Tips for Freeze Drying
Freeze drying has been such a game changer in my home! Whether it’s preserving garden harvests, making easy snacks, or prepping for long-term storage, I love the versatility and convenience. I have an older machine (purchased in early 2021), a medium size standard pump from Harvest Right.
If you’re new to freeze drying or just looking for ways to make the process easier, here are my top five tips to keep things running smoothly.
- Keep Your Maintenance Supplies Handy
Freeze dryers require regular maintenance, and trust me—you don’t want to be scrambling for supplies when it’s time to clean your machine or change the oil. I keep all my freeze drying essentials on a rolling cart from Harbor Freight. It holds my freeze dryer, the manual, and all my maintenance tools in one spot, making everything easy to access. If you want to see exactly how I set mine up, check out my Instagram story highlight here: Freeze Drying Highlight
- Pre-Freeze Your Items
This one is a game changer! I keep a lineup of food in my freezer, ready to go. Why?
- It shortens the processing time in the freeze dryer.
- It prevents messes—especially for liquids that might spill or overflow.
- It lets me work in bulk, so I can freeze items as I prep them and then run the freeze dryer when I’m ready.
If you haven’t tried this yet, give it a shot! It makes the whole process much smoother.
- Store Freeze-Dried Food Properly
Once your food is freeze-dried, how you store it makes all the difference in keeping it fresh and shelf-stable. I mostly use Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers for long-term storage, but for things we’re eating soon, I love using my jar sealer. Having the right storage setup helps prevent moisture from ruining all your hard work!
Check out this video to see how I package up freeze dried guacamole: YouTube Video
- Chop in Uniform Size and Experiment with Different Foods
Cutting your food into uniform pieces helps it freeze-dry evenly and rehydrate better. Not everything freeze-dries the same way, and you don’t want the first time you ever cook with your freeze-dried food to be in an emergency situation. Try out different foods now so you know what you like and how to use them! I did a side-by-side comparison of fresh vs. freeze-dried apples in my apple crisp recipe, and you can watch it here: Apple Crisp on YouTube. Spoiler, it turned out amazing!
- Actually Use Your Freeze Dryer!
If you’ve made the investment in a freeze dryer, make sure you’re getting the most out of it. Here are just a few ways I use mine:
- Quick and healthy snacks
- Backpacking and hiking meals
- Easy, ready-to-go meals
- Preserving leftovers
- Long-term food storage
- Emergency preparedness
- Saving garden harvests
- Storing bulk produce purchases
Once you start using it regularly, you’ll find so many ways it can make your life easier! Check out my Instagram post where I share about why I love my freeze drier here: At Home Freeze Drying
I hope these tips help you make the most of your freeze-drying setup!
Hey!
