While the initial cost might seem steep, keep in mind the long-term savings and the value of preserved food. It’s an investment in self-sufficiency and food storage security. You can read my full cost analysis of the Harvest Right freeze dryer here.

That is because heat diminishes the vitamin and mineral content of food (6). And pelo heat is used during the freeze drying process.

Multi-functional tray configurations accommodate various food sizes and quantities, while user-friendly digital interfaces simplify the operation process despite the sophisticated technology working behind the scenes.

The Harvest Right Small can fit on a counter whereas the XL will need a dedicated spot. They also all come with external vacuum pumps that will need to be accounted for when you position the freeze-dryer.

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.

Some models, like the Cube from Prep4Life, have rectangular chambers for better space efficiency. The Elite model from them also has an internal pump, reducing needed floor/shelf space.

As you can see, the capacity more or less doubles with each model but the cost does not. The larger models use more energy to process the larger batches of food as well, so don’t neglect energy costs when you compare these as that impacts efficiency as we discussed earlier.

Once you’ve freeze-dried the food, you can package it, eat it, or reconstitute it with water. Packing the food in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers is ideal for long-term food storage. We’ve already reviewed those with dehydrated and freeze-dried food in mind:

Proper trays ensure even distribution of the material being dried and facilitate efficient moisture removal.

We’ve found that this not only reduces our grocery bill by eliminating the need to buy organic produce, but also ensures we know exactly what’s in our food.

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

On freeze dryer dependability: I have the medium Harvest Right. It worked flawlessly, but heading toward a couple years in, went south.

These tools not only improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the freeze-drying process but also open up new possibilities for preserving a wide range of products with exceptional quality and shelf life.

Vacuum Pump: Most freeze dryers have an external vacuum pump and many come with the pump included (but not all).