If you don’t mind rolling up your sleeves for a bit of upkeep, the premier oil pump’s simplicity and lower cost might be more attractive.

This long-term stability makes freeze-dried products ideal for emergency preparedness and sustainable food storage.

Using the S-blade attachment makes short work of chili peppers and turmeric, while the dicing function has been a life-saver when chopping huge batches of onion, carrot and celery to make mirepoix.

Dehydrated food is a different animal. That is due to the nature of the dehydration process, which is fundamentally different than freeze drying.

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.

The Facebook Marketplace might look tempting with the good deals, but some risks come with it. However, buying from this platform comes with significant risks:

Some freeze dryer models will come with all of these included (even the impulse sealer) as a way to help you get started.

You can get better energy efficiency by getting a larger capacity model from Harvest Right or another brand, but you won’t be coming anywhere near this price point. This model is also still relatively small and can fit on a counter or a cart.

6mm W x 635mm D x 736.6mm HPerfect for counter top, cart, or table. Weight of freeze dryer: 53.9KG Premier industrial vacuum pump included/no extra cost (Approx £1200 value) Power Standard UK 230v Shipping Info The medium freeze dryer ships in one package with a total weight of 160KGItem will be delivered in international shipping crate (must be purchased from Harvest Right when exporting machines out of USA)One freeze dryer in fully encased shipping crate: 920 x 770 x 1500H If you would like to collect from site, we would be able to cut down the crate to fit in smaller vans: 920 x 770 x 1050H + extra box of parts Maintenance Replace vacuum pump oil every 20 to 30 batches (takes about two minutes) Clean freeze dryer as needed. Warranty 1 Year international warranty provided by Harvest Right.

If you want, you can purchase an oil free pump that will negate the need for any maintenance other than cleaning.

Luckily Harvest Right support quickly shipped us a new USB board and touch screen which got us back up and running.

Whether you’re a homesteader preparing for winter, a small business owner looking to create more product offerings, or simply someone who values the convenience of long-term food storage, freeze-drying offers amazing benefits. 

I enjoy digging into the details, like finding the break even point for pounds of food needed to process for the investment- or learning more about how they work more info by taking the freeze dryers apart.

Simply press start on the touch screen and the patented Smart Freeze™ technology senses when it’s done.