Freeze Drying Your First 500 lbs of Food - Batch 49 - Milk, Tomato, Meatballs, Beef, Nacho Sauce

[@SchoolReports]

Want to support the channel? Buy me a coffee :-) www.buymeacoffee.com/DanZm If you are thinking of buying a freeze dryer, please consider supporting us by purchasing through our affiliate link. It helps us and costs you nothing! affiliates.harvestright.com/995.html First 500 lbs data spreadsheet link: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ieekdk5aH_2OWLUealeOLurU9_zl03BfFEg_qhAgcaA/edit?usp=sharing Batch worksheet link: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13DCB2hXo9_ZYrhIUicLk2IrEaQGszwbaJTcEH8wJxk4/edit?usp=sharing

[@RegardingThePlan]

FOR MOISTURE DETECTION: After dry cycle, take the trays out and let them sit for 2 or 3 minutes. Then feel the bottom of the pan. If you feel a cold spot, your food is not completely dry. This is from my go to guy for all of my freeze drying questions. He’s been doing this for about 8 years. Thank you for this wonderful channel.

[@SchoolReports]

Thanks for watching and for commenting! That (if the food temperature has made it to the set temperature) is always a good _first check_ and it's why we put thermometers in the food; we don't have to stop the machine to feel the tray, we already know the temperature without taking it out. More importantly, we know the temperature of the inside of the food. While the fact that the tray is cold _may_ tell you that the food _may not_ be dry, I would _never_ assume that having a warm tray tells me that it _is_ dry. Cold does not equal wet and warm does not equal dry. It's the same with thermal imaging cameras, they can't tell you if the food is dry it can only tell you it's warm or cold. I could fool them all day long. I guarantee that commercial companies aren't feeling the bottom of their trays to decide if the food is dry. I would never recommend that people go by feel or guessing when it comes to making sure the food is dry. I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything, I'm just trying to show what I do and why, and show resources when I can. 🤣 Remember, I'm just another idiot on the internet. I could be wrong. The #1 joke at our house is "But, I saw it on the internet!" Consider looking at what commercial companies are doing. That's where I look to for guidance. If they can do it, we probably can too. (with method adjustments)

[@southtexasprepper1837]

You don't want to put warm metal pans with food in a Freeze Dryer because the difference in temperature will cause the metal pan to warp. Therefore, ruining the metal pan. It's a great idea that you always freeze your food along with the pan. Also, if the water that's left over, it's also a good idea that you might want to reuse the water for cooking or personal use if it's not contaminated.

[@lindasteckman7147]

Thanks for all your step-by-step videos. I've learned so much from watching already, and I haven't even got my freeze dryer - yet. Got a call from FedEx and will be picking it up tomorrow morning, directly from the terminal. I will faithfully be checking weights to assure the end product is DRY. Thanks again. God Bless.

[@SchoolReports]

Watch out, freeze drying is addictive! 🤣 Have fun.

[@JeriRoberts-5]

I've been enjoying this series. Thanks for sharing.

[@SchoolReports]

Thanks for watching!

[@carolclarkson4859]

Really great video as always. Have enjoyed watching all of the great things you freeze dry. You are an inspiration :)

[@chriscook3120]

Just a little trick, If you do milk or some other liquid by the pound and put it into pint bags to store. You can rehydrate by adding water up to the "ziplock" thing. You shouldn't need to calculate the water to add back because a pint is a pound.

[@SchoolReports]

👍 True; that's close enough for a lot of things. For milk the " pint is a pound" is only about 3 or 4% off.

[@dianavestal850]

I must confess watching your first few videos and not having my machine I was overwhelmed! HOWEVER, I see what you're doing now, understand the process and the method behind what you're doing, and I am so appreciative of these videos. I too want to know exactly how much water needs to be added for reconstitution. Hubby isn't really stoked about this and so adding the exact amount of water to the bag will help him relax with this new meal prep. technique. Can you do a video on the math for like a single serving of an item like stew or whatever. My husband and I eat separately and that's how I cook and freeze tv dinners for us, have done that for 20 years. Also, can you tell me why you do grams instead of oz, conversions isn't one of my strong suits and my husband wouldn't know a gram from a truck. lol Lastly, I am a new subscriber so thanks and keep helping us newbies, Lord knows it is a time and money saver to have someone who's already gone through all the processes to make sure a good result is achieved. We are on a more then fixed income and food prices are killing us, so being able to freeze day for short term and long term is a real blessing.

[@SchoolReports]

Thanks for watching and for commenting! We use the 7" x 7" pans for prefreezing a lot of foods already in serving size portions. (We have been freezing in this pans for many, many years before we started freeze drying. Like you we would make and freeze our own "TV dinners" in these pans going back about 30 years) Prefreezing Food in Pans - kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpzNnKKuZ96go9ksi=FCGaajcPnls488zC&t=123 One of the great things about weighing out the portions before freezing and freeze drying is that when rehydrating all you have to do is add enough water to get it back to the same weight. For example - An 8 ounce portion of stew (before freeze drying weight) now might weigh 3 ounces. Just add the 5 ounce back and done! This is a big part of why I do the _batch worksheet_ I show in a lot of the videos. 😁I don't "know" grams either, but my scale does and my measuring cups have milliliter markings on them. I go back and forth between grams and ounces all the time, even during a batch. I often measure my portions out in cups or ounces, but I do the _Dry Check_ weights in grams. The main reason I like to do a lot of the weighing in grams is because grams are such a small unit that it gives me more confidence that my food is all the way dry. One ounce is more than 28 grams, so even if I use a scale that shows 1/10 ounces, that could be 2.8 grams of water I might leave in the food.

[@kerry1963qld]

Great video as always thankyou for sharing :) And look at that T-Shirt today with the flag of a Beautiful Country of Australia :D

[@SchoolReports]

🤩

[@meganwinters5163]

B. E. A. Utiful video as always! Again thanks for sharing 😊👍. P.S. I have a resolution to our ongoing idea of adding a "low vacuum" to help ensure better door sealing & prevent cycle issues. I contacted HR and asked if during the initial startup freeze if us as users could use the self test area and use both freeze & vacuum just like you would the normal op test in owners manual. Or if a software change in the automation portion to vacuum just slightly during initial freezing could be added. HR took notes and said they'd look into it (but no promises made). I tried this idea on my avocado run and it worked beautifully, no more door condensation or longer freeze times due to small air leak 🙂. Only thing to be aware of is don't short cycle the components (I can't imagine that's good, but that's just my opinion). P.S.S I tried my foodsaver and the motor got way too hot for my liking (I'm assuming due to the lager volume, it's simply to much for the small vacuum pump equipped in them.?) As always you keep posting; I'll keep watching 🙏.

[@SchoolReports]

Great info! The way I've done this in the past was to unplug the vacuum pump from the freeze dryer (just the electrical cord) and plug it into the wall socket and use the power switch on the vacuum pump and run it for about a minute to lower the pressure. Then I plug it back into the freeze dryer socket. I haven't been doing that much since I built the new cart because the plugs are in a tight space between the machine and the wall. (and I've been too lazy to roll it 3 inches! 🤣) I was worried about the Foodsaver overheating and now I don't have to try it, thanks. I think the Foodsaver is probably designed to handle a quart of air at a time, not a cubic foot of air!

[@meganwinters5163]

@@SchoolReports I feel you on the lazy 😂, my machines on wheels and I don't want to roll it out either to move plugs. Although I did think about using a mini electrical transfer switch 🤔 but that's North of 70$.?! No worries on the foodsaver (I have a lesser model) so IDK if others might work better? I designed a quick reducer like check valves with a layer pause and imbedded a thin flexible plastic bit of cutting board as the stopper. Worked well, but again the foodsaver just dragged on (interestingly my pump seamed to be more on a timer rather than if it achieves an actual vacuum) thus I had to run it several times and just got to hot...

[@bj34786]

Thank you for sharing your forms, techniques, and procedures for freeze drying. I'm wait on a medium freeze dryer to arrive. I ordered a can of the pans from D9ollar Tree. Where can I buy the blue dividers that you use? I'd like to see you rehydrated meat and the scalloped potatoes. Really anything that you have frozen... Keep up the great work!

[@SchoolReports]

The divider is something I designed and 3D printed to fit our pans. Here is the design and print video if you are interested; kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXyvk5-GeLmjfs0 They were printed with ABS then vapor/acetone smoothed to seal them. It would probably be pretty easy to make dividers using foamcore or cardboard and covering it with plastic wrap, for those without a printer. Another viewer used cut some out of thick plastic (like thick cutting board) to make their dividers. (They did have a laser cutter) 😁 A few rehydrating videos, and will be doing more. Rehydrating Freeze Dried Scalloped Potatoes kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4XcamaanZd0p6M Rehydrating Freeze Dried Scalloped Potatoes - March 2022 kzbin.info/www/bejne/p2KVeKOOrbSJkNk Rehydrating Freeze Dried Meatballs with Mushroom Sauce kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5jSfHyHhbGHi5Y Freeze Drying and Rehydrating Diced Chicken & Refried Beans kzbin.info/www/bejne/oXvPdH98iMh5pdk Rehydrating Freeze Dried Refried Beans plus Tri Tip & Rice - Part 2 kzbin.info/www/bejne/hmXSeoSNfZigo5o

[@misterp158]

Good Stuff, Thanks

[@dasroberts6811]

I enjoyed another great video. I'm not sure if you did any videos of cottage cheese, cream cheese and sour cream. Also the rehydration of them. I'm interested in seeing them. Thanks!

[@SchoolReports]

Thanks. I've freeze dried all of those but have not videoed them all yet; I will in the future. Cottage cheese is the only one I've videoed. Freeze Drying & Rehydrating Test - Yogurt & Cottage Cheese kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXfKh6ifeJufnKc Freeze Drying Your First 500 lbs of Food - Batch 28 - Cottage Cheese kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJWQnKltbrpggKs

[@dasroberts6811]

@@SchoolReports Thanks. I'll check those videos out.

[@ellenhuff6350]

I have learned a lot from your videos. Have you ever done applesauce and apple butter? Also what is that silver ring around the door gasket?

[@SchoolReports]

Thanks for watching. We have made applesauce, apple slices, apple pie filling, and apple crisp, but not apple butter. (When I searched our channel I was surprised to find 16 apple related videos!) The silver stuff is metalized film bubble stuff that is used for shipping cold stuff. (I think it may have been this kind, ipcpack.com/products/box-liners/ but there are lots of brands. I just used what I had.) We got our bubble stuff when it arrived wrapped around some frozen food, (a cake, I think) with frozen cold packs, from Harry & David. I saved it knowing that a use for it would show up. And Voilà! I put this on to better insulate the seal area and the little space between the seal and the rest of the machine (3-4mm gap) where the freeze chamber is exposed, because the seal would freeze and end up with ice and frost on it. Then, when the freeze dryer was defrosted, the ice would melt and water would run down the front of the freeze dryer. I measured the space between the door and the front of the freeze dryer and cut strips of the insulation material that wide. Next, I cut enough to wrap around the seal 3 or 4 time, taped them together end to end, and finally, wrapped it around the seal and taped the end. This may not be an issue on newer machines, I don't know. Adding Front Seal Insulation To A Harvest Right Freeze Dryer kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnKUpHuMitZ-qtU

[@wvcathy6897]

Do you know if you can use Xantham Gum instead of Clear Jel as a thickening agent - so you wouldn't be adding all the extra carbohydrates ?? Thank you

[@SchoolReports]

The short answer is - probably yes! I recently bought some Xantham Gum, but I haven't tried it out yet. If I understand what I've read about it, it should be a good choice for foods that are going to frozen and thawed. (Like freeze dried food) The labels say that the carbohydrates are the same, per weight of thickener, for both products. I assume that less of the Xantham Gum is used to achieve the same amount of thickening, therefore less carbs?

[@thelostone3782]

Ok do the mixed foods not take up the taste/smell of the other foods? I will assume since everything was frozen it won't but I just had to ask! :)

[@SchoolReports]

I've been asked about smells/odors in the freeze dryer quite a few times. We have NEVER had any issue with food odors in the FD or cross odors on other foods. Perhaps it's because we prefreeze just about everything? I don't know. We also don't run batches with raw onions, shrimp, marshmallows and milk at the same time!

[@eileenniehaus5368]

What if you add too much clear gel? Have you overdone it?

[@SchoolReports]

I've never added so much that it ended up inedible, it just keeps getting thicker as you add more. I usually don't add enough at first because I'm cheap. I do know you can make stew as thick as jello. Oops!

[@eileenniehaus5368]

@@SchoolReports less messy that way😂

[@SchoolReports]

@@eileenniehaus5368 Yes, you can eat your soup with a fork!

[@lauraihlefeld390]

You just mentioned condensation on food. Is that the snowy white stuff looks almost like mold but I know it can’t be??

[@SchoolReports]

At what stage during the process are you seeing it?

[@lauraihlefeld390]

@@SchoolReports when I took it out. It was on bananas and mangos and apples but I soaked them in lemon water while I was slicing everything up so I thought it might be that too

[@SchoolReports]

@@lauraihlefeld390 Any condensation on the food should soak into the food almost instantly and you would probably never see it. (and it would only happen if you take the food out of the chamber when trays and food are very cold) I'm not sure what you saw. Could it be sugars coming out of the fruit? Sometimes if sugary food are not *very* cold before the vacuum pump starts the sugars will expand out of the food and coat the surface; kind of like freeze drying candy. Or as you said, maybe the lemon. (or a combo) I really don't know if that's what yours was, but I can't think of anything else right now. Taste test? If you figure it out, please share. I'd love to know!

[@judyblaise1639]

Did you do a lot of batch cooking like your scalloped potatoes? How did you plan the amounts (like the scalloped potatoes)? Thank you so much. My FD gets here on Thursday.

[@SchoolReports]

Thanks for the question. Most of the cooking we do has been in very large batches for many years, long (20+ years) before we ever started freeze drying. Our freezer used to be set up kind of like a file cabinet with boxes of frozen slabs of food like chili, beef stew, mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, etc. We don't plan most of our batches of cooking to necessarily match up with our freeze drying batches, we just make big batches, put the food in the 7 x 7 pans for prefreezing, and freeze dry it when time allows. We have had 15+ batches worth of frozen blocks in the freeze awaiting their turn. If this doesn't really answer your question, just let me know and I'll try again. 😁

[@corabunselmeyer1241]

dried beans? pinto, navy, black , kenay

[@SchoolReports]

Yes?

[@diannenutt5891]

Can you drink the water that comes out

[@SchoolReports]

I assume (with no proof or testing, so I could be very wrong) that the water could be safe to drink, but it usually has an odor that reminds me of really old, stale ice that has melted. I haven't tried drinking it. (I'm not going to try it without testing/filtering!)

[@px9720]

this appeared in my youtube recommended out of nowhere

[@SchoolReports]

KZbin recommendations are strange! 🤣

[@katiec2772]

My brain says your milk will taste like tomato cheese nacho.... inquiring mind would love to know.... if the milk from this batch took on that taste

[@SchoolReports]

I've been asked about smells/odors in the freeze dryer quite a few times. We have NEVER had any issue with food odors in the FD or cross odors on other foods. Perhaps it's because we prefreeze just about everything? I don't know. Maybe if we ran batches with unfrozen raw onions, shrimp, marshmallows and milk at the same time it would be bad! But we don't. Having milk in the same batch with the nacho cheese might have been pushing it a bit, but we saw/smelled/tasted no issues.

[@CraftEccentricity]

An interesting combination of foods! Is that because you like them, but not very often? I couldn't watch the video. KZbin just have it showing as a black screen.

[@CraftEccentricity]

Refreshed a few times and it loaded

[@SchoolReports]

@@CraftEccentricity Made me look! I had to check it on a couple devices to make sure it was okay. The mix was just because I didn't have enough of any one thing prefrozen to make a full batch and I'm trying to empty a few things out of the freezers. I've had a lot of blocks waiting for the freeze dryer and I'm going to do a few batches of misc clean-up or catch-up.

[@tfeerst]

How about freeze drying raw honey

[@SchoolReports]

I'll have to give it a try. The commercially made dried honey that I've seen have _not_ been freeze dried, and have included a lot of added sugars.

[@tfeerst]

@@SchoolReports we keep bees and thought it might be interesting. I could send you a jar of our honey.

[@SchoolReports]

@@tfeerst Thanks for the offer. Give me a couple days to get back to you. I'll see if my local bee friends can get me anything soon or not.

[@bj34786]

Can I buy 12 dividers from you? I don’t have a 3D printer source? Also, I live in central Florida, do I need to do anything special since it’s a humid climate? Thanks again!0

[@SchoolReports]

Sorry, I'm not currently planning to get into selling 3D printed stuff (I wasn't planning to get into teaching 3D design and printing either, but ended up teaching for 3 years, so who knows.) If I ever start making them to sell, I'll have to sell the pan with them because it seems like every time we bought a batch of pans they were a tiny bit different. Hot and humid climate is only a problem if you can't have the machine in an air conditioned space. 😰 Being hot and humid will slow down the freeze drying. Get the finished food bagged fast in humid areas.

[@Bee-Kind-Baker]

It looks like you need a couple of more FD. I don’t know how you’ll ever catch up. So much work 😩

[@SchoolReports]

When we first got the freeze dryer I figured that we would be caught up within 6 months to a year. Now, 5 years later, we're further behind than when we started! 🤣