Want to support the channel? Buy me a coffee :-) www.buymeacoffee.com/DanZm If you are thinking of buying a freeze dryer, please consider supporting us by purchasing through our affiliate link. It helps us and costs you nothing! affiliates.harvestright.com/995.html Before buying a freeze dryer perhaps research to find out more about the downside of the machine; like with any big machine, some people say they have had problems with their machine and it's big and heavy and hard to return! 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/ (only one I've used) 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 very promising!

@hydej1667

11 ай бұрын

🍑 🙂 🍑 😋 🍑 ❤ 🍑 🐸 🍑

@dankilmer9070

4 ай бұрын

Wow! Hey thanks for putting together your great channel! Looking forward to it all :)

@SchoolReports

4 ай бұрын

@@dankilmer9070 Thanks for watching and for commenting!

Enjoying more “shirt shots” - THANKS. I’m here for the freeze drying and always like the tee shirt humor also!

@SchoolReports

11 ай бұрын

Thanks!

I can’t believe how fast these guys get back to you with information really appreciate it. Thanks. I ordered the scale. It’s on its way. I’m going to start doing that now on to make sure everything is good to go.

@SchoolReports

7 ай бұрын

Thanks! 😁Trust me, I'm not always very good at being timely, I just happened to be at the computer today.

Thanks man I really like your videos. Keep up the hard work looking good.

My FD is also in the basement, and I usually get the warm room message (even in the winter, when we keep the house in the mid 60's). I do have a fan like yours on the pump, and I have another that I use to defrost the machine like you do. I have found if I take the 2nd fan, and place it on the left side of the FD, blowing into the machine, that I do not get the warm room message.

@SchoolReports

11 ай бұрын

My sister runs a fan blowing in on the left side too. It does help. You can see just a glimpse of it at 20:56 We believe that the air intake side could be designed better to prevent so much hot air inside the case from recycling back to the inlet side of the condenser. The "room" temperature probe is also located in the recirculated hot air stream in front of the condenser. We are considering ducting the air path to correct/prevent this.

Other channels demonstrate that if you vacuum seal fruit the fruit tends to clump together making it difficult to use unless your making a smoothy or cobbler or a pie, but it's up to the individual, I personally wouldn't vacuum seal any fruit.

I love your organization. I am new to FD. Completed my first batch of peaches today, probably overdried because it went 50 hours before I finally called HarvestRight, it got to about 75% on the bar and then never moved past that. Out of date software is what I was told. They still taste good, but it did cause me a lot of anxiety. Mine is in the garage, which is insulated, but it still gets over 80 degrees in the afternoon because my house faces SW and there are windows in the garage door, so the warm environment message did come on several times. It'll probably get too cold within a few months, so will probably move it into my spare bedroom at some point. I already know I need more workspace!

@SchoolReports

11 ай бұрын

Thanks so much for watching and commenting! In general, over-drying is not really something to worry about. Once it makes it to 100% dry. it doesn't really change. This is my personal guideline about dry food: 🤔 #1 Never trust the freeze dryer or a spot check moisture meter to tell you if the food is dry! Do a Dry Check using a scale to make sure it's dry before bagging and storing. #2 Don't overload the freeze dryer. I try to keep the medium machine to a maximum of about 8 pounds of Water Weight per batch. (I have had 11+ lbs of water. It took a long time and I won't do that again) #3 Don't make the food on the trays too thick (height, not viscosity) If you do, you may have to run the batch twice. #4 When in doubt about dryness, add extra final dry time. #5 Never trust the freeze dryer or a spot check moisture meter to tell you if the food is dry! Do a Dry Check using a scale to make SURE it's dry. #6 NEVER trust the freeze dryer or a spot check moisture meter to tell you if the food is dry! IT CAN'T KNOW! Do a Dry Check using a scale to make SURE it's ALL dry before bagging and storing. I've heard from too many people that thought their food was dry, only to check again a short time later and find out it wasn't, and now some has gone bad. 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!" Consider looking at what commercial companies are doing. That's where I look to for guidance. If they can do it, we probably can too. (with method adjustments)

Just returned from North Carolina with a bushel of apples. Honey and Crimsom Crisp. I don't prefreeze them since I do not have any extra freezer space. I have a small machine so I can get 7 to 9 apples per batch. Probably will take 8 to 10 batches. I feel like Pavlov's Dog when my machine bleeps at me. What? Coming!😆

@SchoolReports

11 ай бұрын

Sounds so good! I love freeze dried apples. Our local U-pick place has 4 or 5 varieties of apples and only charge 50 cents per pound. We've freeze dried hundreds of lbs of them. I've never had a Crimsom Crisp, but we did plant a Honey Crisp about 1 1/2 years ago and we just got our first few apples off it.

I had the ACDF 2 levels a few years ago. I came right through it. It was rough for 2 weeks but then I was fine.

@SchoolReports

11 ай бұрын

🤣 Thanks. Good to hear it went well for you! It"s kind of an older shirt that my daughter got for me. My first ACDF was a bit of an emergency, almost 9 years ago, due to an injury years earlier; the second was more planned (I got a couples weeks notice), almost 3 years ago. It seems to have slowed down the degeneration a lot. Mine is fused from C3 down through T1. Once you get ACDF, you'll never look back. 🤣 (One of my other shirts:)

We ordered a medium 5 tray Harvest Right and expect delivery in 3-4 weeks. I'm so excited to get it and I'm constantly watching videos. Just found you today, subscribed because I love your attention to the small details about everything you do. I wish I had a supply/work table like yours, but maybe later. Question: how much difference does that round shield you use make in the drying and is it really necessary? ( saw later why) Oh and I noticed you and your sister both have a little fan....why is that? Thank you for all the information you're providing in your videos.

@SchoolReports

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and commenting! My sister got her work table/desk from the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. It was a great find and works great for her. (I did add wheels to the bottom) I do have a video series of building the ones I use. The machines don't _need_ the seal insulation or the door disc we add, but for us it's a useful addition because of two related things: condensation and heat transfer. First, while it's cooling, but before the vacuum pump starts, it helps with heat transfer. Secondly, and most important to us, because I often (very often!) don't get to the machine right away when it finishes, it just sit there chilling. Sometimes it waits 12 hours or more. Very chill, -40 chill. By the time I get around to it, without the front disc and seal insulation, the entire door and seal would be covered with condensation, both liquid and frozen. And then it melts and makes a mess. For people that stay right on top the the process, ready to take it out and check it the minute it beeps, all this is much less needed. Fans required? No. But my feeling is that most electric motors run more efficiently and last longer when kept well under 160ºf. Very high temperatures also degrade the oil faster, leading to less effective vacuum and the need to change the oil more frequently.

@sharonhendricks9706

4 ай бұрын

@@SchoolReports thank you so much for your reply, I appreciate it. I've noticed some other KZreadrs of whom I trust bc of their safety practices and some with scientific backgrounds.....do not go to the lengths that you do regarding the drying, ie thermometers and back and forth measuring etc., and I'm a little surprised that they kinda take the machine's word for it to be "done". However, they have new and updated machines and so far nothing has failed them. I will probably be somewhere in the middle between them and you, bc I'm a little anal about certain things myself! LOL thank you again, and I will continue to watch your videos bc I enjoy seeing all the things you freeze dry which I'm also curious about... but at 79 yo, I don't anticipate needing that much stored food for an extended period of time. Just sayin'

@SchoolReports

4 ай бұрын

@@sharonhendricks9706 I also assume that my food will outlast me! 🤣 I've already lived longer than any male in my family. Most days I don't even buy green bananas. 😁 My sister has one of the newer machines (late 2022) and I can guarantee you that if the machines are loaded the way we load them, with a full 10 lbs per batch of misc stuff, the machines will often be wrong about it being dry. The firmware is easy to fool, and it has no way to know if every piece is dry. Most of the people saying that their machine "Knows" when it's dry just don't know or just don't care, because their machine doesn't know. It can't know. They are just fooling themselves. #1 rule of freeze drying - Never trust the freeze dryer, a spot check moisture meter, or your fingers to tell you if the food is dry! They can't know! I'm paranoid about having water in my freeze dried bags of food. I highly recommend these videos as a starting point to learn about water activity levels, if you're interested. Water activity 101: Master the basics of water activity in food safety - kzread.info/dash/bejne/a5uCltxqnrCvY6w.htmlsi=HEz33MXuAIMF4N-b Water Activity 102: Microbial Growth - kzread.info/dash/bejne/gniEscpxacjcftY.htmlsi=rVeROfSU0h1J4y7I Quote from this paper: (This is probably the most important thing we can know about the process. People checking by "feel" - is it warm? Does it snap? - they may still be in the primary drying phase) General Principles of Freeze Drying (The Lyophilization Process) www.researchgate.net/publication/342622346_General_Principles_of_Freeze_Drying_The_Lyophilization_Process "At the end of the sublimation phase (primary drying), all the ice will have disappeared. The product will begin to rise in temperature and will tend to approach the control temperature of the shelf. However, at this stage the product is not sufficiently dry for long term storage. For most products, the residual moisture is in the region of 5% to 7%. The product now enters the desorption phase, during which the last traces of water vapor are removed, along with traces of the “bound” water within the product matrix. This phase is identified as secondary drying. The aim of this final phase is to reduce the product to the acceptable moisture levels needed for long term storage (3% to 1%)"

@sharonhendricks9706

4 ай бұрын

@@SchoolReports Yeah....this is my problem too....paranoid it might not be quite ready. LOL, I think there will be certain types of foods, especially when not too thick or overloaded on the trays maybe, where it will be easier to be more confident in the dryness. But what if you don't pick the right piece or pieces to check....yep. I'm with you on this. I need to pick up a few more thermometers than I already have on hand. this is getting to be expensive! Congratulation on living longer than any other males in your family! I don't mind growing older I just don't want the increasing limitations that come along with it. 🥵

@SchoolReports

4 ай бұрын

@@sharonhendricks9706 😁We need to have the Goldilocks amount of paranoia. Being a tiny bit paranoid can help keep us safe going through life. 🤣 Not enough or too much is not good. The scale is the most important tool for freeze drying - for doing the _Dry Check._

I purchased a Oupes during there last sale. Then I learned there only good for backup not continuous use. I wish you had mentioned that on your videos.

@SchoolReports

Ай бұрын

What is a "Oupes?" Did I mention it?

@billjenks7700

Ай бұрын

@SchoolReports oops, the comment was for a different channel, not sure how it ended up under yours. Oupes is a major brand of solar backup systems.

@SchoolReports

Ай бұрын

@@billjenks7700 Okay, thanks! I know next to nothing about any of these. When I do get around to looking for a solar/battery/inverter (and whatever else I might need) system for our camping van project, is there one that you would recommend? Or someone to watch to learn?

@billjenks7700

Ай бұрын

@SchoolReports most of the name brands are good. If your not going to use it 24 7, oupes is the list expensive. It's as good as the rest, just doesn't have all the bells and whistles. BLUETTI would be my second choice. Hobotec does a great job of reviewing most of the top solar systems. I would highly recommend checking his channel out.

@SchoolReports

Ай бұрын

@@billjenks7700 Thanks! I'll check out his channel.

My Freeze Dryer is just over 1 year old, and watching your videos I also noticed my trays are much lighter than yours. all 4 are between 636g and 640g. They must have gone to a thinner metal to save a little over time.

@SchoolReports

11 ай бұрын

Sounds about right! 🤔 My set of trays (mid 2017) weigh 737 to 750g. My sister's first set (late 2022) weigh 705 to 709g and her second set is 650 to 657g. A slow steady drop.

Great info thanks for sharing , I have learnt some great tips watching your videos like cutting the rolls of paper to fit the trays , the chip scoop ( but I dont know how to cut the sides to fit ) And I was able to find my silver bubble wrap for around the rim :) Oh and the fan , i was able to find a small one but not one with a big clip , i also need to make a baffle ? :)

@SchoolReports

11 ай бұрын

This year's peaches were very tasty! We just finished getting the last of them into the freezer for prefreezing last night. I'm going to use my sister's machine again for another dual batch. I think we'll have freeze dried a total of 7 loads of peaches this year. I'm starting to work on a scoop for my sister; I'll try to show it.

@kerry1963qld

11 ай бұрын

@@SchoolReports 7 loads wow ! but it does feel good to have a nice stock pile , I'll be looking forward to you showing how to fix that scoop thankyou

One thing I haven't been able to find in the FD realm is. Why haven't I seen people us the standard vacuum freezer bag like those used in the Seal a Meal product to store FD matter?

@SchoolReports

3 күн бұрын

Very reasonable question! Those bags are not good enough at excluding oxygen, moisture, and light. (Oxygen, Water Activity, and Light. - The unholy trinity of rancidity) Unfortunately, some people _are_ using foodsaver/Seal-a-Meal type bags for storing their freeze dried food. Some video makers were even telling people that they could use those bags and not even use oxygen absorbers! (I stopped watching other peoples freeze drying videos years ago, but I've seen in my comments that some people are still being told this) People have told me that they have even been told they don't need OA when bagging in, and vacuuming, FoodSaver or Sous Vide bags. These bags won't do the job even with OA. I feel bad for the people who are following the advice that they can use these bags and that no oxygen absorbers are needed if you vacuum. Oxygen Absorber Testing (For our freeze dried food) - kzread.info/dash/bejne/qmdkypilqMnJeMY.htmlsi=T3M10oMWF33L2eFQ&t=1365 Is Your Oxygen Absorber Doing it's Job? - kzread.info-HIdI58qRtQ?si=pXcpKvm9qwUCCWPe&t=3283

👍👍👍👍👍

Whereabouts did you buy your scale? Could you put a website on there so I could possibly pick one up? Thanks.

@SchoolReports

7 ай бұрын

We got our scales on Amazon. I'm happy to say that I've finally got an Amazon store link. (I just started setting it up - I hope it works) Now I can have one place to update when links change, instead of having to go to 400+ video descriptions to change product links! I show the scales we've been using. (Required disclaimer - 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/shop/schoolreports

I have noticed that a lot of people mark their trays with numbers so they can know the weight of them. My question is what do you mark them with? Like a regular sharpie or would that transfer some taste from the sharpie to the food?

@SchoolReports

2 ай бұрын

I did use a sharpie and have never had an issue. My sister used an engraver for hers. I would have used an engraver if I had thought of it, then I would never have to think of it again!

How much does your electricity bill go up when you run that? Does it cost a lot of money to run the freeze dryer ❓

@SchoolReports

4 ай бұрын

Roughly, under $3 per batch where we currently live. Of course the more batches you do in a period the more it cost during that time. I did a 50 batch series a while back and tracked the power usage. (along with other costs) The 50 batches cost us about $138 - electricity cost are low where live, it could be double or even triple where you live. If you are interested, you can see the 50 batch series data here: First 500 lbs data spreadsheet link: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ieekdk5aH_2OWLUealeOLurU9_zl03BfFEg_qhAgcaA/edit?usp=sharing 100 Days: The First 50 Batches - Freeze Drying 500 lbs of Food kzread.info/head/PLXAehi0jnS90ZWoOZ_dRp8E47x8zO4TZD It was using a medium machine, so the power use is for that machine, but it might give you some idea. Recapping - kzread.info/dash/bejne/e4afw8Vup9Wpqqw.htmlsi=qwcU4qvUHB9n8kfa&t=891

BTW he keeps saying he doesn't have a chamber vacuum, what does he think his Freeze Dryer does? If not his, his sister's does just because it's newer but I bet the older model does as well!

@SchoolReports

10 ай бұрын

🤣 That's a good one! Of course I have a _vacuum chamber,_ but that's not the same as a _chamber vacuum sealer,_ and I wouldn't add extra vacuum cycles to the chamber just for removing air from bags!

What type of thermometers are ok for the freezer dryer

@SchoolReports

3 ай бұрын

We use small dial thermometers. Someone told me they used some wireless type thermometers but didn't tell me which one they tried. We got ours from Amazon, but the same type may be available at your local kitchen supply/cooking store. These are the thermometers we have been using - (Amazon affiliate links) Dial Thermometer -40 to 120 F 1-Inch amzn.to/3NElaja (the one we've liked the most) Dial Thermometer -40 to 160 F 1-Inch amzn.to/3pvAfIm 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/shop/schoolreports

I don’t have a freeze dryer but I’ve watched a lot of your videos. What are your thoughts on the closer shelves on the new HR Pro dryers?

@SchoolReports

11 ай бұрын

I think the closer spacing will function better; the heat transfer from top heaters should be improved. I'd been thinking about closing the spacing on mine for quite some time. Check this spacing kzread.info/dash/bejne/loKMw9ZrfcW0j7A.htmlsi=KFMhKj33_TKGhvc_&t=59

have you freeze dried cereal, im going to try lucky charms for my wife

@SchoolReports

11 ай бұрын

😁 I have done one test with "dry" cereal - Batch 557 - Moisture Test: How Much Water is in Cheerios

Is the fan blowing on the pump?

@SchoolReports

2 ай бұрын

We do run fans on our vacuum pumps. Maybe not required, but my feeling is that 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.

Question for you, I feel like you’ve mentioned it in another video at some point but I can’t find it. What model of scale do you use? I have a cheap digital scale from Costco and it’s not accurate at all. I’ll take a calibrating weight and it randomly will read several grams high or low. Rarely the same reading each time when I pick up and drop several times in a row. Maybe good for general kitchen use, but not for freeze dry weight checking. Thanks!

@SchoolReports

11 ай бұрын

A true, non- powered, balance type scale would probably be best - I don't have one. This is the silver one in the videos. Escali Primo Kitchen Scale amzn.to/3r8VqRe It's almost 12 years old and the first 6 years of life it's were spent in our kitchen. When we started using it for freeze drying all the time, we replaced it with another one of the same model, except blue. We've been very happy with them. But that wasn't your question. I think because of it's accuracy, durability, (at least for us), and price, I would still recommend it. It seems to hold true and has not shown a drift over time. (except when the battery gets low) I have re-checked bags over time and so far no drift. We have a total of 3 of these scales, between myself and my sister, and we can take a finished bag from scale to scale and we get the same readings. The other scale I use a lot, especially for bagging, is this one: Etekcity Kitchen Scale11lb/5kg amzn.to/3K3ajhY I really like that it goes to 1/10s of a gram increments, but it _does_ drift a bit and I have to re-zero, and for weight the whole trays it seems a bit too sensitive. And, it turns off too fast. The slightest breeze will change the weight by grams. Because of the fact that it does drift, I don't trust it for anything important, like the gross weights I write on the bags after sealing the bags. And, I love this scale that my son uses for coffee - Coffee Scale amzn.to/3K8Andg I may try it for a bagging scale. I'm sure that there are even better ones, and maybe people can add their favorites.

@thedawster7548

11 ай бұрын

@@SchoolReportsthank you so much for the detailed reply! You’re channel is very informative and I appreciate all the work you do for the community!

Thank you for making the videos! I will purchase a FD and look at the harvest right but the reviews are getting skewed. I don't know what to do. Has your machine been fine the whole time?

@SchoolReports

Ай бұрын

Sorry, my answer got a bit out of hand. 😁 Bottom line is I (personally) would only be considering two machines if I were looking to buy a freeze dryer today. (for my batch size needs) Harvest Right or Blue Alpine. - HR is the only one I've touched. My machine is almost 7 years old now (over 660 batches), and my sister has had hers for over 1 1/2 years (over 160 batches) So far very little problems and easy to take care of. (I can list every issue if you'd like) I do think my machine may need to have the refrigerant level checked sometime in the future, it seems like it's not cooling quite as well as it did 7 years ago. What we're all missing are the numbers. I don't think Harvest Right has worse quality control issues than other things, but I have no way of knowing. It is going to be a giant issue EVERY time one fails, but I have no idea how many they are sending out. If ten of these big heavy machines fail, that's bad, but 10 out of how many? Is it 10 out of 10? Ten out of 10,000? I have no idea. (Our local FedEx guy said they are delivering up to 10 per day just in our little area) There just isn't a repair network for these, like there is for our cars or dishwasher, etc. I'm actually surprised there are not more issues, considering the issues of shipping it and the 130 degree temperature swings and the multiple vacuum cycles for each batch. It's a tough decision to buy one of these. It would be nice if all machines that arrived to your house worked first time every time. The fact that that's not a thing is one of the reasons we like to buy from Costco or sold by Amazon - easy returns! Over the years we have received a number of things that didn't work right out of the box or were missing parts, including our Mickey Mouse slow cooker, which took 3 tries before we received one that both worked AND had all the components. I don't know if Harvest Right has a higher then "normal" rate of issues with their freeze dryers. I do know that if anyone receives a 150 to 300 pound paperweight that's supposed to be a freeze dryer, they're going to be chapped! - and rightfully so! We only have 2 data points; one freeze dryer that's 7 years old (mine), and one (my sister's) that she got about 1 1/2 years ago. Both have had minor issues that we could handle with ease, but other people may have been completely overwhelmed by the same issues. I'm used to working on things; I void the warranty on almost everything I own within a very short time anyway! I just have to tear it apart. Shipping one of these big heavy things back for repairs sound like it would be a heck of a challenge. (understatement)😇 I also think companies selling freeze dryers (I have a list) are doing a big disservice in portraying them as "fully automatic" and suggesting that you just throw the food in, it does the rest, and "DING" it's done and ready to bag. You do really need to check it yourself, I've been telling people this for years, the HR manual (at least the ones I have) just says ". . . Check the material thoroughly to make sure it is completely dry . . . " with no hint as to how to accomplish this in a way to ensure it's 100% dry every time! Don't trust the machine - It has no way of knowing if it's dry or not. I have a bad feeling that a lot of people are going to find out someday that some of their food was not dry enough. I've heard from a few of them already. Here is the list of Freeze dryers I've heard of - listed in the order I first heard of them: (If anyone knows of any others, please add to the list) (Last update - June 2024) 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? (now brings up 404 Page Not Found) 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/ - 2 or 3 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 - New/Start-up - Looks very interesting

@Jodan2531

Ай бұрын

@@SchoolReports thank you so much for your response! I called hr and they said they are sending out around 4000 a month.

@SchoolReports

Ай бұрын

@@Jodan2531 Thanks! That's a lot of machines. They didn't happen to say what the failure/return rate is? 🤣 I can tell you that the newer machines, like my sisters machine, seem better designed/built than my older one. New 2022 Harvest Right Freeze Dryer vs 2017 Freeze Dryer - kzread.info/dash/bejne/a2Wbp9Wsd7TZido.htmlsi=xdqu-eTru2oi7UjO

@Jodan2531

Ай бұрын

@@SchoolReportsthe rep was very kind and didn’t seem pushy which really made me feel comfortable talking to him. He said they had some problems with Covid and they had some many new people working that customer service was suffering.

@SchoolReports

Ай бұрын

Product designers should be required to use, clean, and live with their products. And customer "service" people should be required to be using the product that they are being called about so they know about them in the real world. 😁

Where did you get the thermometers you use and what temps are displayed?

@SchoolReports

8 ай бұрын

We got ours on Amazon. They probably have them at your local kitchen stores. I do have some links up in the description. These are the ones we have been using the most - Dial Thermometer Taylor 6091N -40 to +120ºF 1-Inch amzn.to/3NElaja (Amazon affiliate link - As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases) We also have a couple of these - Supco ST01 amzn.to/3SGGc6S but we thought that the Taylor seem a little easier to read for us.

This process you are using; is it for the regular home cook/chef? Or just a study of the machines? It seems quite intense. Once the peaches are sealed how are they stored?

@SchoolReports

2 ай бұрын

These machines are designed for the home user. You end up with (assuming the proper checks are done) shelf stable food that can last for many years at room temperature. (Up to 20 or 30 years depending on the food - some are shorter times) We've only had ours for 7 years, so we only know personally that it good for that long. It's like making your own Mountain House freeze dried food, but with our own recipes!

@SchoolReports

2 ай бұрын

I forgot the storage part. They are just stored of the shelf at room temperature. Freeze Dried Food Bins/Racks - kzread.info/dash/bejne/Y3qCpcelhNbNoso.htmlsi=UJWgEpq1SywNnFZ2

Are both FD from Harvest right?

@SchoolReports

3 ай бұрын

Yes. Both are medium Harvest Right machines; mine is older (mid 2017) red machine, and the newer (late 2022) white machine is my sister's.