Mommy High Five reviewers are mothers and some grandmothers who have experience in parenting and children’s products. Whenever possible, products are purchased and tested for reviews.

Knowing what I know now after using freeze dryers for my company, I can say buying a freeze dryer is a sound investment for anyone who commits to stocking up food over time.

AI-enabled systems make the work of the freeze dryers more accurate, consume less energy, and generally improve management of the control processes.

In fact, my son’s friends often comment that they wish they could have his freeze dried meals rather than whatever they are eating!

The pros and cons are easy to understand. In fact, there really is only one pro and it’s a huge one. Those who are willing to spend the time and money to freeze dry their own food should do so as long as they’re going to be committed.

The unit can also connect to and communicate the freeze dryer cycle data to a nearby PC through an ethernet cable.

Question for you: I'm impressed by the shortening of cycle times. Obviously some of that is from the improvement in insulation on the lines, etc., but I'm wondering how much of it might be from "drying out" of the insulation and outer walls of the freeze drying chamber.

The initial cost can be high, they require adequate space and power supply; also, they can be noisy during operation.

14 Posted December 16, 2015 (edited) On 7/31/2015 at 11:12 PM, TonyC said: Somehow this post got posted twice so I'll edit the second one with some more useful information. I remember reading somewhere in this thread where somebody was asking how long you run the freeze cycle with pre-frozen food. I have my chest freezer set to -12F, and I usually let the freeze dryer cool for an hour before I put the frozen food in. After I load the food in get more info I wait another half hour to start the drying process. I've had a lot of cycles that more info the total time between pulling one batch out and starting the drying cycle on the next is around 2 hours. I'm running mine in a cold garage, so it cools down pretty quickly. If you have yours in a warm room it would probably take a little longer.

Another emerging trend is the production of environmentally friendly and energy saving freeze dryers. Manufacturers are trying to lower the carbon footprint of their machines by introducing more energy efficient and sustainable devices.

Not all of us are technical experts (the 'not' category includes me) but I hope someone who can help you will come along soon.

We packed freeze dried milk and cooked chicken strips as well as an assortment of snacks. One checked bag was dedicated to food, and it traveled very well.

The next way to save money is to watch Harvest Right's website for seasonal sales and promotions. Sometimes, patience pays off in the form of significant discounts.

You can choose to season meat either before or after the freeze drying process. I prefer to season cooked meats before processing and leave raw meat unseasoned. Then the meat can be seasoned later before it’s cooked.