They allow for precise control over the freeze-drying process, which is particularly important for sensitive materials or when aiming for optimal results.

How much space you have for the dryer and food storage – As we discussed briefly above, you may have to get creative when it comes to where you put your freeze dryer.

Just a few years ago freeze dryers were only available commercially. As of 2025, there are now several brands and models of home freeze-dryers to consider.

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.

Our oil pump gave out before we had used it more than a few weeks. It was a hassle to get it fixed and three months later it quit freezing and we had to send the whole machine back. And that was MONTHS ago! I lost my summer and fall harvest because they simply couldn’t be bothered to do anything about it.

Check the device capacity. Freeze drying a single batch of food takes time, so if you plan to use your machine frequently or use it to process large batches of food items, a higher capacity model speeds up the process. 

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 more info food as well, so don’t neglect energy costs when you compare these as that impacts efficiency as we discussed earlier.

This unit is heavy duty construction, reliable and user friendly. We have enjoyed freeze drying fruits and vegetables in season, meats, leftovers and dessert items…the only limit is your imagination. Harvest Right’s customer service is knowledgeable, friendly and trustworthy.

Although you should not store meat in a plastic bag because the bag will allow a tiny bit of oxygen through. And that could cause safety problems with the meat.

During dehydration, the dehydrator circulates hot dry air over the food. As a result, the water in the food evaporates and food items like raisins take on their characteristic shriveled look. In the end about 80% of the moisture is removed.

It is wonderful to freeze dry food that we have prepared. Drying the food ourselves is significantly less expensive than what we would have to pay to buy such food elsewhere. We are in control of the ingredients and are able to prepare long-term food storage that meets our needs.

By setting our freeze dryer to have a default 24-hour extra dry time, we can load it up and walk away, knowing it’ll be ready when we are.

Setting the extra dry time to a default time of 24 hours means we can package our food when it suits us.

The refrigeration system should demonstrate consistent cooling capacity, especially during extended operation, as temperature stability directly affects the quality of your freeze-dried products.