The Blue Alpine Medium Select is a home freeze dryer with five stainless steel trays and a premium vacuum pump included. It ships with pre-programmed food recipes and lets you customize cycles, which shortens the learning curve for first-time owners. It suits households that want to preserve garden produce, meat or full meals in batches. Against rival home freeze dryers, it stands out for bundling the pump, sealer, trays and mats in one box and for its recipe software; owners rate it highly, though it is a large, heavy machine that needs dedicated space and power.
In stockReturn policy
Owners rate the Medium Select very highly, praising its build, the included accessories and the recipe software that gets beginners started. Complaints center on the time each batch takes and the space and upkeep the machine demands.
The Medium Select is a home freeze dryer from Blue Alpine. It is built in Idaho and comes with its accessories. The built-in software has pre-programmed food recipes and can be customized. It uses PID control technology and solid-state relays.
A circulating fan inside the chamber blast-freezes the food. The pressure limit can be set for each recipe. The frame is extruded aluminum, and the vacuum fittings are barbed rather than crimped. A gasket material seals all threads instead of Teflon tape. The bottom tray has a higher-wattage heating pad so it stays at the same temperature as the rest.
The machine uses a natural refrigerant (R1270). The vacuum pump has a solenoid that prevents oil from flowing back into the chamber. Each machine goes through several hours of quality control tests before it ships.
