Want to level up your prep game?
It’s time to start thinking about buying a freeze dryer.
Although freeze dryers come with a hefty price tag, they are an investment in your future food security. Since they can preserve food for up to 25 years or more, they are perfect for die-hard preppers.
I recently got my hands on a Blue Alpine freeze dryer, and it has definitely stolen my heart.
Built for energy-efficient home use, this machine boasts shorter drying cycles, bespoke recipe timers, and many design upgrades that simply make it better.
Blue Alpine Freeze Dryer Pros
- Easy to use
- Energy-efficient
- Leak-resistant design
- Durable frame
- Built-in recipe timer modes
- Communicative customer service
- Free shipping in the continental USA
- Designed and assembled in the USA
- Includes complete starter kit
Blue Alpine Freeze Dryer Cons
- Heavy and hard to move
- Requires dedicated space
- Large up-front cost
- Noisy
- Runs hot
- Requires frequent oil changes
Specs And Buying Options
Blue Alpine makes freeze dryers in two sizes. I have the medium size, which produces a generous amount of freeze-dried food with lighter and more compact specs:
- Dimensions: 20″ x 21″ x 30″
- Weight: 110 lbs.
- Tray size: 9×13”, 5-tray unit
- Capacity: 15 lbs. fresh food or 1-gallon liquid
While the Blue Alpine freeze dryer is hefty, I found it easy to work with once it was installed in my shop. It’s designed for regular laypeople, with electric specs reflecting easy setup and economical use at home:
- 120 volt/15-amp breaker (wall outlet)
- 13-amp max power draw (1560W max)
- 9-amp average power draw (1080W average)
- Average cycle: 12-20 hours
It’s perfect for my two-person, one-cat household. You may want to go with the larger option if you have a whole family (or many cats!). An oversized unit is also great if you have a garden of produce to preserve or plan to sell your freeze-dried goods for homesteading money.
Build Quality
One of Blue Alpine’s biggest selling points is its superior build quality. The framing is comprised of durable extruded aluminum, and each unit undergoes hours of rigorous testing to ensure the inner components are fit for the market.
One cool thing is that the company sends you a quality control checklist with photographs along with your freeze dryer so you can see each step of the testing process. That way, you can rest easy knowing your unit works as intended.
Also noteworthy is that Blue Alpine is a family company based out of Idaho, where employees design and assemble the units in-house.
Many components are manufactured in-house, too. The company is working towards eventually manufacturing everything in-house.
No cheap mystery parts? I can get behind that!
Design And Maintenance
Blue Alpine has put years into this design. The company focuses on ease of use, from installation to operating and maintaining the machine.
Fast And Easy Freeze-Drying
One of the best things about the Blue Alpine freeze dryer is that it dries food 20-50% faster than the competition, depending on the model. This is due to its larger refrigeration capacity, which leads to shorter cycles and more efficient freeze-drying — yee-haw!
The unit also boasts innovative software with built-in timer modes for different foods and recipes. This makes things easier initially, but you’ll want to branch out and experiment as time goes on. You can program the timer yourself to create unique recipes and custom creations.
Once you program the machine to your liking and start the cycle, each step of the freeze-drying process begins and ends automatically. While you may want to check on it occasionally, it’s a hands-off system. There’s no need to watch it like a hawk.
Approachable Maintenance
These freeze dryers are meant to be used. They don’t break easily, but parts will eventually wear out. When they do, it can be overwhelming to fix or replace them.
There’s no denying that a freeze dryer is complicated, but Blue Alpine makes it as approachable as possible for the average Jane.
The intuitive design and supportive resources (including an accessible online user manual, a blog, and a dedicated YouTube channel) ensure you won’t be confused about what to do or scrambling to get ultra-specialized parts.
You can replace many components yourself and perform standard maintenance tasks like changing the oil and replacing hoses. This is empowering (especially as a female) but also saves you time and money.
Standout Features
- Customizable presets: The machine has standard programs for everyday items like fruit, candy, meat, etc. I love that you can edit the presets to change the freeze time, dry time, dry temperature, and pressure if you need to. You can also change the default settings!
- Cooling capacity: These freeze dryers have 25% more cooling capacity than similar products, so cycles run faster.
- Accurate temping: The lowest tray has a higher wattage heating pad to keep the same heat as all the other trays. The machine’s smart software uses solid-state relays and PID control tech – both gold standards in temperature and pressure control.
- Barbed fittings: Blue Alpine uses barbed fittings instead of crimped fittings and thread locker instead of Teflon tape, creating a tight seal and minimal leakage.
- Standard-sized trays: Instead of oversized freeze-drying trays, Blue Alpine offers standard-sized trays—so if one breaks or goes missing, you can substitute one of your baking pans in a pinch.
Blue Alpine Freeze Dryer In Action
I admit I barely knew anything about freeze dryers before receiving mine. I was pretty intimidated when the unit arrived on my doorstep.
Once I dove in (owner’s manual in hand), I was pretty surprised with how simple it was to operate and how awesome my first batch turned out!
Installation and Setup
Unpacking the pallet and discovering all the goodies inside was a real treat. The freeze dryer comes with everything you need to get started:
- Freeze dryer
- Vacuum pump
- Impulse sealer
- Starter oil + pump key
- Five food trays
- Five silicone mats
- 50 mylar bags
- 50 oxygen absorbers
The owner’s manual, quality control checklist, and a little bag of candy for your first load are also included.
The medium Blue Alpine freeze dryer is still pretty large at 110 pounds. I had to use some neighborhood help to get it inside and on a table, so be prepared for a workout.
After that, I had to connect the lines, fill the vacuum pump with oil, and raid my pantry for things to freeze-dry. I felt pretty confident about starting it up.
First Freeze-Dry Cycle
Blue Alpine suggests running the first cycle with candy. I loaded in some saltwater taffy, Nerds gummies (courtesy of Blue Alpine), a stray lollipop, and some random ginger chews I had lying around.
I ran it on the “candy” preset for about two hours. Typically, foods take 12-20 hours to run through a cycle, but hard candy freeze-dries much faster since it has less moisture.
Once the cycle was finished, I unloaded the candy and ran the unit on defrost to remove the ice. Defrosting took about one more hour, which I spent eating a pound of freeze-dried saltwater taffy while standing and staring at my new freeze dryer.
Changing the Oil
The oil that comes with the unit is a cheap starter to get your pump going. It’s only suitable for one cycle, but I went ahead and got some Robinair vacuum pump oil so I could do another batch quickly.
You’ll want to change the oil every 5-10 cycles if you’re running regular food or 25-30 cycles if you’re only running candy. There are ways to recycle and reuse the oil so you don’t have to buy it constantly.
The process is not like changing the oil in your car. All you need is the pump key and a receptacle. Use the key to unscrew the bolt, and wham—oil comes out, and you catch it in the receptacle.
Then, refill the pump with new oil and get another batch going!
Key Takeaways And Experiences
I enjoy working with the Blue Alpine freeze dryer. It’s a fantastic and well-made machine that performs its purpose quite well, and I’m excited to try projects like making DIY survival food and freeze-drying my garden herbs.
Keeping Costs Low
This is an expensive piece of equipment. It’s impossible to get around that fact. However, while the initial cost of a home freeze dryer might put people off, it can save you money in the long run.
Survivalists want the best in food preservation, so freeze-dried foods are a natural choice when stocking up. Unfortunately, buying freeze-dried food is expensive.
Freeze-drying that food yourself with your own unit eliminates that massive cost. It also gives you more agency over your survival nutrition and allows you a better bang for your calorie buck.
You’ll still need to buy vacuum pump oil, mylar bags, and oxygen absorbers regularly and invest time in maintaining your machine. Factoring in power and equipment, Blue Alpine estimates that each average load should cost between $4 and $8.
Of course, costs will vary depending on electricity and food prices in your area. Buying sale items in bulk and freezing them until you can freeze-dry them is a great way to save money.
To cut costs even further, you can forage edible plants and mushrooms, grow your own fruits and veggies, and use wild-caught meat.
If you hunt, fish, and garden, you won’t have to spend much money on food at all. In that case, buying a freeze dryer allows you to turn the bounty of your land into food you can eat for years to come.
Becoming An Expert
Buying and installing the freeze dryer is pretty easy. Becoming an expert takes time and experience.
Once you buy the unit, you want to start slowly. Give yourself some wins with low-moisture food before moving on to delicate items. Keep that owner’s manual close at hand, and you’ll do fine.
I recommend using the presets when you first start. That way, you’ll learn about different food timings and understand how the settings work in your home.
A room’s ambient temperature, humidity level, and even elevation may affect freeze-drying. You’ll likely need to customize settings as time passes, but the presets give you a solid starting point.
Programming the machine is easy and fast, so don’t hesitate to get in there. You can customize freeze time, dry time, dry temperature, and pressure as you discover the ins and outs of moisture retention for different foods.
I honestly think a freeze dryer is one of the best investments you can make, and using the unit isn’t hard. You just need to be prepared to spend a little time on trial and error to get things where they need to be.
What I Don’t Love
I do have a few complaints about my Blue Alpine freeze dryer, but all are minor.
When using the freeze dryer, my shop is about 5 degrees warmer, and it runs around 60 decibels. So, it puts out heat, and it’s loud, but I can deal with that.
I was very wary about mishandling the unit, so I glommed onto every resource Blue Alpine offers customers. I watched every video, read every blog, and scoured the owner’s manual for info.
Unfortunately, some of the information varied from resource to resource. I had to contact the company with a question since I got confused by differing information.
It’s worth noting that I received a response within five minutes via their chat messenger, so it’s clear this small business is interested in quality customer service.
You must do your research before buying your unit. Most of my issues were caused by making assumptions before the machine arrived, and my expectations were different from reality.
The Blue Alpine freeze dryer is a big, heavy, powerful machine. It requires some simple maintenance and a learning curve to become adept at using it, but it puts the prepping power back in your hands.
As long as you’re willing to work with it, it will work for you!
Check out the machines on Blue Alpine.
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