Every freeze dryer we offer comes with full manufacturer warranties and our dedicated customer service support.
Having one of the most sophisticated food processing machines for preservation is something that anyone can benefit from. Many people with freeze dryers end up supporting their community with them or turn freeze-drying into a side hustle once they’ve filled their own pantry.
While freeze dryer brands typically have similar parts, their firmware can vary widely. Some brands have very user-friendly interfaces with simple steps while others allow Completa control of the system (for better or worse).
We talked about the payback period for freeze driers above because capacity affects the price. If you plan on freeze-drying as a hobby or to stock less than a few hundred pounds of food, the small will probably do.
Freeze Drying Handbook: Many brands ship out an owner’s manual and offer guides, but some people prefer a hard copy. Plenty of information is readily available online, so this isn’t an accessory I use.
Here are the key features and components of a triple pass rotary drum dryer: 1. Triple Pass Design: - The material being dried passes through three rotating drums or cylinders, hence the term "triple pass." Each drum serves a specific purpose in the drying process. 2. Material Flow: - The material enters the dryer and first passes through the innermost drum. After the initial drying phase, it moves to the middle drum and then to the outer drum, undergoing additional drying in each pass. 3. Heat Source: - Heat is typically provided by a combustion system, such as a burner or furnace, located at one end of the drum dryer. The hot gases generated by the combustion process flow through the rotating drums, transferring heat to the material. 4. Air Flow: - The dryer is designed to optimize air flow through the drums, ensuring efficient drying. In a triple pass design, the material and hot gases move counter-currently through the three drums, enhancing heat transfer and drying efficiency. 5. Lifting Flights or Lifters: - Lifters are internal components inside the drums designed to lift and cascade the material as it rotates. This movement promotes good heat transfer and uniform drying.
As you can see, the capacity more Buy Now or less doubles with each model but the cost does not. The larger models use more energy to process the larger batches of food as well, so don’t neglect energy costs when you compare these as that impacts efficiency as we discussed earlier.
The other step is storing it properly. If you don’t, moisture will seep back into the food and it will likely go bad in just a few weeks. Maybe less. So how do you store your freeze dried food once you have created it?
Proper trays ensure even distribution of the material being dried and facilitate efficient moisture removal.
But, freeze dryers can handle a wide range of food and retain nutritional value (and flavor!) much better than dehydrators. They also give the food a massively long shelf life, extending some perishable foods to over 25 years!
Every owners manual has at least a few pages dedicated to the machine operation, and it’s worth the time to go through them. I often skip over instructions myself, but there is so much going on with these machines that it is worth the small time investment to familiarize yourself in the manual.
With its powerful 600-watt motor and six stainless steel trays, this dehydrator can handle a wide variety of foods, from fruits and vegetables to meats and jerky.
Growing and eating our own organic fruits and vegetables always feels so rewarding, and with the Harvest Right freeze dryer we can enjoy our homegrown produce long after the growing season is over.
Once frozen, the food is then exposed to a vacuum, which pulls nearly all of the moisture from it by way of sublimation (2), which transforms the ice directly into vapor, bypassing the liquid stage. By removing all but a tiny percentage of the water in a food item its lifespan is transformed from a few days to two or even three decades.