Are Harvest Right Freeze Dryers Worth the Price?

For long-term food storage, nothing beats freeze-dried foods. Fortunately, there's a better way to enjoy them! With a Harvest Right freeze dryer, you can freeze-dry hundreds of pounds of food every year with an easy-to-use touch screen display.

Okay, but can't I just buy freeze-dried foods at the store? Is it really worth it to buy a home freeze dryer and mylar starter kit? Let's find out. Assuming your system lasts a lifetime, let's compare the costs of buying premade freeze-dried foods with a DIY emergency food supply!

Cost of Prepared Freeze Dried Foods

If you want the same amount of freeze-dried foods that a home freeze dryer can offer, how much would you need to spend? Keep in mind, the freeze-drying company will have to spend just as much on thousands of pounds of fresh food as you will.

Because freeze-drying fruits and dairy products are the most popular

With 312 gallons of fresh food every year in 50 year's time, the total cost could be as high as $75,000 to over $100,000. It costs $15 to buy a 10-oz pack of freeze-dried cheese and $5 per oz (at best) for low-quality freeze-dried berries.

While virtually nobody would spend this much on freeze-dried food, you may want ingredients for baking, gift-giving, and more. Let's see how much you could save on this much food with your own freeze dryer.

Harvest Right Freeze Dryers Cost Breakdown

Keep in mind, we're talking about alifetime of use, so don't think these numbers are too outrageous. These costs will be slowly shared throughout your life. Here's how much you will spend on freeze-drying your food!

Lifetime of Food

Yes, we are assuming that your home freeze dryer will last for a lifetime. With proper care, they will. So, depending on the different foods you use regularly, let's see how much you will spend with daily use.

If you're buying high quality food and freeze-drying 312 gallons of food each year, with a healthy mix of dairy products and fresh fruits, you would spend around $25,000 on food over the course of 50 years. Of course, that's not a small number, but it is substantially less than buying freeze-dried fruits and dairy products separately.

Also, if you keep your foods stored in an airtight container, they won't spoil any time soon, offsetting these costs. You'll only spend on what you eat!

Maintenance Costs

Oil changes are the only cost other than the negligible amount of soap and hot water you'll use to wash your stainless steel trays or other cleaning products you will use. If you choose the oil-free pump, then you won't have to worry about this at all!

So, if you change the oil and oil filter every month, that's about $120 every year. Over the course of 50 years, that's a grand total of $6000 on maintenance. However, if you buy your oil in bulk, you'll save at least 50%, totaling around $3,000.

Grand Total

We can't forget that a freeze-dry cycle lasts for a full day, so your energy consumption is an important factor. You will need a 110 volt outlet (11 amp circuit), and the freeze dryer should run at around 1000W per hour. Over the course of 50 years at $0.10 per kWh, you would spend around $880 per year on electricity.

Also, you may eventually need more mylar bags or other parts. However, these costs are negligible over the course of a lifetime. When all is said and done, we're under $29,000. With a few other variables, let's round up and say $30,000 total.

Other Factors to Consider

First of all, let's say that not everything has to come down to money. Yes, freeze dryers can save you money in the long run with frequent use, but what about enjoyment? More importantly, what about your health?

With a Harvest Right freeze dryer, you will have constant access to freeze-dried foods thatyou made. This means your foods will retain their original flavor and have the nutritional value that you want. If you buy freeze-dried food at the store, they may come with unwanted additives, they may not taste how you want, and you won't have the satisfaction of making them yourself.

Also, it's easy to use with Harvest Right's smart technology. Put in your recommended amount of food (7-10 pounds), press start, and wait for the full cycle and necessary dry time. From there, it's just simple maintenance!

Freeze Dry Your Own Food Today

Clearly, a home freeze dryer is a great way to build a high average yield of freeze-dried foods for whatever your needs! You can set yourself up for a lifetime of healthy foods with the right size freeze dryer, and you can have peace of mind that your food is of the highest quality.

Stay up to date with our latest product news, and buy a Harvest Right freeze dryer today with free shipping and a price match guarantee!