The Dread Slender Gnome on Nostr: The following is a bunch of frivolous yammering about a piece of food preservation ...
The following is a bunch of frivolous yammering about a piece of food preservation equipment, feel free to ignore.
I just finished watching a lengthy review of a freeze dryer. The reviewer's conclusions were essentially that it's a good, well made machine, but getting one doesn't make sense because it's too expensive to buy and run, it takes too much prep work, the process takes too much time, a lot of foods don't come out nice enough to eat as is, there isn't enough of a conserving benefit compared to freezing, and the machine is too big & loud. Or as he says, "the math ain't mathing".
I don't entirely agree with his objections.
I agree that for most people the prize, size and loudness would make it an unwise purchase for households that a) don't have intermittent harvests that need preserving and b) don't already have a suitable space to put this thing in. The large energy need is also something to be seriously considered.
But for the rest, well, I think he's missing quite a few things.
A) The process takes too much time
This objection I don't even understand. One sets up the machine, walks away, and then waits 16-24h. I honestly don't see what difference it makes if the passive wait time is 20min or 24h. And I also don't see how this is worse use of one's time than spending hours pickling or making jams.
B) Lot of foods can't be used as is when they come out/a lot of pre-made food won't freeze dry well
It's my understanding that freeze drying isn't meant for preserving ready-made foods, or for making things that are usable straight from the jar. Seems to me that the lion's share is preserving ingredients that can then be used for cooking. And why would one want to freeze dry ready-made stuff anyway?
C) There's too much tedious prep work
I haven't done that much preserving, but from what I have done, everything, even freezing, requires a good deal of prepwork. Cleaning, cutting, portioning, even boiling etc. I don't think "clean, peel, slice" is that much bigger an operation.
D) Not enough benefit compared to freezing
Honestly, this machine shouldn't be compared to a freezer, it should be compared to a dehydrator. Because of how the foods come out, the kind of prep work that's involved, and the space saving and preservation advantages. The main advantage any dehydrating has compared to a freezer, is that stuff takes way less space. The food comes out from both in a form that needs some kind of preparation in most cases, and the prep work for dehydrating and freeze drying is more or less the same. Also, storing dehydrated or freeze dryed goods takes no energy in itself. However, compared to a dehydrator, a freeze dryer doesn't really have that many advantages. The main one being he possibility to preserve eggs and liquids.
Having said all this, would I think of getting one?
Definitely not. I agree with him about the cost/space concerns and moreover, I think for most home preserving a dehydrator-freezer combo is perfectly sufficient. However, unlike the reviewer, I do think there are use cases where a freeze dryer would be worthwhile, namely for specific needs (e.g. wanting/needing to make one's own instant camping foods from scratch) or in specific circumstances (intermittent harvests, dairy/egg production). It's just that very few regular people will have such needs or circumstances.
All in all, it seems to me the reviewer isn't familiar with lifestyles that involve either harvesting one's own produce, or actively foraging, and that colours his view somewhat. And he also didn't seem to have much familiarity with home food preservation in general, which I found a bit surprising for someone who takes it upon himself to review, what could be described as, the ultimate preservation machine.
Still, it was a useful review, since I came back with the firm opinion that a freezer and a dehydrator will be more than sufficient for me. Even if my garden starts producing at some point.
I just finished watching a lengthy review of a freeze dryer. The reviewer's conclusions were essentially that it's a good, well made machine, but getting one doesn't make sense because it's too expensive to buy and run, it takes too much prep work, the process takes too much time, a lot of foods don't come out nice enough to eat as is, there isn't enough of a conserving benefit compared to freezing, and the machine is too big & loud. Or as he says, "the math ain't mathing".
I don't entirely agree with his objections.
I agree that for most people the prize, size and loudness would make it an unwise purchase for households that a) don't have intermittent harvests that need preserving and b) don't already have a suitable space to put this thing in. The large energy need is also something to be seriously considered.
But for the rest, well, I think he's missing quite a few things.
A) The process takes too much time
This objection I don't even understand. One sets up the machine, walks away, and then waits 16-24h. I honestly don't see what difference it makes if the passive wait time is 20min or 24h. And I also don't see how this is worse use of one's time than spending hours pickling or making jams.
B) Lot of foods can't be used as is when they come out/a lot of pre-made food won't freeze dry well
It's my understanding that freeze drying isn't meant for preserving ready-made foods, or for making things that are usable straight from the jar. Seems to me that the lion's share is preserving ingredients that can then be used for cooking. And why would one want to freeze dry ready-made stuff anyway?
C) There's too much tedious prep work
I haven't done that much preserving, but from what I have done, everything, even freezing, requires a good deal of prepwork. Cleaning, cutting, portioning, even boiling etc. I don't think "clean, peel, slice" is that much bigger an operation.
D) Not enough benefit compared to freezing
Honestly, this machine shouldn't be compared to a freezer, it should be compared to a dehydrator. Because of how the foods come out, the kind of prep work that's involved, and the space saving and preservation advantages. The main advantage any dehydrating has compared to a freezer, is that stuff takes way less space. The food comes out from both in a form that needs some kind of preparation in most cases, and the prep work for dehydrating and freeze drying is more or less the same. Also, storing dehydrated or freeze dryed goods takes no energy in itself. However, compared to a dehydrator, a freeze dryer doesn't really have that many advantages. The main one being he possibility to preserve eggs and liquids.
Having said all this, would I think of getting one?
Definitely not. I agree with him about the cost/space concerns and moreover, I think for most home preserving a dehydrator-freezer combo is perfectly sufficient. However, unlike the reviewer, I do think there are use cases where a freeze dryer would be worthwhile, namely for specific needs (e.g. wanting/needing to make one's own instant camping foods from scratch) or in specific circumstances (intermittent harvests, dairy/egg production). It's just that very few regular people will have such needs or circumstances.
All in all, it seems to me the reviewer isn't familiar with lifestyles that involve either harvesting one's own produce, or actively foraging, and that colours his view somewhat. And he also didn't seem to have much familiarity with home food preservation in general, which I found a bit surprising for someone who takes it upon himself to review, what could be described as, the ultimate preservation machine.
Still, it was a useful review, since I came back with the firm opinion that a freezer and a dehydrator will be more than sufficient for me. Even if my garden starts producing at some point.