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Freeze drying food

Lutherf

Lutherf

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I've been looking into this recently but haven't tried it yet. Has anyone here ever done this?

Everything I read seems to indicate that using one of the commercial vacuum setups is FAR superior to any home dry ice method but I've looked at the machines online and I'm not so sure how willing I am to drop $15-20k on such a gadget without getting into commercial production.
 
Lutherf said:
I've been looking into this recently but haven't tried it yet. Has anyone here ever done this?

Everything I read seems to indicate that using one of the commercial vacuum setups is FAR superior to any home dry ice method but I've looked at the machines online and I'm not so sure how willing I am to drop $15-20k on such a gadget without getting into commercial production.
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1) Vacuum and freezing isnt the same as freeze drying

2) Commercial vacuum setups can be purchased for much less money than that

Alfa VP330 Commercial Vacuum Sealer, (2) 12.5" & (1) 27" seal bars, 1.5hp
 
If you don't have the money yet for the equipment - or the room (like me) you can freeze dry without it . . . it's not as good - won't last 30 years . . . but using a metal mesh tray (you can find different types in the grilling/bbq section). . . thin-slice your food (so it doesn't take as long) and lay it out in a single layer - freeze until dried (yeah - it takes longer)

I did this a few years ago when we were dirt broke and going on a camping trip - rustic - we had to hike into our campsite so I freeze dried fruits and veggies so we could eat without packing in a lot of extra weight or without needing a cooler.

Hiking in rustic with a bunch of little kids - however - is freaking stupid. I have no idea why I did it.
 
You mean that astronaut food crap?

I've done vacuum-sealing, and that's enough for me. Grill 5 or 6 t-bone steaks, suck-seal 'em, and have a nice Saturday night all month.
 
Gipper said:
You mean that astronaut food crap?

I've done vacuum-sealing, and that's enough for me. Grill 5 or 6 t-bone steaks, suck-seal 'em, and have a nice Saturday night all month.
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Fruits are pretty dang good - but my favorite thing were peas. :shrug: Something I hate while they're fresh but dried they're pretty tasty.
 
Aunt Spiker said:
Fruits are pretty dang good - but my favorite thing were peas. :shrug: Something I hate while they're fresh but dried they're pretty tasty.
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I've never suck-sealed anything that isn't cooked. I have no problem just throwing it on the counter, or in the fridge. I just save those occasions for when I make a heap of something, and I want to enjoy it in bits and pieces over a spread of time. Since I cook for 1 a lot, it's a need for the times when I'm not going to grill for 1, or perform some other cooking method that's long and inefficient to do for just an individual.
 
Never have tried it but I used to hear that people suspected but could never document that the guy who invented freeze drying was richer than any of the known rich people but stayed so out of the spotlight in Idaho that nobody could ever document his true wealth. May just be an urban legend.
 
Gipper said:
You mean that astronaut food crap?

I've done vacuum-sealing, and that's enough for me. Grill 5 or 6 t-bone steaks, suck-seal 'em, and have a nice Saturday night all month.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the vacuum sealing works just fine as long as the food is refrigerated but I'm looking for dry, universal storage.
 
Aunt Spiker said:
If you don't have the money yet for the equipment - or the room (like me) you can freeze dry without it . . . it's not as good - won't last 30 years . . . but using a metal mesh tray (you can find different types in the grilling/bbq section). . . thin-slice your food (so it doesn't take as long) and lay it out in a single layer - freeze until dried (yeah - it takes longer)

I did this a few years ago when we were dirt broke and going on a camping trip - rustic - we had to hike into our campsite so I freeze dried fruits and veggies so we could eat without packing in a lot of extra weight or without needing a cooler.

Hiking in rustic with a bunch of little kids - however - is freaking stupid. I have no idea why I did it.
Click to expand...

That reminds me of a long, long ago story....my parents used to take us hiking from time to time and one trip they asked me what I wanted to eat on the trail. I told them I wanted spaghetti so, loving parents that they were, they packed pots and gallons of water along so that I could have my choice!
 
Lutherf said:
Yeah, the vacuum sealing works just fine as long as the food is refrigerated but I'm looking for dry, universal storage.
Click to expand...

If you can't afford the machines, you might want to look into having a processor freeze dry the food for you (for a fee of course)
 
sangha said:
Ahh, I was confused. I now realize you want to vacuum pack the food after it's be freeze dried

You're best looking for used equipment. You could try

Freeze Dryer-Freeze Dryer Manufacturers, Suppliers and Exporters on Alibaba.comMachinery
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I was looking at this site as well as a couple of others yesterday and it seems that I can buy anything up to and including a 20,000 sqft food processing factory!:lamo

From what I've seen the most practical units for home use and the limited production needs I'd have would set me back at least $10k. When I saw that it occurred to me that for 3-5x that amount I could get one that allowed for limited commercial production and then the wheels started turning. What I'd like to do is see if I can get something on the cheap ($2-3k) just to see what I'd be getting into if I decide to go full bore.
 
Lutherf said:
I was looking at this site as well as a couple of others yesterday and it seems that I can buy anything up to and including a 20,000 sqft food processing factory!:lamo

From what I've seen the most practical units for home use and the limited production needs I'd have would set me back at least $10k. When I saw that it occurred to me that for 3-5x that amount I could get one that allowed for limited commercial production and then the wheels started turning. What I'd like to do is see if I can get something on the cheap ($2-3k) just to see what I'd be getting into if I decide to go full bore.
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Oh, you'd be surprised (or maybe not) at what you can buy...if you got the money

You know, some people say "Money can't buy everything". I say "Those people don't know where to shop" :lol:

From a quick perusal, I saw some that were priced around 5k used. Dont know if that fits your budget

If you're thinking about getting into the business, you should consider that you're going to have to spend money on other things like packaging, promotion, etc. Your probably going to have to provide product to resellers on commission, which means you putting up money to supply product and then having to wait god knows how long to see the money return. Some resellers are going to charge you (usually in the form of free product) just to carry your line.

IOW, you're going to need to have a good deal of capital to get through the 1st year or two
 
sangha said:
Oh, you'd be surprised (or maybe not) at what you can buy...if you got the money

You know, some people say "Money can't buy everything". I say "Those people don't know where to shop" :lol:

From a quick perusal, I saw some that were priced around 5k used. Dont know if that fits your budget

If you're thinking about getting into the business, you should consider that you're going to have to spend money on other things like packaging, promotion, etc. Your probably going to have to provide product to resellers on commission, which means you putting up money to supply product and then having to wait god knows how long to see the money return. Some resellers are going to charge you (usually in the form of free product) just to carry your line.

IOW, you're going to need to have a good deal of capital to get through the 1st year or two
Click to expand...

Yeah. From that site what I saw in the $5k range was lab stuff for freeze drying vaccines and such. The food sized stuff and, (surprising to me) the ones for flowers seemed to be a good bit more. One of my criteria is that whatever I get has to work for meat.
 
Lutherf said:
That reminds me of a long, long ago story....my parents used to take us hiking from time to time and one trip they asked me what I wanted to eat on the trail. I told them I wanted spaghetti so, loving parents that they were, they packed pots and gallons of water along so that I could have my choice!
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LOL - what is it with pasta and kids on camping trips! My kids love it, too :)
 
So wait - Auntie how can you lay meat out in strips in the freezer, and it not get freezer burn?

Luther, are you thinking long-term, as in "gigantic solar flare knocks out power for 2 years so I want my family protected" kind of thing?

I always want to prepare for the worst, but just don't have the discipline to do it. I'll be one of those people starving during the apocalypse.
 
One of my favorite camping meals is a carb-laden fried bologna, egg and cheese sandwich. Fry the bologna first, and then cook the eggs. All the crispies from the iron skillet, plus all the ash from the campfire, gets into the eggs, and it gives it a special taste, plus the eggs are a little crunchy. :lol: Sounds nasty, I know, but it's really good.
 
Lutherf said:
That reminds me of a long, long ago story....my parents used to take us hiking from time to time and one trip they asked me what I wanted to eat on the trail. I told them I wanted spaghetti so, loving parents that they were, they packed pots and gallons of water along so that I could have my choice!
Click to expand...

great parents, for sure. my own are like that, too.
 
Couldn't you just use a dehydrator and then vacuum seal the finished product?
 
Superfly said:
So wait - Auntie how can you lay meat out in strips in the freezer, and it not get freezer burn?

Luther, are you thinking long-term, as in "gigantic solar flare knocks out power for 2 years so I want my family protected" kind of thing?

I always want to prepare for the worst, but just don't have the discipline to do it. I'll be one of those people starving during the apocalypse.
Click to expand...

I'm not planning for the zombie apocalypse but I do want to be able to store food for years rather than weeks. I do a good bit of hiking and fishing so having stuff that's easy to carry is important. Furthermore, since I live in a desert it gets damned hot out here so having stuff that won't spoil quickly is also important.
 
Northern Light said:
Couldn't you just use a dehydrator and then vacuum seal the finished product?
Click to expand...

For fruits and vegetables that would probably meet my needs but I'm looking to do this with meat too. Jerky gets really old after a while.
 
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