Is a freeze dryer a worth buying?

Last fall I wrote about all the many ways you can preserve food: Canning, freezing, drying, root cellar, fermenting and freeze drying. There are pros and cons for each of them.

I like canning. I’ve always been an advocate for canning, having canned thousands of jars over 40+ years. And I love dehydrating. I’ve often said that if there was only one food preservation method I could use, it would be dehydrating.

But then I started taking another look at freeze drying.

Freeze drying is not for everyone. The initial cost of the machine is pretty substantial. A small freeze dryer starts at around $1700 (2026 prices) and can run as high as $6500 for an extra large with an oil-free pump. That’s quite a bit of money.

But I’m getting older, my garden is getting smaller and the physical demands of canning are getting a little tiring. So earlier this year, I took the plunge and joined the growing ranks of freeze dryer owners.

Should you get a freeze dryer?

Besides the question of whether this fits your budget, here are some other factors to consider:
Cost of food All food preservation is be more economical if you have access to inexpensive food, such as a garden, community garden, hunting or fishing or if you can get food at wholesale or below wholesale prices.

Space for storing food Freeze dried food can be stored in sealed Mylar bags or glass canning jars. For some, the Mylar bags may take up less

space the canning jars and are a lot easier to pack up if you have to move houses.

Space for the machine A small freeze dryer will fit just about anywhere, but large freeze dryer will take a lot of room. It has to be a room that stays between 60°-90°, so a garage may not be the best place. It will also need a dedicated 15 amp line. But then canning (along with all the canning supplies) also takes a lot of room. So does a freezer and it also requires a constant power supply. So maybe the demand for space is about the same.

Family size If you have a large family, you may find freeze drying takes less time and space than most other food storage options.

Dietary needs Those who have food allergies or other dietary restrictions may have a hard time getting a long-storing food supply that fits their needs. The foods you can preserve by freeze drying is almost limitless. You can freeze dry most dairy (not butter), meat (not high-fat meat), eggs and just about any fruit or vegetable.

Family tastes There are some vegetables that just don’t can or freeze well. Asparagus is a family favorite and our asparagus patch

produces about 70-80 pounds of asparagus every year. But there’s just no good way to preserve it.

But when it’s reconstituted, freeze dried asparagus tastes almost as fresh as the day it was picked. Leafy greens (like kale or spinach), squash (both summer and winter varieties), eggplant, melons and bananas also don’t do well canned or frozen but are great when freeze dried.

Freeze dryer brands

Harvest Right is the first brand most people hear about. They pioneered the home freeze dryer industry, being the first ones to make them workable for home use. When you research freeze dryers, most of the books and videos that you find are all about the Harvest Right brand.

Then along came Blue Alpine out of Idaho. After researching home freeze dryers, they came up with a model that addresses many of the drawbacks that Harvest Right users complained about. Their machines complete the freeze drying cycle 25%–50% faster by having a higher cooling capacity and stronger refrigeration system. That was a big draw for us.

Stay Fresh came on the market at about the same time as Blue Alpine. The founder did a lot of engineering research to make the temperature and vacuum control and transition between the phases of freeze drying easier for the user. They made a machine that does all those calculations for you but still allows you to tweak the process if needed.

Why we chose Stay Fresh

Plug and play I’m a complete technology klutz and I didn’t want to have to figure out settings and timings for the different freeze drying cycles. The machine figures all of that out and I just push a couple buttons. I choose between a candy or a food setting. And with the food I just push the button that says “frozen food” or not. That’s pretty much it.