We sold a grainmill also, hyped by a friend who had several. Used it some also. Nothing happened and other things incl food was donated or tossed. Now retired, who has time or money to throw away again? not me.
Congratulations! You are now the owner of a new freeze-dryer; or you are ready to make the purchase! While the freeze dryer itself is a major investment in food preservation equipment, you will want to make certain you are prepared with a few other items
By not allowing yourself functioning amenities as basic as a fridge or freezer, you’re making life difficult in a number of unnecessary ways. Doubtless, by attending to your basic appliance problems as soon as they arise, there’s so much to gain.
There are many different commercial appliances available, all of which are especially designed for your specific needs. Here are a handful of the various subcategories of commercial appliances that you can get.
Reinstalled the vacuum hose and capped far end of hose to do a hose test. (same results as pump alone)
The current and emerging food crises in the United States have millions of Americans very concerned about the future. From supply chain shenanigans to food processing plants “inexplicably” being compromised to bird flu decimating the poultry industry, it’s no wonder there has been a sharp rise in the “prepper” food industry.
Easy preparation. Food is prepared for freeze-drying the same way food is prepared for regular freezing. After rinsing and removing blemishes, blanch most vegetables; pretreat fruits if necessary to prevent browning; meats can be freeze-dried cooked or raw; casseroles are typically assembled from already cooked foods.
The item is then heated up again and as the water starts to leave instead of melting (ie going from a solid to a liquid) it sublimates (ie goes from a solid to a gas) under the influence of the negative pressure produced by the vacuum. So you are left with the cell minus water in an intact shape and size.
Using sublimation, the food retains much of its original texture, flavor, and nutrition when rehydrated. Freeze drying is broken down into two simple processes: freezing and vacuum drying. Foods are first frozen to well below 0°F. The colder the freeze the more efficient the next step will be. Once frozen, foods are subjected to vacuum drying. The air and water vapor (gas) are removed from the food processing chamber using a vacuum pump. This includes removing the water vapor that was once inside of the foods. When these two steps are properly completed, the food is dry enough to allow for safe storage at room temperature. Is freeze drying food safe?
Did you know that there are many ways to preserve your chiles? This resource offers the resources you need to learn how to freeze, can, dry, and store your chiles!
To protect packaged foods and organic compounds against spoiling, mold growth, color change, and loss of nutrition, use oxygen absorbers to get the residual oxygen inside the packaging to below 0.
Run full system test with no food in chamber (results, 630 mTorr lowest steady reading - looking through the oil level window, some bubbling seen in oil even after an hour of pumpdown - some "air" noises from pump)
It would also be best to avoid pawn shops. Although they can be a goldmine for trinkets, they’re harvest right home freeze dryer usually not a great place to shop for advanced machinery.
You can also use Facebook Marketplace or specialty groups to find used freeze dryers, but most people will list them in specialized stores because that’s where most people will be looking.