Kerry Beal

Using the freeze dried Chapman's Caramel Chocolate Pecan Slice Cream - I made some bark. Freeze dried Slice Cream Dark and milk chocolate pre-crystallized with 1% EZtemper silk Diced Slice cream 15 minutes later!

What she said! I think one of the main advantages is the range of temperatures over which you can add the seed with successful pre-crystallization occurring. If I tried to add mycryo to meltaway that was cooled to 28C or so it would never incorporate hence not pre-crystallize.

Here's a discussion about scroll pumps - sounds like once a year maintenance is the usual.

Don't know the answer to that one! Flying by the seat of my pants. I was worried that I might end up with a pump that required a rebuild right from the start - but appear to have gotten lucky. It's quieter - don't know if I'd go so far as to saying quiet. When it's running in the basement I can still hear it in the two rooms that are above the room it's in. But I can work in my chocolate lab next to it without feeling like my ears are going to fall off. This one can pull a great vacuum - and it does so very quickly. It gets warm.

Matt at HR seems quite interested in what I'm up to - he was very helpful when I initially approached him about what the specs of the pump would need to be. We've communicated several times since I fired it up and he continues to be very supportive and interested. As to why they don't manufacture with this sort of pump - take a look at the price of these pumps new - it's just not on. They could not possibly put out an affordable product using a diaphragm or scroll pump that can attain the kind of vacuum required for freeze drying. A rotary vane pump can attain the vacuum and is reasonably priced.

I haven't so far. Don't know if I have any in the freezer I could add to the next run.

Batch 2 with the new pump. Freeze cycle for ∼9 hours, stage 2 was a little less than 24 hours I think. I had the dry stage set for 9 hours originally - when I woke this am it was around 4 hours into the cycle so I reset so it would finish around 6 this evening when I got home from work. Caramel, chocolate, pecan slice cream Wild blueberries - President's Choice brand. Ice cream sandwiches - chocolate ice cream filled.

Start with the two variations of this recipe and change the flavouring to the honey, ginger and lemon. Big honking cake-like cookies. Sour cream cookies ¼ cup butter¾ cup sugar2 eggs2 ½ cups flour¼ tsp salt1 tsp soda1 cup sour cream or yogurt1 tsp nutmeg1 cup raisins, soakedlemon and orange rindHermit Variation¾ cup brown sugar2 tablespoons molasses1 tsp cinnamon¼ tsp cloves¼ tsp allspice1 cup raisins, soaked½ cup chopped nuts¼ cup peel ½ cup chopped dateslemon and orange rind Soak raisins in boiling water, then drain. Mix together softened butter and sugar. Beat in sugar. Alternate dry ingredients with sour cream. Stir in raisins. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Makes 12 very large cookies. Hermit Sour Cream Cookies ¼ cup butter¾ cup brown sugar2 tbsp molasses2 eggs2 ½ cups flour¼ tsp salt1 tsp soda1 cup sour cream or yogurt1 tsp nutmeg1 tsp cinnamon¼ tsp allspice¼ tsp cloves½ cup chopped nuts¼ cup peel1 cup raisins, soaked½ cup chopped dateslemon and orange rind Soak raisins in boiling water, then drain. Mix together softened butter and sugar. Beat in eggs. Alternate dry ingredients with sour cream. Stir in raisins, dates, peel and nuts. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Makes 12 -24 large cookies.

I've had some things pop - gummies and such - I think they weren't as well frozen. Or it might just be the nature of gummies. But I do recall something about things that aren't well frozen expanding when they heat under vacuum. Hubby has suggested that after I close the hatch when starting up that I unplug the vacuum from the back of the machine - plug it into the wall and run it until the door has clearly sealed shut. I've been doing this with the new pump so far - it ensures that I have a good vacuum right at the start. So I feel confident that when the vacuum comes on when I'm out of the house that there is no danger of a poor vacuum (of course I'm no longer worried about oil spray - but I still want the unit evacuating well).

Works fine, quieter, no oil. I think that the extra time might not be actually extra - with the old pump I wouldn't have ever considered taking stuff out after 7 hours - that's always been too short for anything I've done.

Not very exciting to look at - rhubarb puree. Needed a few more hours after the first run through so left it overnight.

Any foodsaver with a port will do - then get one of these.

Do you own a food saver of any sort now?

I've put a very small load in there this time - it's basically half a thin layer of rhubarb puree that I made and put in the freezer before I went north. I let it freeze for about 3 hours, then turned on the pump. Took several minutes to come down to pressure - the timer started and is continuing to count down! It remains around 440 - 450 mTorr. Pump is pretty quiet compared to the vane pump. So this batch will be finishing tonight around 7 - 7:30 as I picked 7 hour drying time. Spoke with Matt at HR - he says that the lack of cycling at this point is due to the small quantity of liquid in there. Full trays will cycle. So off to the grocery store to find a few more things to freeze dry in round 2 - I scream, you scream....

The whole wet dirty oil thing has been a source of angst for me - particularly the spraying oil all over the house if the vacuum isn't complete. And dislike the changing of the oil as well - when it reaches the point that I can't even see the level of vacuum oil in the pump because of the dirt. I can get hubby to take the pump apart for me and clean it - but then he starts muttering about how this can't be good for the pump and all. So I did some research and decided that I wanted a diaphragm pump of some sort for it so that moisture wouldn't be an issue - contacting the guys at HD they explained I would need a pump that could get down below 200 mTorr (0.2 Torr) which is 0.3 millibar or 0.000266 bar. It needed at least 6 cfm. I concluded that Edwards XDS scroll pump or Vacuumbrand mv 2 or 10 nt vario would be workable options if I could get one and adapt it to the 1/2 inch hose on the FD unit. I found an Edwards XDS 10 for a fraction of the price new and picked it up when I was in Washington in April. Fortunately hubby used to work with high vacuum systems so was able to figure out what I needed to hook it up and while I was up north he finally got around to checking to make sure it worked and hooking it up for me. So today is it's maiden voyage. I'll keep you posted. I'm going to go and do a little reading on gas ballast and figure out what I should be setting that to.

It shuts off the vacuum cycling - the freezer comes back on - and as I recall it beeps, and beeps and beeps. The food when removed is cold and so risks condensation forming on it. What I tend to do is watch for it to start the countdown timer once it has finished phase two and moves on to phase three. If it's going to be another 5 hours and I'm going to be at work for 8 then I turn up the timer so it's finishing after 8 hours instead of 5. Then I can unload when it's warm rather than cold. I generally find if it hasn't started the countdown timer by the time I leave for work that I don't need to worry about it until I get home. I do the same thing overnight so it's finishing up when I get up in the morning so that damn beep doesn't wake the house overnight.

That's because I never got around to making it. We didn't get around to making much of what we planned this trip - because we didn't really plan!

Ak Mak crackers with cream cheese that I doctored with dill, chives, salt and pepper for me.

A few assorted pictures from today. Ferry on it's way. Chicheemaun muffin (forgot picture before starting to eat) - nice pea meal bacon in there. Anna's breakfast. Kira's breakfast. Lighthouse that indicates that Tobermory is getting near.

Yep just getting off now

Last night it seemed like there was lots of room in the car. This morning not so much!was lots of room in the car! This morning not so much!

Way too early in the morning. The Closet! No closet failures this time.

If I can find the cocoa mass I know I have there somewhere - I shall work on it when I'm home.

Indeed it does!

Negroni as a second cocktail. With the CSO packed away, tonights dinner was made in the Remoska. Chicken thighs, potatoes, onions, carrots and peppers in an ancient dijon sauce.