Відео

Because I've done so many videos, to me it feels like I talk about these things way too much. (I need to make a list of some points that should be included in videos more often) I do show the freeze drying batch worksheet on a good number of the video, it's just when there are 400+ videos "a good number of videos" still aren't necessarily very often:) Again, I do talk about why I do the defrost the way we do on a good number of videos. (Just not enough:) Here is a short video about the defrosting: How We Defrost and Dry our Harvest Right Freeze Dryer - ua-cam.com/video/dSfIWkwC-e4/v-deo.htmlsi=ociXg8Ep5phSWh-x We decided to use the fan to save electricity and to save wear and tear of the freeze dryer components. The main reason I don't use the defrost function (I tried it once when we first got the machine almost 7 years ago) is that it left the machine quite warm and humid inside. I thought it was the perfect condition for mold and mildew. And judging by some of the comments I was reading at the time about other peoples freeze dryers, it was. They would forget to open the door for a couple days after defrosting and come back to a fuzzy machine. I figured that I was the kind of person that would get sidetracked and forget, so I just never closed the door again unless it was running. A bit about the ice shields at the bottom of the rack. Cleaning Before Batch 561 - ua-cam.com/video/8zUWQuffc5c/v-deo.htmlsi=ramHUt8tg8UyMLux&t=147 The mushroom stems - We only cut off the dry bottom ends that I wouldn't use for anything. We have done canned mushrooms and thought they were very good and a good price. (current price for the #10 can at our local store is $12.59 ) - Batch 578 - ua-cam.com/video/t1Az7bqJ-7I/v-deo.htmlsi=mqMK3-o_qi4HOIqq

​​⁠@SchoolReports I just remembered the other thing I wanted to suggest: How about setting the extra dry time for 24 hours instead of 4? I watched an unboxing where someone tried seeing how much extra time could be added, they stopped at 24 hours, so I know at least that long can be added. You’re planning on returning in 2 or 3, but in this case weren’t able to continue your video record for 7. Rather than having to worry about restarts and adding time as the day goes on, put in an impossibly long period you know will be more than enough time (unless you forget the machine entirely) to give yourself piece of mind. Does your initial cycle have the ability to add more dry time to the process? I set my machine to run its “normal time” whatever that may be, and instead of the pre-programmed 2 hours it gives, I change it to 10 hours, in case I’m sleeping when the cycle ends.

That's a good point. When I'm doing the _Dry Check_ just adding the max time could be a good idea. (And maybe setting a timer:) We do have our machines set for a 12 hour Final (or Extra) dry time. For most foods that seems to give us a high chance that it'll been complete when we do the _Dry Check_ the first time. If we were loading our trays with less food (a thinner layer) we could have a shorter "Extra" dry time.

@SandysFeatheredFriends His other channel is “School Reports - On The Go

I haven't processed any more mushrooms since these. More on the next sale! SchoolReports - On The Go youtube.com/@SchoolReportsOnTheGo/videos

100% - It actually keeps it simple.

Thanks so much for watching and for commenting!

I did some slices a few years ago. I though they did well. (Please try not to laugh at the way I sliced then. - I didn't know you could slice them while still in halves and then scoop them out:) Freeze Drying Avocado Slices - ua-cam.com/video/8mWIZqi1fQU/v-deo.htmlsi=r3Oa-7-U6ulphG-B

@@SchoolReports oh my gosh the slices! This west Texas soul laughed so hard! Loved it!! But I will try it and slice them the other way 🤣. Great video as always.

@@beatriceannbaker3350 We recently (2 weeks ago) drove past your place 🤣 to help #1 son move to Melissa, Texas area and Dutch Bros new roasting facility.

Hopefully people will comment about what they are doing for storage and how it's working for them. I would love to hear what works for other people. Once you have thousands of bags, you almost have to use some kind of bin or box.

The important key to using bins or other bulk methods is to create a database or spreadsheet of what items are in which bin #. If you don't do this you will quickly loose track of what items you have and where to find them. If using bins it's actually best to NOT group like items in the same bins. ie. Don't put all your cheese or meat or ? in the same bin. Better to put different batches in different bins. So bin 5 has one batch of cheese and also lots of other unrelated items. This makes it easier to find food from a specific time/batch. We use bins with numbers and love it. I really don't think there is a better option. It is just too difficult to try to stack mylar pouches neatly. Better to just toss them in a bin and write down where you put that specific batch.

Agree 100% on all points! Plus, by mixing foods you have grab-and-go bins. (Even if you don't know exactly what's in them, you'll have a good mix) Of course with our sorted spreadsheet we always know what's in every bin.

Great Idea, I'll have to try that. (The spray bottle, not the lack of sales! I'll keep the sales!) 🤣

Thanks for watching and for commenting! The freeze drying process really is a lot simpler and quicker than the prepping and cooking most meals! I do show a lot of steps that are not "required" for the freeze drying process because people have asked to see them. But on the other hand I want to be realistic about the process. Some people doing freeze drying pretend that the machines can "know" when the drying is complete - they can not. The total needed hands-on time is actually very short and easy if you're not trying to document it on video. Like most new things, it seems a bit complicated the first time, but it's not. Like learning to ride a bike.

Which numbers are you looking for? The tray temperature was set for 120ºf.

@@SchoolReports and for how many hours they stayed in ? and should I change the freeze time too?

Sorry, the how many hours would be useless you were using the exact same machine, at the same room temperature, loaded with the exact same amount of the exact same set of beans. I do almost always add a couple extra hours of freeze time. I tell here in the video that this small test batch was in the machine for 33 hours - ua-cam.com/video/8LeFN8X7b88/v-deo.htmlsi=2uC1Z7DMQH4_3sHV&t=1589 This number will not be useful even for me when I go to do a full sized batch. I simply go by the food temperature to tell me when to start the _Dry Check_ process, and I rely on the _Dry Check_ to tell me when it's finished drying. I didn't used to track the total time because it's almost worthless, just a ballpark number, except the freeze time and final dry which depend mostly on food type. It's done when it's done. 99% will somewhere between 18 hours and 70 hours. Even if I load the freeze dryer the same way, with the same amount of the same food, for two consecutive batches, the total time can still be a quite a few hours different. (20% time difference?)

@@SchoolReports thank you soooo much 🥹💜💜💜

Yes, I do watch the pressure reading and take it into account, but mostly to let me know when it can't yet be done. With my machine the pressures are usually in the low triple digits or even double digits (99 or less) when the batch is complete. I've even had my display show the impossible, on *very* light loads, - negative pressure! 🤣🤣 (Obviously my pressure calibration is off. ua-cam.com/video/wsvhZig56P8/v-deo.htmlsi=d1AQUpkQJ1iT18RH&t=564 ) I rarely mention the pressure reading in any video because I think it's likely to cause more confusion than help. There are too many variables. Lightly loaded trays will show much lower pressures than heavily loaded trays at the same stage of dryness. Un-punctured blueberries will show low pressures many, many hours before they are dry. An overloaded machine (ice on the chamber walls touching the rack) will show high pressures because the wall ice is being re-sublimated. This is part of what I mean that the machines are easy to fool. In part, the machines are using the low pressure to say it done. While the pressure reading being low can be useful, I find that the temperature in the center of the food being up to the rack set temperature is a more reliable metric. (Along with low pressures) At least one machine (brand) has insertable temperature probe(s) built in to the wiring system inside the chamber that can be put into the food when the trays are being loading on the rack. I think the combination of temp & pressure sensors could give a much more accurate reading of dryness. The machine would know that the the food is warm AND the pressure is low, which is kind of what I'm looking for before doing the dry check. (Edited to put the time code in the video link)

Thanks for watching and for all the comments! I do like most of my freeze dried foods to be cooked and ready to eat (even if dry), but I love how well the raw burger patties work out, and that they seem to hold together better than the cooked ones.

Turns out my big skill is reading freeze dried food labels! 🤣 A big part of why I stopped watching freeze drying videos and started making my own was because I was being told that some of the things I had already done wouldn't work. I was told that pickles wouldn't rehydrate - they will - I have a video. "They" said carrots won't rehydrate, they will - I have a video. A lot of people said that anything with any amount of fat can't be freeze dried - of course it can. So many myths, so little time. Probably the number one thing I see is that people just don't seem to be willing to "Test" (with the Dry Check process) their food to make sure it's actually dry (they guess!), and they don't give the food the time it takes to properly rehydrate.

I've had people comment on videos saying that the item I've just done (with low levels of fat) won't work, then go on to tell people how they freeze dried ice cream (or eggs or cheese or other high fat items) and how great it worked! Or they'll say that you can't store anything with fat and then go on to tell about making and storing pemmican! Pick a lane!

America's Test Kitchen has had a number of shows/articles dealing with cooking dry beans. (Our kids did online cooking school from ATK - they (and I) learned so much from it) Technique #45: Brine Dried Beans for Tender, Never Tough, Skins - www.americastestkitchen.com/articles/7720-how-to-brine-beans They also had a good article about the results of adding baking soda during cooking. Can Baking Soda Make Beans Cook Faster? - www.americastestkitchen.com/cooksillustrated/articles/1745-can-baking-soda-make-beans-cook-faster

@@SchoolReports That was interesting, thanks. Are you familiar with HotLogics? I made a big batch of chili without beans, because both of us don’t like beans. I spread the chili over two trays. On one tray I placed canned kidney beans, drained, that I’d split in half, cut side up. The other tray was left blank. The two remaining trays I filled with shredded cheese. We like cheese on our chili, plus I could store it for other uses. I freeze dried all trays. Then I vacuum sealed all of it as eight individual chili servings, plus cheese packets separately. The reason I bring this up is because a HotLogic can cook a meal undisturbed. So I’m hoping when I rehydrate the meals I can cook them at the same time. Dishes side-by-side in a single HotLogic, or singly in a smaller HotLogic. In sealed single serve dishes there is no evaporation. I can place each in a matching sized dish to the food. Add water and the Hotlogic will cook it like a slow cooker, yet undisturbed. I would post you a photo, but there is no upload function here, and UA-cam will delete my comment if I add a link.

@@user-yk7vd4zg3r We had never heard of HotLogics (or anything like it) so we had to look it up on Amazon. Those look great! And very good reviews. I think we'll have to get one for our van camping project. Thanks so much for telling us about these. Amazon prime days are just around the corner. You took a can of beans, split them all, put them on a freeze dryer tray, and arranged them all cut side up? I love it! Did you take a photo? I'd love to see that. I do have an email link on the "About" page of the channel where things can be sent. If you'd like to share, I could put it up on the community page. YT shouldn't delete your comment with a link, it should just send it to the "Held for review" file, which I try to remember to check often because YT puts comments in there for other seemingly (to me) random issues. Once I click "Okay" (or whatever the button says) it should show up where it was posted.

@@SchoolReports I split the beans and put them all, cut side up, atop the chili that was already spread evenly on the tray. That way the beans adhered to the chili and were all equally distributed without needing to stir them into the chili. Once the chili was freeze dried I was able to lift it all out using the parchment paper, then just cut them with a serrated knife into serving sized plats, then vacuum sealed them as individual meals in sous vide bags. Then I put four bags per mylar bag for storage. What we hated about buying freeze dried foods is that it made way too much food for just two people. Plus we may not be eating together. May I suggest you buy the HotLogic’s with the 110 cord. You can always buy an adapter to using in your vehicle, but you can’t reverse that. We actually cook/reheat all our meals in them. It’s just so easy to batch cook, then freeze the food in Soupers (molds), remove the frozen food and return to the freezer in large ziplock bags. Everything is in universal sizes to pack to maximize space in the freezer. When we eat we can pick food items as you would in a cafeteria. We put the frozen blocks into glass bento containers (glass dishes divided into three portions (meat, potatoes/rice, veggie, applesauce, whatever). Put the dishes in the Hotlogic, go take a shower, relax, and come back in 90 mins. and it’s ready to eat. One dish fits in a small Hotlogic, two will fit in the large Hotlogic. With everything batch cooked and frozen, when you eat you have no dirty dishes to clean up beyond the two serving dishes and forks. It works vastly better than eating out. Fantastic after a long day at work. It’s just as easy to make 5 quarts of something as two serving. So when I cook, I freeze in Soupers. You can bake individual meatloaves right in the Soupers. Check out Soupers on line. Yes I have photos of all of this.

@@SchoolReports I found the “about” but it didn’t have an email link I could use.

The way I would look at it is this - Would you have been comfortable using the eggs at the time you found the wet center and put them into the freezer? (The amount of time they were out of the freeze dryer before being put into the freezer is what's important) If so, than putting them back in to finish is fine.

@@SchoolReports Thanks, I put them in the containers right away, less 2 I wanted to powder so I could measure how many tables spoons an egg was just in case they got crushed in the bagging process. I loaded the machine then came back to the eggs that I had protected during the time I loaded the machine; the time was very short. When I found the wet spot, I put the mylar bags and jars, with oxygen absorbers into the freezer.

@@dianavestal850 It sounds like you got them into the freezer right away. That's good.

@@SchoolReports yes I did, thinking about it, when you let the machine recycle, it freezes to maintain food till you get back to the drying process, it makes sense that the same is true to putting it in the freezer (though the temperature is not the same). I did learn something, the eggs in the mylar bags, even though I only zipped them, didn't make the eggs moist at all. Those in the jars, though I vacuum sealed and put an oxygen absorber in got tackey. The surface had noticeably picked up moisture. I hope my messing up will help those out there with the same issues. Thank Everyone who has replied and to the "Professor" for all your attention. I still don't know your name. :)

​@@dianavestal850 Professor! 🤣 I like it. While I'm not actually a professor, I did teach classes for a number of years in different capacities. Dan - It does show up in many of the videos right after the copyright symbol when I show some of my old still photos. I think most people just don't make the connection. Channel Update: Never Look Back - ua-cam.com/video/07ENggGmlZU/v-deo.htmlsi=u5yGtVKWPdYF69hq

America's Test Kitchen has a good article about the results of adding baking soda during cooking. It can help soften the beans faster, but that's the opposite of what my goal is for these beans. I want them to stay firm longer. www.americastestkitchen.com/cooksillustrated/articles/1745-can-baking-soda-make-beans-cook-faster I've never done chicken thighs because it probably my least favorite part of chicken. However, when we do any items that might have fats come out, we line the trays with paper towels and cover the food with paper towels. As you saw in the _Putting Lots Of Fat In The Freeze Dryer_ there is a lot of fats in some foods that do just fine, you just can't see it. With the chicken as you've describe, I would just pat/wipe off any visible drops of grease and bag them. I would make sure to use the right size oxygen absorber and I would set up a regular testing schedule to make sure they are still doing well. Without oxygen, moisture, or light they should store well for at least short term, probably long term. (I don't remember if I ever gave you any links to the rancidity papers. - They were in the pinned comments of the Fats video) The Buy Me a Coffee issue might be related to the machine/browser you're using. It works for most, but not for everyone, and I don't know why. Thanks for trying!😁

Timing is everything! 😁 I started editing the bean video weeks ago and it was almost finished before we took our 4400+ mile drive. It was just sitting in the editing program waiting for us to get back and do the final touches. I have 3 more freeze drying videos in the editor that I'm currently working on; Batch of Mushrooms, multiple Batches of Making and Freeze Drying Beef Stew Mexican-Style, and multiple Batches of Pear Cubes for Chocolate Coating Test, plus 2 more about the van for camping. Stroganoff freeze dries and rehydrates well! Of course stroganoff made with steak. (There's a time for Hamburger Helper and there's a time for making stroganoff) Freeze Drying Beef Stroganoff - ua-cam.com/video/wdwABj3fRFw/v-deo.htmlsi=xKwolsFW4RTQffmC Freeze Drying 8 lbs of Beef Stroganoff - Batch 95 of my Sister's Machine - ua-cam.com/video/XTCToZINZFA/v-deo.htmlsi=2RoajIxaHpfT_4qb Freeze Drying Bow Tie Pasta - ua-cam.com/video/7qzPpeZ6-KQ/v-deo.htmlsi=jHbefJKj50jKNSrO

I've never tried an instant pot, but my sister has one and maybe I'll have to try it for beans.

Yeah, but in a grid down you aren’t going to have a functioning insta-pot.

100% correct! Cooked vs Raw: In general (assuming similar shelf life) I would prefer to have as much of my stored food as possible already cooked and ready to eat, except for those foods we could eat raw anyway. That way, even if cooking or rehydrating later is not an option (for whatever reason), the food would still be able to provide immediate calories and nutrition.

Probably my biggest problem (when it comes to cooking:) is that I often overcook things. I've been working on stopping "just before it's done." I just suck at it! I also find it it hard to stop the cooking "just right" when I'm doing very large pots of food because there is just so much mass to cool down. (Stew, beans, etc)

You and me both!

That's how I cook mine

Thanks. I've tried them in the crock-pot too, and thought they did well. That's why I thought low and slow in the oven might work for getting 6 samples at the same time.

That's the way I've been doing it too. With this I'm trying to have the beans stay as whole as possible. A lot of people have said that their beans broke apart when freeze drying and rehydrating (and mine did too), so I'm just trying a few experiments to see what happens.

🙂 🙃 😇 😛 ❤ 🐸 🐥

@@SchoolReports there is no email address here.

Thanks for asking. We just got back from helping #1 son move 2000 miles and will get back to working on this (and making and using freeze dried food soon) SchoolReports - On The Go youtube.com/@SchoolReportsOnTheGo/videos Transforming Minivan for Camping - 2015 Toyota Sienna - Part 1, Getting Started. - ua-cam.com/video/fcQehITZNfI/v-deo.htmlsi=eW6L1S-2UvAsJQ2X Transforming Minivan for Camping - 2015 Toyota Sienna - Part 2 - The First Parts Get Cut - ua-cam.com/video/iNDafAPLol4/v-deo.htmlsi=9YhGjfuHDhiI2UMX Transforming Minivan for Camping Part 3 - Putting The Couch/Bed Boxes Together - ua-cam.com/video/5ou6XudcS08/v-deo.htmlsi=SSgcCkrNWZFq2QXn Transforming Minivan for Camping Part 4 - Back Floor & Shelves - ua-cam.com/video/qZq7xz-Z6aY/v-deo.htmlsi=YCk-xS9zQdBIB_zo

We've been away from video stuff for a while (and tied up doing prep) to help #1 son move 2000 miles away. Big road trip! I will be posting some of the travel video when I can. I need to learn how to post while on the road.😁 I tried some Blue Bell brand ice cream while in Texas. (Got it at Buc-ee's) Blue Bell makes a great A&W Root Beer Float Ice Cream. - I brought home 2 pints all the way from Texas. www.bluebell.com/product/aw-root-beer-float/ It's not in stores in our part of the country. Peaches are good, and fresh is best, of course. We have done canned peaches (and other canned fruit) and we've mostly just drained them without washing them. Maybe just a light rinse. We just didn't see the light syrup as a big issue. Peaches do slice pretty well using a Spam slicer; nice even slices. Slicing Peaches for Freeze Drying using a Spam Slicer - ua-cam.com/video/qDBmod1l4tE/v-deo.htmlsi=2NtBGTpvd7sbYtV4 I just need a giant one for ice cream:) Collapsible buckets look cool and now that I know about them (thanks) I'll have to get one (or more) for the van camping, probably without wheels, but I don't think I could use one the size that you have. I had no idea there were so many choices of shapes and sizes of collapsible bowl/bucket things out there. I'll look for a small-ish sized one to use as a wash basin.

Thanks for watching and for commenting!

Weighing can be useful, but the only really important weights are the _Dry Check_ weights to make sure it's dry, and those can be done on scratch paper. (We threw them away after each batch until people started asking about them:)

It will probably take me a couple of replies to cover everything. Please bare with me. (And feel free to ask anything; I'll do my best to answer) First, don't worry about being there when the machine finishes, it will wait for you. The freezer part will still be running and everything will be fine. No need to stop it. It will just sit with the "Process Complete" screen waiting for you. (We've had it sit like this and wait for 2 days) When you have time to get back to it (like the next morning) just press the "More dry time" then "Continue" buttons and it will restart the vacuum and then the heaters. Do this before opening the machine because the food will be too cold if it's been waiting more than about 1/2 hour. Condensation can be a big issue, including building up ice on the seal and making it hard to seal. We have added insulation around our seals and a plastic disc in the door opening to help stop it. It made a big difference. Door Seal Insulation ua-cam.com/video/zD2a1qmU7P8/v-deo.htmlsi=2L9buFa0D6JERC5C ua-cam.com/video/LA1sHVUqKts/v-deo.htmlsi=3Csa6GY-4fFvljfT Ice on Door Seal and Condensation on Door ua-cam.com/video/WMNvva9uTds/v-deo.htmlsi=FIlo1KWL03sOTC3L Making an Acrylic Disc Front for a Harvest Right Freeze Dryer ua-cam.com/video/erH1VDqNi80/v-deo.html For the newer machines you may be able to skip the whole pattern making step if you chamber barrel is very round, and just draw the correct size circle.

@@SchoolReports First let me start by saying THANK YOU, for taking the time to help me with these issues. I realized, at least with this machine, that you can NOT add time till the drying process finishes on the screen. Then the menu that I see in your video comes up and the machine will allow me to vent, open the machine and check the food while it waits (tweeting occasionally) till I return the trays if need be AND the seal held with no ice buildup though there was still condensation on the top of the seal. I had been interrupting the drying process to try and set extra time so I could go to bed. That unfortunately couldn't happen because It took 4 hours for it to freeze and such before trying to vacuum and failing, twice each day I did it. LOL It's helpful to know that it will be fine if it's just left. Will it take extra time to process If I end up having to leave it or will it pick up where it left off after finishing the preprogramed (extra time) cycle? I kept putting it back in the freezer after the second time of failing each night so It was partially frozen and partially freeze dried each time. Can I ask one more question? Will the oxygen absorbers cause your food to be crushed in the bags when they suck all the air out? I did meatloaf and it's fragile. I don't want ground beef I want meatloaf so when it finished, I put them in wide mouth canning jars and used my vacuum sealer to close them. I rehydrated one slice to see how it was, (super good but it did fall apart) and put one in a mylar bag with an oxygen absorber but that doesn't look like things do when I vacuum seal food. It's a tinny bag and has been a few hours so I don't know. We are seniors with barley any budget for food as it is, I can't afford to lose any food. Thanks for all your help. God Bless

​@@dianavestal850 You're welcome to whatever help I can give you. (For what it's worth:) You are right, you can't add more time until it "thinks" it's done. But you can set it up to have extra "Final" dry time before starting, which I highly recommend. We have both mine and my sister's machines set up for 12 hours extra final dry time on every batch. The beep can be turned off so that it only beeps once. I hope I'm understanding your question. - If the machine says it's complete and you add "More dry time" then "Continue" it does pick up where it left off and continues drying as soon as the pressure get back down. When the bags shrink due to the oxygen being absorbed it can crush some foods. Meatloaf is good! - The way I make my meatloaf, it isn't very fragile. Rehydrating a Complete Dinner from Freeze Dried - ua-cam.com/video/B0Q5XUCBbiw/v-deo.htmlsi=1SafVebZSiPL5Img Making, Freeze Drying, and Rehydrating Meat Loaf - ua-cam.com/video/FcTK63ZECjQ/v-deo.htmlsi=qyn81Y9oJcV09Oqm Freeze Dried Tomato Slices - Quick Test/Check After About 12 Weeks (From Batch 609) - ua-cam.com/video/XWz0FZoV5gc/v-deo.htmlsi=MZdwsGS3_QE0jY-K Batch 609 Freeze Drying Tomato Slices - ua-cam.com/video/F2351166JZM/v-deo.htmlsi=aERvUx3HJ7SEE01C When vacuum sealing food in jars, it's still necessary to include oxygen absorbers. (And store them in a dark place) There will still be some oxygen left in jars that have been vacuumed. Vacuum Sealing Jars in the Freeze Dryer - How Much Air is Left? Too Much! - ua-cam.com/video/JJqCHYoylDE/v-deo.htmlsi=uZoyf70eThCMAxz8

The freeze drying process does start out at about -40ºf, but there are heaters for the trays to raise the temperature so all the water will go over the triple-point and sublimate. By the time the process is complete the food temperature will go up to whatever you have the tray temperature set for, usually around 120ºf. General Principles of Freeze Drying (The Lyophilization Process) www.researchgate.net/publication/342622346_General_Principles_of_Freeze_Drying_The_Lyophilization_Process "At the end of the sublimation phase (primary drying), all the ice will have disappeared. The product will begin to rise in temperature and will tend to approach the control temperature of the shelf. However, at this stage the product is not sufficiently dry for long term storage. For most products, the residual moisture is in the region of 5% to 7%. The product now enters the desorption phase, during which the last traces of water vapor are removed, along with traces of the “bound” water within the product matrix. This phase is identified as secondary drying. The aim of this final phase is to reduce the product to the acceptable moisture levels needed for long term storage (3% to 1%)"

@@SchoolReports ooh ok. So it heats up but not enough for anything raw to cook or be able to overcook already made meals?

@@Masqueepo Yes! Exactly! It heats it up very slowly, just fast enough to sublimate the ice. By the time it's above freezing, it's too dry to really do any kind of cooking, just the secondary drying.

The machines don't require/need the seal insulation or the door disc we add, but for us it's a useful addition because of two related things: condensation and heat transfer. First, while it's cooling, but before the vacuum pump starts, it helps with heat transfer. Secondly, and most important to us, because I often (very often!) don't get to the machine right away when it finishes, it just sit there chilling. Sometimes it waits 12 hours or more. Very chill, -40 chill. By the time I get around to it, without the front disc and seal insulation, the entire door and seal would be covered with condensation, both liquid and frozen. Then it melts and makes a mess. For people who stay right on top the the process, ready to take it out and check it the minute it beeps, it probably doesn't really matter. (And now for the book that you didn't want/ask for:) (Sometimes I just can't stop myself!)🤣 Personally, I really wouldn't consider freeze drying without a scale for doing the _Dry Check_ Process. And I wouldn't be happy freeze drying without the thermometers. The thermometers are absolutely not required for freeze drying, and I absolutely love using them. I consider them to be the second most important tool (after the scale) for freeze drying. I never use the thermometers to tell me if the process is done. (they can't) I use them to tell me it's not done. I know that might not sound like a difference for some people, but if there is still any cold area in the food and therefore the process can not be complete yet, even though the freeze dryer firmware is telling me it is. I use the thermometers for two main reasons: First, to let me know if the food is getting close to being complete and second, to tell me if it's too cold to take out. For example, I might be doing a batch where the machine says is getting close to done, it might be in the last 3 hours and is going to finish at about 2 am, but one thermometer is showing that one tray is still only 10 degree, and I know from experience that it wouldn't be done in just 3 more hours, so I can add more time without having to take it out and check it. As some (most) foods dry, they really became like super light fluffy insulation. The top and bottom layers can be very warm, yet there can still be a layer of ice through the middle. The machine's temperature probe will often say that it's very warm not knowing about the ice in the center layer. - Example: ua-cam.com/video/qDuB_T8gIm8/v-deo.htmlsi=BZSwReZ0c2PZDpv2&t=540 If we have the tray temperature set for 120ºf and the middle trays have been at 120º for at least 3 or 4 hours and the top and bottom trays have been at least 110º for that time, then it is probably time to start the Dry Check process. Second, if the freeze dryer finishes when I'm not there (happens for me a lot), I can still know the temp of the food, making sure it's still warm before I take it out. If the food is -40, there will be condensation on/in the food almost instantly, you just won't be able to see it because it will be absorbed and not be visible. It probably will have already happened before you even get it out of the freeze dryer. The room air moisture going into the machine when the drain valve is opened may be condensing in the food before you even have the door open. The temperature probe built into my machine is on the bottom of the second shelf up from the bottom. It's sandwiched between the heater pad and the rack itself. It can not tell me the temperature of the food, only the temperature of the heater - good enough to know the temperature of the heater for controlling it - but tells me almost nothing about the food. The built in probe also does not tell me the temperature of the chamber walls, (on my older machine) the thermometer laying on the bottom does.

@@SchoolReports that's an amazing answer!! Thank you so much for explaining in such depth. Definitely cleared things up for me

That's so nice of you to say "explaining in such depth" instead of "anal" like so many others! 🤣🤣

Freeze drying Creamed Chipped Beef should be no problem at all. (At least the recipes I've seen. Do you have a favorite recipe?) My sister has freeze dried some. The only issue I see is that it may turn out thin after you rehydrate it, but when I do sauces/gravy-type items I just add some Instant ClearJel if I think it needs it to make sure it stays thick after rehydrated. I don't have any idea why nobody would want to answer that simple question.

@@SchoolReports mine isn't made with water, although I see your point on rehydrating it. It should NOT take a lot of water to rehydrate though, its mostly milk anyways mixed with flour and butter and chipped beef. Will try your suggestion when I get the freeze dryer.

Sounds good! Even if you aren't adding "water" when you make it before freeze drying, the milk is 90-something percent water, so even if you make it with milk you'll might only need water for rehydrating because the milk will already be in it.

I'm sure there are lots of good ones out there; maybe people will chime in and say what has worked for them. I've been using this brand for decades. (In a different setting - not freeze drying) I couldn't find it on Amazon either and had to go to their website. www.impakcorporation.com/sealers/IPK-305H Heat Sealer for the Mylar Bags - The Old & The New (No Change!) ua-cam.com/video/Dxp_RjdaQM4/v-deo.htmlsi=AblpL7WbPAq_uGGl

@@SchoolReports wow thank you for your reply. I will order one now. The reviews on the ones on Amazon are sketchy. So I appreciate you sending this link. I did go on their site but couldnt find the one you referred to. I did already order one from Amazon but wow it feels so junkie and it wasn't a cheap one. Thank you again for your videos. I KNOW it is no easy task recording and fiddling with all that editing etc. Thank you.

One gram of loss during 2 or 3 hours is often good enough to know it's done. You'll quickly get used to which foods are done and won't lose more if you were to give it additional _Dry Check_ hours. With what you describe, we often do take out the trays that have no loss and just put back in the ones with loss. At the weighing stage of a few videos I go a little into my thought process of deciding if I'll take them out when they have tiny weight losses. Mashed Potatoes - Batch 655 - ua-cam.com/video/t-Mik18IHtk/v-deo.htmlsi=nH97AX98Unn--uTq&t=799 If the weight drops during the _Dry Check_ it may need more time. I feel uncomfortable with any number other than 0! That being said, if it was no more than 1 gram and it's been at least a 2 1/2 or 3 hour _Dry Check,_ and the dry weight of the food on the tray is over 100 grams (meaning the loss was well below 1%), then I sometimes will take it out. You can see on this video at this spot- ua-cam.com/video/C2zHubgj4E4/v-deo.htmlsi=FgwS0f-bM0gRgRf1&t=1046 - that 2 trays had a 1 gram loss each in 3 hours. After I mixed all 4 trays together for a total of over 800 grams dry weight, the loss was less than 1/4 of one percent. The only reason I was kind of comfortable with taking it out after this small loss, is because after doing another round of Dry Checks many, many times, I've found that the next weight check would show no loss under these conditions for that food.

It is good! It's one of daughter's favorites!

​@@SchoolReportsit came out of FD. I rehydrated it to try it and it is amazing how it tastes like you just made it. Amazing. Thanks again.

Great tip. Thanks!

Thanks for asking! (Sorry it took so long for me to respond, I've been out of town) Generally I try to do 10 lbs in each batch. Here is a more recent batch of rice - Batch 568 - Rice Cooked - ua-cam.com/video/DKub78ONN_8/v-deo.htmlsi=i1IKJjO_fieHLpGb&t=307