I did extensive research about food preservation before deciding to go with a freeze dryer. I think it's by far the best way to preserve foods. I have done all kinds of products in my dryer. Dairy, fruits, vegetables, meats both cooked and raw, whole homemade meals, deserts, spaghetti sauce, whole scrambled eggs, just about anything can be preserved as long as the sugar and fat content isn't too high. I have the large freeze dryer unit with the oil less vacuum pump. The largest load I have done to date was 18.5 lbs, of meats - chicken, pork chops, beef round roast slices, lean hamburger - all raw and packed in Mylar bags with O2 absorbers. The total time for that load was 46 hours. I like to do whole milk and power it in my food processor for powered milk, it tastes so much better that the boxed stuff at the store. My wife likes the cottage cheese I've done. The grand kids love the dried fruits and ice cream as a crunchy snack. There is a learning curve to freeze drying but I'd say it's pretty easy to do. The oil free pump is an extra cost but it is so much easier than dealing with all the oil filtering after every batch. I just clean the unit, load the food, push the button, package the food when done, and repeat. I can average about 3 to 4 loads a week and it's been running almost nonstop since Dec. of 2018. I have rehydrated a little bit of everything I've done and have been satisfied with the results on everything. Yes it is a sizable investment but when compared to buying freeze dried foods I save a lot of money and I do the foods I know I like. The unit can pay for itself after about 100 batches. I especially save money when doing meats. I would recommend a freeze dryer to anyone that can afford one. And they do offer a finance plan if needed.
@@artof1self Yes that will help protect the foods from spoilage. Dehydrated foods still have a small amount of moisture in them which will only keep at best 5 to 7 years. But yes removing the oxygen and blocking the light will defiantly help protect the foods. Vacuum sealing really isn't necessary as the O2 absorber will remove the Oxygen and pull a slight vacuum on the bag. But it wont hurt. Freeze drying is by far the best way to preserve foods - and I know they are expensive but well worth the money. Mine has been the best prepping tool I own.
Great video! I would like to know a couple of things: - Time comparisons please ? If a dehydrator takes around 12 hours for a specific food in an specify weight, how much time would freeze drier will take? - Capacity comparisons? What is their capacity is to body volume ration? What is the capacity of your freeze drier ?
Please see commonsensehome.com/dehydrator-versus-freeze-dryer/ for a more detailed discussion. I don't typically dry exactly the same amount of exactly the same foods in both units. Many items can be freeze dried that cannot be dehydrated, like meals and dairy. The mid-size freeze dryer holds about a gallon of food (1 quart per tray). They have a smaller and a larger unit. Dehydrators vary in size and capacity. Because the dehydrators are a much simpler machine, generally the outside square footage is similar to the capacity inside. There's only a small fan and heater taking up space that's not food space. The freeze dryers have an exterior pump, plus the freezing equipment. Food goes inside a small airtight drum in the center of the unit. Odds are it will take longer to freeze dry foods than dehydrate them. The base freeze dryer cycle includes a 9 hour freeze and 7 hour dry, plus additional drying time as needed. More on that here - commonsensehome.com/harvest-right-freeze-dryer/ Usually, but not always, the dehydrator would be done more quickly.
It also depends on how thinly or thickly the food is cut, how much moisture is in it, and room humidity (for regular dehydrators only). All of these can vary considerably, so timing predictions are only estimates.
As long as the onion and garlic are quite dry, both should work well. The dehydrated onions and garlic will require more effort to powder than those that are freeze dried.
I have the mid sized Harvest Right free dryer. At this time, Harvest Right is the only company making home freeze dryers. I've had it for close to two years with no significant issues. You can learn more about the unit here - commonsensehome.com/home-freeze-drying/
Yes, I had already looked at them but didn't realize they were the only manufacturers for consumers. I watched a few videos on Harvest Right's website. My 8 year old was excited about the prospects of freeze dried ice cream. Have you experimented with any odd or unusual foods, or anything else for that matter, to see how they reacted? Also, what is the typical length of time to freeze dry food and does it vary greatly between different types of food, say fruit versus meat?
We've done ice cream, gummy bears, pickled beets, pickles, chicken broth, spaghetti hotdish, taco meat, sloppy joe meat, ham bit, split pea soup, apples, peaches, apricots, tomatoes, beans, corn, yogurt, cheese slices, and an assortment of other items. I like pretty much everything, except the gummy bears, which got chewy, and the ice cream was awfully sweet, and the pickles were too salty. The fruit and vegetables taste so fresh, and the meat dries into "meatos" - texture similar to cheese puffs, but meat flavored.
@@marthaadams8326 "meatos" is what we jokingly call cooked dried seasoned meat, because it has the consistency of Cheetos, but tastes like meat. Once rehydrated, the meat tastes like it was freshly cooked.
I still use both, for different reasons. We use the freeze dryer mostly for meats, meals, dairy, and anything else we want to store long term. For instance, we just slow cooked several beef roasts in the Nesco roaster to make shredded, seasoned beef, and we're going to load that into the freeze dryer shortly for quick meals. We have a beef quarter coming in next week, so we need to make room in the freezer. It's great to do big batch cooking in winter to have on hand during the summer and fall when we are busy with the garden and harvest. We use the dehydrator for foods we know we'll rotate through quickly, like dried fruits, veggies, and herbs we intend to use within one to two years. The dehydrator is also better for jerky, because the freeze dryer leaves the meat with a fluffy texture, not a chewy texture.
I'm assuming the ground beef was 'cooked' ... since you ate it out of the jar. Is it best to cook than freeze ?! I seen someone freeze dried uncooked eggs in another video.
The ground beef was completely cooked and seasoned. Just add water and reheat to serve for a meal. I personally prefer to cook and then freeze dry, because in most cases I want the food ready to eat right out of the jar/package if needed. I feel it's a little safer, too, since the freeze drying process does not kill bacteria, but cooking can. That said, you can freeze dry items like raw eggs for use in recipes.
Dehydrators only kill microbes if you use them in specific temperature ranges and for the duration of time required to kill a particular microbe. For instance, drying herbs at 95F is not going to pasteurize those herbs. This is why the jerky recipe on the site includes directions for oven heating for sterilization, if bacteria are a concern. Freeze dry will kill some microbes, but it does not sterilize the food. Always observe good kitchen hygiene practices and avoid cross contamination.
@@commonsensehome I always use clean gloves to handle the trays and rubber gloves to remove food for packaging. one's hand contain oil and water and possible germs that might transfer. I also do it as quickly as possible in a clean and disinfected area.
@@marthaadams8326 I wash my hands before handling food. A healthy human body has roughly 10 bacteria cells for every human cell. I am not afraid of bacteria.
Yes, bacteria can survive the freeze drying process - what ever is in with the foods will be there 25 years later when you rehydrate the foods. Good food safety rules should be followed no mater which method of preservation is used. I have very clean and dry hands when I pack away my freeze dried foods - the same is true when I prepare foods - no difference. I've never had a food illness from my home prepared meals - only from eating out. So weather you dehydrate or freeze dry if you have good safety sense (sounds like you do) you'll be fine. Just to add - freeze drying is by far the best method of preserving foods.
Flavor and color are beautiful. You'd need to add more liquid then you would for fresh or frozen fruit, or you'd have a thicker smoothie. (Which may be okay.)
The freeze dried items are no longer frozen once the freeze drying cycle is complete. They are shelf stable at room temperature. For long term storage, I recommend an airtight container with an oxygen absorber. You can read a detailed description of how the freeze drying process works at commonsensehome.com/harvest-right-freeze-dryer/
Sorry one last question hahaha, if you leave fruits or meats after freeze dried in room temperature, will they stay dried? Or there will be change in their physical states such as melting or soften
Yes. I haven't tried it, but from what I've seen in groups, you can do it. The "trick" is to start with *really* strong coffee, so when you dry it down, there's more finished product.
@@jimmieburleigh9549 I'm the only one in our household who drinks coffee, so we only have a tiny 2 cup coffee maker. It'd take me about forever to brew enough to fill the freeze dryer, unless I did a church lady/cowboy style brew in a big pot. I will have to talk to local coffee loving friends to see if I can talk them into brewing in exchange for some of the finished product.
@@commonsensehome give it a shot. But you got it right the cowboy brew is probably the way to go for a strong brew and you can strain it etc.if needed You got me with the church lady comment. Is that like the cowboy brew?
@@jimmieburleigh9549 similar, yes. The old church ladies used to use a big pot and an egg mixed with the grounds do they didn't end up in the brew. Did some digging, and it looks like you can use plain coffee, but end up with less than a pint of powder from a gallon of coffee. Probably the best results came with folks using a cold brew method, steeped for 24 hours to concentrate the brew.
It takes time to film and edit our content - letting people help us out with a purchase they were likely considering anyway is how we support the videos.
where do they teach ALL women to do that bent wrist, flared fingers arm gesturing? was that where they ALL went in 5th grade when the boys stayed back in class? hmmm ...
I did extensive research about food preservation before deciding to go with a freeze dryer. I think it's by far the best way to preserve foods. I have done all kinds of products in my dryer. Dairy, fruits, vegetables, meats both cooked and raw, whole homemade meals, deserts, spaghetti sauce, whole scrambled eggs, just about anything can be preserved as long as the sugar and fat content isn't too high.
I have the large freeze dryer unit with the oil less vacuum pump. The largest load I have done to date was 18.5 lbs, of meats - chicken, pork chops, beef round roast slices, lean hamburger - all raw and packed in Mylar bags with O2 absorbers. The total time for that load was 46 hours.
I like to do whole milk and power it in my food processor for powered milk, it tastes so much better that the boxed stuff at the store. My wife likes the cottage cheese I've done. The grand kids love the dried fruits and ice cream as a crunchy snack.
There is a learning curve to freeze drying but I'd say it's pretty easy to do. The oil free pump is an extra cost but it is so much easier than dealing with all the oil filtering after every batch. I just clean the unit, load the food, push the button, package the food when done, and repeat. I can average about 3 to 4 loads a week and it's been running almost nonstop since Dec. of 2018.
I have rehydrated a little bit of everything I've done and have been satisfied with the results on everything.
Yes it is a sizable investment but when compared to buying freeze dried foods I save a lot of money and I do the foods I know I like. The unit can pay for itself after about 100 batches. I especially save money when doing meats. I would recommend a freeze dryer to anyone that can afford one. And they do offer a finance plan if needed.
Thanks for sharing your experience. We've found it to be a very versatile tool as well.
@Her Right There "So, it’s lit" - ???? Not sure what you're saying. What is your question?
@@artof1self Yes that will help protect the foods from spoilage. Dehydrated foods still have a small amount of moisture in them which will only keep at best 5 to 7 years. But yes removing the oxygen and blocking the light will defiantly help protect the foods. Vacuum sealing really isn't necessary as the O2 absorber will remove the Oxygen and pull a slight vacuum on the bag. But it wont hurt.
Freeze drying is by far the best way to preserve foods - and I know they are expensive but well worth the money. Mine has been the best prepping tool I own.
This is exactly the information I was looking for. Thank you for the detailed, concise video.
I'm glad you found it useful.
thank you for explaining, we found this VERY useful.
I'm glad you found it helpful. Both are useful tools, but they each do specific jobs.
Great video! I would like to know a couple of things:
- Time comparisons please ? If a dehydrator takes around 12 hours for a specific food in an specify weight, how much time would freeze drier will take?
- Capacity comparisons? What is their capacity is to body volume ration? What is the capacity of your freeze drier ?
Please see commonsensehome.com/dehydrator-versus-freeze-dryer/ for a more detailed discussion.
I don't typically dry exactly the same amount of exactly the same foods in both units. Many items can be freeze dried that cannot be dehydrated, like meals and dairy.
The mid-size freeze dryer holds about a gallon of food (1 quart per tray). They have a smaller and a larger unit.
Dehydrators vary in size and capacity. Because the dehydrators are a much simpler machine, generally the outside square footage is similar to the capacity inside. There's only a small fan and heater taking up space that's not food space.
The freeze dryers have an exterior pump, plus the freezing equipment. Food goes inside a small airtight drum in the center of the unit.
Odds are it will take longer to freeze dry foods than dehydrate them. The base freeze dryer cycle includes a 9 hour freeze and 7 hour dry, plus additional drying time as needed. More on that here - commonsensehome.com/harvest-right-freeze-dryer/
Usually, but not always, the dehydrator would be done more quickly.
It also depends on how thinly or thickly the food is cut, how much moisture is in it, and room humidity (for regular dehydrators only). All of these can vary considerably, so timing predictions are only estimates.
Awesome video, what freeze dryer unit do you use?
This is the Harvest Right mid-sized freeze dryer. You can visit the Harvest Right site at affiliates.harvestright.com/115.html (referral link)
Great video thanks! Which method do you think is better for making a Onion or Garlic powder?
As long as the onion and garlic are quite dry, both should work well. The dehydrated onions and garlic will require more effort to powder than those that are freeze dried.
Nicely done and well explained
Glad you found it helpful.
Nice, informative video. What brand freeze dryer do you have, how long have you had it, and have you had any problems from it?
I have the mid sized Harvest Right free dryer. At this time, Harvest Right is the only company making home freeze dryers. I've had it for close to two years with no significant issues.
You can learn more about the unit here - commonsensehome.com/home-freeze-drying/
Yes, I had already looked at them but didn't realize they were the only manufacturers for consumers. I watched a few videos on Harvest Right's website. My 8 year old was excited about the prospects of freeze dried ice cream.
Have you experimented with any odd or unusual foods, or anything else for that matter, to see how they reacted?
Also, what is the typical length of time to freeze dry food and does it vary greatly between different types of food, say fruit versus meat?
We've done ice cream, gummy bears, pickled beets, pickles, chicken broth, spaghetti hotdish, taco meat, sloppy joe meat, ham bit, split pea soup, apples, peaches, apricots, tomatoes, beans, corn, yogurt, cheese slices, and an assortment of other items.
I like pretty much everything, except the gummy bears, which got chewy, and the ice cream was awfully sweet, and the pickles were too salty. The fruit and vegetables taste so fresh, and the meat dries into "meatos" - texture similar to cheese puffs, but meat flavored.
@@commonsensehome what is a meatos? My meat rehydrated cooks up just like the original. I did a lot of ground meat and it comes back really good.
@@marthaadams8326 "meatos" is what we jokingly call cooked dried seasoned meat, because it has the consistency of Cheetos, but tastes like meat.
Once rehydrated, the meat tastes like it was freshly cooked.
Which do you prefer using today?
Do you think freeze drying is cost efficient for the home?
I still use both, for different reasons.
We use the freeze dryer mostly for meats, meals, dairy, and anything else we want to store long term. For instance, we just slow cooked several beef roasts in the Nesco roaster to make shredded, seasoned beef, and we're going to load that into the freeze dryer shortly for quick meals. We have a beef quarter coming in next week, so we need to make room in the freezer. It's great to do big batch cooking in winter to have on hand during the summer and fall when we are busy with the garden and harvest.
We use the dehydrator for foods we know we'll rotate through quickly, like dried fruits, veggies, and herbs we intend to use within one to two years. The dehydrator is also better for jerky, because the freeze dryer leaves the meat with a fluffy texture, not a chewy texture.
Thank you. Your speech is very instructive.
You're welcome.
I'm assuming the ground beef was 'cooked' ... since you ate it out of the jar. Is it best to cook than freeze ?! I seen someone freeze dried uncooked eggs in another video.
The ground beef was completely cooked and seasoned. Just add water and reheat to serve for a meal.
I personally prefer to cook and then freeze dry, because in most cases I want the food ready to eat right out of the jar/package if needed. I feel it's a little safer, too, since the freeze drying process does not kill bacteria, but cooking can.
That said, you can freeze dry items like raw eggs for use in recipes.
This was a very informative video. Thank you!
You're welcome.
Thank you very much 😊
You're welcome.
Thank you so much for this information. I am looking into shelf preserved foods.
You're welcome.
I was wondering what size unit you have?
I have the mid-sized unit, which was the only size available at the time I purchased mine.
Shouldn't I take you to dinner first?
Dehydration however kills microbes, does the freeze dry kill them or make them inactive.
Dehydrators only kill microbes if you use them in specific temperature ranges and for the duration of time required to kill a particular microbe. For instance, drying herbs at 95F is not going to pasteurize those herbs. This is why the jerky recipe on the site includes directions for oven heating for sterilization, if bacteria are a concern.
Freeze dry will kill some microbes, but it does not sterilize the food.
Always observe good kitchen hygiene practices and avoid cross contamination.
@@commonsensehome I always use clean gloves to handle the trays and rubber gloves to remove food for packaging. one's hand contain oil and water and possible germs that might transfer. I also do it as quickly as possible in a clean and disinfected area.
@@marthaadams8326 I wash my hands before handling food. A healthy human body has roughly 10 bacteria cells for every human cell. I am not afraid of bacteria.
Yes, bacteria can survive the freeze drying process - what ever is in with the foods will be there 25 years later when you rehydrate the foods. Good food safety rules should be followed no mater which method of preservation is used.
I have very clean and dry hands when I pack away my freeze dried foods - the same is true when I prepare foods - no difference.
I've never had a food illness from my home prepared meals - only from eating out. So weather you dehydrate or freeze dry if you have good safety sense (sounds like you do) you'll be fine.
Just to add - freeze drying is by far the best method of preserving foods.
How is the freeze dry fruit, in smoothies?
Flavor and color are beautiful. You'd need to add more liquid then you would for fresh or frozen fruit, or you'd have a thicker smoothie. (Which may be okay.)
How to keep freezed items? In cold storage or not??
The freeze dried items are no longer frozen once the freeze drying cycle is complete. They are shelf stable at room temperature. For long term storage, I recommend an airtight container with an oxygen absorber.
You can read a detailed description of how the freeze drying process works at commonsensehome.com/harvest-right-freeze-dryer/
@@commonsensehome so it has more potential than freezed items by commercially?
Love this! Thank you for sharing
Thanks, Amy.
That was interesting
Hi can we freeze dried fruit juice?
You should be able to, as long as it doesn't have added sugar. Please note that it will take a long time to dry, and the yield will be low.
Laurie Neverman do the fruit juice will be soluble in water? After i grind it into powder.
I haven't tried it, but I suspect that it will crumble into powder on its own, and should rehydrate in water with vigorous stirring.
Laurie Neverman Thank you very much for your helpful informations.
Sorry one last question hahaha, if you leave fruits or meats after freeze dried in room temperature, will they stay dried? Or there will be change in their physical states such as melting or soften
Awesome informative video. Thanks a lot!
Thank you! Great explanation.
You're welcome.
Has anyone made their own freeze dryed coffee ? How it come out?
Yes. I haven't tried it, but from what I've seen in groups, you can do it. The "trick" is to start with *really* strong coffee, so when you dry it down, there's more finished product.
@@commonsensehome
Try it soon and make a video I'd love to see it.
But thanks for the info.
@@jimmieburleigh9549 I'm the only one in our household who drinks coffee, so we only have a tiny 2 cup coffee maker. It'd take me about forever to brew enough to fill the freeze dryer, unless I did a church lady/cowboy style brew in a big pot. I will have to talk to local coffee loving friends to see if I can talk them into brewing in exchange for some of the finished product.
@@commonsensehome
give it a shot. But you got it right the cowboy brew is probably the way to go for a strong brew and you can strain it etc.if needed
You got me with the church lady comment. Is that like the cowboy brew?
@@jimmieburleigh9549 similar, yes. The old church ladies used to use a big pot and an egg mixed with the grounds do they didn't end up in the brew.
Did some digging, and it looks like you can use plain coffee, but end up with less than a pint of powder from a gallon of coffee. Probably the best results came with folks using a cold brew method, steeped for 24 hours to concentrate the brew.
very informative,,,thank you
You're welcome.
Are you prepping for an apocalypse? 😂😂😂
Aren't you? :-)
Mostly I just like having a stash of safe food . It's an investment I know we'll use.
Yes! I sure am! US and Canada have a coming food shortage! Big time.
Uep
i wish i could get good info without watching an infomercial trying to make money.
It takes time to film and edit our content - letting people help us out with a purchase they were likely considering anyway is how we support the videos.
What do you want to know? Have you had your questions answered yet? I don't have a channel but I've been freeze drying almost 24/7 for 2 years.
where do they teach ALL women to do that bent wrist, flared fingers arm gesturing?
was that where they ALL went in 5th grade when the boys stayed back in class? hmmm ...
I guess you went to the class that taught you to be a pig. Hummmm?
@@jerrysmith372 oink OINK Trump 2020 - INFINITY
Lol
No clue wtf that means but...ok