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.
It's awesome! I don't have a freeze dryer yet but am planning to place an order tomorrow. I am super curious how Kerry's scroll pump is holding up... eliminating the oil from the equation would make this whole thing SO much easier.
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I take trips to larger stores to stock up on gluten-free and lactose free staples. Then I can use those to make meals or freeze dry the individual components.
Most foods can be freeze dried; however, items with high fat content like avocados may not preserve as well as low-fat foods like fruits or vegetables.
Freeze drying is a dehydration process that removes moisture from food while preserving its structure and nutritional value by freezing it first and then creating a vacuum around it.
Let’s be clear: there is no right or wrong answer. In the end, the decision to buy a freeze dryer is ultimately yours. Some people feel it’s best to buy freeze dried food and that’s good enough for them, while others find it an absolute necessity for their household.
So I corrected the oversight - I drilled and tapped the elbow to add the port. Here is a Know More picture. It worked great today when I flushed the pump to clear out the gunk.
A couple of other points: There are obvious and easy improvements that could be made, such as using a container with a dispensing faucet (think of a lemonade jar, for example). Also, for the technically savvy, auto-mechanic-type person who may be wondering about it, there is an anti-backflow seal that has to be removed from the oil filter, but that can be removed by cutting through it and pulling it out with needle nose pliers, website which is easily done.
- Cost-Effective: While the initial investment can be high, freeze drying at home can save money in the long run by allowing you to preserve leftovers and bulk purchases.
Then I just have to take rolls and a gluten-free pie for my son. It’s much less stressful on everyone, and my son doesn’t feel that he’s being deprived of having traditional holiday foods.
Recently we took a trip to Hawaii. After doing some research, I found a few restaurants that I was fairly confident would be safe for my son. However, I also knew how expensive even regular groceries are in Hawaii, let alone gluten-free food.
Control of the amount of time a material is held at the ultimate freeze temperature before the drying cycle is started.
And therein lies the best piece of advice I can offer on this topic: Keep your freeze dryer running. Downtime is wasted time. Some items take a while. Others are quick. But keeping the freeze dryer going almost non-stop is the key to getting the bang for the buck.