It’s a bird… It’s a plane… It’s the world’s tiniest washing machine…
Nah, it’s actually a home freeze dryer. Although I’m pretty sure the friends and family who’ve walked past the robin egg blue machine in our basement the past few months have silently wondered, “What the heck are these strange people up to now??”
You see, it started out with an email from a company called Harvest Right… that I almost deleted.
I get pitched a lot of different things from a lot of different companies, and I turn down 99% of them. (Like the email I got the other day from a company asking me to promote their real human hair wigs… Um, NO.) So when the email from Harvest Right came asking me if I wanted to try one of their home freeze dryers, I wasn’t interested at first.
(This post contains affiliate links)
I’m no stranger to food preservation. I already water bath can, pressure can, freeze stuff, dehydrate stuff, and ferment stuff. It almost seemed a tad redundant to have another way to preserve food. But after a quick phone call with their Operations Manager, I decided to give it a try. The main aspects of the Harvest Right Home Freeze Dryer that piqued my interest were:
- It is the ONLY freeze dryer on the market designed for home use. All other units are for commercial use, are ginormous, and cost tens of thousands of dollars.
- Freeze dried food tastes better and lasts MUCH longer than canned, frozen, or dehydrated food.
- You can easily freeze dry small quantities or portions– even things like leftover meals can be preserved, which has the potential to reduce a lot of food waste.
- If freeze-dried food is a part of your emergency preparedness plan, in the long run you’ll save a whole bunch by doing it yourself, versus buying freeze-fried food.
So here it came… In a big ol’ box, delivered by a big ol’ truck. And to be honest? I used it a couple times and wasn’t super impressed. But then I kept using it, and fell in love. I’ll tell you what changed my mind, but first, some specifics:
The Harvest Right Home Freeze Dryer
How It Works:
First off, let me clarify– this is NOT a dehydrator. It is a different machine entirely. It works by first freezing the food (to at least -40 degrees Fahrenheit) and then creating a powerful vacuum seal which vaporizes the ice crystals entirely and leaves you with a thoroughly dry, extremely shelf-stable food. Freeze-dried food keeps much, much more of its texture, nutrition, and taste than canned, dehydrated, or frozen food. Freeze-dried food can be eaten as-is, rehydrated, or saved for later. (Like 25 years later!)
How Big is the Home Freeze Dryer?
It’s smaller than a dishwasher, but larger than a microwave. It’s dimensions are 30″ tall, 20″ wide, 25″ deep, and it weighs in at slightly over 100 lbs. It has a detachable vacuum pump that sits to the side of the machine and the pump weighs about 30 lbs.
How Long Does it Take to Freeze Dry a Batch of Food?
It depends on the foods, but usually anywhere from 20-40 hours. However, that period is entirely hands-off– you don’t have to do anything or babysit it. We also found keeping our freeze dryer in a cooler place (our basement) slightly shortened the time, as compared to having it outside in our hot shop during the summer.
What Can You Freeze Dry?
Oh man– everything! Fruits and vegetables are the primary things I’ve been freeze-drying, but you can also dry meats (raw and cooked), dairy products (cheese, yogurt, etc), whole meals (to be rehydrated later). The biggest things you can’t really freeze-dry are straight fats (like butter or coconut oil– although you CAN freeze foods that contain butter or other fats) and bread. Well, you *can* freeze-dry bread, but it doesn’t work to rehydrate it with water, because it just gets soggy and gross.
How Do You Store Freeze Dried Food?
For short term shortage, I’ve been putting mine in tightly sealed mason jars (because it looks pretty). However, to make the food last for years, you’ll want to keep it in something like a mylar bag with an oxygen absorber. When exposed to air, the dry food will soak up moisture and won’t last as long.
How Long Will Freeze-Dried Food Last?
No, the real question is: how long can you stave off your family from eating it all? If you can master that skill (I had to threaten my children with severe punishment just in order to have enough yogurt drops left for these photos!) properly contained freeze-dried food can last as long as 25 years.
How to Freeze-Dry Food
It’s so easy it almost doesn’t need a tutorial. But I’ll walk you through the process anyway.
- First off, chop/shred/etc your food in semi-uniform pieces. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but you want it to dry evenly.
- Arrange the food on the trays.
- Place the trays in the machine and place the black circle pad thing (that’s the technical term) over the opening.
- Push start, make sure the drain valve is closed, and let ‘er rip.
- Once it’s done, the machine will chirp at you to check it. If it needs more dry time (you can check this by breaking a piece of food in half and seeing if there are still any icy/frozen bits in the middle. If there are, add more hours to the dry cycle.
- Once the food is completely dry, remove from the machine, allow the machine to defrost, and package your food in jars or bags. (Or just set it out on the counter and the children will make short work of it…)
It’s amazing how little the freeze dried food changes. Check out these freeze-dried mushrooms– they look like they are fresh:
What I’ve Freeze-Dried So Far:
- Bananas (a definite favorite)
- Strawberries
- Raw steak chunks
- Cantaloupe
- Green beans
- Peaches
- Yogurt drops
- Shredded cheese
- Mushrooms
- Avocados
- Raspberries
- Chicken broth
One of the coolest things I freeze dried was homemade chicken broth. As crazy as it sounds, I simply poured liquid broth on the trays, and let the machine do its thing. It came out looking like a cross between cotton candy and fiberglass insulation (super appetizing description, eh?). But it tasted and smelled just like broth should– I crushed it up and have been reconstituting it in water or adding it to recipes for extra flavor.
What I’m Freeze-Drying Next:
- Applesauce drops (for Prairie Baby)
- Watermelon
- Whole meals (excited to play around with this)
- Cooked meats to add to stews/soups later
- Lots more fruits/veggies, especially since everything is in season right now.
- Homemade ice cream (Yes, really. Not that I need to preserve ice cream, but more because it makes a fun treat.)
What I DON’T Love About the Home Freeze Dryer:
It’s Big
This isn’t something you’re going to keep on your kitchen counter… It’ll need to go in a separate room or in your garage. Another option is to keep it on a small cart and wheel it around when you plan to use it.
It’s Noisy
Not like jackhammer-loud, but it’s louder than a dishwasher for sure– especially when it’s on the drying cycle and the vacuum pump is running. We are keeping ours in our storage room in the basement, and I can still hear it humming when I’m upstairs.
It Takes a While
As amazing as the machine is, it’s not instantaneous. It takes 20-40 hours to freeze dry a batch of food (depending on the food…) Thankfully, you don’t have to sit there and babysit it the whole time.
There’s a Learning Curve
When we first pulled the freeze dryer from the box, it was pretty intimidating… It took me a good couple cycles before I figured out my sweet spot with the machine, and the vacuum pump does require a bit of maintenance (simple oil changes). However, no part of it is difficult– just expect to take a little time learning about the machine. Come to think of it, most food preservation requires a bit of a learning period, so I suppose this is not too much different in that aspect than canning or fermenting.
What I LOVE About the Home Freeze Dryer:
The Food is Much More Nutritious
Unlike canning or dehydrating, the home freeze dryer does not use high temperatures. This enables up to 97% of the nutrients in the food to be preserved. And you might be surprised to hear me say this, but as much as I love canning, if I had to choose between canning a batch of food and freeze-drying a batch of food, I’d pick freeze-drying. Not only because I like the end result better, but also because it’s easier and I don’t end up with a hot, sticky kitchen.
Freeze-Dried Food Lasts Forever
If you properly package and store your freeze dried foods, you can expect 20-25 years of shelf life from them– that’s pretty darn impressive if you ask me… Plus it’s easier to move around/store freeze-dried foods, as compared to jars of heavy canned foods.
It Reduces Waste
One of the ways I’m finding I’m using my machine the most is to take care of random leftovers. If we have a serving of this or that lying around, I throw it in the freeze dryer, whereas before, it likely would have been forgotten about and accidentally left to spoil. The pigs (our homestead garbage disposals) aren’t super happy about this, but they’ll get over it.
The Food Tastes Awesome!
Whenever I pull a new batch of food out of the freeze dryer, I have hoard of hungry vulture-children circling the trays waiting to sample the latest creation. The freeze-dried fruits and veggies make excellent snacks– they are flavorful and crunchy, with no junk added.
It’s Easy to Get Help/Education
I’ve found Harvest Right to be excellent to work with– they are extremely fast and professional, and have been willing to help me with any questions I had. Their website is also full of recipes and tutorials, and you can even download their full Home Freeze Drying Guide for free here. (Scroll down that page a bit, and then enter your email for instant access.)
The Cost
If you’ve researched home freeze dryers in the past, you know they aren’t cheap.
When I first saw the price tag ($2995) I cringed a bit. However after seriously evaluting this machine for four months now, while I believe it’s NOT for everyone, I am confident in saying if you are serious about preparedness or food preservation, this is a good investment.
First off, if you are currently purchasing freeze-dried food for emergency preparedness (which is smart because it lasts so much longer than anything else), there is a hefty chunk of money to be saved on that end. Take peaches for example.
The approximate cost of a #10 can of commercially prepared freeze-dried peaches is around $43.
If you freeze-dry your own peaches, you would pay approximated $6.93 for the fresh fruit, $1.80 for the electricity to run the freeze-dryer, and $0.75 for the mylar bag and oxygen absorber. That comes to $9.48 total– a savings of $33.52– just for one can of peaches. You can imagine how fast that adds up if you’re frequently purchasing commercial freeze-dried food.
Also, the machine is a workhorse. If you are using it steadily, you can squirrel away a LOT of food. As I was chatting with Harvest Right, they shared this:
“It’s not uncommon for customers to preserve 1,500 lbs of food in a year with their freeze dryer. This amounts to roughly 350 #10 cans of food which would easily cost $10,000.”
To sum it up? If you’re a fan of food preservation, a prepper, or just a homestead geek like me, I think you’ll REALLY enjoy this machine, and I believe it is absolutely worth the investment. And even if you’re just curious, or need more info about home freeze drying in general, you’ll really enjoy the Harvest Right Website— I spent several hours looking around there.
Click here to learn more about the Harvest Right Home Freeze Dryer
Do any of you have a home freeze dryer? What’s your favorite thing to freeze-dry?
(Disclosure: Harvest Right sent me a freeze dryer to try (but not to keep) so I could share my thoughts and experience with you here. All opinions are purely my own. The links shared in this post are affiliate links. This means if you decided to purchase a freeze dryer after reading this post and clicking on one of these links, I will get a small commission that helps to support this blog. So, thanks!)
Are you going to buy one?
I was wondering the same thing. Do you like it enough to purchase one?
Yes, I have this tester for a few more months, and after that my husband and I very seriously considering purchasing one of our own. Just sorting out finances. 🙂
How soon after one batch ends, can you start another? What is needed to be done between batches?
I bought one 2 mos ago and love it. Much better technology and results than I ever expected. So easy. Freeze drying everything. Perfect for RV food supply and Harvestright people put customer satisfaction before profit. I received unit damaged in shipment and they sent me another one before I even had chance to return this one. You’re in for a great surprise if you have any questions or complaints. Great folks.
I am so sorry I invested my hard earned money I made on my little business on the piece of equipment. I am a nutritionist / dietitian and have been in the food industry for over 30 years and have never seen so much trouble with a piece of equipment! The unit completely shuts down at unexpected times interrupting the process and posing a food safety risk. I had the unit loaded with delicious treats for our families backpacking trip next week and now it is completely dead – the green board dark in spite of the fact that there is power to the unit. Think twice before you invest!
Others have mentioned amazing customer service as a plus. If I may ask, what was your experience when you contacted the company?
BEWARE!!! – DO NOT BUY HARVEST RIGHT FREEZE DRYER
I am experiencing the most terrible experience with Harvest Right in general -means the quality of the equipment and their customer service.
I am regretting that I ever purchased a Harvest Right. Our has not worked properly since I received the machine arrived 2,5 month ago. Our experience with customer service has been dreadful and is turning into a nightmare
Before I made the purchased I communicated with the harvest right sales person- during the selling he was very responsive to all my enquiries.
I explained the purpose of purchasing the machine is for home industry purposes and I am living overseas in Indonesia. HR (Harvest Right) sales guy was confirming if the equipment is ideal for home industry, being operated in Indonesia climate and customer support guarantee. So I made a purchase of one large freeze dryer.
I encountered with all crazy issues below:
-HR issued me an invoice with much higher shipping cost than the actual cost and I found out when I received the good -by seeing the actual charges on FedEx invoice receipt. They also quoted me VAT much lower than what I the actual charge so that I will purchase HR equipment. When I asked them to explain and to give the refund of the overcharge I never get any reply from neither customer support & sales guy. I had to follow up with many phone call they never give me explanation. So I ended up overpaying the freight and having to pay 40% VAT.
-I wasn’t able to run my first batch because they sent me faulty vacuum pump and hose. I had to wait for 3 weeks until they sent me a replacement.
– Before I proceed with the transaction they have offered the deal of free set of heat sealer and Mylar kit. This never arrived. I had to send many emails but did not get any response. I had to follow up with many phone call until they sent me one. But as soon as I received it the heat sealer is not working. They sent me faulty item again. I told them about this but no replied of course.
– I run so many batches of foods, I only had 1 batch successfully freeze dried and that’s not even properly dried. So I had wasted at least 5-6 full batches of foods.
– The issue with my machine, during the drying process the chamber flooded with water, so food never can be dried even you run it forever. I sent many email this issue with attaching pictures – never get any response than I had to follow up with phone call. Than they diagnosed the issue and promised me to send the replacement of the faulty part.
– It took them more than 1 week just to dispatch and sent the replacement part . To follow up this mater I had to send many emails and follow up with many phone calls.
– Until today I have not receive the replacement part and after 2.5 month receiving the machine I have not able to start making anything.
– I have invested this money to start my business But I think this is a big mistake of purchasing HR machine.
– The machine is not running smoothly and quite messy- it sprayed oil everywhere and make quite loud noise when the vacuum pump run. I don think this is ideal for home use unless you put it at the basement or garage
I wish I had something good to say about their customer service but it has been awful. They have tried several times to weasel out of their responsibility. It pains me that I need to warn others about Harvest Right but I now feel it’s the right thing for me to do. Buyer Beware.
A friend of mine bought one that had the defective pump that sprayed oil, but they quickly replaced his. The pump they are using now (which I have) is much better.
I keep mine in the guest room, because my kitchen is too small. This has not been a problem (not used while I have overnight guests), and it isn’t nearly as loud as the earlier models. I sleep across the hall with both doors open. Like white noise from a ceiling fan. The earlier models obviously had some problems, and customer service was poor. They got better.
Hello Vandia,
Are you located in indonesia? Is it possible if i have your direct contact? Because at the moment, i’m considering to purchase Harvest Right freeze dryer to use locally in Indonesia.
I need to know your feed back on your harvest right machine.
I really hope to hear from you soon.
Thanks
North Burg
I have had nothing but problems with this machine after 4weeks of running the machine,from vacuum pump issues and touch screen issues. Harvest Right customer service was awesome untilI made my final payment and now no returned phone calls or emails and my freeze dryer does not work. It now builds pressure but then stops after ten minutes and says the connections need to be reconnected.After several reconnections still the machine will not run through the dry time. This is a great concept but what a let down if you get a lemon. If you buy this machine you will have issues watch the you tube videos on maintenance and harvest right fixes.
I have posted on this site my experience with the Harvest Right. I would strongly discourage anyone from getting it. Our unit will not maintain a vacuum and every suggestion made by the company to remedy the situation fails. Our of 20 attempt to freeze dry, I have had just one successful run of apples. After the company ran out of ideas, they seemingly abandoned us. Not good character, in my opinion.
“My wife and I, both holistic medical doctors, purchased a Harvest Right and would definitely recommend against getting one. I don’t think that it is a product ready for market. My freeze dryer had a circuit problem at the outset. Then I found that it would not do blueberries. I tried at least 20 runs on other fruits, and it would not sustain a vacuum except for one run of apples. It would not even do persimmons.
The company worked with me to trouble shoot and then totally abandoned me when all their ideas and suggestions failed during my persimmon runs. I don’t consider the company reliable, or honorable, and the product is, in my opinion, premature, and is not practical for the average user. I agree with the comment that it is a R&D product, not ready for the market.”
Warning! DO NOT purchase a Harvest Right Freeze Dryer. The very first time that we attempted to freeze dry, the machine didn’t work. We contacted the company to resolve the problem. They told us what to do via email, and it didn’t work. We were told that a tech person would call us, but they never did. We were never informed of their return policy, and after receiving no help to try to get the machine to work, we decided that we were not going to deal with this headache any longer and that we were just going to return it. It was then that we were told for the first time that it was too late to return the machine. (They have a 30-day return policy, and even then you have to pay them 10% of your order amount for them to “re-shelf” their freeze dryer.) So even using it, and having it never work would cost you up to $300+, to return it, if you do it within 30 days. We didn’t even feel like we knew enough about how to use it at that point. I wish I had something good to say about their customer service but it has been horrible. They treated us with such disrespect, and cruelty, and never resolved the issue. This has been a very expensive mistake. If a company cannot stand behind a product, perhaps they should not sell it. Back to the drawing board with this invention.
I just purchased my medium sized machine, set up was easy, I followed the instructions as they are very clear.
I made one batch successfully. The sencond batch I started the machine cut off. Thinking it was pulling too much power, I ran a dedicated line to it. Machine still kicked off after about 60 seconds.
I hope I dont have a bad experience. I emailed “Ryan”. I seen his name come up in a few things on the internet. He was my account manager.
It is a very expensive machine to not work properly.
I always had really good correspondence with them Josh– I know they’ll take care of you!
I so wish we would have read more reviews prior to investing in Harvest Right! It was such an expensive piece of equipment that we are unable to use. I keep thinking of how much freeze dried food we could have bought with almost $6000. Maybe the first indication of a bad product would be that they only warranty their product for a year and they put the majority of the cost to fix the problem on the consumer, if they fix it at all.
This company should be investigated for lemon products and should be forced to disclose the life expectancy of their products. Do you think we should contact the AG of their state to report the problem? What options do consumers have?
I bought one and have had it for 4 months .I LOVE it and keep it going most of the time. There is machine maintenance between loads, and I have reduced that to minimum time.
The noise of the newer models is minor. I have a small downsize retirement house, and my kitchen just isn’t big enough. So after all kinds of trials, I put it on a dresser in the guest room that is directly across the tiny hall from my bedroom and worried about the noise. No problem. With both doors open, I sleep fine. It’s quiet white noise like a ceiling fan, although I wouldn’t run it while I had guests sleeping in there. Loading and unloading every other day or so isn’t inconvenient, as it takes 2 trips from the kitchen. It doesn’t NEED to be in the kitchen. A friend of mine has his in his greenhouse. Forget sharing one with 3 or4 other families, as people keep suggesting. It can do 2 to 3 loads a week, which means not enough time if you share it. Also it is heavy (I have the 5-tray model, which takes 2-3 people to lift). Mine is rarely idle except for routine maintenance. School lunches for allergic child, camping foods, emergency food, preserving harvest, healthy snacks. Well worth what I paid, and it’s warrantied. Friend needed pump replaced, and he got another one fast.
I bought a medium HR freeze dryer at our local Big R retailer and also eventually a couple a Tractor Supply. The quality control at the manufacturer is terrible! 5 of the 6 failed to come down to pressure and were returned to the retailer. We got one that worked properly. Hopefully it continues to work. An 83% failure rate for a brand new $3000 appliance is totally unacceptable!
I started looking at the commercial versions of these things 10 years ago and was so excited when I found the home version of them. When we’re finally done paying off our student loans it’s one of the purchases I have on my list.
Yay!
I would highly recommend you use extreme caution and do due diligence before making a very expensive purchase of a machine that is highly unreliable and a company with a poor customer service record.
We are currently in a long drawn out process dealing with Harvest Right. Our machine cost $2300 at a trade show. It has not worked for even one run. We have gone thru an extensive back and forth process with the company staring with filing and sanding the stainless steel food chamber edge, replacing the large rubber seal, sending run cycle logs and taking off the side panel and running diagnostics. We learned our unit has no freon and that it can not be replaced by a local HVAC company. This is after making multiple calls to local companies at the request of Harvest Right.
Harvest Right is now asking us to ship the unit back for repairs. We had to go out and find our own pallet and are now in the process of packaging up the machine. Of course the unit is now out of warranty (beware of the very short warranty period!).
To say this process has been painful and unrewarding would be an understatement. It would be fair to say our confidence in the machine and the company is quite low.
My advice is simply buyer beware. We now seriously regret our $2300 mistake. Our only hope is that no one else repeats our mistake. That at least would lessen the sting of our purchase.
Thank you
I was suspicious of the one year warranty nc if they believe in their product should stand behind it.
Is there any other company? I really want a freeze dryer but this one has terrible reviews!
Thanks for the great review Jill! It is on our wishlist 🙂 There is a gal that sets up at our Farmer’s Market and sells freeze dried items, the cantaloupe is delicious! This would be perfect to create meals and snacks for camping trips or when there is an abundance of produce 🙂
I love the idea of selling freeze-dried food at the Farmer’s Market!
Now THAT, is a great idea. I’ve considered getting this freeze dryer but never thought of selling some of the food at the farmers market. It could actually offset the price.
Selling Harvest Right Freeze dried food at a Farmers Market?
You can’t be serious! Clearly you have no concept of the cost cycle for producing small batches of freeze dried food. Foolish thought at best.
What a FANTASTIC idea! We have a farm stand and I have so many raspberries that are so fragile and don’t last long. There is no more room in my freezer and I don’t want to waste them. What an awesome thing if I could freeze dry them and sell them there and at our farmer’s markets too! No more wasted food!
It would be nice if you had a group of friend’s or family to split the cost with. You could have “prep parties” and share the end result. Home cooking would be so much more enjoyable if most of your ingredients were on hand and ready to use! Love this idea, just can afford it 🙁
Yes, I think splitting the cost in a group would be a great way to make it more affordable.
Think about the logistics before you do this! I don’t think it will work. The unit is very heavy and needs 2 people to move it, risking damage. Moving it would get old in a hurry. This isn’t like a microwave or a toaster. It weighs nearly 200 lbs and requires a pickup truck. You can do about 2-3 batches per week, which means you would want the unit for 3 weeks at least on your turn. Everybody is going to want it at the same time during strawberry season and other times when fruits and veggies are ripening. You won’t want to wait weeks for your turn and watch fruit spoil. There is regular maintenance on the vacuum pump, and everybody has to commit to do it, or the pump will be ruined. Better to save your pennies and buy your own. Lots of people SAY this is a great idea to buy one as a group, but I haven’t yet found a group who did it and made it work.
As for “prep parties,” forget it. My large one has 5 trays. I can prep and fill them in 10 minutes or less. You can’t cram it full. You must spread thin pieces out on the trays so they can dry. Then it takes 1 1/2- 2 1/2 days to run a batch, depending on how much moisture is in the food. The unit is good for one family.
I think people who envision 4 families sharing one think they are like microwave ovens. But they take time to process food. You aren’t going to want to go to the trouble of moving and setting it up and doing maintenance for ONE or TWO batches and then be without it for 3 or 4 weeks.
I do have a Harvest Right freeze dryer. I LOVE IT!! Like you said, yes there is maintenance w/the vacuum pump, but what piece if good equipment doesn’t? My car does, our tractors do, our house does, everything, even our pets do. So it’s no big deal. It’s easy.
My favorite thing to freeze dry is cheesecake. I’m in love. I don’t even rehydrate it. It’s thee best snack I have ever had (but it really like cheesecake). My food storage has grown tremendously. Yes I can, freeze and dehydrate. But by far my favorite way to preserve is by freeze drying!
I love to hear this me and my SO have been talking about getting one but at this time it’s a good bit out of our budget but hoping in a few years prices will go down just like everything else…
I CAN NOT WAIT to try cheesecake!!
I used to purchase little packets of freeze dried ice cream from a science and nature store when I was teaching my elementary school classes about outer space. it was expensive but awesome and the kids loved it. The space program is where this all started I guess!
I would love a recipe. We have never done cheesecake.
Hello Jodi Cron,
How long have you had your Freeze Dryer? Is it worth the work, as someone else said it wasn’t? What can you tell me to make my choice to purchase it a must?
I have had mine since Feb 2018, and it’s been great. The earlier models had some problems, and the company had to learn better customer service. Those problems seem to have been worked out, and the vacuum pump that was a problem (sprayed oil) has been replaced with a much better one. I’m glad I didn’t buy mine sooner, because I got a better one than my friend who bought last summer. He needed HR to replace the pump, and they did. He also suggested some modifications, which the owner made on subsequent models. It’s a better product now than the first units. I recommend it.
I have both a freeze dryer and a dehydrator, and there is a place for both. I use both. For really long-term preserving and for food that can be reconstituted to be like the original, FD is the way to go. However, I use both!
I have the EXACT Harvest Right Freeze Dryer!!! So many people scrunch up their nose and ask, “Why would you want such a thing?” “What does it do to the food?” “I don’t know if I would eat THAT!” My hubby was a bit skeptical as well, he was concerned with taste. Tonight, we officially ended his skepticism! He decided to cook tonight, so he made chili. We set the table, put the big pot of chili on the table, the sour cream, the crackers, and he asked for the shredded cheese. Would you believe we were totally out of shredded cheese in the fridge? (Note: we have five kids, four of which are growing boys that devour food almost faster than we can bring it in the door, and put it away.) Hubs was a bit disgusted at the thought of ZERO shredded cheese, he began complaining a little. It was then that I remembered we had freeze dried several trays of shredded cheese. I asked one of the boys to go into our food storage room, and locate the cheese in the large bucket container marked “cheese”. Within a few minutes he returned with a Vacuum Sealed Mylar Bag filled with shredded cheese. We opened up the bag, and passed it around the table, we didn’t even re-hydrate it. I instructed everyone to put the cheese on top of their chili, and simply stir it in. I re-hydrated beautifully right inside the chili bowls, and tasted just like it was fresh. This mama scored with her family tonight!
HOw cool!
You can make your own astronaut food!!
and MRE’s!
How much is this thing?
New is listed at $2,995
New on the website now is listed as $3495. So the sale gets it down to $2995. I have to tell you it feels pretty sneaky – like they raised the price $500 just to have a $500 sale…which isn’t a “sale” at all.
Yea I agree. Pretty messed up but unfortunately most companies do things like this and not sure if u have noticed but Black Friday sales have been doing this to select items as well. TVs is a big thing I have noticed in that aspect… Pretty dirty tactic if you ask me.
The price originally started well above $4,000 and then for the last year it was at $3,995. They started offering some sales that brought it down to $3,495, but only when it was on sale. But, in the spring, they dropped the retail price to $3,495 and have been offering sales on top of that price. The retail price has never been lower than $3495 (without a sale). Seems like Harvest Right has tried to bring the price down since it first started. List price is actually still $3495. Doesn’t seem to be any tricks. The $500 (plus sometimes additional value) brings it under the $3,000 mark, which is good.
The original price on that was $4800, so the price HAS dropped. I doubt it will go much lower any time soon. I paid $2995 when it was on sale.
$2995, but they frequently have sales (like $500 off, etc)
They also have been having contests to get a chunk of money off it. I’ve been watching for awhile now, thanks for your reviews. My husband doesn’t like most freeze dried anything, but my daughter and I really do.
What’s not to like? Everything we’ve tried is YUMMY and tastes FRESH.
I talked to them on phone they do sell returned refurbished ones cheaper I will probably get one of those
I have heard that, as well. But they don’t always have them.
A “cheaper” mistake is still a mistake, just not as costly.
Think twice before you commit and if you do … buyer beware!
I have one & I love it. It is loud though. The only place we have for ours is in the kitchen. I have freeze dried so many things but my absolute favorite is fresh pineapple my husband’s is orange jello. He says that it is fizzy. The learning curve for me has been how much water to reconstitute the food. Full meals have been the hardest to reconstitute.
Whoa– have never thought of trying jello in it!
I ordered my Harvest Right last night. They say it will take 2 weeks to arrive – I can’t wait. As far as the amount of water to add, I have a theory I am eager to try. Weigh the food before and after drying and reconstitute with the difference. I’ll let you know in a couple weeks how that works out for me.
What has your experience been with it so far?
So many people have negative reviews for this company. How has your experience of it been so far?
Our experience has been horrible. $2300 mistake. Has not worked once. Terrible support from the company, now out of a very brief warranty. Buyer beware. Don’t repeat our mistake!
Measure the water that it puts out as it defrosts, and you will know how much the whole batch takes.
I just add a little boiling water at a time until it seems the right consistency and then note how much I added for future reference.
I’m trying to win one. This year has been a lot of medical bills for me so money is short. I really want one. I doubt I’ll ever win so it will take a while to save the money. Plus hubby would have to agree.
Am interested in supporting your blog…have been interested in freeze drying…please send info. Thanks Bunches
Hey Art, that’s great! You can purchase through the link at the bottom of this post (this link: http://harvestright.com/jillw.html) That’s the company website with info, and I get credit for purchases through that link as well. 🙂
Thank you for this article! I have long been a fan of freeze dried food but had no idea there was one for home use. LOVE it!! Might have to see if I can get family to go in with me on shares. 🙂
You’re so welcome! Hope you can get a family group together and get one!
Read my comments on that.
Your comments were narrow-minded. I can see how a freeze dryer could be co-opted easily, kept in a single location, each family could buy their own trays/bagging supplies, pre-freeze their batches, run them on a rotation schedule, change the oil after their batch, meter the electrical usage/reimburse the cost of the electricity to the family who houses the thing. There are people in this world who would gladly cooperate with each other to share the cost and all reap the benefits.
I wish I had family that lived close by and were also “preppers”. I could go in halvsies with them to purchase one. Those of you who do, however, this would be a great way to purchase one of these freeze dryers. Maybe the price will go down someday. Until then, I’ll just can, freeze, and dehydrate.
Honestly, I don’t think it is big enough to keep two families in production. Because it takes 20-40 hours to freeze a #10 can of food, one family can keep it busy. The other issue is it is hard to do a bushel of peaches, they ripen before you can freeze-dry them all. It works much better for small batch stuff.
We own this freeze-dryer and have found that if we freeze the food first, we can get a lot of food started through the preservation cycle while it waits to go into the freeze-dryer. Also, it takes the cycle less time because the food was already frozen, which would have to happen inside the machine anyway. Win-win!! We have been very pleased with the whole experience, and the food looks and tastes great!
A representative from Harvest Right suggested I not freeze food prior to freeze drying as some food will get a very thin amount of ice on it which can actually prolong the cycle. I’ve only have my FD for a week and completed 4 batches, 1 of which I froze first. They all seem to take forever. Every batch except Bananas have taken well over 36 hours 🙁
I love the machine but the estimated hours aren’t even close for my machine.
I have been wanting one for ages because I really do believe we are in for another great depression. However, the cost has stopped me. My thought is that one machine could be shared by several families, thus dividing the cost. Also, I would put mine out on my back patio during the summer where the noise wouldn’t be a bother. What do you think? Would anyone else like to “share one” in the Arvada, CO area?
As long as temperature is not too hot. Extreme heat and cold will affect performance. The owner’s manual says that the recommended temperature range for operation is 35-90 degrees Fahrenheit. (The most efficient temperature range is between 45-80 degrees Fahrenheit.) Although safe, operating your freeze dryer in temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit could affect batch times and have an adverse effect on the condensing unit (freezer). As the temperature rises where your freeze dryer operates, so does the length of time it takes to finish batches of food.
I think you would be inviting rust if it stays out there all the time. Sharing one is not as easy as you think. It can manage about 2-3 batches per week, with maintenance in between. How long would each family keep it? What if everybody wants it during strawberry season? It takes 2-3 strong men to lift it and at least a pickup truck. Moving it every few weeks would be a real pain and risk damage. Coordinating schedules between families would drive you nuts.
I’ve been wanting one of these because I don’t like to can or dehydrate food. My preference is to always eat fresh but that’s not always possible during the winter if I want my own harvest.
This was helpful – thanks for sharing.
I have one, since May. Everything you said in this blog, I ditto. It does take a learning curve, like anything else. And yes, my 7 kids eat the food as quickly as it comes out of the dryer. I have managed to squirrel away some strawberries and other yummy fruits for a rainy day, but I enjoy the completely prepared meals the best. GREAT way to avoid spoiled leftovers. Freeze dried fried rice with veggies once reconstituted was very good!
Thanks for your blog! I lived in Moose, Wy for two years, and although I am now Great Lakes region, my heart still lives in Wyoming.
How much does it cost to operate? Does it take a lot of electricity?
Good question! I would like to know this too since we have just converted over to solar panels!
Cost varies, depending where you live and what you’re freeze drying. I’m in Utah and I am under $2.00 per day. My dad also has one (in Utah) and has only noticed an increase in bill of about $30 per month.
We purchased a freeze-dryer a few years ago and love it. We keep it on an industrial cart in the garage so when it is done at 2:00 am in the morning we don’t have to hear it chirp at us.
I just installed the freeze-dryer flush kit from http://freezedryeraccessories.com/ and although expensive, I would recommend it strongly to the serious freeze-dryer. It creates a way to circulate your oil from both the front and back chamber of the vacuum pump, through an oil filter, keeping the oil cleaner adding years to the life of the pump. (That pump is a 700+ dollar fix if it goes out).
It also makes it really easy to drain the water that accumulates in the oil after every use, with a quick disconnect, also saving you from having to do as many oil changes. It was $243, not cheap, but great insurance to protect a multi-thousand dollar investment.
The freeze-dryer is definitely something, if you are going to buy it, you will need to use or it is waste of money. Too big to be a paper weight.
Thanks so much for this article, Jill. Bummer you don’t get to keep it for your review 😉
I’m curious about electricity costs and necessary power to run it – do you think a generator would be able to run it? Did you electric bill go up a lot – like running an air conditioner or is it more like running a smaller appliance? Food pics look great BTW 🙂
More like a small appliance. Cost varies, depending where you live, what you are freeze drying, and how many hours you are using your freeze dryer. I’m in Utah and I am under $2.00 per day.
we have been considering buying a Harvest Right – a bit of money, but many long term benefits and savings, for certain. regarding group purchases/sharing- we thought about this, but the problem of scheduling use, especially during harvest time seem complicated. any suggestions on how to approach that problem would be appreciated.
maintenance – i have not read their maintenance manual, but have been told by a person who has a Harvest Right, that the compressor needs to be drained after every use, is this correct?
Yes, it does need oil maintenance on occasion. Not a full change after every use, but you need to address it after multiple uses. If you have HUGE batches of something, you may need to still freeze or can portions of it (so it wouldn’t spoil waiting to all go through the freeze dryer).
After I vacuum-seal the food, I drain the oil (after every 3-4 uses) and slowly heat it OUTDOORS (it stinks!) on a $10 hot plate to bubble off all the water that the oil absorbed. Then I cool the oil and filter it and return it to the pump. Meanwhile the ice in the drum is melting and draining into a bucket. I empty the bucket, and load the next batch of food. That maintenance takes about 2 hours, but it doesn’t require my attention the whole time, so long as I glance outside now and then at the bubbling oil. I can be doing other things while the oil bubbles off water and the ice in the drum melts. You can use the same oil for a long time. BTW, my FD is in the guest room and doesn’t disturb my sleep across the hall with both doors open. Like white noise of a ceiling fan.
I bought a freeze dryer 2 years ago snd love it, i do all my fruits, veggies, raw eggs and eggs, raw And cooked meats, meals every thing. It has been the best thing I’ve bought for my home stead in along time.
So much fun, huh?
How do you re-constitute whole meals? say like lasagna. or spaghetti. or what ever else you may make . re-constituting means adding back the water but if I were to add water to a lasagna it would become soggy wouldn`t it ?
Whatever you freeze dry will be dry as a saltine cracker. You add just enough hot water to return it to its original consistency.
It helps to keep food in small or thin pieces.
I’ve been following a lady’s Facebook group for the HR freeze dryers because I’m considering purchasing one. But, it scares me when I read about problems people are having because I am not mechanically inclined. The company assures me many of the issues are operator error and things will be fine if I follow the manual. Jill, what is your opinion after using it?
I don’t think it’s overly complicated– as long as you follow the manual, I wouldn’t be worried. And their customer service is great.
Each time I start a batch (after doing the pump maintenance at the end of every 3-4 batches) I do this:
1. turn on the switch in back.
2. close the drain (screen reminds you)
3. push “continue”
THAT’S IT. It chirps when it’s done, and the touch screen keeps you posted at all times as to how long it has run and how much time is left. Its settings are already preset, and I never saw any reason to change them.
I recommend wiping the inside of the door before each use for a better seal. Simple to operate.
Seriously impressive images of the food you’ve dried. Looks like fresh – I nearly typed ‘real’ there. You put a very good spin on it, and my thoughts immediately jumped to selling at the local Farmer’s Market, wherein one would recoup the cost quite quickly I imagine.
Yes– it’s amazing how ‘real’ they do look! 😉
I was wondering about the amount of electricity it uses. What about the wattage it runs at?
This is important when considering the expense of the machine, not just the original purchase of the equipment. What is the average kilowatt use age for an average load?
I read it takes about 1300 watts most of the cycle except for the dry cycle where it can take 1800 watts for a few hours. A lot less than an air conditioner.
I also found this on their website: Harvest Right has taken every precaution to make this appliance run as affordably as possible. Since our home freeze dryer uses a standard 110 volt, your freeze dryer will cost $1.40-$2.80 a day, depending on power costs in your area.
At peak, the freeze dryer draws about 17 amps (1870 watts), but on the average about 9 to 11 amps (990-1210 watts) of power per hour. A dedicated 20 amp circuit is recommended.
Would you say this is something several families could invest in to help fray the initial expense and then take a turn using the machine or sharing product?
Absolutely! Great idea.
No, terrible idea. It can handle about 2-3 loads a week, which is not enough to share time. There is maintenance in between. I keep mine running nearly all the time.
This is so fascinating! How about coffee?? Can you make your own instant coffee?
You bet!
How do you do that? Do you just freeze dry ground coffee?
This sounds perfect! My husband and I are planning on retiring about four hours north of where we live right now. It’s a perfect paradise in summer, but almost everything closes down in winter when the aren’t any tourists. And it snows A LOT there in the winter, going to the chain grocery an hour away might not always be an option. Having my summer garden (and farmer’s market) food freeze dried for the winter sounds like a perfect solution! This is going on my must-have list for self sufficiency 🙂
You mention freeze drying steak chunks, I’d be very interested in a post on how those turn out rehydrated and cooked 😀
I must be the only person that has gotten poor customer service. I have called numerous times only to be put on hold then leave a message. Prior experience shows that customer service does not answer phone messages or emails. For me it has been hit and miss and most of the time its miss. I have had problems since I purchased the machine in Feb. 2016. I had to pick up the machine at trucking company because there 18 wheeler would not fit down my street. After unpacking the machine no instructions came with it, had to have it emailed to get started. Harvest Right did eventually send one after I complained. Then instructions were poorly written and did not address hardly any questions that I had. Again numerous calls to get information. Have had numerous problems with drying cycle. Have had to replace touch screen as it went black. Harvest Right sent new one with no installation instructions. I attempted to install with no success. Again I complained and they sent new one with instructions. Had a tech friend install. Now the touch pad is not working proper but does work. I have had to completely clean pump, could not see into window for oil level. After again having to make numerous calls I was able to talk to tech. He emailed me a list of 17 possible causes for poor vacuum pump problems. I tried as many as I could with no success. I have tried calling with no success. I now have what I consider a $3,000.00 paper weight. It is obvious to me that the owner Dan Nevelle (I hope you read this post) does not have much to do with operational controls or know what is going on in the customer support area or does not care. He can hire Ron Paul as a spoken but can’t fix the simple things. Prior to buying this paper weight, I did a lot of research an thought Harvest Right was exactly what I was looking for. I told many of my friends I had some issues in the beginning but when the machine works correctly its’ great. I still believe that when the freezer is working correctly it’s great. Problem is it rarely works right. I’m tired of losing product and money on a machine that doesn’t work correctly. I wonder if Ron Paul has these issues, but then probably not. Now to see if Harvest Right responds to this review and what they are going to do. I either have an inferior product or a lemon. Either way it’s cost me $3,000.00.
I hope Harvest Right has contacted you to resolve these issues. I know they want everyone to have a working freeze dryer and be happy with their purchase. Very few people are not happy, and Harvest Right tries to resolve the ones that aren’t.
I can’t recommend this product. The videos and websites and blogs (which appear to work on commission or something) do not mention the realities of operating this machine – it is heavy, over 100 pounds, and requires it own dedicated 20amp circuit. Demos show this machine being used in a kitchen, but this machine is so loud, that being in the kitchen at the same time it is running is impossible. It is hot and takes a long time. Cycles last 12-24 hours. We had to put it into the garage, but who has heating and cooling in their garage to maintain the recommended operating temps for the machine. The vacuum pump (not shown in the fancy videos) is highly sensitive and frequently drips or sprays its hot oil. Not only that the oil has to be drained from the pump and filtered after each use. Messy and annoying! None of this is mentioned in the videos and on their fancy website.
Although we were assured by customer reps that the machine is “easy” to use, it is far from that. Our experience was very unpleasant, involving us being sent a damaged machine, and after that, as a replacement, a machine so poorly constructed that it never once functioned properly. The hose for the pump was not even the correct hose and leaked air so it never achieved a vacuum. Then, a cable inside turned out to be the wrong cable. We had to submit a claim to the BBB before our concerns were taken seriously and we could finally get a proper refund.
Beware – if you order and even try to use the machine, it voids the return/refund policy. It could quit one week after you get it, having used it only once or twice, and you’ll be stuck with it, no refund possible. They’ll try to help make it work again, but as we found, working with their customer service is a very protracted and nerve-wracking experience. The amount of food we lost trying to get the machine to work and the time we wasted on trouble-shooting was very frustrating. After 3 months, we finally got our money back.
Harvest’s Rights response to my first negative review was to contact me within hours and threaten not to give me the promised refund until I had removed the review. They also had the negative review removed from what appears now to be a blog run by their own marketing department.
From what I read, many people had poor customer service at first and the pumps that sprayed oil. Those got worked out by the time I bought mine in Feb 2018. I’d keep after HD if I were you! If you can get them to replace the pump with their newer model, your problems may be over. They changed the pump for a much better one. I have had no problems with mine.
I purchased a Harvest Right freeze dryer in February 2016 and have been using it consistently ever since. I cannot speak to other customer service complaints, but I can say that my experience with the customer service people has been uniformly positive. I have called perhaps 10 times to request troubleshooting information or guidance, and each time they have been professional, responsive, and courteous.
As for the machine itself, I am very pleased with it. I have no regrets about purchasing it, and am instead very glad I did. It has turned out to be a sort of catalyst for me too work on building up my food storage. So far I have freeze-dried perhaps 150 pounds of meat (chicken, sausage, beef, etc.) as well as large quantities of fruits (strawberries, mango, papaya, pineapple, bananas, grapes, apples, plums, etc.) vegetables (corn, peas, tomatoes, green beans, fresh frozen mixed vegetables from Costco, etc.), eggs (both cooked and raw), dairy products (cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, sour cream, yogurt, etc.), and entire meals. There is a very nice peace of mind I have in knowing that I am storing away large quantities of food that are nutritious, diverse, tasty, and shelf stable for many, many years. I have also been building up stores of dry goods, such as wheat, rice, sugar, potato flakes, oatmeal, pasta, powdered milk, and so on. All of these items, both the freeze-dried stuff and the dry goods, are shelf stable for 25-30 years or so, so there is very little risk of waste.
I can also attest to how much my kids love to eat freeze dried food. Freeze dried fruit, like mango and pineapple, are better than any candy you can buy at the store. We have also been on several road trips where I have brought along freeze-dried meals, such as chicken tikka masala. We simply use hot water from the closest gas station to rehydrate the meal, which takes about 5 minutes total. These meals have tasted far better, and have cost much less, then buying food from fast food restaurants while on the road.
I recognize that the unit seems pricey for an individual family. However, when you factor in how much money you spend on normal food storage options (canned, dehydrated, etc.), and how often that food goes to waste because you did not cycle through it all before I went past it use-by date, and when you contrast that with the ability to keep all sorts of different kinds of freeze-dried food in your food storage for years, and when you consider how much nutritional value is lost when food is canned or dehydrated (40% or more of the nutritional value is lost, compared to about 3% for freeze dried food), and when you price out how much it would cost to purchase commercially-prepared freeze dried food (yikes!) and when you realize how delicious freeze dried food is, and how much finicky kids love to eat it . . . well, the cost of the unit starts to look a bit more reasonable overall.
Nevertheless, this machine is probably not a good idea for people who will only have an incidental or temporary interest in food storage. But for those who have a long-term plan or intent to focus on food storage, I think the machine is an excellent option.
Some people above have proposed the idea of sharing a freeze drying machine as a way to reduce the overall expenditure for one family. I think that has some real potential, but there are some practical limitations. The machine is rather heavy, over 100 pounds, and so is not easily transported from one home to another. If you can work that issue out however, then splitting the cost probably makes quite a bit of sense. The wise thing to do would probably be to let one family use it for one month, then let the next family use it for a month, and so on. This would give each family an opportunity to accumulate food to freeze dry during their month, and would also give them a break from freeze drying.
Hello Spencer,
Thank you for what you said! I really have been looking for ways to keep food for a long time! I love to can, make sauses, jellies, and would love to have these last for years! Please email me with more ideas you have and things you think may help our purchase of the Harvest Right Machine.
Hello Janya,
I guess I don’t have much advice, except to encourage you to take the plunge and purchase a machine if you have the financial means to do so. Harvest Right has a layaway program that can help alleviate the initial upfront cost. As I understand it, they will open an account for you to pay into until you reach a certain about (perhaps 60% of the purchase price or something like that). Once the account balance reaches that amount, Harvest Right will send you the machine, and you will pay off the remaining balance of the purchase price (40% or whatever) in interest-free monthly installments spread out over 12 months. If you choose to not purchase the unit, Harvest Right will refund whatever amount you have deposited with them. Call Harvest Right for the details.
Last week I bought a six-pound bag of fresh-frozen tropical fruit at Costco (a mix of mango, strawberries, pineapple, and papaya) and put all six pounds into my freeze dryer. The cycle completed on Saturday night, just as two of my teenagers and their friend were preparing to go out to a dance. They stopped and spent about 20 minutes munching on the freeze dried fruit and marveling at how delicious it was.
Again, I am very glad that I purchased the machine.
Thanks,
-Spencer
Be really careful. These machines do not work as advertised. They are loud, heavy and hot. Draining and filtering oil in-between each cycle that lasts 12-24 hours, if it even finishes at all. Often, it fails and the food has to be tossed out, wait for it all to cool down (10 hours) and a new attempt made. You basically have to babysit the machine day and night to catch the failures and hopefully save the food from sitting there another 10 hours until you notice it has failed to complete.
Once you take delivery of the machine and even use it one time, you’ll never get a refund but will be stuck trying to trouble shoot this machine for days/weeks. It has to be kept in a garage, but guess what the recommended operating temps of the machine hardly exist more than perhaps 6 out of 12 months in anyone’s garage – the rest of the time it is too cold or too hot.
It takes me about 2-3 hours to drain and filter oil and for the ice to melt from the drum, not 12-24. Then it’s ready for the next load.
I gently boil off the water that the oil absorbed and then cool and filter it, prolonging the life of the oil. But you have to do this outside on a hotplate, or it will stink up the house.
You do have to learn what to do, but it’s quick to learn and then easy after that. Same thing every time. The computer takes over and runs the cycles automatically. It beeps when it finishes, and if I am not home, it maintains the vacuum and cold until I shut it off.
It just isn’t that hard.
I have a freeze dry machine for sale (red). With mylar bags, oxygen absorbers, sealer and oil I’ll throw in with it! I purchased it in January 2016. I’ve only used it once. I like it but I’m finding I just dont use it as much as I thought I would. If anyone is interested you can call me at 319-931-5802.
What are you asking for the dryer and what state are you in?
did you ever sell your machine?
We are thinking about purchasing a dryer and noticed that Mylar bags are used. We have a vacuum sealing machine that uses commercial plastic bagging. Will plastic bags work instead of Mylar?
I haven’t tried plastic bags, but I can’t see why they wouldn’t work- the main thing is just keep all the oxygen out. 🙂
Mylar bags are designed to lock out oxygen and light. Plastic over time will seep O2 and the food inside will go rancid. If you are using a vacume sealer I suggest mylar vacume sealer bags and an O2 depleter. You can get them from mylarbagsdirect.com.
Thanks for the review. I was hoping to find information on your electricity bill bump from this machine. I used to dehydrate food years ago and stopped due to excessive PG&E bills. I can imagine this 24-40 hour machine would cause a huge hike. It’s conveniently omitted from any discussions but really needs to be addressed.
Cheryl– scroll up to some of the comments above — you’ll find plenty of numbers on the electricity cost/usage.
Be ware – also not mentioned or shown in the videos, the machine requires its own dedicated 20amp circuit, which hardly anyone just has naturally in their kitchen or even garage. Our machine kicked out the breaker and took down our water heater multiple times. This installation cost is not cheap.
Most appliances require their own breaker. Microwave, fridge, dishwasher, toaster, washing machine. I have plugged this into my washing machine outlet and did not have any problems when laundry was being done at the same time. The problem that I did have was the laundry room was to hot. It was 84F and it was taking a long time to freeze. I moved the unit to the basement and it works so much better there. The way to think about power usage is… It’s about the same power requirements as using your hair dryer.
I had an electrician install the 20 amp outlet right where I wanted it for about $200. No problems. This doesn’t run on your 110 plugs. It has a special plug, like your microwave and kitchen stove, and clothes dryer.
I’m wondering about citrus fruits ..oranges, grapefruit, tangelos, lemons and such also does this machine use a 220 volt or 110 volt?
It uses 110 volt. And I have tried drying 1 batch of oranges- they turned out crunchy. Pretty fun!
120 v, 20 amp. An electrician can easily install the right plug for it.
I wouldn’t purchase it again. I bout mine about 6 months ago. I had problems from the beginning. I had to take it back to their shop which is a 70 min drive for me. They “fixed” the problem and it worked for about 3 weeks. I called and they sent me replacement parts and told me how to install them. It still didn’t work and would shut off before a full cycle was done. They told me I had to bring it back to the shop and I haven’t seen it in three weeks. I hope they lost it so I can get my money back. Feels like an R&D project. Not ready for market yet.
I had big problems with mine. I never worked and took lots of troubleshooting. Definitely not ready for the market yet. Mine was luckily refunded with a lot of frustration on my part. They are very hard to deal with when you have issues!
All I can say is don’t waste your money !
I had big problems with mine. The first one was damaged on arrival, they claimed the shipper had damaged it, but the cardboard box covering was undamaged. Then they sent another one, which never worked. It arrived, we found out after days of trouble shooting and thrown out food, that the hose supplied with the machine was the wrong one. It leaked and the pump ran hot and nearly burned out. They after replacing the hose, it failed again (10 hours into a cycle) this time another problem was diagnosed. It went on and on. Since we had “used” the machine, the company tried to tell us we could not get a refund. We were told that we were the “only unhappy customer” and that “thousands of customers are perfectly happy”. The machine never finished one cycle. We finally had to make a claim at the Better Business B and that is the only way we got taken seriously. After many more emails and combative arguments from their customer service (During which I was also threatened that if I did not take down my negative review I would not get a refund at all), they finally “made an exception” because our case was “so unusual” and they picked up the machine and gave a refund. They claimed the machine was “working perfectly” and that we have “refused to cooperate” with them and simply “move on and use the machine”, in their response to the BBB. We had to have that corrected too.
We’ve been through the same exact problems and we are out 3 thousand dollars .I’m glad yours ended well . Just wish we could be so lucky !
Sorry to hear about your experience!
I received a faulty vacuum pump, incurred shipping costs to return the pump and the worst customer service experience while trying to request info for the replacement pump.
Overall, I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT. The fancy videos and website are not a true representation of how customers are treated should snags occur. Having paid more than $2k, a higher level of courtesy is expected.
Adding injury to insult, I still have not received a replacement pump after 5 days of “run around” customer service phone calls and emails. Having researched complaints with the BBB, a customer’s complaint mirrored my experience exactly.
BUYER BEWARE
I WOULD recommend this product and love mine. I got mine in February, 2018, and improvements have been made. I have a totally different pump from my friend who got his in summer 2017. I know there were some problems early on. In nearly 5 months now I have had no problems, and I keep it going nearly constantly. FD, thaw, treat and cool oil, load another batch. It’s been awesome.
“fancy videos and website are not a true representation of how customers are treated”
Bloggers and YouTube creators are compensated by the company for favorable reviews.
Hopefully no one else will repeat our $2300 mistake.
I am considering the purchase of such a machine. Can anyone post inks to sites that they ahve used for the purchase of Mylar bags and the little packets for inside? Also in regards to the person asking about using a vacuum sealer. I am guessing it would work fine, but the shelf life would not be as good as Mylar. Also with vacuum sealing, any sharp edges do cause a problem,even with the best of bags. I have seen this problem to may times with Jerky, Carrots and other items that had sharper edges when dried. I have never tried freeze drying though, so I may be mistaken. My opinion is from experience with dehydrated foods.
Thanks for all the info everyone, it is appreciated.
I ordered some from HR when I ordered the FD, but I haven’t used them. Instead I bought a vacuum sealer and bags from Walmart and find that is much better. I don’t need oxygen absorbers. The vacuum sealer sucks all the air out. I take my FD food straight from the FD to the vacuum sealer, so it’s exposed to air for only minutes (although you don’t have to be this fanatic). Better system. Store them in darkened area. I am not preparing food for 30 years. I am preparing food for at most 2 years. As well as next month. Hope this helps.
I did read your blog and ordered a freeze dryer and am really disappointed. My unit required days of trouble shooting just to get it to sort of work and I was shocked by how noisy it is. There is no way it can be kept in a kitchen as pictured in so many videos I saw. I thought it would be easy – it is not at all easy, the trouble-shooting and replacing a parts after long conversations with technical support – after several batches of food had been wasted on cycles that failed – were very stressful. The vacuum pump dripping hot oil (or worse yet, spraying it) made the garage the only place to keep it. Yet the garage is too cold or too hot for most of the year. It is really heavy and loud. One it finally did work, it quit again a few weeks later and since then it has been a battle to get any customer service. When I say I want to return it, I am told no luck, because the machine has been used. It definitely is not paying for itself, in fact I wish I had never even thought of buying this machine and I regret having looked at all your fancy photos and thought it would all be so nice for me as well.
Hi Becky,
I’m sorry you haven’t been happy with your machine. However, I say right in the post it’s not something that can be kept in a kitchen, and also that it’s loud, etc. I hope you can get a solution figured out with the company.
I have the new, small version and have no other place for it except my kitchen. Luckily, it’s at the farthest end of the house by the back door. It is very loud during the dry cycles but after a little while we get used to it. It’s definitely louder than a dishwasher but it’s worth it.
No offense, but you saying that your pump constantly leaks and worse, sprays hot oil leads me to think a lot of your problem is with your setting up machine properly. I can think of no other cause for this than poor owner st up. May be a good idea to get someone more technically inclined to check your connections. Nothing personal, lots of things I don’t do well also.
Timing for operation can be helpful for noise. My unit seems to do everything in about 24 hrs, give or take an hour. Freezing cycle is close to silent and lasts 9 hrs, so I start a batch at bout 10 pm and pump doesn’t cut on till about 7am. Pump runs all day but usually finishes around 9 pm so it works great for me. Also, NAPA Auto Parts sells a great 90 degree connector with swivel nuts so you can put elbow on hose connection from machine allowing hose to go straight down instead of sticking out a foot and puts less bend pressure on hose.
That’s probably not the case. A lot of people have oil spray out. In fact the rep at HR suggested I cut a star shaped slit in the side of a soda bottle with a lid and put it over the plastic part that sprays oil. That will catch the oil that might spray and make it reusable. Others use a sock or plastic bag.
I put an old sock over the vent port on the vacuum pump. That stopped the oil from spraying when the pump starts up. This is a common problem with vacuum pumps from a hard shut down.
I put an old sock over the vent port on the vacuum pump. That stopped the oil from spraying when the pump starts up. This is a common problem with vacuum pumps from a hard shut down..
I heard there were some problems in the past. I got mine in Feb. 2018, and it’s been great. Bugs have been worked out, I guess. Friend who bought his a year ago needed a new pump and got it quickly. The newer pumps are quieter, and I run mine in the guest room across the hall from my bedroom with both doors open (no guests!). It’s heavy for sure, not easily moved, but I am so glad I got it and use it all the time.
This is THE PROBLEM … fancy Instagram / Pinterest like photos and videos all so alluring for a “counter-top freezer drier” but the reality is from from the glossy hype of affiliate bloggers.
My advice after our $2300 mistake is BUYER BEWARE!
I apologize for the “all caps” but in all seriousness this is pretty important as you are about to commit a fair amount of money for a high unreliable product.
“I regret having looked at all your fancy photos and thought it would all be so nice for me as well.”
Truth be told in that statement for sure. The fancy photos and videos are very misleading. There are a number of affiliate bloggers posting favorable reviews which drive purchases from their loyal followers.
My advice after our conversation $2300 mistake is to do due diligence and do your research before investing precious dollars in an very unreliable machine and a company with poor customer support once the warranty has expired.
Be realistic with your expectations on what a FD unit can do. All these comments about freeze drying milk, eggs, maple syrup or selling freeze dried food at farmers markets are very unrealistic.
Buyer beware!
Are you using the Mylar bags for storage or are you using canning jars? The food looks beautiful.
I see my freeze drier as a lgreat money saver and food saver and healthy food machine,, but I also see it as a lifesaver in a natural disaster or worse. Funny how hardly no one drives around without a spare tire although they’re rarely used, but few have an emergency food supply which is much more vital than a spare tire
I recently took the plunge and purchased my freeze dryer. After setting up the machine I put in my first batch which consisted of sliced apples and shredded cheese. It took about 42 hours to complete. I checked all fittings, door seal, changed pump oil (new), etc. Second batch (whole kernel corn) took about 40 hours. Again checked everything I knew to check for proper machine operation. My third batch of diced onions and a tray of pork n beans took 46 hours to complete! I’m like wow, $5 dollars of food taking $5 or $6 of electricity (not including the cost of the machine) to freeze dry?? However, I know something must be wrong with the machine or my set-up for this can’t be normal. Early yesterday I called customer support and left a message as they were’t open yet. Got a call-back around 4 pm (Eastern). Told them the problem and was told a tech rep would call me Monday because the tech had already went home. Guess my situation wasn’t important enough, or they had a busy day. Anyway, hoping I get my problem resolved this week.
I received a call from a tech rep just as they said they would do. The tech said the more food you put inside the tray the longer the cycle. For instance, I diced onions and filled the tray level with the top. The same with shredded cheese, shredded chicken, and sliced apples. As stated previously, the machine freeze dried everything, it just took it a long time. I guess this issue is just a learning curve for me. I asked him about milk and eggs. He said to put the milk or eggs in the trays and pre-freeze them and break them into chunks, then place in the freeze dryer.
We just got our Large freeze dryer. We’ve done 2 batches- strawberies, apples, green beans, cherries, blueberries, carrots, corn, and asparagus. YUMMY hardly describes how good it tastes. It tasted FRESH. The corn is better than popcorn.
We have some in our family that have to avoid sugar, white flour, preservatives, additives, dies, etc. The FD is allowing us to make the perfect healthy snack!
Jill,
I am considering purchasing a freeze dryer. Yes, big investment so I have to consider how our usage would make it pay for itself over time. Question: have you tried freeze drying RAW milk from your cow or a goat? I have dairy goats and an abundance of raw milk. It fills my freezer up quickly. Also a lot of eggs this time of year, but I know eggs freeze dry well. Thank you!
A food slicer is a great tool for consistent food prep.
One of the most convenient tools that you can have in your home is a vacuum sealer.
” Take your pliers and place the pecan nut in-between the jaws,
and then gently crack around the middle of the nut shell,
while rotating the pecan nut until the nut shell comes
loose.
Have read all the reviews (good bad and ugly) and I’m still interested but hesitant. Questions I have are about size and timing.
Would putting the same amount of food in a large unit that one would normally put in a small or medium sized unit cut down on processing time and therefore power costs? Is there much difference between medium and large size capacity-wise?
A consideration for me is that I live in Canada and would be paying in Canadian dollars adding 30% to the cost noted. I could save on shipping by picking it up just over the border but would a large one fit in my SUV?
I bought the largest unit (5 trays). Processing time is going to be the same, regardless of size of unit. You just get MORE food done in a large one, which is why I bought large. (I also bought the largest dehydrator I could get). You cannot get the biggest piece into a large SUV — as it is packaged. It’s about a meter tall (the smaller boxes would be fine. Find measurements from HR. I’m not home, or I’d measure. You might be able to unbox the main unit and fit, but a pickup truck is better. hope this helps.
I’m interested but not seeing any updates to reviews. How long did the machine last? Are there people still using it, without fail, three years later? I have a Kitchen-Aid mixer that is 30+ years old so definitely got my money’s worth out of that. Not expecting 30 years on this but need to see some reviews after, at least, two years of ownership.
I can’t give you a definitive answer, but I can give you some info. The vacuum pump (which sits separately from the big unit) is what is likely to wear out over time and can be replaced if it does. But it should last a very long time with the regular maintenance. The pump I got with mine in Feb 2018 is better than the one my friend got last summer with his. He is a mechanic and said my newer pump is much better quality than his. I think the product is an improvement over the first models that came out. I am glad I waited, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. I think the company had some growing pains. The only problem I have had was the first batch didn’t achieve the vacuum right away. I cleaned the door and the gasket (and wipe the inside of the door regularly), and that solved it. It wasn’t sealing. I should have cleaned it before using anyhow. Everything gets dirty or dusty during shipping. No other problems.
Kathy, Are you still happy with your purchase a year later? Thanks.
Anyone used glass canning jars? I have a vacum attatchment that works on the jars, I am wondering how that with an o2 absorber would work vs mylar bags.
Thanks!
My wife and I, both holistic medical doctors, purchased a Harvest Right and would definitely recommend against getting one. I don’t think that it is a product ready for market. My freeze dryer had a circuit problem at the outset. Then I found that it would not do blueberries. I tried at least 20 runs on other fruits, and it would not sustain a vacuum except for one run of apples. It would not even do persimmons.
The company worked with me to trouble shoot and then totally abandoned me when all their ideas and suggestions failed during my persimmon runs. I don’t consider the company reliable, or honorable, and the product is, in my opinion, premature, and is not practical for the average user. I agree with the comment that it is a R&D product, not ready for the market.
Suggestion: Wipe the inside of the door and the rubber gasket. The first time I used mine, it didn’t maintain the vacuum. I just needed to wipe the door and gasket, and it’s been fine ever since (bought in Feb 2018). I wipe the door after every use.
Could you freeze dry maple sap to make a less flavorful and more white colored maple sugar?
They actually have new pumps now that you don’t have to change the oil. They are pretty expensive, but I figure if I’m going to invest in something that will improve the quality of our lives, it would be worth the extra for convenience sake.I plan to get one very soon.
I haven’t had a problem changing oil. After every 3-4 uses I slowly boil off the water from the oil on a hotplate OUTSIDE, then cool the oil, filter it, and add it back. Not a big deal, but do that outside. The oil will last a long time if you do this. With about 3 batches a week, that works out to once a week or less.
Wow ! Since you did this post a few years ago, the price has really come down ! The medium size, (4 tray) I believe that’s the size you tried, is now on sale for 2195.00
https://harvestright.com/product/medium-freeze-dryer/
The Small size (3 tray) is 1995.00
I wish I was younger !
How young do you have to be? I’m 73, bought the 5-tray model in February and keep it going nearly all the time. That’s about 3 batches a week. I make survival food, camping food, safe school lunches for celiac grandchild, healthy snacks for grand kids, safe snacks for allergic son-in-law, meals for when everybody is too tired to cook. Grandkids will grab my FD fruit ahead of candy. Even FD veggies appeal to them as snacks. I can make 12-15 batches of eggs-and-bacon-bits for camping for the price of ONE Mountain House meal.
I agree and requesting more info
I had plans to purchase a Harvest Right machine, but after reading all of the negative reviews I have changed my mind. Most importantly the negative reviews on customer service.
I had no problems and bought mine in Feb 2018. They actually sent it sooner than promised. It ships UPS or Fed-X, so delivery screwups are their fault. Those companies will only deliver to your door, not carry it in, so you need strong men to bring it into the house and place it on your table or counter and set it up. (The mailman doesn’t carry in your mail either.) I have been delighted with mine and keep it running most of the time. It needs a dedicated 20-amp circuit (cost $50-200). You can’t just plug it into a regular outlet next to the coffee maker. I run 2-4 batches a week, so I keep it about maxed out.
You are one of the lucky ones.
Very glad someone did not repeat our $2300 mistake!
Terrible experience with Harvest Right. I ordered and fully paid for the medium Freeze Dryer from the Harvest Right website. I was told it would arrive by the end of the week, but it did not. A week later R&L shipping texted me to arrange a delivery. I called them back within minutes of receiving the text. When the delivery date arrived, I took the day off to receive this delivery. The shipment never arrived. R&L shipping was quite rude when I called about the delivery, saying I had never scheduled it. I then called HR to cancel the order. Harvest Right continued to try to push the sale, and called several times without leaving messages as they tried to convince me to keep the product. Then, in an email – the shipper claimed I never requested delivery.
I sent them a copy of my phone log verifying that I called within minutes of receiving the text. I bent over backwards for this company, but they did not deliver the product as promised and they were rude about it. If you spend over $2,000 on a product, you expect good service. I take this experience as what I would encounter if there were problems with the product.
” If you spend over $2,000 on a product, you expect good service” and a product that works reliably.
Don’t be fooled by fancy photos and videos!
Don’t be fooled by compensated favorable reviews!
We seriously regret our $2300 mistake. Hopefully no one else follows us down the same path.
Buyer Beware!!
Do not confuse R&L shipping with HarvestRight. These are 2 different companies & it appears HR chose R&L to deliver your shipment. In a lot of cases this is also driven by the need to keep shipping costs down so R&L likely was the low bidder. I am sure they could have chosen a more expensive trucking company but then you would not have been happy with the price. All I am saying is do not hold HR responsible for the experience you had with a trucking company. All of the HarvestRight people I’ve spoken with are really decent people.
I agree to the comment policy.
Good morning sir,
I have seen your freeze dryer on YouTube. I am interested by the machine and will like to have, in the futur hours the quotation. I am from DOUALA in CAMEROUN
I agréé to the comment policy. Please send me the quotation for the small and médium sise of the Freese drier. Thank you
I’ve owned the Large 220 volt freeze dryer for almost 3 years now.
I was one of the first to buy the new at the time 220vac Large freeze dryer.
Yes it got off to a rocky start as I had continual problems with a persistent Cable Disconnect Error.
My experience with Technical Service was very good at first & as time went on close to 1 year out I was not making any progress in resolving the issue although they had sent me numerous firmware upgrades in attempt to resolve the cable disconnect fault that kept shutting down my runs.
I did in desperation write a scathing letter to the owner of HarvestRight about this dreadful situation.
The lead engineer then called me again & ended up sending me replacement circuit boards. As I am a qualified electronics technician I had no problem installing them. This fixed the problem I had been having. I hold no animosity toward HarvestRight & believe they are doing a fine job. I’ve been in contact with them & am Beta Testing software upgrades for them currently. Firmware (software) is still getting better. I have been very happy with my freeze dryer although in retrospect wish I had purchased the mid or perhaps the small size instead. This one is larger than I really need & requires a lot of food to fill it up. Other than that I am happy with it as well as my continued relationship with HarvestRight. As for full disclosure, I am not compensated in any way nor affiliated with them either.
Wow. So I saw an advertisement for the Harvest Right freeze dryer. Then I googled to read reviews, and found this blog post. Of course I read through all of the different comments to see what others thought; it is a very expensive machine and not one I would purchase without a lot of thought and research. Okay, well, maybe it doesn’t take a lot of thought and research because after reading this blog, I went to the Better Business Bureau and read through all of the complaints. While I understand that there are high ratings compared to complaints, if you have something go wrong it seems to go really, really wrong. It does not seem to me that their customer service is beneficial to anyone who has a problem. A legitimate problem that will cost a lot of money to rectify or perhaps even be worthy of a complete refund. Simply reading the responses to BBB complaints, posted from Harvest Right – not a he said, she said, but actually reading their own words – there is absolutely no way I would ever order anything from this company. If they gave me one for free, I would take it and then just chuck it when it broke down. But I would not give them a penny. Reminds me of used car salesmen.
very helpful post. thanks for sharing this
Could you freeze dry maple sap to make a less flavorful and more white colored maple sugar?
I purchased the Medium dryer in 2020. It was in storage for 18 months. Still in the plastic on the pallet. Hadn’t been used. Purchased an “oil free” pump in July 2021. Ran 4 batches through it with OK results. Then had a problem with the temp and vacuum. Spent >$400 in parts to get it fixed (it was out of warranty…?) (They have TERRIBLE tech reps! Don’t have a clue how to trouble shoot). Finally had to send it back to the factory Sep 2021. Just got an email from Fedex Freight that they couldn’t drop it off since there was “No secure place to leave it” plus there was no one there to receive it. Placed numerous emails, my login and password no longer work (used it for numerous trouble tickets, but doesn’t work now…) AND their customer service mailbox is full, so can’t leave a message. Are they still in business? I may have a $5000 paperweight. Worst company I’ve ever dealt with.