How long does freeze-drying take?
24 to 40 hours for a typical home batch. Water content, thickness and how full the trays are decide where you land in that range.
Category Freeze Dryers
Home freeze drying, honestly costed.
What is freeze-drying?
Freeze-drying freezes food solid, then removes the ice as vapour under vacuum. The food keeps its shape, loses about 95 percent of its water, and stores for years.
Is a freeze dryer worth it? The break-even arithmetic
It is worth it if you want years of shelf life on real meals. It is a poor buy if you mainly dry fruit, herbs and jerky.