Harvest Right Freeze Dryer

[tactical_2012]

How's much did the setup cost you shipped?

[CS1983]

How's much did the setup cost you shipped?

I asked for an extra set of trays as well and they included them gratis. Premier pump is on back order so I got a free standard pump that I get to keep once they ship my premier.

[Seamonkey]

as a n00b I've yet to learn canning! Still working on a full 90 day stash much less over 3 years :P

This review lists many of the uses and yes, they mention astronaut ice cream and strawberries. Preserving eggs, soups, making bouillon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2Z5...eqWj0X&index=1

[CS1983]

Just did the first attempt at ice cream.

Did 3 trays (almost 5qt) of Sam’s club Cookies and Cream ice cream.

Also did a tray of homemade ice cream custard that a friend gave me to try.

All turned out very well in a little less than 24 hours.

[Irving]

Is the picture the before, or after?

[CS1983]

Is the picture the before, or after?

After. I pre-froze everything so there would be no melting when starting. Everything held its shape well. The custard could be easily powdered. Liquid tends to turn into a very brittle, powdery substance. Solids generally retain size and shape with a small amount of shrinkage (expected due to the cold I guess? ).

[Irving]

I'm curious about how freeze drying affects foods as far food safety. Like does the process do anything to kill bacteria like cooking does? I suspect that's a pretty broad question though, that will take me down a rabbit hole that I don't have time for at the moment.

[CS1983]

It doesn’t kill viruses/bacteria. Proper handling techniques are still needed from prep to storage. Nutritional values lose only roughly 3% vs huge drops in dehydrating and canning.

[CS1983]

How do you like it now? If you still have it.

I still have it. I like it. I haven't had any issues as far as the product itself. I had one or two batches of things that didn't turn out well (mango chunks just took way too long, and one time I used a different ice cream [Breyer's] that puffed up on me instead of the tried and true Sam's club cheap stuff).

The support available from Harvest Right and the global freeze drying community is excellent. There's enough of these out in the wild that someone has an answer to a question, solutions to prevent particular problems, etc. People are innovating accessories for it. I even 3D printed a funnel to help with getting food in the bags.

What have you done with it?

We have done everything from soups to desserts (ice cream, mainly), fruit, entrees, and raw eggs (allows full use rather than being roped into scrambled). The key, like any food processing, is a plan. As I've gained familiarity with it, the less esoteric certain things are and the more comfortable I am doing things. As I familiarize more with how certain things do in it, I can come up with a better plan on larger scale production.

Happy with the purchase?

Yes. Aside from being about the only player in the home freeze drying market, Harvest Right generally has a good product. Some people have gotten a bad machine or complain, but they seem to be the vocal minority. What I've seen on the various support groups is about a 50/50 split of complaints being actual problems (usually won't achieve vacuum) vs jumping in and not reading directions or misunderstanding how the thing works and skipping steps.

Noise has been negligible, but people seem concerned about that. We have it in the basement and when running, cannot hear it upstairs. I can barely hear it in the basement unless I'm in the actual room it's in. The pump does generate heat, so I usually leave a floor fan on pointed at the pump. The fan is about as noisy as the machine/pump when runnning.

Regrets?

Generally, no. I'm happy with the premium pump vs the oil-less. The premium doesn't require annual maintenance by Harvest Right and I can go about 20+ cycles before needing to change the oil (quick process anyway).

I dunno if it would be a regret per se, but I haven't used it as much as I thought I would. But the things I've done with it are really only possible with it, and the end product is always superior to stuff like Mountain House.

If I were counting on it as a sole means of food storage preparation, I would go with the Large. I didn't because that requires a dedicated 20amp circuit, which dictates placement. If I were a person in a definite long-term/non-rental place and I knew that I'd be using it a lot, or for a lot of food, I'd go for the Large and plan that 20amp circuit for an outlet I would just leave the thing. As it is, the Medium has been sufficient.

My addition:
Would I recommend purchase?

It really depends on one's tolerance for investing their money and time into learning and using the product. In general, yes. Who would I recommend NOT purchase? Someone who wants a magic solution or treats it like a boat, where they only "take it out" a few times a year. Such a person would be better off finding deals on already prepared food and just stocking up. It's not insignificant work to prep the food, FD it, and then process for storage. But it's not a huge time sink. Less than canning, for sure. One has to want to do it and be honest about their goals with it.

I'd say it analogous to a reloading kit. The person who wants 100 rounds a year for hunting zeroing and a few possible shots on an animal doesn't really need a reloading kit. Hoser and others definitely do need a reloading capability due to volume shot per year. Somewhere in between, it depends on one's time/money investment tolerances. I decided reloading wasn't worth it to me vs just buying ammo, as my time is low. Similarly, for freeze drying, I fall somewhere in between true need and hobbyist. I cannot purchase some of the things I've FD'ed. Some of it I wouldn't want to purchase on market, after experiencing things like Mountain House which frankly taste disgusting compared to home made food.

So yes, I'd recommend purchase if a person is honest with themselves about expectations, capabilities, and usage potential.

[buffalobo]

Its been 10 months or so since you posted this.


How do you like it now? If you still have it. What have you done with it? Happy with the purchase? Regrets?

How do you like it now? If you still have it.

I still have it. I like it. I haven't had any issues as far as the product itself. I had one or two batches of things that didn't turn out well (mango chunks just took way too long, and one time I used a different ice cream [Breyer's] that puffed up on me instead of the tried and true Sam's club cheap stuff).

The support available from Harvest Right and the global freeze drying community is excellent. There's enough of these out in the wild that someone has an answer to a question, solutions to prevent particular problems, etc. People are innovating accessories for it. I even 3D printed a funnel to help with getting food in the bags.

What have you done with it?

We have done everything from soups to desserts (ice cream, mainly), fruit, entrees, and raw eggs (allows full use rather than being roped into scrambled). The key, like any food processing, is a plan. As I've gained familiarity with it, the less esoteric certain things are and the more comfortable I am doing things. As I familiarize more with how certain things do in it, I can come up with a better plan on larger scale production.

Happy with the purchase?

Yes. Aside from being about the only player in the home freeze drying market, Harvest Right generally has a good product. Some people have gotten a bad machine or complain, but they seem to be the vocal minority. What I've seen on the various support groups is about a 50/50 split of complaints being actual problems (usually won't achieve vacuum) vs jumping in and not reading directions or misunderstanding how the thing works and skipping steps.

Noise has been negligible, but people seem concerned about that. We have it in the basement and when running, cannot hear it upstairs. I can barely hear it in the basement unless I'm in the actual room it's in. The pump does generate heat, so I usually leave a floor fan on pointed at the pump. The fan is about as noisy as the machine/pump when runnning.

Regrets?

Generally, no. I'm happy with the premium pump vs the oil-less. The premium doesn't require annual maintenance by Harvest Right and I can go about 20+ cycles before needing to change the oil (quick process anyway).

I dunno if it would be a regret per se, but I haven't used it as much as I thought I would. But the things I've done with it are really only possible with it, and the end product is always superior to stuff like Mountain House.

If I were counting on it as a sole means of food storage preparation, I would go with the Large. I didn't because that requires a dedicated 20amp circuit, which dictates placement. If I were a person in a definite long-term/non-rental place and I knew that I'd be using it a lot, or for a lot of food, I'd go for the Large and plan that 20amp circuit for an outlet I would just leave the thing. As it is, the Medium has been sufficient.

My addition:
Would I recommend purchase?

It really depends on one's tolerance for investing their money and time into learning and using the product. In general, yes. Who would I recommend NOT purchase? Someone who wants a magic solution or treats it like a boat, where they only "take it out" a few times a year. Such a person would be better off finding deals on already prepared food and just stocking up. It's not insignificant work to prep the food, FD it, and then process for storage. But it's not a huge time sink. Less than canning, for sure. One has to want to do it and be honest about their goals with it.

I'd say it analogous to a reloading kit. The person who wants 100 rounds a year for hunting zeroing and a few possible shots on an animal doesn't really need a reloading kit. Hoser and others definitely do need a reloading capability due to volume shot per year. Somewhere in between, it depends on one's time/money investment tolerances. I decided reloading wasn't worth it to me vs just buying ammo, as my time is low. Similarly, for freeze drying, I fall somewhere in between true need and hobbyist. I cannot purchase some of the things I've FD'ed. Some of it I wouldn't want to purchase on market, after experiencing things like Mountain House which frankly taste disgusting compared to home made food.

So yes, I'd recommend purchase if a person is honest with themselves about expectations, capabilities, and usage potential.

Thanks.