does get home its a mad dash to get things done , he's only home for 3 days then away for 2 or 3 weeks and i really don't want to nag him about it but on the upside he said to use his till he gets mine looked at , im happy with that as his has 5 tray mine has 4 . It would be nice tho .
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