Indoor Farmer exists to offer Canadian’s the opportunity to "grow their own" food and medicine. Over the years we have added a large selection of outdoor gardening products to compliment our indoor growing collection.
Be aware that it is very important to drink liquids when eating freeze dried foods that haven’t been reconstituted.
I cut up a thin flexible cutting board to make the shields and secured them with clear high grade packing tape. The cutting board is stiff but it will fold and hold a 90 degree crease. The shields are not going anywhere, but are easy to remove if necessary.
Regular maintenance includes cleaning the lint filters, inspecting and cleaning heating elements, checking for any blockages in vents, and ensuring all moving parts are lubricated. Follow the manufacturer's maintenance guidelines for specific intervals.
Obviously things like ice cream and marshmallows you would want to let the freeze cycle run longer. When I'm ready to start the drying cycle, I open the door, remove the insulator, and check the temperature of the food on the trays with an infrared thermometer. As long as it's below -10F I start the dry cycle. A side note for TonyC, have you ever thought about attaching a mirror to each side of the tray rack to reflect the radiant heat back in to the trays? I've looked at some mirror finish stainless on ebay, and it looks like you could do it for about $quarenta. Not sure if it's worth a try or not. I would think it would let you get more water out in a cycle because the radiant heat wouldn't be warming the ice on the chamber walls. Just a thought.... Edited December 16, 2015 by Pipsqueak duplicate post (log)
Simply press start on the touch screen and the patend Smart Freeze technology senses when it's done.
Vic says: 2 years ago Going on a second year with the freeze dryer. Considering getting another one. It really takes commitment, but it is very rewarding. The freezer is good also, but it needs constant source of electricity, and the storage is limited to the size of the freezer.
The process involves freezing the food and then reducing the surrounding pressure to allow the frozen water in the food to sublimate directly into vapor. This method is particularly effective for fruits, vegetables, meats, and even complete meals.
•The system records and maintains a log of the pressure and temperature during all parts of the freeze-dry cycle.
Freeze drying preserves fresh fruits and website vegetables Freeze drying is a great way to preserve food for short term or long term storage, up to 25 years.
Other key factors also include energy conservation. Energy efficient freeze dryers use power saving features to meet the required energy performance standards. Helping the business not to compromise on quality, An investment in an energy efficient system helps businesses reduce operating expenses.
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.
9) The last port to insulate required the top be removed. Before I removed the top cover I replaced the side covers. This keeps the back and front panels structurally rigid. Do not remove both the side panels and top or you will have problems reassembling as things get very loose.
I, too, have noticed a significant difference when I defrost mid-cycle. I do that routinely now. I carefully use a heat gun to "shock" the surface of the ice, moving back and forth across it fairly swiftly, which causes it to crack and separate somewhat from the cylinder.