Welcome to our Freeze Drying Community Page!

A place for all who have a freeze dryer to come together, ask questions, share experiences and see what everyone is doing with their freeze dryer (it might even double as inspiration!)

We are the Harvest Right distributor here in New Zealand, however we welcome any freeze dryer fanatics to join us.

Michelle at ZeroPak

Frequently asked questions

Post your freeze drying question here

    WHAT FOODS CAN BE FREEZE DRIED?12 Jun, 2024

    • Michelle
    • Northland
    1. Almost all foods can be freeze dried including fruits, vegetables, herbs, meats, seafoods, eggs, dairy products, desserts, snacks and treats, pre-made meals, casseroles, pet food and even flowers can all be freeze dried successfully.
    2. Food can be freeze dried raw or cooked.
    3. It can be freeze dried fresh or frozen.

    HOW DOES A FREEZE DRYER WORK?11 Jun, 2024

    • Michelle
    • Northland
    1. Fresh or cooked food is put into the freeze dryer on trays and frozen to -40 F or colder. This is called lyophilization.
    2. Once frozen the food is vacuumed inside the freeze dryer chamber and the moisture in the food evaporates and changes from solid to gas without going through the liquid state. This is called sublimation. The water vapour is discarded.
    3. Once the food is dry the freeze dryer will let you know that the process is complete by beeping.
    4. Remove the food from the freeze dryer and package immediately.

    HOW MUCH FOOD CAN BE FREEZE DRIED IN EACH BATCH?10 Jun, 2024

    • Michelle
    • Northland
    1. 4.53 to 6.80 kgs fresh food will fit into the Harvest Right Medium Pro Freeze Dryer producing about 7.57 to 13.24 litres of freeze dried food per batch.
    2. 8.16 to 12.24 kgs fresh food will fit into the Harvest Right Large Pro Freeze Dryer producing about 15.14 to 22.71 litres of freeze dried food per batch/
    3. 18.14 to 22.68kgs fresh food will fit into the Harvest Right X Large Pro Freeze Dryer producing about 30.28 to 45.42 litres of freeze dried food per batch.

    HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO FREEZE DRY FOOD?09 Jun, 2024

    • Michelle
    • Northland
    1. A batch of fully loaded trays of food typically can take 24 to 40 hours to freeze dry.
    2. The quantity of food on your trays and the food type and density will affect the freeze dry time.
    3. Foods with less liquid like meat, peas and corn will dry quicker than foods with high water content like melons, courgettes and squash.
    4. The size and thickness of the food will also affect the cycle time with smaller thinner pieces taking less time than larger denser pieces.
    5.  The freeze dryer will let you know when the food is ready at the end of its cycle.

     

    CAN YOU PRE FREEZE FOOD BEFORE PUTTING INTO THE FREEZE DRYER?08 Jun, 2024

    • Michelle
    • Northland
    1. Food can be put into the freeze dryer fresh or pre frozen.
    2. Putting pre frozen food into your freeze dryer will speed up the cooling down to -40 degrees F for the freezing process.