More excited for next season!

@"TorontoJoe"#1 

As soon as I got the door sealed everything was pie.

Every tray full of bread, the whole process took just under 9 hours.
That is starting with already frozen bread.

The freezing phase took about 2 hrs, the freeze with vacuum phase was about 2 hrs, then the final drying phase was the longest.

But....that was just bread.

Now the real goodies...skittles and ice cream bars...and bananas!!   :P
 
TorontoJoe said:
I'm curious to know what a cycle takes with unfrozen items.... Maybe more of an overnight thing?
Click to expand...

I've been watching lots of videos...it's not unheard of for 20-24 hour full process.
I will be logging this type of information for future reference.
 
So.... is it worth, or recommended that you freeze something first before freeze drying.... I just figure if it's getting frozen anyhow. Would that not cut down on cycle time?
 
TorontoJoe said:
So.... is it worth, or recommended that you freeze something first before freeze drying.... I just figure if it's getting frozen anyhow. Would that not cut down on cycle time?
Click to expand...

Yes sir it will, they recommend 48 hrs of freeze time before putting it in the dryer.
My bread got down to -29 before it determined it was good enough.
Then the vacuum kicked in.

So we will be setting trays in the chest freezer before hand.
 
@"ktrain"#2   your wife must of had a wonderful birthday.  It’s a benefit for you too, as they say “a happy wife is a happy life.”  Just wanted to ask, how big is that machine?  Does it fit on the counter or more like something that sits on the floor.  It’s quite the practical thing to have, freeze dried has a much longer shelf life than canned food.  If I remember correctly it should last about 20-25 year shelf life.
 
Figgerlickinggood said:
@"ktrain"#2   your wife must of had a wonderful birthday.  It’s a benefit for you too, as they say “a happy wife is a happy life.”  Just wanted to ask, how big is that machine?  Does it fit on the counter or more like something that sits on the floor.  It’s quite the practical thing to have, freeze dried has a much longer shelf life than canned food.  If I remember correctly it should last about 20-25 year shelf life.
Click to expand...

Actually, it's too big for the counter but would be too low on the floor.
So we put it on an old antique table that was my wife's grand mother's.
Needs refinished.
And yes you are correct, most items can last a couple decades.
I found out last night you can vacuum seal ball jars in it too....so cool.

I don't know who is having more fun, Amy or me. 😂
 
@"ktrain"#2 there’s a old time way to preserve fresh eggs that’s still used today called “glassing”. All you need is pure un chemical water and hydrated lime.  Fresh eggs last up to 2 years.[video=youtube]
 
Figgerlickinggood said:
@"ktrain"#2 there’s a old time way to preserve fresh eggs that’s still used today called “glassing”. All you need is pure un chemical water and hydrated lime.  Fresh eggs last up to 2 years.[video=youtube]
Click to expand...

I do want to try this, that lady in the video is awesome...I watch her quite a bit for tips on preservation.
 
Well I forgot to post some pics of the final product.
Learned a few things on the first run...which was actually the 2nd run.
It is recommended your first run be bread, it is supposed to soak up and smells or funky tastes.
So technically the food we ran through was run 2.

Anyway...things I learned.
Wetter items need to be thinner, or run longer.
It is better to run like items together, meaning running items with high water content with items that are relatively dry to begin with.
The first run was Grapes, Strawberries, Bananas, Ice cream Sandwiches & Skittles.
The grapes and strawberries did not fully dry, but everything else worked out just fine.

Though...you really need to have good quality items to begin with.
So...I used Mayfield Ice cream sandwiches but I think they could taste better with better quality brands.
I am running a different brand through it now...they are thicker, but rated higher quality.
Everyone loved the Skittles, they almost look like popcorn. lol
I much prefer them this way than normal....crunchy instead of chewy.

I thought I had more pics but here is a few....


IMG_20241119_191738544_HDR.jpgIMG_20241120_200726269.jpgIMG_20241120_200735786.jpg


Here is the trays that went in tonight...
Ice cream sandwiches, strawberries, bananas, baby bella mushrooms.

IMG_20241123_175816610.jpg
 
ktrain said:
Well I forgot to post some pics of the final product.
Learned a few things on the first run...which was actually the 2nd run.
It is recommended your first run be bread, it is supposed to soak up and smells or funky tastes.
So technically the food we ran through was run 2.

Anyway...things I learned.
Wetter items need to be thinner, or run longer.
It is better to run like items together, meaning running items with high water content with items that are relatively dry to begin with.
The first run was Grapes, Strawberries, Bananas, Ice cream Sandwiches & Skittles.
The grapes and strawberries did not fully dry, but everything else worked out just fine.

Though...you really need to have good quality items to begin with.
So...I used Mayfield Ice cream sandwiches but I think they could taste better with better quality brands.
I am running a different brand through it now...they are thicker, but rated higher quality.
Everyone loved the Skittles, they almost look like popcorn. lol
I much prefer them this way than normal....crunchy instead of chewy.

I thought I had more pics but here is a few....


View attachment 2422View attachment 2423View attachment 2424


Here is the trays that went in tonight...
Ice cream sandwiches, strawberries, bananas, baby bella mushrooms.

View attachment 2425
Click to expand...
I see you leave on the cookie on the ice cream. I was wondering about that, if you keep it on or remove. The Skittles look kool. 👍
 
That's so cool. How did the ice cream sandwiches taste overall? I found it so weird when I picked it up and it weighed almost nothing
 
@ktrain first time hearing about it so I googled it to see, now I know what you and others are talking about 😀, question after the food go through the process, would you be able to take out and store it in cans/ jars, boxes like pershble food for a long time? Would a humid environment make it go spoiled? This machine maybe excellent to prepare and stock food to use during disasters or crises
 
TorontoJoe said:
That's so cool. How did the ice cream sandwiches taste overall? I found it so weird when I picked it up and it weighed almost nothing
Click to expand...
The flavor was slightly less than before being dried.
At first I thought it was flavorless...but, I ate some bananas first.
After trying them later they were much better. :)
 
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