You may have seen some companies and influencers promoting the use of a freeze-dry machine for the home. They say freeze-drying lets you keep and use more of your fresh produce, better than traditional pickling or canning. They claim that you’ll minimise food waste and maximise the number of meals you can get out of them — thus, increasing your savings and the power of your dollar.
But how realistic is this? Do the long-term benefits of DIY freeze-dried family meals exceed the cost and effort to create them? Since Flo-Max is one of Australia’s foremost authorities on freeze-drying, we’re here to set the record straight.
The Benefits of A Home Freeze-Drying Machine
First, let’s take a look at the undeniable benefits of using a home freeze-drying machine.
Bulk buying seasonal ingredients
Having a freeze-drying machine at home empowers you to purchase fresh produce in bulk and during peak seasons when prices are lower.
You can freeze-dry all those seasonal ingredients for future use. You can take full advantage of the price fluctuations and have a fresh supply of your favourite foods any time of the year, without worrying about spoilage.
Reducing food waste
While a considerable amount of household expenses go to food, a significant portion of that also ends up in the garbage. Australians discard as much as 20% of the food they purchase or an average of $1,036 worth of wasted food per year—close to the average Australian household’s monthly income.
A freeze-dry machine for the home is a practical way to preserve both pre-prepped meals and leftovers, with little loss of nutrition. This significantly reduces food waste and increases the number of meals you can get out of your supplies. You also get to avoid unnecessary trips to the grocery store.
Customised variety and convenience
As a food preservation method, freeze-drying is faster than old-fashioned pickling or canning. Having your own freeze-dry machine for the home gives you full control over what you preserve and how you store it.
You can freeze-dry food ingredients in almost any form or combination—even as partial or complete meals. This means you can design your frozen stocks to suit your schedule, lifestyle, and cooking habits. From DIY freeze-dried smoothie cubes to quick, nutritious breakfasts, the ability to freeze-dry your food opens up endless possibilities for meal prep.
This personalization ensures that your stored food is something your family will enjoy consuming, unlike store-bought freeze-dried meals.
You can also cater to specific dietary needs. If you are a vegetarian who loves camping, pre-cut and freeze-dried grains, fruits, and vegetables make outdoor cooking easy. You only need to set up camp, build a fire, and heat the freeze-dried ingredients by throwing them together in a pot or mug. If you’re a busy diabetic, need a low-carb diet and have a pet dog to care for, freeze-drying meals for both yourself and your dog will ensure convenience and health in one step.
Other examples of special dietary needs that could benefit from a home freeze dryer are:
- Allergen-free – A freeze-dry machine for the home can help people with food allergies (e.g., gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free) ensure they always have safe food on hand.
- Athletic and other medical diets – It’s also useful for meal prep for athletes who follow strict macronutrient plans or medical diets (e.g., low-sodium, keto, FODMAP).
- Autistic aversions – Parents of extremely picky eaters or autistic children with sensory food aversions can prepare custom meals with familiar textures and flavours.
Healthier eating
Home freeze-drying retains approximately 97% of the nutritional value of the food, making it a superior preservation method compared to canning or dehydrating.
A freeze-dry machine for the home also allows you to avoid preservatives. Even natural preservatives like salt, sugar, and oils can be problematic when consumed regularly. If you or your family have dietary concerns such as high cholesterol, weight management, or blood sugar control, freeze-drying provides a cleaner alternative.
Having complete personal control over the process enables you and your family to enjoy the maximum nutritional benefits from your meals with less to worry about. You’ll have more control over your family’s health. You can even lower your healthcare costs in the long run.
Emergency preparedness
Having a stockpile of freeze-dried food ensures that you are prepared for emergencies. Aside from freeing you from worrying over food spoilage or constant menu rotation, freeze-dried food stocks also serve as a buffer in times of crisis, such as:
- temporary job loss or income reduction
- an increasingly busy work-home schedule
- limited mobility or confinement due to aging, illness or injury
- temporary halts in food stocks at supermarkets due to natural calamities (e.g., earthquakes, storms, bushfires)
The Downside to Freeze-Drying at Home
But before you buy a freeze-dry machine for yourself, there are some major drawbacks you need to consider.
An expensive initial investment
A small freeze-drying machine with the capacity to handle 4 to 10 kilograms of food at a time is an appropriate size for a family of 4. Appliances of that size already cost several thousand dollars or more. Unless you’re willing to spend that much upfront, it won’t be a practical option for you.
Additional equipment (for sealing and storage)
By itself, freeze-dried food does not last long. Once exposed to air, it draws in any available moisture like a sponge. In a short time, the food rehydrates, encourages the growth of harmful microorganisms, and begins to spoil.
To maintain freshness, you need Mylar bags, Mason jars, vacuum-sealed containers, or oxygen absorbers. Investing in a proper vacuum sealer is also recommended.
Increased electricity usage and insulation needs
Be prepared for an increase in your electricity bill. A freeze-dry machine for the home preserves food by forcing the water in it to evaporate. It does this by flash-freezing and reducing air pressure to remove moisture. This process requires powerful air pumps to create a vacuum and control temperature, resulting in high electricity consumption.
You will also need to designate a room or corner that insulates the rest of your house from a freeze-drying machine’s noise or heat. While some of these appliances come with quieter pumps, even the smallest units will generate enough noise and heat to disturb other members of your household. (Especially in a small house or apartment.)
Experience and proper management
Moreover, different foods have different shelf lives, even when freeze-dried. To avoid wasting food, you must understand storage guidelines and meal planning.
No guaranteed long-term savings
It’s a convenience, not a cost-cutting measure. Even when you break down the purchase cost of a freeze-dry machine over its lifespan, you still have to deal with all other expenses involved in creating and managing freeze-dried food (e.g., electricity). Typically, these don’t result in net savings for a household.
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When A Home Freeze-Drying Machine Is Useful
But if you still want the luxury of freeze-drying at home and can afford it, here are a few example situations where a home freeze-drying machine would make sense:
- Seasonal freeze-dried food projects or side business. Perhaps you occasionally freeze-dry significant batches of food to sell or use as gifts for friends and family, especially around the holidays. Or maybe you do candy-making as a hobby. If so, our Flo-Max home freeze dryer and candy freeze-drying machine are the perfect tools to have.
- A strict vegetarian or vegan diet. If you have a busy schedule and must keep to a nutritious fresh or raw plant-based diet for health reasons, freeze-drying all your vegetables and fruits at home will make your lifestyle more convenient.
- Gourmet pantry. If you have a large family with a foreign culinary heritage far from the country you currently live in, getting ingredients from your original homeland that are seldom available elsewhere (e.g., pandan leaves, epazote, ashwagandha, rare coffee bean varieties) can be difficult. So when you do get your hands on a batch of imported herbs, fruits or vegetables, you’ll want to keep them in the freshest state for as long as possible. This can be done through proper freeze-drying.
- Homesteading or self-sufficiency farming. If you have a small family farm or grow much of your own food in your garden, freeze-drying could be a supplementary preservation method to canning, pickling and sun-drying your harvests.
In summary
In short, a freeze-dry machine for your home is a luxury. No matter what its benefits are, using it often won’t lower your family’s cost of food and save lots of money in the long run. It also requires you to gain expertise in operating the freeze dryer machine and storing your freeze-dried items.
However, if you want all the conveniences that freeze-drying can give you, we are here to help. We have a home freeze dryer model that’s perfect for family use and can help make a healthy lifestyle more sustainable. Contact our friendly Flo-Max engineering team and we’ll guide you through the technical details of DIY freeze-drying at home.
