Unfortunately, freeze-dried food can often be very expensive. We’ve seen this first hand as the only company that sells both frozen beef boxes to store in the freezer for up to a year as well as freeze-dried beef cubes to store in the closet for over a decade.
. We have some really great 'techy' type guys here who are, as they have been exploring the FD mechanics and sharing that in their posts, writing what is turning out to be a 'troubleshooting manual' for us less capable folks.
Fillings for chocolates is a perfect idea! Should be able to get some really intense flavors that way.
The only way I know to filter the water vapor out would be a cold trap. They usually use liquid nitrogen or dry ice to keep the temperature low enough that all the water condenses out. Obviously you would need a supply of the liquid nitrogen or dry ice that would probably not be cost effective for most of us. The other option to get that cold would be to use a cryocooler and build a cold trap around it. It could be done, but would be pretty expensive. I've been watching some electronics on ebay that have cryocoolers in them, but the cheapest I've seen is around $600. Still not a cheap option, but you wouldn't need dry ice or liquid nitrogen to feed it.
Removing the ice from between the chamber wall and the insulation (hopefully will never have to do this again)
Crispness is a hallmark of a good pickled vegetable. That crispness comes from the vegetable’s natural pectin.
1) I installed a 3/4" wide high density closed cell foam in the gap between the front of the chamber and the back of the front panel - just what Harvest Right suggested except all the way around (the first picture shows the gap). Use your fingers to push it into place. It needs to be tight against the inside panel. I then installed a vapor barrier around the entire FDer chamber. I used 7mil plastic and clear packing tape.
I did have a vacuum hose fitting leak at the FDer port once. I had similar symptoms to yours. I found that the hose would slightly rotate even when the fitting was snug.
The two sub-processes, freezing and vacuum drying are done correctly: The freezing process must be quick and the vacuum process should leave only residual moisture.
5 Posted September 16, 2015 (edited) Gypsyman: Proof again that "great minds think alike". In my initial pondering, I thought using an oil filter base would be a logical approach -- but I didn't have one handy and figured my car might miss it. Besides, one of my goals was to keep this affordable, and they tend to be a little pricey.
Additionally, freeze dried food is very light, since all the water is removed, and can be easily transported for hiking and camping or when used during long term emergency needs.
With simple-to-use dial controls and straightforward cycles, It truly is an excellent decision for those who dislike fidgeting with buttons and configurations.
Is it flash freezing and dehydrating at the same time? Do the items need to be kept frozen, or stored at room temp?
Have an understanding of which kind of food pretreatment is needed to use the device. To ensure the freeze-drying approach website is productive, you’ll must understand how to get ready food.