As a relatively new technology for home use, plenty of people have questions about the industrial-grade preservation process also known as lyophilization. I’m not a scientist, but I’ve studied up and have enough experience to weigh in:

Most freeze dryers have a powder-coated steel exterior with a food-grade stainless steel vacuum chamber. A few brands or options have aluminum and stainless exteriors.

A reliable vacuum pump is essential for creating the low-pressure environment necessary for sublimation to occur. High-quality vacuum pumps designed specifically for freeze-drying can significantly impact the speed and effectiveness of the process.

Choosing between an oil-free pump and a premier oil pump for our Harvest Right freeze dryer was a tough decision at the time. But with the benefit of hindsight and having operated both, we would absolutely choose the premier oil pump if we had a do-over.

Freeze dried food regains its former look and texture – When dehydrated food is rehydrated it typically does not return to its former appearance, nor does it regain its former texture.

Has stainless steel chamber approximately 800mm diameter x 915mm straight side. Chamber is lagged and clad. Has electric heater, cyclone and pipework. Unit is mounted on mobile frame. Includes stainless steel Niro centrifugal air operated atomiser.

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.

For those of us wanting to process large harvests quickly, this extended cycle time Shop Now can be a bottleneck.

Recent events have caused many people to ask legitimate questions about their level of preparedness for different crisis scenarios. This, in turn, has brought a high level of focus on things like freeze drying, and whether there are any commercially available freeze dryers for home use.

Freeze-drying candy is becoming immensely popular, and our picks happen to be the best to get it done. A lot of us with freeze dryers and extra capacity are turning to selling freeze-dried candy to fuel the craze.

The amount of money you spend on something like a freeze-dryer shouldn’t blow out your entire budget, but that can be tough with these price points.

Browse our carefully curated selection to find the system that best aligns with your preservation goals and space requirements.

Dehydrated foods by comparison, usually take quite a while before they have absorbed enough water to be palatable. Sometimes 15 or 20 minutes. Even then they never taste quite right.

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