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When we think of food preservation our minds may think of home canning or a small dehydrator machine. However, there is another method that has been around for centuries - freeze drying. The first freeze dryer for home use became available in 2013. Ten years later, the freeze dryer and freeze-dried food are selling exponentially.
I have been home-canning and dehydrating foods for the last year and really enjoy the process and the benefits they both provide. However, freeze-drying has really helped me in saving space in my freezers and pantry. I was able to place my order at the end of November in 2022 and make payments through the layaway program. I've been using the freeze dryer since April 2023.
If you have been thinking about purchasing a home freeze dryer, I hope you find this information helpful. There are many videos available on the Harvest Right website as well as on YouTube. You can learn more about Harvest Right and all of their products here.
WHAT WE LOVE ABOUT THE HARVEST RIGHT FREEZE DRYER
EASY TO USE
Learning anything new can seem a little intimidating. When we received our freeze dryer,
I was definitely feeling a little overwhelmed because the last thing I wanted to do was
mess up the machine or a big batch of food! However, the setup was very straightforward
and the machine’s computer screen tells you exactly what to do and when.
NUTRITIOUS FOOD
Unlike a dehydrator that uses high temperatures to preserve food, a home freeze
dryer freezes food to at least -40 degrees Fahrenheit. It then creates a powerful vacuum seal
which vaporizes the ice crystals entirely and leaves you with a thoroughly dry, extremely shelf-stable food. This freeze-drying process enables the food to retain 97% of the nutrients! Home canning and dehydrating lose a lot of their nutrients due to the high heat used in their preserving methods.
REDUCES FOOD WASTE
I like to purchase things in bulk but sometimes that's difficult when it comes to storing fresh
produce long-term. In the past I would blanch and freeze the items but that takes up valuable real estate in my freezers, not to mention if we were to lose power, all of that food is gone. Having the freeze dryer allows me to not only preserve fresh produce, but it allows it to be self-stable and ready to use anytime. I've also freeze-dried cooked ground hamburger and cooked ground sausage. I've really enjoyed having this on the shelf! I like to use this in breakfast casseroles, pasta dishes, and as topping on pizza. The convenience is absolutely amazing and has been worth every penny I paid for the machine!
SHELF LIFE
When stored properly, freeze-dried food can last about 25 years. I don’t necessarily need my
food to last that long, but it's nice to know that when I'm ready to use it, it'll be good to go. I
typically store mine in half-gallon mason jars if I plan to use it within a few weeks or so. If I
have multiple jars, I'll use my vacuum sealer to seal the jars. I've only used the Mylar bags
to store the freeze-dried eggs since I knew I wouldn’t need them right away. If you're currently purchasing #10 cans of freeze-dried goods, you know they can be pricy. At the time of writing this, a #10 can of freeze-dried eggs is about $65.00. That can add up really fast!
LIGHTWEIGHT
The girls and I go camping several times each year and having lightweight food is perfect for
backpacks! My kids can be pretty picky sometimes so being able to freeze-dry one of their
favorite meals to take camping is really nice. We're able to pack multiple meals for multiple
days in a standard backpack with all of our gear.
HANDS OFF
Unlike home canning, there is no babysitting required when freeze-drying. Once you turn on the machine and close the valve, you wait the 15 minutes it tells you to, place your trays inside, secure the door, press continue, and walk away. It is so easy! I love that it allows me to move on to other things and not heat up my kitchen. The process time varies but typically you can expect 12-40 hours. The longest I've had something take was probably around 30 hours, but again, I wasn’t tied to the machine during that time, so it didn’t bother me to wait.
CUSTOMER SERVICE AND HELP
Let’s be clear, the cost of the Harvest Right Freeze Dryer is an expensive kitchen appliance.
Thankfully, they offer a layaway option with zero interest! I opted to go this route during one of their sales and was able to lock in the sale price and make my payments over time. The customer service agents have been very nice and knowledgeable in answering any questions I had. When I made my final payment, the gentleman I spoke with was very encouraging and said, “You did it!” It made me feel good not only because he was encouraging and sweet but because of the fact that he recognized that this is a pricey item. It was never the pushy salesman pitch. I wasn’t nagged into purchasing any extras or making larger payments. I really appreciated that. The minimum downpayment is $250, but you are able to pay as much as you want, when you want, for as long as you want. Of course, they don't ship until the final payment is made.
WHAT WE DON’T LOVE ABOUT THE HARVEST RIGHT FREEZE DRYER
COST
As I mentioned, this is quite an investment, and I wasn’t really sure if I wanted to take a chance on a specialty appliance. The more I thought about other appliances in my home it really made me look at the cost differently. For instance, I debated buying a name-brand stand mixer for YEARS and it was barely a quarter of the price. Now, I hate that I waited so long to purchase it and I use it almost daily! I wanted to purchase a second freezer because I wanted the ease a standing freezer offered over a chest freezer.
When I really thought about what value the freeze dryer would bring to me and what I hoped to accomplish with it, I was able to justify the expense. Honestly, I don’t know that I would have purchased it as soon as I did if Harvest Right didn't have such an amazing layaway program and a three-year warranty.
NOISE
The Harvest Right Freeze Dryer is noisy. I currently have mine in the kitchen which is open to
our living room. When we watch TV, we do need to increase the volume a bit, but the noise
doesn’t completely interfere with our everyday life. We live in the south where temperatures
could reach triple digits and extreme humidity levels, & storing it in the garage could damage the machine. It's recommended the machine be kept in a basement or other room in your home that stays consistently cool.
SIZE
This is not a small machine and for most, it will not fit on your kitchen countertop. I'd
compare it to the size of a mini-fridge you would find in an RV or college dorm. It measures 19″ W x 25″ D x 29″ H, and weighs just over 100 pounds.
It has a detachable vacuum pump that sits to the side of the machine and the pump weighs 32 pounds. A sturdy cart or table will be needed to hold the weight of the machine. You will also want a bucket to hold the water that exits during the defrost mode.
WHAT WE HAVE FREEZE-DRIED SO FAR
As I mentioned, I have loved having freeze-dried produce available and ready to go! I've
freeze-dried apples, strawberries, mixed berries, pineapple, pears, corn, carrots, broccoli,
asparagus, bell peppers, onions, celery, and summer squash. So far, everything has reconstituted beautifully, and the taste is actually stronger in flavor. I like to use homemade chicken stock and simmer on low-medium heat for a quick veggie side dish.
The freeze-dried meat is a game-changer for me though! Having shelf-stable cooked meat available is so convenient and the fact that I know exactly what it is, where it came from, and what's in it, is the best I could ask for! I have also freeze-dried eggs and have really enjoyed the convenience of that as well. It only takes two tablespoons of water and two tablespoons of egg to equal one egg. Of course, my kids insisted we try the freeze-dried Skittles. We really enjoyed them, and it was a fun experiment for us to try.
OVERALL
We've really enjoyed having a freeze dryer at home and I am pleased with the purchase. Yes,
there was a bit of sticker shock, but to me, the pros far outweigh the cons. Having worked with Harvest Right during my purchase and following their improvements to their previous machines, I believe they'll continue to take size and noise into consideration in their design of future models.
If you have been thinking about purchasing a home freeze dryer, I hope you find this information helpful. There are many videos available on the Harvest Right website as well as on YouTube.
You can learn more about Harvest Right and all of their products here.
If you are new to home canning, you can check out some of my previous posts here.
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