After falling in love with freeze-dried cheesecake at a festival, I became interested in this process for removing moisture from foodstuffs, leaving a dry, crunchy alternative that can last up to 25 years. When I researched the best options available, Harvest Right consistently came up, likely because you can purchase their freeze dryer at Costco. However, after following freeze-dryer Facebook groups for months, I was struck by how often people screwed up their recipes.
So, I decided to try one of Harvest Right’s competitors: Blue Alpine. After using the Blue Alpine Freeze Dryer for several months to make everything from freeze-dried Skittles to pulled pork, I can say it’s an incredibly efficient and easy-to-use machine.
Setup and First Impressions
Freeze-dryers are intimidating at first. They’re heavy, and I still don’t exactly understand the science behind them. Blue Alpine recognizes this, so they make the setup process simple and have automated recipes. Still, the unit sat on our table for a few weeks before I finally had the nerve to use it. It turns out that the most challenging part is removing all the packaging.
Once you connect the vacuum pump to the central unit, follow the on-screen directions. I started with the Nerd Clusters that came with the machine for my first batch. I just chose the Candy setting and was snacking on freeze-dried Nerd Clusters in two hours.
What We Liked about the Freeze Dryer
Three main pros stick out with the Blue Alpine Freeze Dryer:
- Pre-programmed recipes that actually work
- Faster cooling and freeze-drying
- Minimal cleanup
We made more than a dozen different items in the Blue Alpine Freeze Dryer and never needed to stray from the pre-programmed recipes. They cover everything from candy and meat to fruits and vegetables. With just a few button presses, my yummy numnums were getting frozen and sucked dry.
Listen, I’m not a sciencer, but after scouring the freeze-dryer discussion boards, I kept wondering why people took two or three days to freeze-dry items that only took me 24 hours. Well, it turns out they were using Harvest Right freeze-dryers. Blue Alpine units have a higher cooling capacity, which accelerates the process. Who in heaven wants to wait three days for freeze-dried mangoes? No thanks.
The machine comes with silicone mats that perfectly fit the metal trays. These mats are excellent. Food doesn’t stick to them, and you pop them in the dishwasher to clean them. I’ll come clean: After some Skittle batches, I didn’t even bother washing the mats. They didn’t look dirty at all.
What We Didn’t Like
The most significant negatives for me were the loudness and heat of the Blue Alpine Freeze Dryer. We ran it in a room adjacent to our bedsroom in the bowels of summer. Our AC had a hard time keeping up with the heat it put off, and while the noise helped drown out the city sounds, it could be annoying when I was trying to sleep. I’d recommend not keeping it next to your bedroom if possible.
Who Should Buy the Blue Alpine Freeze Dryer?
The Blue Alpine Freeze Dryer is perfect for
- Families into food preservation
- Candy enthusiasts
- Preppers
Maybe not for
- Apartment dwellers
- Casual users
- People looking for the cheapest freeze dryer
Check Out Our Video Review for More Details
Buy the Blue Alpine Freeze Dryer
