Jeanine L. Albert was quick to respond to my inquiry about the delivery of our harvest right freeze dryer. I hope companies will have more “Albert” in their team for the satisfaction of their customers! Thank you so much Trimleaf for helping us purchase this great product! Team Albert here!
Removing the ice from between the chamber wall and the insulation (hopefully will never have to do this again)
I found out the hard way about the anti-drainback seal when I first tried the filter and got... nothing. I did do some research afterward and learned, as you point out, that there are some filters than don't use the seal but by then I was committed. Fortunately, it wasn't all that hard to remove it, but definitely better not to have to.
I have one of those hand held heat guns (inexpensive from HF), but I was afraid of accidently burning the insulation. My gun gets very hot! I do the same technique with a fan, shock the ice and listen for the cracks as it separates from the chamber wall.
It freezes the product and lowers pressure to remove ice by sublimation. Sublimation is the transition of a substance directly from the solid to the gas phase without passing through the liquid phase.
Ice is then turned into vapor by applying heat while simultaneously lowering the surrounding pressure during sublimation. During the remaining phase, moisture that is loosely bound is removed in order to bring about sufficient stability for the product to be stored for longer periods of time.
The bottom line regarding freeze-dried food is that hoe freeze dryers are an investment! An investment that pays you back and makes you more resilient in the process.
The one "gotcha" I encountered in making this is that a typical car oil filter attaches with a 3/4x16tpi threaded pipe. I could find no such pipe anywhere. Buy Now My solution was to use instead a 3/4x16tpi bolt, and then drill a hole through it.
The evaporator coils that touch the surface of the stainless steel vacuum chamber reach about -42 F. With food in the chamber and because the location of the thermister is on the middle shelf of the four shelves, the temperature it records is going more info to range from -25 to -30 F in the nove hour default freeze time. This temperature is very adequate for freeze drying the food.
Preydrive.ca Bought this freeze dryer for my wife for her pet food business! She is loving it! Trimleaf is also very helpful!
Unlike other conventional methods of drying, the original structure of the food is preserved with freeze-drying which ensures better quality for the consumers.
The system’s shelf heaters and adjustable vacuum pressure ensure controlled sublimation during the primary drying cycle, preserving your materials at peak quality.
It definitely helps to have a freezer nearby. You’ll cut time tremendously by freezing the food first rather than having the freeze dryer do it. It’s also cheaper.
Freeze dried Skittles are a favorite in my family. They end up with a crunchy texture. Other candies have a crunchy exterior and an airy interior.