How does freeze-drying compare to other preservation methods? Freeze-drying retains up to 97% of the food's original nutritional content, which is superior to most other preservation methods. It also better preserves the food's original taste and texture.
We’ve found that a sturdy bench made of food-grade stainless steel works well, especially with its lower shelf for our trays and storage equipment.
If you need a freeze dryer that can help you stock the pantry with the longest shelf-life food out there, one of our picks will get it done.
If you are planning to eat the food a few months or a year down the line you may be alright storing it in an airtight mason jar or some similar container. Resealable plastic bags, like those commonly used to bring lunch to work, are also acceptable for short and medium term storage.
By using our Harvest Right Freeze Dryer, we save money and get to use our garden’s excess produce. This means we have managed to build a reliable food reserve, knowing exactly what’s in each meal.
We did not include those riser racks in our capacity calculations and comparison since they aren’t true tray capacity.
The oil-free pump adds about $1,500 to the freeze dryer’s price tag. Comparatively, the premier oil pump is included as standard in the retail price of the machine (and costs half as much to replace).
For those of us wanting to process large harvests quickly, this extended cycle time can be a bottleneck.
It sits just shy of 31 inches tall, is just over 20 inches wide and nearly 24 inches deep. So it’s not exactly a countertop unit. Still, if you have a large kitchen or utility room where you can set it up, you will be glad you have it.
We do recommend that you skip the ticket system if you’re in a hurry though, and just give them a ring.
You may want to go the pre-packaged route if your budget and time resources don’t make sense for owning your own machine. Freeze-dried food suppliers are still a great idea Buy Now for maximizing your emergency food shelf-life. Typically, those are over $10 per pound of food depending on the type.
Food storage and long shelf lives can be hard to achieve with a variety of food, but high-quality equipment can make it happen. Freeze dryers aren’t for everybody, but if you take the plunge you may quickly find your pantry full and your preparedness groups and communities asking for more! There is no better preservation method, and the investment can quickly pay for itself.
Harvest Right doubled (at least) capacity and added a tray to every model when they upgraded to ‘Home Pro’ models a few years ago.
How We Review Products: We research thoroughly before selecting the best products to review. We have vast prepping and survival experience and bring in outside experts when needed.