I honestly think putting a thermometer inside the unit is an excellent idea. I sent the following note off to Harvest Right Support in an effort to gain a little better understanding of the process.

Raw eggs freeze dry very well. I like to crack them into a bowl, whisk them, and then freeze them solid before freeze drying. To reconstitute, use 2 tablespoons of egg powder and 2 tablespoons water to equal one egg. Use them in an recipe or scramble them up. They taste delicious.

Not only does this save time and money, it saves the headache of trying to throw together a last minute meal if we are in a hurry. And again, it cuts down on food waste.

Powdered bananas can be used in banana breads. We like using powdered fruits to flavor cakes or frostings.

And once you have resolved your issue I hope you will stay around and talk to us all about what you have been drying in your machine, etc.

I did a couple of batches (peas and carrots, and another load of precooked chicken meatballs cut in half) and it all worked perfectly. Looking forward to trying out some new things and sharing the results.

I did wonder though, since this is gravity flow and not pressure driven as on a car, if having the filter mounted Buy Now horizontally might result in using only "half" the filter, as the oil would tend to travel through the low side of the filter -- although in practice, I suppose, as the filter material gets plugged it would force the fluid level higher.

Agree entirely on the fittings! After many emails and phone calls to HR, some advice that didn't pan out, and some parts replacement, the unit is back in business! Turns out it was the wire passthrough for the heater wires.

And therein lies the cons to buying a freeze dryer. It takes time to make them cost effective. Depending on humidity in your area, a single run can take up to two days to complete.

adding insulation on the 3 ports on the chamber (One time thing - the drain and vacuum ports are very easy to get to)

So, while it might be tempting to stuff just as much as you may onto a tray, an arranged tactic making use of these applications will produce the best freeze dried foods, batch immediately after batch.

You can freeze dry soy and almond milk as well as most non-dairy yogurt, sour cream, and cream cheese substitutes. This has been especially helpful in avoiding food waste, as my son is the only one who uses the non-dairy substitutes, and he rarely is able to finish them before they go bad. I just throw them in the freeze dryer for him to eat later.

Control of the amount of time a material is held at the ultimate freeze temperature before the drying cycle is started.

And therein lies the best piece of advice I can offer on this topic: Keep your freeze dryer running. Downtime is wasted time. Some items take a while. Others are quick. But keeping the freeze dryer going almost non-stop is the key to getting the bang for the buck.