Truth be told, there isn’t much of a difference in terms of interface, but the Pharmaceutical models do offer a bit more customization in terms of settings. The Home Pro models however get the job done just as well and have bigger capacity for the money.
Harvest Right has created the world’s first high quality, affordable Home Freeze Dryer. It is less than one quarter the cost of comparable freeze drying systems, and is easier to use than a microwave.
I would prefer those fittings to have internal O rings and knurled thread on ports (similar to R134a vacuum gauge sets) that do not require high torque compression fittings. Finger tight and you are good to go. You spot a leak, change the Este ring and you're back in business.
There are many different commercial appliances available, all of which are especially designed for your specific needs. Here are a handful of the various subcategories of commercial appliances that you can get.
Monitoring the FDer internal temps and once I see -40F I start the dry cycle, except for high sugar content food which I give an Em excesso hour. I'm still experimenting with Ice cream and a few fruits to determine optimal freeze time to get the best results. The cooling cycle ends up much shorter.
Walk-in coolers make it much easier to stash away food, as well as to easily grab out what you need. As with a commercial freezer, these commercial appliances have to be specially fitted for your kitchen space.
Whichever freeze dryer model you choose, be sure you’re getting it from a trustworthy source. The only place where you’re guaranteed complete satisfaction is the manufacturer’s store or their website, so that’s where I’d buy if it were up to me.
.. Hence the vapor barrier. But once I opened it up I figured I may as well insulate the bare ports as well, and insure that the water was diverted away from the electrics of the system. Once I sealed up the insides I noticed that the condensation on the front panel increased dramatically as the air was trapped between the plastic vapor barrier and the back of the front panel. That was when the drip rail was installed on the front of the unit.
Unlike laboratory freeze dryers, they usually don’t need drying at such high speeds, which is the biggest difference between the two.
Over night the FDer warmed up and the next morning we had a massive puddle under it - running off the counter onto the floor. I cleaned up the mess, but the next day the puddle was even bigger. On the 3rd day it was back again just as large even though I left a large towel under the FDer.
After buying our freeze dryer I was naturally curious as to how it "knew" when something was done, since batch times varied so much depending on what was being processed. Watching the cycle times didn't seem to tell me anything at first -- especially without a thermometer to tell me what was happening inside -- until I finally caught on that applying heat to the frozen food affected the vacuum, which provided the measure of how dry the food had become.
There are 3 ports on the chamber that I made Know More slits in the plastic to get around and taped them up once around them. Do not tape to the insulation. Tape only to the vapor barrier plastic. It doesn't take long, just be careful. After the plastic is in place and secure around the chamber I sealed the plastic to the back of the front and back panels using the packing tape. All the way around the front and back of the chamber to completely seal the chamber from outside air and humidity.
Whether purchasing from Harvest Right, Millrock Technology, Kemolo, or another manufacturer of freeze dryers – they all have sales departments that conduct business over the phone. For some of these sellers, a phone call is the only way to access their layaway programs.
Within the several categories of commercial appliances, there are many products available. Purchasing the right appliance for the task will make all the difference to the success of your kitchen. Additional Types of Appliances