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Posted: 3/7/2024 8:17:15 AM EDT
[Last Edit: ScottyPotty]
[#1]
You will need an extra set of trays. It's a must have if you want to keep it running.
I bought five (1 gallon bottles) of oil for $100 much cheaper than buying by the quart. The oil filter system is a joke and embarrassing for what you pay for the machine. I think they improved them, but I modified an wix oil filter and made a stand. |
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Posted: 3/7/2024 8:18:05 AM EDT
[#2]
I used a digital scale to portion things into bags pretty much every time I did vegetables or bulk foods, that would be nice to have.
You pretty much have to have a blender to do eggs. We had a more rack to hold the filled bags as we worked so we could do all of the oxygen absorbers at once to reduce the exposure time of the bag they came in. You’ll want one of those plastics strip seals for those bags of O2 absorbers. |
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Posted: 3/7/2024 9:03:11 AM EDT
[Last Edit: TexRdnec]
[#3]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By ScottyPotty: You will need an extra set of trays. It's a must have if you want to keep it running. I bought five (1 gallon bottles) of oil for $100 much cheaper than buying by the quart. The oil filter system is a joke and embarrassing for what you pay for the machine. I think they improved them, but I modified an wix oil filter and made a stand. it's important to note that there's a big difference in oil as well as oil change intervals between the standard and premier pump if you're buying one today it should come with the premier pump |
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Posted: 3/7/2024 9:06:40 AM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By TheOtherDave: I used a digital scale to portion things into bags pretty much every time I did vegetables or bulk foods, that would be nice to have. You pretty much have to have a blender to do eggs. We had a more rack to hold the filled bags as we worked so we could do all of the oxygen absorbers at once to reduce the exposure time of the bag they came in. You’ll want one of those plastics strip seals for those bags of O2 absorbers. why do you say that? i've just put my eggs into a ziplock bag, pressed them all pretty good and then transferred them to mylar. i've even heard of people blending them inadvertently getting them moist from the heat of running the blender joining a freeze drying group on facebook is a pretty good idea as well the harvest rights come with a sealer so he should be set there |
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Posted: 3/7/2024 12:56:41 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By TexRdnec: why do you say that? i've just put my eggs into a ziplock bag, pressed them all pretty good and then transferred them to mylar. i've even heard of people blending them inadvertently getting them moist from the heat of running the blender joining a freeze drying group on facebook is a pretty good idea as well the harvest rights come with a sealer so he should be set there It’s just cleaner for me-dump 4 trays into the blender, buzz if for a few seconds, then dump into a bag via a funnel. Our bags are pretty standard size, so trying to get tray sized sheets of egg-styrofoam in the bag opening is a PITA. |
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Posted: 3/7/2024 2:42:46 PM EDT
[#6]
I put my eggs in a pint mason jar, add an O2 absorber and vacuum seal the lid on. It’s easier to get them out to use.
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Posted: 3/8/2024 6:40:19 AM EDT
[Last Edit: ScottyPotty]
[#7]
My wife said to be and get the tray stackers. They are printed plastic pieces that clip on the trays allowing you to load a tray with food and then stack them vertically so they can all fit in the freezer. I forgot to take a picture....can get one if anyone is interested.
She also uses a plastic Tupperware bin made for cereal to empty a full tray. Put the full tray in and scrape with spatula to get food off the tray. Then it's easy to dump into Mylar bags for storage. I picked up this separation funnel off eBay to remove water from the oil. Works pretty well, but would recommend paying the extra money for glass as it would be easier to see....but the plastic was only $14.00+  Attached FileI use this napa filter to clean the oil.  Attached FileHere is my oil change filter stand.  Attached File |
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Posted: 3/9/2024 8:24:18 PM EDT
[#8]
Here is a picture of the cereal bin with tray.
 Attached FileTray stackers......with some pineapple ready to go in the freezer.  Attached File |
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Posted: 3/9/2024 8:49:56 PM EDT
[#9]
Pro-tip on the pineapple-crushed dries faster than nibbles, chunks or rings.
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Posted: 3/9/2024 9:15:08 PM EDT
[Last Edit: TexRdnec]
[#10]
i ran a batch of bit-o-honeys and saltwater taffy today
also bagged up a bunch of spices and instant coffee today in mylar eta: even if you don't have a freeze dryer or vacuum sealer you can do a whole fucking bunch just buying mylar bags with oxygen absorbers, so far as long term food storage goes |
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Posted: 3/10/2024 10:10:50 PM EDT
[#11]
How do Swedish Fish do?
Looks like this gets delivered on Thursday/Friday. |
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Posted: 3/13/2024 6:53:11 PM EDT
[#12]
bone in split chicken breast was on sale for $0.97/lbs so i bought enough to fill up all 5 trays
don't particularly like chicken breast but with zero fat it ought to store like a champ |
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Posted: 3/13/2024 8:53:21 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By TexRdnec: bone in split chicken breast was on sale for $0.97/lbs so i bought enough to fill up all 5 trays don't particularly like chicken breast but with zero fat it ought to store like a champ We mostly just did Costco chickens-four of them ($20) is enough to eat one meal and fill all of the trays. Turns out really nice and the only prep work is stripping the birds. Versatile to use in dishes after rehydration too. |
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Posted: 3/14/2024 9:41:41 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By TheOtherDave: We mostly just did Costco chickens-four of them ($20) is enough to eat one meal and fill all of the trays. Turns out really nice and the only prep work is stripping the birds. Versatile to use in dishes after rehydration too. Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By TheOtherDave: Originally Posted By TexRdnec: bone in split chicken breast was on sale for $0.97/lbs so i bought enough to fill up all 5 trays don't particularly like chicken breast but with zero fat it ought to store like a champ We mostly just did Costco chickens-four of them ($20) is enough to eat one meal and fill all of the trays. Turns out really nice and the only prep work is stripping the birds. Versatile to use in dishes after rehydration too. fit 12 big ass chicken breasts in a 5 tray medium, will start them up tomorrow mountain house is having half off their #10 cans right now and the diced chicken is $37 with my math there's 3.5lbs of chicken in there and i'll round that up to 4lbs, which is what i got per tray so if i bought the same amount of chicken from mountain house at half off it'd be about $150 cost me about $25 and some time |
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Posted: 3/14/2024 9:41:58 PM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By JAG2955: How do Swedish Fish do? Looks like this gets delivered on Thursday/Friday. we got a freeze dryer yet? |
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Posted: 3/15/2024 1:47:34 AM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By TexRdnec: we got a freeze dryer yet? Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By TexRdnec: Originally Posted By JAG2955: How do Swedish Fish do? Looks like this gets delivered on Thursday/Friday. we got a freeze dryer yet? Oh, that was just a request.  |
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Posted: 3/15/2024 6:33:59 PM EDT
[#17]
It's here, and I carried it down to the basement. Looks like I have to wait 24 hours before startup, but I'll get everything ready to go awhile.
Any suggestions for the first run? Ice cream sandwiches are on the list for this weekend. I promised my work crew I'd freeze dry some local ones and bring them in. |
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Posted: 3/15/2024 6:43:31 PM EDT
[#18]
Wife just finished 3 trays of eggs, 2 trays of milk, and 1 tray of sour cream this morning. She has a big box of jalopeno's next.
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Posted: 3/15/2024 6:52:04 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By JAG2955: It's here, and I carried it down to the basement. Looks like I have to wait 24 hours before startup, but I'll get everything ready to go awhile. Any suggestions for the first run? Ice cream sandwiches are on the list for this weekend. I promised my work crew I'd freeze dry some local ones and bring them in. your first run is supposed to be soggy bread to get the new appliance smell out that time is just to let the refrigerant settle. if it came to you upright and you didn't turn it on its side i think 6 hours is plenty of time to let it sit the door hinges "float" so that slop in them is normal. plug your vacuum pump into the back of the unit, not the wall. just pull the rubber gasket out a little if you don't see a good ring. go into custom settings and add 24hrs of extra dry time so that you'll always be able to set your own schedule about packing everything. that's about all the noob shit i can think of offhand |
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Posted: 3/15/2024 6:53:29 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By mrmissem: Wife just finished 3 trays of eggs, 2 trays of milk, and 1 tray of sour cream this morning. She has a big box of jalopeno's next. i ran some serious jalapenos/serranos once and the smell was... noticeable. took several batches afterwards before the pump didn't smell like it anymore. |
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Posted: 3/15/2024 6:58:32 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By TexRdnec: your first run is supposed to be soggy bread to get the new appliance smell out that time is just to let the refrigerant settle. if it came to you upright and you didn't turn it on its side i think 6 hours is plenty of time to let it sit the door hinges "float" so that slop in them is normal. plug your vacuum pump into the back of the unit, not the wall. just pull the rubber gasket out a little if you don't see a good ring. go into custom settings and add 24hrs of extra dry time so that you'll always be able to set your own schedule about packing everything. that's about all the noob shit i can think of offhand While I didn't have to do more than tilt it a little, I have no clue what the shipping company did, so I'll wait just to be sure. |
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Posted: 3/15/2024 7:23:06 PM EDT
[#22]
About to do some mashed potatoes and a tray of pulled pork. I cooked the pork butt in an instant pot.
It’s pretty greasy, is that going to be an issue? First time doing meat by itself. Thanks. |
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Posted: 3/15/2024 7:26:46 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By bajagringo: About to do some mashed potatoes and a tray of pulled pork. I cooked the pork butt in an instant pot. It’s pretty greasy, is that going to be an issue? First time doing meat by itself. Thanks. Storage time is limited by fat going rancid If you’re not concerned about it long term, let it ride but I’d put some paper towels underneath to soak up extra If you want to extend the life you can rinse it well with hot water as well but I’d reseason it some afterward. Towels either way. |
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Posted: 3/15/2024 7:39:34 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By TexRdnec: i ran some serious jalapenos/serranos once and the smell was... noticeable. took several batches afterwards before the pump didn't smell like it anymore. Thank you for that. I will let her know. |
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Posted: 3/16/2024 5:08:51 PM EDT
[#25]
Bread is going. 2 hours and it's at -7.
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Posted: 3/16/2024 6:28:47 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By mrmissem: Thank you for that. I will let her know. Onions are really bad as are some sauces. Onions will wreck the machine until you clean it, BBQ sauce for example will make for BBQ flavored strawberry flavored ice cream in the same batch. Some things don’t mix in the same load…. |
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Posted: 3/16/2024 7:13:26 PM EDT
[#27]
guess i've finally run 20 batches, got the oil change message today
painless, took about 2/3 of a $14/qt of robinair and took 5 minutes gonna put in another batch of $0.97/lbs chicken tomorrow |
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Posted: 3/16/2024 7:25:36 PM EDT
[Last Edit: JAG2955]
[#28]
Got the alarm for "unable to attain vacuum."
Let's try again. ETA: whoops. There's a switch on the vacuum, too. |
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Posted: 3/16/2024 7:37:17 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By JAG2955: Got the alarm for "unable to attain vacuum." Let's try again. ETA: whoops. There's a switch on the vacuum, too. thought of some more noob shit the bottom tray is your coldest, the top tray is your second coldest. middle tray is your warmest. all a function of how close they are to warmers and ice when in extra drying i press cancel and then swap middle to bottom and top to 2nd tray. then i press more dry time and restart. i always rotate the trays to make sure they've been on a warm enough rack. always err on the side of caution and if the food is ever still cold that means there's ice, which means it's not done. |
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Posted: 3/16/2024 8:46:10 PM EDT
[#30]
How long does the bread run usually take?
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Posted: 3/16/2024 9:57:19 PM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By JAG2955: How long does the bread run usually take? Depends on how much bread and how wet you got it. Probably at least 12hrs |
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Posted: 3/16/2024 10:15:12 PM EDT
[#32]
Damn. Was hoping to get some stuff in tonight. It wasn't much bread, one slice per shelf. We don't keep much bread in this house.
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Posted: 3/16/2024 10:29:56 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By JAG2955: Damn. Was hoping to get some stuff in tonight. It wasn't much bread, one slice per shelf. We don't keep much bread in this house. the bread run really doesn't need to finish, it's basically to get an ice ring formed and get through a successful run to know that everything is working that said, rushing is the worst single thing you could ever do with a freeze dryer. rushing might be the difference between something lasting 30yrs and it not lasting a month. might as well start hurrying up to wait now 
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AL, USA
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Posted: 3/16/2024 11:17:23 PM EDT
[#34]
I bought a meduim sized Harvest as an extended family gift. My brother is the organic gardener in our bunch, so it lives at his place.
I'm curious about how you veteran users filter your vacuum pump oil. The book states replacing the mineral oli every four cycles. He's been saving the old oil. Filtering for reuse sounds great. Any particular filters to use? Certain micron size? Thanks. |
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Posted: 3/16/2024 11:24:26 PM EDT
[#35]
Wife did the jalopeno's today. I didn't notice the smell, she didn't either. We will see when she runs it again.
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Posted: 3/16/2024 11:28:35 PM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By Flysc: I bought a meduim sized Harvest as an extended family gift. My brother is the organic gardener in our bunch, so it lives at his place. I'm curious about how you veteran users filter your vacuum pump oil. The book states replacing the mineral oli every four cycles. He's been saving the old oil. Filtering for reuse sounds great. Any particular filters to use? Certain micron size? Thanks. that's the old standard pump, new units come with the premier pump which needs to be changed every 20 batches if you look through the thread there's a guy that made a filtering system for his standard pump if it were me i'd probably spend the $800 to upgrayd to a premier pump |
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Posted: 3/16/2024 11:30:00 PM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By mrmissem: Wife did the jalopeno's today. I didn't notice the smell, she didn't either. We will see when she runs it again. my batch had some serious hot peppers. i ran serranos, jalapenos, onions and bell peppers all at once |
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Posted: 3/16/2024 11:59:29 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By TexRdnec: my batch had some serious hot peppers. i ran serranos, jalapenos, onions and bell peppers all at once Maybe that was the difference. She had 6 trays of jalopeno only. I will pay attention the next time she runs and see if I can tell then. |
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Posted: 3/17/2024 12:00:38 AM EDT
[Last Edit: ScottyPotty]
[#39]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By TexRdnec: that's the old standard pump, new units come with the premier pump which needs to be changed every 20 batches if you look through the thread there's a guy that made a filtering system for his standard pump if it were me i'd probably spend the $800 to upgrayd to a premier pump Oil changes are quick and easy once you get the hang of it and come up with a system that works for you. FYI - Napa hydraulic filter is what I use for filtering. We have been using the same gallon since 2020 so I dumped out the remaining oil (about 1/2 gallon) and opened a new gallon since it was getting so old. I bought 5 gallons at $18.00 each.  Attached File |
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Posted: 3/17/2024 6:32:52 PM EDT
[#40]
Chicken breast still on sale so still running it
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Posted: 3/17/2024 10:06:01 PM EDT
[#41]
My first load of ice cream is in!!!
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Posted: 3/18/2024 4:03:35 PM EDT
[#42]
About 16 hours of drying, and it's still going. Normal?
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Posted: 3/18/2024 4:27:20 PM EDT
[Last Edit: TexRdnec]
[#43]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By JAG2955: About 16 hours of drying, and it's still going. Normal? that'd be my guess if your trays are heating and your mtorr is below 500 then the machine is doing its job ETA: everything is different but my batches probably average 20hrs |
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Posted: 3/18/2024 4:35:34 PM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By TexRdnec: that'd be my guess if your trays are heating and your mtorr is below 500 then the machine is doing its job ETA: everything is different but my batches probably average 20hrs |
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Posted: 3/18/2024 10:44:46 PM EDT
[#45]
The ice cream slices are AMAAAAAZING!!!
I could trade a pouch of these for cash, grass, or ass in the upcoming clownpocalypse. The sandwiches didn't work well. They kind of exploded and left nothing in between the wafers. It was a local brand. |
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Posted: 3/18/2024 11:10:57 PM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryOriginally Posted By JAG2955: The ice cream slices are AMAAAAAZING!!! I could trade a pouch of these for cash, grass, or ass in the upcoming clownpocalypse. The sandwiches didn't work well. They kind of exploded and left nothing in between the wafers. It was a local brand. I had the same experience with store brand ice cream sandwiches. $4 for 12 should have been a clue. If I do it again I’ll try something different, maybe Heath ice cream bars. |
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Posted: 3/19/2024 6:57:30 AM EDT
[#47]
i've heard good things about both fat boy and walmart brand ice cream sandwiches
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NC, USA
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Posted: 3/19/2024 9:17:42 AM EDT
[#48]
Damn, I just looked up the price of the unit in the OP…$2,800!!!
I kind of want one, but that seems pricey for what you’re getting. Why is this more expensive than say a microwave or a dishwasher? Is there a Harbor Freight or Ali Express equivalent available? |
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TX, USA
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Posted: 3/19/2024 10:14:34 AM EDT
[#49]
We have had ours for about 9 months or so and love it. We have done everything from candy to milk, broth, full meals, veggies, etc. Making your own backpacking meals is a game changer by the way. We make our own "balance of nature" style veggie powder that we take every day also.
Short term storage we use mason jars, long term we use the mylar bags with o2 absorbers. |
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Posted: 3/20/2024 11:30:00 PM EDT
[#50]
Strawberries-insanely good.
Bananas-very intense banana flavor Blueberries-more mild of a flavor than fresh, but I've never liked store bought blueberries a ton. Up next is more strawberries, cheese, and eggs, probably get them in tomorrow night. |
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