Freeze Drying Scoops of Ice Cream - 4 Flavors
Вставка
- Опубліковано 10 вер 2024
- Freeze Drying Scoops of Ice Cream
Want to support this work? Buy me a coffee :-) www.buymeacoff...
This time I'm freeze drying 4 cartons of ice cream, four different flavors: Orange Cream, Mint Chocolate Chip, Unicorn Swirl, and Cookies N' Cream.
Freeze dried food will stay fresh for many years and be ready and waiting when you need it.
We have started putting our videos up at rumble.com/use...
AFFILIATE LINKS & REFERRALS - I earn from qualifying purchases from the links provided
───────────────
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.
www.amazon.com...
---------------------------------------------------
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.c...
Use the discount code "SchoolReports5" to get 10% off your first purchase when using the link.
---------------------------------------------------
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.har...
───────────────
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!
Music:
This is Not Effortless by True Cuckoo
Night Snow by Asher Fulero
My luck with ice cream is about 50%. Have done chocolate and Cookies and Cream that I sliced into 3/4 inch slices outside in the winter and some in the basement both worked fine. I've also had some vanilla scoops that foamed up really bad with sliced stuff from same package that didn't in the same batch. I think the scoops may have had to much surface melt.
The failures taste excellent so experimentation will continue.
What do they look like when it goes wrong? I've never had a big problem with any ice cream. Do you have the newer or older firmware? I wait until the freeze dryer, when doing ice cream, is below -50 F for at least 3 hours before I let the main drying cycle start. Maybe this helps prevent ice cream issues. Or perhaps it's the brand of ice cream?
@@SchoolReports The most spectacular ones look very similar to sugary stuff that fluffs up into a delicate foamy mass. The scoops grow to about twice the starting size and while they hold together they are much more delicate than the ones that work and powder up with very little handling.
My firmware is the newer version i think. I got my machine in November 2020 V5.0.10 . I only have the options to set the initial freeze temp down from 15c to 20c and then extend the final dry time and adjust tray dying temp.
Unless I'm missing something I looked awhile back to see if I could extend initial freeze time but that doesn't seem to be an option unless i there is a menu somewhere I have not found.
@@Baneironhand As far as I have seen it seems correct that V5.0.10 does not let you adjust the beginning freeze time like the old firmware. That's too bad. I've also noticed that the cheaper brands of ice cream have tended to do better for me.
Your description of what happens sounds like what mine might do if I don't get it cold enough before starting the main dry cycle. (I assume the initial freeze temp is -15 to -20c) Negative 20c is only -4f, that's NOT NEARLY cold enough for ice cream. It needs to be much colder before the drying cycle starts.
I can think of one way to force the new firmware machines to keep cooling before letting the drying start. Turn off the vacuum pump before starting; the machine will fail to achieve a vacuum but the freezer will keep running. Just let it sit there cooling for a few hours before turning on the vacuum pump and telling it to continue. If you put a thermometer in the middle of an ice cream slab you will know when it's more than -40(c or f) and then give it a couple more hours. (I did a video with thermometers in food)
Of course I've voided the warranties of most everything I've owned by tearing it apart to see what makes it tick!
But, a "fail to achieve a vacuum" is something the freeze dryers software is designed to handle and does so without a problem. I've forgotten to turn my pump on a few times after changing the oil filter and it just sits there waiting (and freezing) with the couldn't achieve a vacuum message. No harm, no foul!
@@SchoolReports Thanks. I might have to try that then. I got that message once when I first started so I'm familiar with that screen. will give it a try sometime. I have tried leaving it in before starting for awhile but like you said it doesn't keep freezing. seems weird that they don't have that as an option in the customize menu.
I've never done high end ice cream but the super cheap stuff is what has failed me the most spectacularly. the best results so far were the Breyers Chocolate and cookies and cream plus the Oreo brand sandwiches. Some cheap ice cream sandwiches blew out pretty bad as well. was thinking about trying homemade ice cream sometime just to see how it fares.
@@Baneironhand
I've pinned this comment, from Neil Feit on an older ice cream video I did. ua-cam.com/video/gAL0BUmdtvg/v-deo.html He had the same issue and this is how he solved it.
If you bought a new freeze dryer, with the most recent software, you’ll need to go into “test mode” and turn freeze on for at least 8 hours before starting actual cycle when making freeze dried ice cream. The new software won’t allow you to customize freeze times. If you don’t, the ice cream puffs up and expands the moment the vacuum starts. I contacted Harvest right and also got an older version of the software. But, when making ice cream, i just cheat with test mode. Took 3 ruined batches and some research as to why, but definitely needs more freeze time than the unit provides in its normal cycle.
No settings for the machine?
I'm standing here eating mint chocolate chip while watching you make it
👍 😁
Hello, I'm looking to purchase freeze dried Neapolitan ice cream. You are unable to purchase this online any longer. I'm trying to buy this for my grandmother who is the hospital with COVID and double pneumonia. This was her favorite snack! Please let me know if you would be willing to sell me a batch of this, I am looking for a decent amount and am willing to pay whatever you'd like! Thank you sir! (P.S. I am in the United States, East coast)
I’ve seen enough people doing these scoops. It’s fine that you like them, and as you mentioned to someone else you’re making them for yourself.
I also make everything for myself, but I remember the “astronaut ice cream” I would get at the Science museum. I like the little squares they used to come in, but didn’t like how they were always broken (they don’t hold up well when shipped). That’s why I like the sliced idea.
If I do share these, and I might, I’ll wear gloves as I prepare it all. When the one asked “why you wasted the gloves” you replied because it was cold. I kept thinking it’s good hygiene. Then the very next post said “wear gloves..yuk” and this was where you mentioned you won’t share them😂. I guess that one was because when bagging you weren’t wearing any. But that person didn’t notice you weren’t bagging them in see-through bags; common amongst sellers.
You were inside a freezer? I’ve thought about going to my local Walmart and asking if I could “borrow” their walk-in freezer just for such an occasion.. I used to work there.. but with the high turnover there aren’t many people still there who know me! 😢
The balls also defeat the purpose with neopolitan ice cream. If I make some to share, I’d want each person to get a full slab of all 3 flavors.
As is, it got really hot in my house last time I had the FD going. I don’t have a full basement, so my FD is in a spare bedroom across the hallway from my room. It was 58 outside, my furnace was set at 70, and it was 81 inside.🥵 I may have to stop FD’ing for the summer.
There are definitely people out there with strong opinions about gloves while preparing food. I had one commenter say they wear gloves even when making a sandwich for themself. I tend to treat the freeze dried food as if I'm making it for myself. 🤣I rarely wear glove when I'm cooking dinner, either.
I had some of the “astronaut ice cream” during my first trip to the Kennedy Space Center back in '86. Now I can make my own. (Much better price:)
I guess to be (much) more accurate, I wasn't in the freezer, the tray and ice cream were in the freezer (below the top rim), I was standing outside the freezer.
You've mentioned some of the reasons I like the scoops. Some peoples negatives are other peoples positives. I like to split the neopolitan ice cream because I don't care for most chocolate ice cream! My goal *_was_* to separate the flavors! I can bag the 3 flavors together, but I can just have the best two flavors! 🤣 I also like the scoops because they are more bite sized and seem to hold up pretty well.
Thnk you for this information
That kroger unicorn ice cream is my fave.. lol
It's the first time I'd had it; it's great!
I did exactly as you did, but mine was all puffed up and hanging over the edges of the trays and no longer in little scoop shapes but all as one big mess in the trays
and light and airy and crushed to powder as I touched it. Tastes like ice cream though but big mess in my machine!
Which firmware does your machine have? If it the new version you'll have to "cheat" a little to make it work.
@@SchoolReports “firmware”?? What’s that? Lol I’m not very computer savvy, but it’s a new machine, just got it this past November. Not sure how to cheat with it?!!
@@susansmith574 If you just got it a few months ago, it's almost definitely V5.0.10. It'll have that number in the upper right corner of the screen.
The problem is with the prefreeze cycle. It appears that Harvest Right, In order to make the machine work faster, (and it is a lot faster than my older machine) did away with the option for the VERY long prefreeze needed to do ice cream well and consistently.
Another viewer that had the same problem also had a solution. I have pinned his comment in the comments of that video: ua-cam.com/video/gAL0BUmdtvg/v-deo.html
He cheats the machine by prefreezing using the test mode. I think you should be able to find this on page 7 of the owners manual. (just the freeze test without the vacuum. You may have done this when you first got the machine) I would start the prefreeze, wait about 1/2 hour, put the ice cream in, then continue to prefreeze for at least 8 more hours before starting the actual freeze drying cycle.
I had another suggestion/method, (just switch off the vacuum pump so it keeps freezing but doesn't start freeze drying) but his is probably a better way.
I hope this helps. Either way, or if you have more questions, please let me know.
@@SchoolReports thanks so much for the reply, I will give that a try 🙂
How long does it last after sealed in Mylar with an oxygen absorber? I want a freeze dryer so bad! Mostly for desserts like this 😅 Great video!
I don't know. I've had some I bagged 4 years and they are still good.
Mountain House gives their freeze dried Ice Cream products a 3-year shelf life. mountainhouse.com/pages/our-shelf-life-guarantee
Thanks for the video! I'm just doing my first batch of ice cream as I type this. I had the vacuum pump unplugged and didn't realize it so it sat at -40 all night without drying. But now I think that may have saved the batch reading all of the comments about it melting first. Curious to see how long it takes. I know this is an older video but my machine is V 5.1.19 and only had it about 4 days.
I thought that might work! Glad to hear you've tried it. Let us know how it turns out. (It will be perfect!) By any chance did you have a thermometer in the ice cream so you could see the ice cream temp when you finally did start it?
@@SchoolReports I did not have a thermometer in it. But this was the first batch so I didn't know what to expect. I'm sure there will be many more to come
@@jeremy7461 Well, enjoy! Freeze dried ice cream is yummy! (and kind of fun)
By prefreezing for 8 hours before starting the dry cycle work for all brands of ice cream? Ive noticed that people arent having much luck with the name brand ice cream.
We haven't had problems with the ones we done, as long as we get it cold enough. Of course we haven't tried *all* brands. With our older machine's firmware we can wait until the thermometers *inside* the ice cream tells us the ice cream is actually down to -30 or -40. My sister's new (October '22) machine's firmware will not allow the trays to get that cold before starting.
If you could give me an example of one that might have an issue working, I can give it a try.
Hello, I love all the knowledge you are sharing with us. Thank you. How do you eat it? Like candy?
Yes, like candy or use for making milkshakes/smoothies - Rehydrating Freeze Dried Ice Cream by Making Milkshakes ua-cam.com/video/dq7sEr19SQA/v-deo.html
my freeze dryer have to set the time and the temperature manually. normally when i freeze dry candy i do -10degrees for 30 minutes and 70 degrees for 4 more hours. If i want to freeze dry ice cream like you what settings do you recommend ?❤
The most important thing with ice cream is to make sure it gets very cold before the freeze drying cycle starts. We make sure to get the ice cream down to -30 or -40 before the drying starts. We dry at 120ºf.
You got a new sub after you said "it said it on the internet." 😂
😎🤣 Thanks!
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)
Why didn't you just put them on the freeze dryer sheets to start witth?
Good question! You can, and we have. 👍 This time the trays were already in use when I had time to do the scooping. And this time it was only a few hours before we transferred them to the freeze dryer trays, but sometimes, for some food, it's days or weeks.
I bet it's imitation unicorn.
🦄 🎯 You're probably correct. What ever happened to truth in advertising?!
@@SchoolReports Seriously though. How does it compare to the astronaut ice cream from the 80's? I'm guessing it's not nearly as dense from how I remember the stuff.
@@masondawson4061 The ice cream that I freeze dried as slabs remind me exactly of the 'astronaut ice cream' that I had in the '80s (or late '70s)
Freeze Dried Ice Cream and Cake for Batch #200! ua-cam.com/video/RoU7VrDyMGs/v-deo.html
The scoops do seem a bit lighter, less dense. I like the scoops a lot better.
I love how you reply to all of the questions.! I think I read them all:) What do you think about FD-ing Butter Pecan ice cream? Have you ever done ice cream that has nuts in it?
Thanks!
I think we have done Butter Pecan ice cream, but I'm not sure. We've just labeled most of our earlier ice cream as "Ice Cream" without writing down the flavor. Even if we haven't done that flavor yet, I don't see why there would be an issue with it. (We have done food with nuts mixed in.)
@@SchoolReports Thank you and I’ll let you know how it turns out:)
@@sherribyers2990 Great! I look forward to hear how it goes for you.
As with all ice cream make sure it's very, very cold in the freeze dryer before letting it start the freeze drying.
The butter pecan ice cream turned out perfect! I also did some Fat Boy ice cream sandwiches cut in half bc they were kinda big and they are really good too!
@@sherribyers2990 Great! Thanks so much for letting us know. 😊
My HR only can be set to -20. Is -60 normal or is mine Not good ay -20?
Your machine is probably fine and working as programed.
Mine is an older machine running the older firmware (which I wouldn't change) The chamber wall of the new machines do get very cold, -40 to -60, you just don't get to see that without a thermometer touching the chamber wall.
I have an older machine, (2017) so the firmware/software is a little different than the new ones. With the older machines we don't set the freeze temp, just a time, so we can get it very cold.
Even with her new machine, my sister does NOT put the food in until the chamber is colder than the food she is putting in.
The only thing to really watch for when doing ice cream (and a few other things like pineapple or orange juice) is to make sure the food is really cold (I do -40 for mine) before letting it start the vacuum cycle. Batch 34 - Ice Cream and Milk ua-cam.com/video/bIGcDKDclWU/v-deo.html If you don't it may balloon up a bit. (or a LOT) With my first OJ trial, the OJ hit the shelf above the tray.😅
Check the pinned comments of this video for more ice cream info from other users.
How you cool down to -60? From temperature settings? Thank you
I have an older version of firmware, so all I have to do is turn it on and wait - it just keeps getting colder.
Allegedly the new versions of the firmware works okay with ice cream and they don't have to get as cold. (But I've heard some people that it still doesn't always work)
If you want a newer machine, running the newer firmware, to get that cold you have to cheat or lie to the machine. My sister's new machine will not let the trays get below about 10ºf. It actually turns on the tray heaters to prevent the trays from getting colder, which is probably fine for most foods, but not great for ice cream or a few other foods.
If you read through the pinned comments of this video, there is a discussion about how a couple viewers got around the issue. One by going into “test mode” and turn freeze on and prefreezing before starting the batch.
I did mint chocolate chip ice cream, yum🥳🍡
I did mint chocolat chip ice cream bars and the mint evaporated out.
Hi, is the freeze dried food too hard on the teeth to bite on ? and what affordable brand of Freeze Dryers do you recommend. Thanks.
Freeze dried ice cream is not very hard, it's kind of fluffy. Some foods can be very hard, but those would be ones would be rehydrated before eating.
I have only used one brand of freeze dryer, so it's the only one I personally know.
Here is the list of Freeze dryers I've heard of: (If anyone knows of any others, please add to the list) (as of July 23rd 2023)
harvestright.com/ (The only one I've used. We been very happy with it - affiliate link in description) All the others might be great, I've just never tried them.
p4lfood.com/ "The Cube" Same machine as the 4Patriots one? (Facebook page only a few months old?)
4patriots.com/products/4patriots-home-freeze-drying-system - Maybe built by Prep4 Life?
stayfreshfreezedry.com/ - One person start-up import business? (Judging by the corporation papers listing a home as the Registered Address)
www.cuddonfreezedry.com/products/ - Big - Probably not really a home unit. At least 20 times bigger than medium HR
wmmachinery.com/products/freeze-dryer-for-home-use - Lower priced. Shipped direct from China?
www.labrotovap.com/portfolio-item/large-home-freeze-dryer-lyophilizer-for-sale/ - Knockoff? Even used some of Harvest Right web page photos.
www.usalab.com/freeze-dryers/ - Two models? Do they make or rebrand.
freezedryco.com/equipment/food-cannabis/ Freeze Dry Company - more commercial
www.hudsonvalleylyomac.com/stratus-mp3-series-floor-model.html Hudson Valley Lyomac - not really home size units
d-freeze.com/ D-Freeze - Not out yet, being built in Canada
www.freezedryfood.de/en/ FreezeDry® German
bluealpinefreezedryers.com/ Blue Alpine Freeze Dryers - Idaho - Very new/Start-up - Looks promising
@@SchoolReports Thanks a lot for the info.
Quick question, please… how were you able to start your FD’ing at -65? My machine, just purchased a few weeks ago, prompts me to place trays in the Freeze Dryer , after a 15 minute period of time. It’s typically about 60 degrees , at that time. New to this. Thank you
Simple answer: I have an older machine without the updated firmware.
The new machines are faster and they have more choices for things like candy mode, but I'm glad I stuck with my old version of the firmware. I understand that its supposed to work for ice cream, but really? Putting the frozen food into a "precooled" machine that's 60 degrees above 0?
Did you check out the pinned comments to this video? There was some discussion about this. If this doesn't help let me know and I'll look some more.
answer is: let it continue to run after the "place trays" message comes up - it will continue to cool for as long as you let it
I have a brand new machine with the new firmware that only does the initial freeze to -20. How do I get it cold enough to do ice cream? I read the comment about unplugging the pump so you get the no vacuum screen and the freezer will continue to get colder. Will that still happen with the newest machines? Starting the cycle at -20° will be okay if the unplugged pump works to super freeze? Sorry, I'm very new to this and would like to learn from others experiences as much as possible rather than repeating mistakes already made!
You might try testing a sample of ice cream to see if it works in your new machine. I've heard from people with the newest machines and they say that Harvest Right made firmware changes that allow ice cream to work if the ice cream is well prefrozen first.
@@SchoolReports thank you! I guess I'll just give it try and let you know how it goes.
@@hoffmanakify Thanks. I look forward to hearing how it works out.
What temp do you run ice cream on does it need to be colder than zero?
We don't let ice cream start freeze drying until the thermometers in the ice cream are down to -30 or -40f. With our older machine's firmware we can just turn the machine and wait until it's that cold.
Allegedly, the new versions of the firmware works okay with ice cream and they don't have to get as cold. (But I've heard some people that it still doesn't always work)
If you want a newer machine, running the newer firmware, to get that cold you have to cheat or lie to the machine. My sister's new machine will not let the trays get below about 10ºf. It actually turns on the tray heaters to prevent the trays from getting colder, which is probably fine for most foods, but not great for ice cream or a few other foods.
If you read through the pinned comments of this video, there is a discussion about how a couple viewers got around the issue. One by going into “test mode” and turn freeze on and prefreezing before starting the batch.
Good video. Lets say i put a bjnch of scoops into a mylar bag with o2 absorber. After i open the mylar at some point in the future how long will the ice cream be good for?? Before the moisture in the air starts to break it down?
I had it not seal for about a month, before my ice cream was ate. Was good until last bite. I screw the lid on tight.
Was plain vanilla and mint chocolate chip.
I agree with Charlotte Justesen, assuming normal humidity levels, a month or more is not unreasonable, but i wouldn't know for sure; I've never had an open bag last that long.
@@SchoolReports I did some non-dairy ice cream bars, back in February and just put them in a ziploc bag, just finished them up yesterday, good and crispy.
TIP: best not to do coconut ice cream - especially the chocolate. I did strawberry and chocolate. Hate to run the whole cycle twice - but after cleaning up the first run - it finished the job and did a nice job - still a little sticky, but not a problem - won't last long. :-) I won't use the f.d. for coconut cream again. I do do coconut ice cream sandwiches from So delicious cut in half and they do great - and so good f.d.
I'm not sure I understand. Was it coconut flavored ice cream or ice cream made from coconut cream? (is that a thing?) And what did it do?
@@SchoolReports Yes, coconut cream is a thing and delicious. I can't digest milk - and coconut milk is what feeds me. You have coconut whole, shredded, flour, cream milk - etc. It is a big part of my diet since although I am not allergic to wheat - I can't eat the new version of it. So, I do coconut or almond flour. Almond is high protein and coconut is high healthy fat.
And, my other main food is mushrooms - have to keep my protein intake way down. And, mushrooms can replace beef in just about any recipe and the chew is similar and if you add beets, it looks like it. And, mushrooms are very healthy for us.
I do mushrooms in the freeze dryer when I saw what the companies wanted for a #10 can of like 2 oz of f.d. mushrooms, I started doing my own and they also dehydrate well, but not whole - they do not rehydrate easily. So, now next experiment is go cook them up and then f.d. them and see if they rehydrate - if they do in mushroom sauces or gravies, they should.
Oh and coconut kefir - grains come f.d.and you can make cheese from it. I call it my all around go to.
@@marthaadams8326 Thanks for all of the info. I'll have to try some of the coconut ice cream in my freeze dryer. Do you have a favorite brand I could try?
@@SchoolReports I used coconut bliss and it is very low on any chemicals - only guar gum. Very high in fat.
What were your machine settings? I am new to freeze drying.
I have an older machine, (2017) so the firmware/software is a little different than the new ones. I pretty much use the same settings for every batch. The only thing to really watch for when doing ice cream (and a few other things like pineapple or orange juice) is to make sure the food is really cold (-40) before letting it start the drying cycle. Batch 34 - Ice Cream and Milk ua-cam.com/video/bIGcDKDclWU/v-deo.html If you don't it may balloon up a bit. (or a LOT) With my first OJ trial, the OJ hit the shelf above the tray.😅
would love to have seen how it bites or squashes
I wish I had thought to put that in the video! They are pretty firm/hard.
This shows a few seconds where I snap a couple pieces: Freeze Drying Ice Cream & Ice Cream Sandwiches ua-cam.com/video/gAL0BUmdtvg/v-deo.html
Chocolate chip and chocolates work well , all chocolates do on ice cream, I have bought many kinds of ice creams, have u done jello yet, and what about puddings, they say puddings will Also work? Haven’t seen them on market yet. that one I really want to see.
The "oh, no! chocolate" in the video was a joke. People keep saying that you can't do chocolate in the freeze dryer, and they know this, not because they've tried it, but because they saw/read it on the internet!
Pudding should do fine. Are you thinking of homemade pudding? I think we might have some of the little snack pudding cups we could do right away, if that's good enough for you. We freeze these all the time for a frozen treat; we just haven't dried any yet.
Yes I've done jello. ua-cam.com/video/YtU6U4MRZHg/v-deo.html
Hey! How long did you freeze dry the ice cream?
Sorry, I don't know. With ice cream I do use a long (12hour) prefreeze time; after that I let the freeze dryer do its automatic thing.
I hardly track the total times anymore because it's almost worthless, just a ballpark number, except the freeze time and final dry which depend mostly on food type. It's done when it's done. 99% will somewhere between 18 hours and 70 hours.
Just watched and wondering if you have any idea if you could freeze dry "Keto" ice cream - boy that would make an awesome treat if you could ?? Enjoy your coffee - LOL
I'd never heard of Keto ice cream so I had to look it up. Until I try it I'm going to go with maybe. Do you have a favorite brand or do you make yours? I'd rather try store bought for doing a test.
Thanks so much for the support!😁
@@SchoolReports - Store bought - I get it from Aldi's - called Keto Ice Cream. Cookie dough - mint or peanut butter fudge 😋
@@wvcathy6897 I've heard good things about Aldi. I'll have to look around, the nearest Aldi's is hundreds of miles away in another state. 😁
How did you get that cover for the door?
Thanks for watching
It's just a tight fitting disc I cut out of Acrylic. (I used 0.075" thick acrylic (1.9mm thick) I would probably use 1/8" (3mm +) next time) The disc seems to work better than the pad that came with the freeze dryer for lowering heat transfer. I'm basing this on the fact that the front of the door does not get as cold with the plastic disc in place as it did with the pad that came with ours. (think airplane window) Once the machine is under vacuum the pad or disc probably don't matter, but while it's freezing it helps. I love how good of a job it has done and have not experienced any downside.
Here is how I made it. Making an Acrylic Disc Front for a Harvest Right Freeze Dryer ua-cam.com/video/erH1VDqNi80/v-deo.html If your freeze dryer is like ours, the opening is not quite round. For my first test piece I cut a very accurate circle out of a piece of foamcore and it had gaps of 1/8"+ (3mm +) around the edge.
@@SchoolReports should market it.
65 below?
Yes, on that batch it took me quite a while to get it loaded and it was very cold. -65ºf
The chamber walls are almost always at least -30 to -40ºf by the time I load it, this time it took longer and it was colder.
Probably a stupid question, I'm just looking into getting started. Why not just scoop and prefreeze on the freeze dryer trays?
That's not even close to a stupid question! At first glance it doesn't make any sense and just adds steps and work. It's mostly about timing and volume.
I prefreeze most things in 7x7 pans or on cookie sheets because 1) it saves freeze dryer time, 2) I have the older, tilted machine which means I can't pour liquids into the trays in the machine, 3) I make very large batches of food when I cook so I may get 5+ freeze dryer loads from a single batch, 4) prefreezing slightly lightens the load of ice in the freeze dryer 5) by prefreezing in the small trays (not so much with this ice cream) I have pre measured quantities when I do the final bagging 6) we have a lot of freezer space available. We have had up to 15+ batches of prefrozen items waiting for the freeze dryer.
@@SchoolReports thanks for the reply! It makes a lot of sense. This is the first video that I've seen of yours.
I've checked out a few more since and it looks like we're in the same neck of the woods. I'd love to try some of that ice cream and those toasted marshmallows! ;)
@@patburt9558 Ha! Judging by the locations in your videos, I'd say we are an entire state apart, maybe a bit more. Next time I'm going that way I'll try to remember to bring a few things. The toasted marshmallows are awesome!
I believe you Cannot freeze dry pure Chocolate which would be 100% coco / cao cao
Can it be done with a dehydrator?
No. A dehydrator is a completely different kind of machine altogether. The ice cream would just melt; in the freeze dryer it's so cold (-40) it never melts, it just dries.
what temp was freeze drier on
I'm not sure of your question.
I have the tray temperature set to 115 F and I wait until the freeze dryer, when doing ice cream, is below -50 F before I let the main drying cycle start. The rest of the temperatures are automatic.
We are interested in the plastic cover you have since HR does not supply the black cushion any longer. Thank you
It's just a tight fitting disc I cut out of Acrylic. (I used 0.075" thick acrylic (1.9mm thick) I would probably use 1/8" (3mm +) next time)
Here is a video of how I made mine: ua-cam.com/video/erH1VDqNi80/v-deo.html It was so simple even I could do it!
The disc seems to work better than the pad that came with the freeze dryer for lowering heat transfer. I'm basing this on the fact that the front of the door does not get as cold with the plastic disc in place as it did with pad. I love how good of a job it has done and have not experienced any downside yet. And it's better for monitoring the freeze drying items too.
Thank you, any idea why HR discontinued the cloth cover?
@@davealtman7908 I'm not an engineer, (or physicist) so I'm not really sure why it was there in the first place. For heat transfer you have three possibilities - conduction, convection, and radiation. After the chamber is under vacuum I think that conduction and convection are of little concern. That leaves radiant heat. Is that really a concern with this type of system? (and maybe it is) If so, is a clear acrylic door the best choice and yet is solved by adding a pillow? Why not a solid, insulated disc in the seal opening behind the door.
If you go on etsy, there is a lady that makes insulated inner covers for freeze dryers. They are very pretty and you can pick different colors and designs.
Why not freeze on the freeze dryer tray?
Our freeze dryer trays were in the freeze dryer doing another batch. Sometimes we have as many as 10 or 15 batches worth of food prepped and waiting in the freezer for their turn in the freeze dryer.
65. Below?
I guess I should been more specific. 65 degrees below 0, Fahrenheit or about -54 Celsius.
Yes my machine only lets me go to 20 below, new owner here. LOVE your videos, very helpful. Than ,you.
@@JandS1503 Thanks!
You have the newer, improved firmware. With the older firmware, which uses time, not temperature, to tell it when to start the main dry cycle, I can (and always do) run mine in manual mode which allows me to get the machine super cold for foods that do better that way. Like ice cream. If it's not cold enough, people have reported having problems with their foods like ice cream "puffing up." Or, as one commenter said "massive blow ups" with their eggs.
I see, thanks for the info on that.!
Are the Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers reusable?
The oxygen absorbers are NOT reusable. I do not (and would not) reuse the Mylar bags for any long term storage, but if the bag has been use very gently and has NO damage of any kind, I suppose it could be reused. I have reused a few bags for short term, non freeze dried use, like bagging corn chips for next week or next month.
@@SchoolReports thank you for your reply.
This is why I use canning jars... And I can tell if the seal is good, you can reuse the jars and the lids. Save some $$$$ @@SchoolReports
I’ve noticed ice cream that has milk fat in it foams up and melts extremely fast verses ice cream with just skim milk or regular milk hold the shape. I’ve wasted a lot of money on milk fat ice cream. Do not buy it if it contains milk fat.
Do you have the newer Freeze dryer?
With the older machine it's easier to give it a very long prefreeze cycle and than the regular, full fat ice cream work fine.
@@SchoolReports I have a newer one. For me and I don’t understand why, Ice cream is always a hit or miss with us. Sometimes it melts and some times it doesn’t. I’ll leave the ice cream on the trays in the freezer for about three hours and load it straight into the machine once the machine is ready. I don’t know what I’m doing wrongs
@@happinesshotel5375 You're not doing anything wrong! Harvest Right made some firmware/software changes which makes the machine faster and more efficient, but at the same time didn't help for ice cream. It sounds like they may have made another update to correct it. Check out the pinned comments to this video and the other linked pinned comment you'll find there. (Neil Feit has a work around for the issue) I think these will answer your ice cream questions and give you the solution to ice cream and other hard-to -freeze items.
What was the point of wasting those gloves?
Sorry, I re-watched it and I couldn't find the part where I wasted the glove. At what time was that?
If the question was why did I wear any gloves, it's because it's REALLY COLD working in the freezer!
wear gloves ..yuk
🤣 Glove comment people crack me up! I wore gloves all the time they were needed - the first 1/3 of the video.
1) Do you put on gloves every time you make a sandwich or pour a bowl of cereal for _yourself?_
2) _You_ don't have to worry, _I'm_ not going to share!