You may use free dryers for a variety of purposes from preparing homemade goodies to large-scale food processing. These dryers are refrigeration units that consist of a vacuum and a heating system along with an electrical control system among other components. Effective use of the freeze dryers requires both knowledge and expertise to minimize safety risks and maximize effectiveness in terms of drying, enhancing flavours and reducing the time of drying.
In this post, we’re going to help you make the best use of your freeze dryers by delineating certain common mistakes that most people make and explaining how to rectify them.
Mix and match different flavours
It’s a myth that you can mix and match different types of flavours in the vacuum chamber by placing the strong flavours on the top shelf. No, it doesn’t work like that. You’ve to process the sweet, savory and salty flavours separately to reduce the chances of preparing distasteful food. People having sharp taste buds can easily distinguish between the flavours, and if you run a food joint, you may be risking your reputation by following this process.
Not removing fat content before freeze-drying
It’s essential to remove as much fat content as possible before freeze-drying any food item to avoid a mess. If you plan to freeze-dry fatty substances, you’ve to remove all the fat content before putting it inside the dryer. If you don’t, you may end up coating the entire dryer with fat, and it’ll take you days to scrub every bit of fat from the walls.
Freeze-drying large chunks of meat
The big chunks of meat don’t do well with freeze-drying, as they don’t tend to rehydrate well. It’s best to put shredded or diced meat inside the freeze dryer for an improved taste. So, if you’re planning to prepare savory evening snacks, make sure to use small pieces instead of large chunks of meat.
Uneven stacking of food in trays
This mistake is common for most, and it leads to uneven drying. Although the smaller pieces dry up quickly, it’s the larger pieces that are incompletely dried, as depicted by the blue spots in a thermal imager. Also, a deep stacking of food items increases the processing time, as it takes a lot of hassles to remove the excess water.
Freezing raw meat with other food items
You should never do this to avoid contamination of fresh food by bacteria and other harmful organisms present in the raw meat. Just as you wouldn’t mix them on the kitchen board, avoid doing the same in the freeze dryer too.
If you can follow the aforementioned suggestions, you’ll not only avoid a mess but also enhance the taste of your food. Make sure you invest in top-grade industrial machines like the Harvest Right freeze dryers to maximize safety and get the best value for your money. Carefully analyze the options you have based on your specific needs and preferences before you finalize a product.
