My old science teacher from high school just rolled over in his grave! I literally watched the whole video! You made science FUN! If you're not a teacher, you need to be! You're amazing!
Yes, agree wholeheartedly that everyone needs a science teacher like Phil. Not many go to these lengths with such patience and clarity. That really was FUN.......Retired and still learning. Keep it up
Thank you for doing this. There are so many of us that are unsure of what companies are good and bad. Keep the videos coming. So appreciate you sharing ur knowledge.
Yup Christ Jesus says love and care for one another. Power to the people. Thanks for taking the time and efforts, several other channels do testing products oil additives , j.b. weld , glues etc, That helps the public alot to make informed choices with rates of $ to quality , budgets.
I feel like this title is not fair to Harvest Right. If you didn't watch the video you would assume there was an issue with a HR prodcut, where there is not. The research involved in this video is impressive, and I wish the title was more representative...and fair.
I thought that too in the beginning. I did let HR preview the video before release. They liked the clip and approved. I kept the title to peak peoples' interest. Thank you for the comment.
There is a problem with Harvest Right. We bought one, we have had to work on it and nurse it along to keep it running. Now the touch pad that you use to turn it on and off and select functions, doesn’t work. We have had it two months. I truly can not recommend this product and I know unfortunately they are one of the only companies out there, but if they would tell you up front that you have to be a mechanic and an electrician to keep it running, at least that would be the truth.
@@markforee7693mine lasted a year before the first self induced oops. HR was on it, told them it was my fault. They sent me a replacement part free of charge that was built wrong and fried my machine. Worked with them 2 months and got my machine running again at no cost to me. It was kinda long but I have no complaints against HR customer support. Contact them. Also I feel your pain at 2 years, it seems my machine doesnt work as quick as it use to. Idk if it is software or what. Watching mine, but I still recomend HR customer service. Best of luck to you!
Wow! What an education that I kinda knew I needed but didn't know how or where to go for the information. You explained your process and results very well! Thanks again
Excellent video sir. Boy I wish more people made these kinds of videos. Nothing wrong with keeping companies honest. And well done harvest right. Hard to find a company these days that’s honest.
This was a really interesting video. Your testing was easy to follow too. I hope Harvest Right see your video because it speaks to their commitment to quality for their customers. All the best from the UK 🇬🇧
That was amazing. I always wondered if 02 absorbers were just as advertised so I did the overkill thing and used 500cc just in case. I guess I have trust issues! Thanks for sacrificing your time, expertise, the bag and 02 absorber for the cause. Much appreciated.
I did that also I used to as overkill in each gallon bag ; the thing is the bag did not shrink or look like the air was removed at all, the bags still look inflated like pillows so I am now worried that the absorbers were ineffective. Even though i used two of the oxygen absorbers and they were brand new out of their package. So i kind of gave up on long term storage. lol
@@sunnysummer7309 Remember you can change an element, you can't make it disappear. Some of the oxygen will be replaced with Carbon Monoxide. That's a good thing.
@@sunnysummer7309 An easy way for peace of mind is to vaccum seal your bag. That said, I think there is a very large safety margin as far as how freeze dried food will keep even if you only heat seal the bag and nothing else.
Thanks for your excellent scientific analysis of the Harvest Right bags and oxygen absorbers. It was fascinating and inspired confidence when I package my freeze dried products.
Thank you for all of your videos. It really helps when someone explains the how and why and doesn't just provide an answer with no real reasoning behind it.
Thank you! I have wondered about quality of the items I buy, I am so not a math person when I was younger. I am pretty much house bound as a caregiver and have taken up reading books on finance, that was life changing. This example is like a person telling me how great he/she is without a resume. Thank you again.
This is great and makes me feel better since I don't know what to look for! I'd love to see you do an analysis on the Wallaby bags. I bought them and have enjoyed the thickness and what seems to me as a great quality bag, but wonder about the OA's since they seem smaller than the Harvest Right ones.
Over my head in some areas, but totally was able to follow. Very interesting. Best thing, it made me take time to devote to thinking about this. Subscribing and watching more videos.
Excellent video, thank you for your hard work making this. It's funny, because just today I was loading some bags and thinking to myself, "I wonder if these o2 absorbers are any good?". Now I know and feel good about it.
Great video mate, Harvest Right is a company that I had planned to purchase from once I get a block of land and this shows that the company is well worth doing business with!
Hi! Glad to be here. So informative. Could you do a comprehensive episode on botulism? Regarding canning etc. I would love it and I bet others would too. Maybe you have one could you refer me to it. Thank you for all you do!
Subscribed! Very good videos on mylar bags and O2 absorbers! I appreciate the technical approach to your tests. I am returning recent purchase of mylar bags from Amazon sellers. They advertise the bags as 9 mil but that is a double layer measurement. Their O2 absorbers are also very sketchy.
Great testing video. I just ordered Wallaby Mylar bags, but ordered the Harvest Right O2 absorbers. They did take quite awhile to arrive, it seems worth the wait now based on your testing! 😃
Hi is there a reason you did not use the wallaby oxygen absorbers? reason i ask you is because the wallaby bags i used their oxygen absorbers but my bags still look inflated as though the absorbers didn't work?
You know, you do the best commercials around. I use many of your products and don’t take this the wrong way, but you would be a great comedic actor. Your writers and directors are great also.🤗
Phil, this is an amazing video, but it went over my head. I am sorry I had to fast forward. The detail is amazing. Thank you for the hard work and for helping us out.
I don't need my o2 absorbers to come in a box. An expensive box no less, gloss coloring, die cut box with window. I don't need a design on Mylar bags either (of food in a jar). All adds to the cost. I suspect they are more for advertising when you get them with a new machine. Thank you for doing these videos.
@@marycanfield1974 Harvest Right does offer a bag that has the bottoms that allow them to stand on their own. They are also resealable - with a plastic zip-type seal. (One also uses the sealer to seal the top of the bag above the zip.) They are a smaller size; without looking and measuring I'm estimating they are approx 6" x 9or10". Very handy. For my circumstance with storing small portions they are terrific.
New to your channel and I really appreciate your time and I found it (for me and my taste as an average housewife and very sad to say that I can't afford a freeze dryer but pray that I will get 1 for our large family with 5 children) this was weirdly interesting and captivating for me to watch! I now have to go and watch more of your videos!!
Thanks for doing this it makes it easy to understand. I would love a freeze dryer, but I'm in NZ. The shipping is expensive, and when I talk to someone with an import licence about the harvest right freeze dryer, they look at me like I've got 2 noses on my face. !! A company in Auckland I believe has started to import them, but there's a huge wait and expense just yet.
I would never us a 7mil bag. 10mil minimum. What they advertise is both sides. a 7 mil advert is only 3.5 each side. Not bueno amigo. However, this is the first time I've seen the advertised mil is for only 1 side. I've never seen this in all the bags I've bought. Maybe I should switch to this brand. I'll do a little more research, but looks promising. Thanks for all your work brother
I recently puchased the large freeze dryer from Harvest Right. I used their 300cc oxygen absorbers and 7mil mylar bags. The absorbers didn't work at all. After 24 hours, I cut the bags open and placed two 300cc absorbers in each bag. 24 hours later, no change. Each of the bags were double sealed with the impulse sealer set to 7. I cut the bags open again and used an off brand, 300cc absorber. Within 24 hours, there was an obvious vacuum on each of the bags.
Oxygen absorbers work by "burning up" or oxidizing the oxygen in the air. This is done with powdered iron. The rate of oxidation is controlled by salt and carbon. Some OAs take up to 4-5 days to work. Some 12-24 hours. Not all OAs will pull a vacuum on a bag. If you're interested in vacuum sealing, your FD can perform this task. One cup is 237 cc. This will give you an idea of how much O2 will be absorbed out of 1129 cc (nearly 5 cups). However, as it "absorbs" oxygen, the absorbers produce other gases, primarily carbon monoxide.
So happy to find your channel! I'm looking into canning, pickling, and fermenting supplies videos but freeze drying in now on my list of ways to keep the food I grow much longer. So much of it has to go into the compost bc I have nothing to preserve my harvests. I am still new to gardening so I had to get the basics for that down well enough to move on to the next level and I feel like I'm finally ready this year!
@@Philat4800feet actually I became very depressed after my first child and I can finally say that I am the happiest I have ever been after starting this garden so I think you are 100% right!
I just asked fellow subscribers this evening for recommendations for the best mylar bags and absorbers. I never see anything showing material thickness and wanted to be able to compare.
Great video. thanks! You may want to consider using more than one 'significant figure'... for example, 1g on your scale could be as low as 0.5g and as high as 1.49g (and the scale could be rounding the measurement to 1g and you wouldn't know it), and so ideally you should be using a scale that has a minimum increments of 0.1g or even 0.01g for the amounts you are using.
interesting testing methods. I should point out that air will readily dissolve (and diffuse) into water. it is likely that your results for oxygen volume is off because of this. The one package was probably somewhat better than your test would indicate.
I was thinking a light, nonvolatile oil could be used in place of water. I will retest in a year or so. Since I started with water, to be consistent and fair, I needed to use the same test method.
Thanks to the United Nations the old MSDS is now just a SDS. It has been reformatted to be international under Global Harmonization System. It was adopted by the US on March 26, 2012.
Don't forget with your water test you are basically making a barometer so atmospheric pressure will probably affect your results especially if was higher in the jar when you started and then it drops outside or vice versa.
I’ve been using Wallaby brand Mylar and oxygen absorbers……I’m having doubts if the oxygen absorbers are any good…….very few packets seem to working correctly……..very few of my preps (Mylar bags) have tightened up, as in bricks…… Fascinating topic…..thank you
Yes ,we as consumers can benefit greatly for more,tubers, producing content like this,,and hold brands to better standards towards wholesome consideration.#Jesus
Since the air in the mylar bag is not pure oxygen, it is normal to not see a lot of shrink from the oxygen absorbers. Air is 78 percent nitrogen and only 21 percent oxygen. Oxygen absorbers only remove the oxygen, not the nitrogen and that is okay.
I got a Harvest Right FD two weeks ago and it came with 50 count of 700 cc oxygen absorbers. They did not feel warm at all to the touch when I opened a package of 10. So I put 10 in a quart size jar and it cannot seal the lid. I have some very old oxygen absorbers that were barely warm to the touch. I then put in them in a quart jar and they sealed the jar. So now I need to order oxygen absorbers, but not from Harvest Right.
it should still be a water vapor proof bag. it could be using a different type of barrier material to provide the water vapor proof protection. check out it's water vapor transmission rate and compare that with the water vapor transmission rate of the DuPont mylar bag.
don't have a harvest right freeze dryer (way to expensive imo) but the shipping issue is not technically a issue due to the fact that there are supply chain issues, especially with items coming from china. Need to get some mylar bags and o2 packets for when I dehydrate stuff (veggies for soups and hotdishes). Will be looing into the harvest right brand now for those.
Many thanks for this video and so many others. Hubby and I learn so much from them and sincerely appreciate all your time and expertise to produce them. If memory serves, it seems you recommended to someone in Canada - who was facing difficulties obtaining Mylar bags during COVID or even during more recent shipping/supply stagnations - that a possible place to obtain Mylar [polyester] bags would be a local Home Storage Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Since Harvest Right sometimes takes 3 weeks or so to send supplies - especially if they're temporarily out of stock - hubby & I are curious to know if you've ever tested the Home Storage Center's Mylar [polyester] bags and O2 packs and how they compare with those sold by Harvest Right. For years, we've used the bags and O2 packs from the Home Storage Center for other basic dehydrated food storage items so I'm thinking they most likely are high quality. While we realize the Home Storage Center isn't a commercial enterprise and exists to help folks with basic food storage items, it's always good to explore all options for purchasing bags and O2 packs. Thanks!
You’re freaking awesome ❤️ Every day I check your channel to see if you’ve uploaded The main thing I’m keeping an eye on is exactly this, Mylar bags oxygen absorbers and freeze drying I’m thinking about freeze drying ground beef but not sure which beef I should buy 73/27, 80/20, or 90/10 I know the beef with less fat costs more but fat doesn’t freeze dry good and I need to make sure to remove as much as possible but I also want good flavor not cardboard taste lol I love the McCormick taco seasoning but is that good for long term? Which beef would you suggest?
Fat is flavor. With that said, I've done 90/10 and 80/20. I've cooked it well, and then I used a clean towel, placed the beef on the towel, rolled it up, and then wringed the towel. This got almost all the fat out of the beef. I hope you found the problems with your FD.
@@Philat4800feet I should be freeze drying by the end of this week Electrician is going to install a dedicated outlet for my freeze dryer Really stressed me out to have to hire someone to come into my home and see my stock and freeze dryer They should be back tomorrow to finish that and do other electrical work in my kid’s rooms I hope in the future I won’t regret this decision but we really needed it done 😥 First thing I’ll freeze dry after my bread run will be beef because I don’t think I want synthetic beef in the future lol
Enjoyed your video Phil, in all honesty though don’t you’ve to believe that most of these products such as oxygen absorbers, mylar bags are for all sense and purpose coming from the same place. Just repackaged under a different manufacturer.
That's why I wanted the SDS to see who made the oxygen absorbers. I know of two companies in the US that make them and a bunch in China. I'm sure there are counterfeits out there as well. Same with the bags.
A quart jar holds 946 cc. The air we breathe contains 21% oxygen. (946 cc x .21 = 199 cc). A standard oxygen absorber is rated to "absorb" (oxidize) 300 cc of oxygen. Many OA will absorb two to three times this amount. After 1-2 hours the oxygen in my jar will be gone, absorbed. The surrounding fluid around the jar will be sucked up into the jar to fill the oxygen void. The water stops at the 199 cc level, the amount of available oxygen. The thermochemical process stops because there isn't any more oxygen. This is when I exchange the air to allow the process to continue until the absorber can't absorb anymore oxygen. The total amount of "sucked up" colored water is added up for the total capacity.
I don’t know if Harvest Right sells any bags better than the ones that were included with my Harvest Right machine, but I don’t like them. They’re not ziplock, heat seal only, and they’re fully transparent on one side, leaving whatever is in them exposed and susceptible to light degradation, unless stored in lightproof containers.
@@Philat4800feet I just got my machine three weeks ago, to came with 50 bags that are printed on one side and transparent on the other side, with just a straight, open top, with no ziplock.
Hello! Mr. Phil thank you for all the work and research you do in the area of Myler bags and oxygen absorbers. I have a question it seems nobody can answer me, it has to do with way we should not put oxygen absorbers in salt nor sugar. the common answer is that the salt and sugar will get hard as a rock, but nobody can explain way. Mr. Phil do you have an Idea way this happens(salt and sugar get hard as a rock if you store with oxygen absorbers) if it does happen. Thank You Mr. Phil
I have not heard of that. Perhaps the oxygen absorbers are being found guilty of a crime they didn't commit. When an oxygen absorber is removed from its protective packaging, the moisture in the surrounding atmosphere begins to mingle with the iron particles inside of the Oxygen Absorber sachet. As the oxygen molecules from the moisture interact with the iron (Fe) particles, rust begins to develop and "burns" up the oxygen. Perhaps the real culprit is the humidity in the air at the time of sealing.
@@Philat4800feet Thank You! Mr. Phil for your feed back, salt and sugar being hygroscopic will make, like you said humidity the culprit. not the lack of oxygen. Well you actually inspire me to do a little experimenting of my own. I'll put some salt and sugar into mylar bags and drop some oxygen absorbers and see what happened. I'll let you know of results. Thank you for taking from your time to answer. Sincerely Michael
Harvest Right is the slowest company I have ever dealt with. I get stuffed shipped from China faster than from Harvest Right. I stopped using Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers altogether as vacuum canning my freeze-dried food into jars is considerably less expensive. we do have mylar, just in case we are forced to move but nowhere near the amount stored in jars.
@@Philat4800feet, Hi Phil, I'm Joe at sea level. (Florida) Pantries are dark for a reason. We have an Lrg Freeze dryer, and a Food Saver Vacuum system and the spouse wants to start canning from watching "Simply Alaska" on TH-cam over the years. Each system offers different advantages for food storage. Mylar is good for two of the three systems but Jars can be used for all three. Thank you for the great video. th-cam.com/video/7pigeSJX-94/w-d-xo.html
@@ashyslashy5818 - my freeze dryer also had issues of inconsistency but in the end HR sent me a replacement vaccum hose and now it works fine. Maybe I was an early adopter and they were not so busy but I find it always helps to excalate and ask for a manager or the president of the co. Sorry to hear your dissatisfaction
Good video but I would have liked for you to weigh the used oxygen absorber at the end of the experiment and possibly opened it to see if there was a difference in the weight of it's separate contents. I have heard that oxygen absorbers can be restored by drying them out in your oven at a very low temperature. The lowest my oven goes is 170 degrees F. My dehydrator can be set at 120 degrees F. Of course my next question would be, how efficient would the dried/reused oxygen absorbers be in comparison to the new ones. Lastly, would freeze drying my used oxygen absorbers give them new life? It doesn't seem sustainable or environmental to constantly be sending little plastic bags of iron, salt, carbon & sodium chloride to landfill. Thanks for your answer in advance. I am thinking you may have actually weighed the packet at the end of the experiment but just not included the info in your video.
Good idea. I still have many of those old oxygen absorbers. One (1) cc of oxygen weighs 0.001429 grams. Many of my tests were able to absorb 1000cc. So, 1000cc x 0.00149 = would equal 1.49 grams. My scale should be able to detect that amount. Some of the oxygen, instead of being absorbed, is converted to CO gas instead.
you can make your own oxygen desiccant from a few common house hold items. rice or natural clay kitty litter also natural clay "oil spill" clean up "safe t zorb" its usually sold as. also called turface..
I love the science in your content. Are you a harvest right affiliate? I'm hoping to buy a freeze dryer in the next year or maybe 2, and I would totally purchase through your affiliate link if you have one because I love your freeze drying content.
“Hoping to buy in the next year or two?” In contrast, it took me six hours after discovery of Harvest Right to order one. It would have only taken two hours but I had to decide on the medium over the large!
Last night I took some Oa's out of my small jar and put into the product I was FDing. I always take the jar with the OA packets and seal it in my chamber sealer to keep the packets nice and fresh. Last night I forgot to do that. The lid was on tight, but this morning it was NOT sealed even though it had about 10 packets in it. I assumed those OA's were no good so I tossed them in the garbage. I'm bummed because I now wonder if I just wasted a bunch of food. I am fortunate enough to have use of a #10 can sealer and #10 cans. What do you think? Have I just ruined some food? Should I open those cans and use new ones on the last 6 can's of food? I really don't know if any of the OA's I used from that bunch are any good.
We bought oxygen absorbers and apparently they were a bad batch. I was putting up dry beans in canning jars. After 3 trys on each jar, I finally just bought a jar attachment for my food saver
@@Philat4800feet 🤔 I may just do that... for fun. Sadly, I don't trust any of them now. Everything is getting too expensive to chance it. Especially if I have to go in and check the seals every other day. Is it safe to dispose of the packets in the garbage?
I buy from pack fresh USA... They recently changes the look (maybe different supplier??) of their oxygen absorbers. They used to sell genuine Dupont Mylar bags that were awesome. Now they sell a different brand that seem good too. Maybe check them out for testing... TY
Hi Phil, hope you are fine. Can I also package the fruits in kind of „Pringles Cans“ and seal them with a sealing machine? I want a „harder“ package that protects the breakable veggies 🙏🏽
My old science teacher from high school just rolled over in his grave! I literally watched the whole video! You made science FUN! If you're not a teacher, you need to be! You're amazing!
Kind words. Never a teacher, but I'm accused from time to time for getting my geek on.
Yes, agree wholeheartedly that everyone needs a science teacher like Phil. Not many go to these lengths with such patience and clarity. That really was FUN.......Retired and still learning. Keep it up
Thank you for doing this. There are so many of us that are unsure of what companies are good and bad. Keep the videos coming. So appreciate you sharing ur knowledge.
More to come!
Yup Christ Jesus says love and care for one another. Power to the people. Thanks for taking the time and efforts, several other channels do testing products oil additives , j.b. weld , glues etc, That helps the public alot to make informed choices with rates of $ to quality , budgets.
@@Philat4800feet good job
I feel like this title is not fair to Harvest Right. If you didn't watch the video you would assume there was an issue with a HR prodcut, where there is not. The research involved in this video is impressive, and I wish the title was more representative...and fair.
I thought that too in the beginning. I did let HR preview the video before release. They liked the clip and approved. I kept the title to peak peoples' interest. Thank you for the comment.
It would be good to switch the title so it won't be misleading. At this point the video has gotten most of its views. Really interesting content.
There is a problem with Harvest Right. We bought one, we have had to work on it and nurse it along to keep it running. Now the touch pad that you use to turn it on and off and select functions, doesn’t work. We have had it two months. I truly can not recommend this product and I know unfortunately they are one of the only companies out there, but if they would tell you up front that you have to be a mechanic and an electrician to keep it running, at least that would be the truth.
@@markforee7693mine lasted a year before the first self induced oops. HR was on it, told them it was my fault. They sent me a replacement part free of charge that was built wrong and fried my machine.
Worked with them 2 months and got my machine running again at no cost to me. It was kinda long but I have no complaints against HR customer support. Contact them.
Also I feel your pain at 2 years, it seems my machine doesnt work as quick as it use to. Idk if it is software or what. Watching mine, but I still recomend HR customer service. Best of luck to you!
I agree!!
Wow! What an education that I kinda knew I needed but didn't know how or where to go for the information. You explained your process and results very well! Thanks again
Thanks
Excellent video sir. Boy I wish more people made these kinds of videos. Nothing wrong with keeping companies honest. And well done harvest right. Hard to find a company these days that’s honest.
I appreciate that!
This was a really interesting video. Your testing was easy to follow too. I hope Harvest Right see your video because it speaks to their commitment to quality for their customers. All the best from the UK 🇬🇧
I love GB! I spent time in London, Sudbury, Harlow and RAF Alconbury.
exactly what commitment to quality does HR have? Maybe I was absent that day.
Thank you, Phil! I never understood how the absorbers were rated and this helped me. I appreciate you taking the time to do this…
That was amazing. I always wondered if 02 absorbers were just as advertised so I did the overkill thing and used 500cc just in case. I guess I have trust issues! Thanks for sacrificing your time, expertise, the bag and 02 absorber for the cause. Much appreciated.
Thank you!
I did that also I used to as overkill in each gallon bag ; the thing is the bag did not shrink or look like the air was removed at all, the bags still look inflated like pillows so I am now worried that the absorbers were ineffective. Even though i used two of the oxygen absorbers and they were brand new out of their package. So i kind of gave up on long term storage. lol
@@sunnysummer7309 Remember you can change an element, you can't make it disappear. Some of the oxygen will be replaced with Carbon Monoxide. That's a good thing.
@@sunnysummer7309 An easy way for peace of mind is to vaccum seal your bag. That said, I think there is a very large safety margin as far as how freeze dried food will keep even if you only heat seal the bag and nothing else.
Thanks for your excellent scientific analysis of the Harvest Right bags and oxygen absorbers. It was fascinating and inspired confidence when I package my freeze dried products.
Thanks
I am so glad that we have people in this world like you. Thank you so much for educated me.🥰
Thank you for all of your videos. It really helps when someone explains the how and why and doesn't just provide an answer with no real reasoning behind it.
I feel my head swelling. Thanks for the comment.
Thank you! I have wondered about quality of the items I buy, I am so not a math person when I was younger. I am pretty much house bound as a caregiver and have taken up reading books on finance, that was life changing. This example is like a person telling me how great he/she is without a resume. Thank you again.
Kind words. thank you
This is great and makes me feel better since I don't know what to look for! I'd love to see you do an analysis on the Wallaby bags. I bought them and have enjoyed the thickness and what seems to me as a great quality bag, but wonder about the OA's since they seem smaller than the Harvest Right ones.
Over my head in some areas, but totally was able to follow. Very interesting. Best thing, it made me take time to devote to thinking about this. Subscribing and watching more videos.
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent video, thank you for your hard work making this. It's funny, because just today I was loading some bags and thinking to myself, "I wonder if these o2 absorbers are any good?". Now I know and feel good about it.
Glad it was helpful!
Your video just came up randomly today. Your work is excellent and very needed in these days and times. Thank you for having this TH-cam channel
Thank you
Great video mate, Harvest Right is a company that I had planned to purchase from once I get a block of land and this shows that the company is well worth doing business with!
Don’t do it. Mine is less than a year old and the company won’t fix it.
Awesome....sharing this with someone who would appreciate this level of testing (beside me)!
Hi! Glad to be here. So informative. Could you do a comprehensive episode on botulism? Regarding canning etc. I would love it and I bet others would too. Maybe you have one could you refer me to it. Thank you for all you do!
I'm thinking about that. My nephew has a PhD in food sciences.
Rose Red homestead should help
Subscribed! Very good videos on mylar bags and O2 absorbers! I appreciate the technical approach to your tests. I am returning recent purchase of mylar bags from Amazon sellers. They advertise the bags as 9 mil but that is a double layer measurement. Their O2 absorbers are also very sketchy.
Thanks for the sub!
Great testing video. I just ordered Wallaby Mylar bags, but ordered the Harvest Right O2 absorbers. They did take quite awhile to arrive, it seems worth the wait now based on your testing! 😃
aren't wallaby o2 absorbers packed single for each bag?
Wallaby O2 absorbers are packed in counts of 10.
Hi is there a reason you did not use the wallaby oxygen absorbers? reason i ask you is because the wallaby bags i used their oxygen absorbers but my bags still look inflated as though the absorbers didn't work?
I purchased the Harvest O2 absorbers before I ordered the Wallaby bags. I am using the Wallaby O2 absorbers as well. Both work great
@@sunnysummer7309 agree….I’m having the same issues with Wallaby’s products.
You know, you do the best commercials around. I use many of your products and don’t take this the wrong way, but you would be a great comedic actor. Your writers and directors are great also.🤗
Blush
Smart cookie!! I love this! Thank you for doing this. Immense gratitude for the uncommon knowledge I needed.
You are so welcome!
Phil, this is an amazing video, but it went over my head. I am sorry I had to fast forward. The detail is amazing. Thank you for the hard work and for helping us out.
Glad it was helpful!
I don't need my o2 absorbers to come in a box. An expensive box no less, gloss coloring, die cut box with window. I don't need a design on Mylar bags either (of food in a jar). All adds to the cost. I suspect they are more for advertising when you get them with a new machine. Thank you for doing these videos.
Agreed. I would like to see some of the bags with the bottoms that make it possible for them to stand on their own
I agree.
@@marycanfield1974 Harvest Right does offer a bag that has the bottoms that allow them to stand on their own. They are also resealable - with a plastic zip-type seal. (One also uses the sealer to seal the top of the bag above the zip.) They are a smaller size; without looking and measuring I'm estimating they are approx 6" x 9or10". Very handy. For my circumstance with storing small portions they are terrific.
@@marycanfield1974 yes!! I definitely agree!
New to your channel and I really appreciate your time and I found it (for me and my taste as an average housewife and very sad to say that I can't afford a freeze dryer but pray that I will get 1 for our large family with 5 children) this was weirdly interesting and captivating for me to watch! I now have to go and watch more of your videos!!
Thank you for your comments
Wow! Someone gets an A+ for doing their homework!! Love it! Thanks for the info
I hate to admit I was a B/C student in school.
Wow! You answered questions I was having and I am impressed. Your work is much appreciated!
Glad it was helpful
This is fantastic. I will be showing it to my homeschooled kids
Have you seen this video?
th-cam.com/video/vzichaBdDfs/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for doing this it makes it easy to understand. I would love a freeze dryer, but I'm in NZ. The shipping is expensive, and when I talk to someone with an import licence about the harvest right freeze dryer, they look at me like I've got 2 noses on my face. !!
A company in Auckland I believe has started to import them, but there's a huge wait and expense just yet.
Best of luck to you
I would never us a 7mil bag. 10mil minimum. What they advertise is both sides. a 7 mil advert is only 3.5 each side. Not bueno amigo. However, this is the first time I've seen the advertised mil is for only 1 side. I've never seen this in all the bags I've bought. Maybe I should switch to this brand. I'll do a little more research, but looks promising. Thanks for all your work brother
I recently puchased the large freeze dryer from Harvest Right. I used their 300cc oxygen absorbers and 7mil mylar bags. The absorbers didn't work at all. After 24 hours, I cut the bags open and placed two 300cc absorbers in each bag. 24 hours later, no change. Each of the bags were double sealed with the impulse sealer set to 7. I cut the bags open again and used an off brand, 300cc absorber. Within 24 hours, there was an obvious vacuum on each of the bags.
Oxygen absorbers work by "burning up" or oxidizing the oxygen in the air. This is done with powdered iron. The rate of oxidation is controlled by salt and carbon. Some OAs take up to 4-5 days to work. Some 12-24 hours. Not all OAs will pull a vacuum on a bag. If you're interested in vacuum sealing, your FD can perform this task. One cup is 237 cc. This will give you an idea of how much O2 will be absorbed out of 1129 cc (nearly 5 cups). However, as it "absorbs" oxygen, the absorbers produce other gases, primarily carbon monoxide.
Awesome video for us nerd consumers wanting to know the real world specs and performance of products!
Thanks you
Well done, Phill. Enjoyed and appreciate your experiment. First time on your channel. Will view your other video's.
Welcome aboard!
So happy to find your channel! I'm looking into canning, pickling, and fermenting supplies videos but freeze drying in now on my list of ways to keep the food I grow much longer. So much of it has to go into the compost bc I have nothing to preserve my harvests. I am still new to gardening so I had to get the basics for that down well enough to move on to the next level and I feel like I'm finally ready this year!
Weeding is very therapeutic
@@Philat4800feet actually I became very depressed after my first child and I can finally say that I am the happiest I have ever been after starting this garden so I think you are 100% right!
@@Faye_vr There are beneficial microbes in soil which have a direct impact on mood.
@@annep.1905 That makes a lot of sense and I've never heard that b4 so thank you for sharing!
@@Faye_vr You're welcome! I only heard it in the last 5 years or so myself.
I enjoyed this. I use HR products and have often wondered about their quality.
I just asked fellow subscribers this evening for recommendations for the best mylar bags and absorbers. I never see anything showing material thickness and wanted to be able to compare.
Great video. thanks! You may want to consider using more than one 'significant figure'... for example, 1g on your scale could be as low as 0.5g and as high as 1.49g (and the scale could be rounding the measurement to 1g and you wouldn't know it), and so ideally you should be using a scale that has a minimum increments of 0.1g or even 0.01g for the amounts you are using.
I agree, but like I tell my kids: "We're not working on the space shuttle". I guess I could find a finer scale.
Well done. Thank you for your time doing this. Grace to you and may God bless you.
Thank u
interesting testing methods. I should point out that air will readily dissolve (and diffuse) into water. it is likely that your results for oxygen volume is off because of this. The one package was probably somewhat better than your test would indicate.
I was thinking a light, nonvolatile oil could be used in place of water. I will retest in a year or so. Since I started with water, to be consistent and fair, I needed to use the same test method.
Very interesting video. However, I believe 4g iron powder times 300cc per 1 gram is 1200 cc not 1600cc
Wow! how did I miss that! Too late for an edit. Thanks for the catch.
@@Philat4800feet then delete and redo.
Wow fantastic video! Thank you.
Very informative! New to freeze drying, and didn’t really know how to evaluate these items! Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
WOW!! FIRST TIME WATCHING YOUR CHANNEL. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE INFORMATION.
Thanks for watching, Hope it's not too much
It is a MSDS. Material Safety Data Sheet. I use to work with it for trucks and in a large storeroom for a paper company.
Thanks to the United Nations the old MSDS is now just a SDS. It has been reformatted to be international under Global Harmonization System. It was adopted by the US on March 26, 2012.
Don't forget with your water test you are basically making a barometer so atmospheric pressure will probably affect your results especially if was higher in the jar when you started and then it drops outside or vice versa.
Yup, I can get some readings without anything in the jar. That would be a good side by side comparison for the next test.
If you have a business Government agencies requires you to have the SDS sheets on file for inspection at any time
Yup
I just got schooled! Wow! Much appreciated!
Shalom! I just discovered you this morning. I am quite impressed, sir. Thank you so much. Blessings in Yeshua’s name.
Thank you kindly
CHRIST SAID HIS NAME IS CHRIST.
@@ashyslashy5818 He said "I AM WHO I AM"
@@ashyslashy5818 He goes by many names.
I'm sure they have the SDS sheet just that person wasn't informed what it was or where to get it and should have asked for you
Not an everyday request
Great review!! Thank you for peace of mind!!
I’ve been using Wallaby brand Mylar and oxygen absorbers……I’m having doubts if the oxygen absorbers are any good…….very few
packets seem to working correctly……..very few of my preps (Mylar bags) have tightened up, as in bricks……
Fascinating topic…..thank you
Do they feel like flour or sand inside?
Yes ,we as consumers can benefit greatly for more,tubers, producing content like this,,and hold brands to better standards towards wholesome consideration.#Jesus
Thank you so much, big help. 👍
Since the air in the mylar bag is not pure oxygen, it is normal to not see a lot of shrink from the oxygen absorbers. Air is 78 percent nitrogen and only 21 percent oxygen. Oxygen absorbers only remove the oxygen, not the nitrogen and that is okay.
Yup, don't expect the bag to be sucked in.
I got a Harvest Right FD two weeks ago and it came with 50 count of 700 cc oxygen absorbers. They did not feel warm at all to the touch when I opened a package of 10. So I put 10 in a quart size jar and it cannot seal the lid. I have some very old oxygen absorbers that were barely warm to the touch. I then put in them in a quart jar and they sealed the jar. So now I need to order oxygen absorbers, but not from Harvest Right.
OAs should feel like flour. If they feel like sand or gravel, most likely they're bad. Try Discount Mylar or Distribution services.
@@Philat4800feet I will check them out. Thank you.
it should still be a water vapor proof bag. it could be using a different type of barrier material to provide the water vapor proof protection. check out it's water vapor transmission rate and compare that with the water vapor transmission rate of the DuPont mylar bag.
Bad name or the video title, and good info concerning how good the company bags and absorber pads are for home use.
Caveat emptor (buyer beware) really isn't good or bad, but a suggestion for everyone to do their due diligence
Thx from a chemist! Be careful of unknown white powders...😳
Thanks for the tip!
WOW just wow thank you so much for taking the your time.
Kind words
don't have a harvest right freeze dryer (way to expensive imo) but the shipping issue is not technically a issue due to the fact that there are supply chain issues, especially with items coming from china. Need to get some mylar bags and o2 packets for when I dehydrate stuff (veggies for soups and hotdishes). Will be looing into the harvest right brand now for those.
I have one and recommend not buying one because they are pieces of shit.
I just found your channel. Wow this was great info!! I subscribed!
Welcome aboard!
Many thanks for this video and so many others. Hubby and I learn so much from them and sincerely appreciate all your time and expertise to produce them.
If memory serves, it seems you recommended to someone in Canada - who was facing difficulties obtaining Mylar bags during COVID or even during more recent shipping/supply stagnations - that a possible place to obtain Mylar [polyester] bags would be a local Home Storage Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Since Harvest Right sometimes takes 3 weeks or so to send supplies - especially if they're temporarily out of stock - hubby & I are curious to know if you've ever tested the Home Storage Center's Mylar [polyester] bags and O2 packs and how they compare with those sold by Harvest Right. For years, we've used the bags and O2 packs from the Home Storage Center for other basic dehydrated food storage items so I'm thinking they most likely are high quality.
While we realize the Home Storage Center isn't a commercial enterprise and exists to help folks with basic food storage items, it's always good to explore all options for purchasing bags and O2 packs. Thanks!
Funny you mentioned this. I'm in the middle of test right now. Should be done soon.
You’re freaking awesome ❤️
Every day I check your channel to see if you’ve uploaded
The main thing I’m keeping an eye on is exactly this, Mylar bags oxygen absorbers and freeze drying
I’m thinking about freeze drying ground beef but not sure which beef I should buy
73/27, 80/20, or 90/10
I know the beef with less fat costs more but fat doesn’t freeze dry good and I need to make sure to remove as much as possible but I also want good flavor not cardboard taste lol
I love the McCormick taco seasoning but is that good for long term?
Which beef would you suggest?
Fat is flavor. With that said, I've done 90/10 and 80/20. I've cooked it well, and then I used a clean towel, placed the beef on the towel, rolled it up, and then wringed the towel. This got almost all the fat out of the beef. I hope you found the problems with your FD.
@@Philat4800feet
I should be freeze drying by the end of this week
Electrician is going to install a dedicated outlet for my freeze dryer
Really stressed me out to have to hire someone to come into my home and see my stock and freeze dryer
They should be back tomorrow to finish that and do other electrical work in my kid’s rooms
I hope in the future I won’t regret this decision but we really needed it done
😥
First thing I’ll freeze dry after my bread run will be beef because I don’t think I want synthetic beef in the future lol
@@Philat4800feet so essentially, as low fat as possible?
@@lat1419 Yup. Remove as much fat as possible to avoid rancid foods
Enjoyed your video Phil, in all honesty though don’t you’ve to believe that most of these products such as oxygen absorbers, mylar bags are for all sense and purpose coming from the same place. Just repackaged under a different manufacturer.
That's why I wanted the SDS to see who made the oxygen absorbers. I know of two companies in the US that make them and a bunch in China. I'm sure there are counterfeits out there as well. Same with the bags.
@@Philat4800feet I am from England 🇬🇧. I'm thinking of buying Mylar bags. Any advice on buying please! ☺
Wow! What a great teacher! Thank you!
You are so welcome!
I love Wallaby's black mylar bags with the zipper...
Well done Phil as usual. Thank You.
More to come
Love your attention to detail!
Thank you!
Can you just use glass canni g jars and lids with an oxygen absorber or not, instead of mylar bags.
I have used their Food Saver and mylar bags. no complaints.
Nether do I. This series is to show other options
I don’t understand how you measured total O2 absorption because you periodically emptied the jar. Did you measure it incrementally?
A quart jar holds 946 cc. The air we breathe contains 21% oxygen. (946 cc x .21 = 199 cc). A standard oxygen absorber is rated to "absorb" (oxidize) 300 cc of oxygen. Many OA will absorb two to three times this amount. After 1-2 hours the oxygen in my jar will be gone, absorbed. The surrounding fluid around the jar will be sucked up into the jar to fill the oxygen void. The water stops at the 199 cc level, the amount of available oxygen. The thermochemical process stops because there isn't any more oxygen. This is when I exchange the air to allow the process to continue until the absorber can't absorb anymore oxygen. The total amount of "sucked up" colored water is added up for the total capacity.
Very interesting.
Thank You!
I don’t know if Harvest Right sells any bags better than the ones that were included with my Harvest Right machine, but I don’t like them. They’re not ziplock, heat seal only, and they’re fully transparent on one side, leaving whatever is in them exposed and susceptible to light degradation, unless stored in lightproof containers.
How long ago? All the bags I've purchased are solid on both sides
@@Philat4800feet I just got my machine three weeks ago, to came with 50 bags that are printed on one side and transparent on the other side, with just a straight, open top, with no ziplock.
@@jdsbees3257 I would keep them in a dark place
Hello! Mr. Phil thank you for all the work and research you do in the area of Myler bags and oxygen absorbers. I have a question it seems nobody can answer me, it has to do with way we should not put oxygen absorbers in salt nor sugar. the common answer is that the salt and sugar will get hard as a rock, but nobody can explain way. Mr. Phil do you have an Idea way this happens(salt and sugar get hard as a rock if you store with oxygen absorbers) if it does happen. Thank You Mr. Phil
I have not heard of that. Perhaps the oxygen absorbers are being found guilty of a crime they didn't commit.
When an oxygen absorber is removed from its protective packaging, the moisture in the surrounding atmosphere begins to mingle with the iron particles inside of the Oxygen Absorber sachet. As the oxygen molecules from the moisture interact with the iron (Fe) particles, rust begins to develop and "burns" up the oxygen. Perhaps the real culprit is the humidity in the air at the time of sealing.
@@Philat4800feet Thank You! Mr. Phil for your feed back, salt and sugar being hygroscopic will make, like you said humidity the culprit. not the lack of oxygen. Well you actually inspire me to do a little experimenting of my own. I'll put some salt and sugar into mylar bags and drop some oxygen absorbers and see what happened. I'll let you know of results. Thank you for taking from your time to answer. Sincerely Michael
They are not freeze dried. You need to put moisture absorbers in those. Your welcomed!
Harvest Right is the slowest company I have ever dealt with. I get stuffed shipped from China faster than from Harvest Right. I stopped using Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers altogether as vacuum canning my freeze-dried food into jars is considerably less expensive. we do have mylar, just in case we are forced to move but nowhere near the amount stored in jars.
I guess you haven't seen my video on jars v bags
th-cam.com/video/Z3j-47FioTk/w-d-xo.html
I WASTED $6500 MY FREEZE DRYER NEVER WORKED WRIGHT.CUSTOMER SERVICE IS THE WORST....
@@Philat4800feet, Hi Phil, I'm Joe at sea level. (Florida) Pantries are dark for a reason. We have an Lrg Freeze dryer, and a Food Saver Vacuum system and the spouse wants to start canning from watching "Simply Alaska" on TH-cam over the years. Each system offers different advantages for food storage. Mylar is good for two of the three systems but Jars can be used for all three. Thank you for the great video.
th-cam.com/video/7pigeSJX-94/w-d-xo.html
@@ashyslashy5818 What's the problem? I am sure we all can help you diagnose the problem.
@@ashyslashy5818 - my freeze dryer also had issues of inconsistency but in the end HR sent me a replacement vaccum hose and now it works fine. Maybe I was an early adopter and they were not so busy but I find it always helps to excalate and ask for a manager or the president of the co. Sorry to hear your dissatisfaction
Wow! That was just plain cool! Thank you sir!
Glad you liked it!
Thanks for putting out great content! I feel smarter after watching this. Usually after watching a TH-cam video I feel dumber. LOL
I appreciate that!
Thank you for your detailed testing and great information.
Kind words
Now there is a man who knows what he’s talking about.
Please contact my wife and inform her of this :)
Good video but I would have liked for you to weigh the used oxygen absorber at the end of the experiment and possibly opened it to see if there was a difference in the weight of it's separate contents. I have heard that oxygen absorbers can be restored by drying them out in your oven at a very low temperature. The lowest my oven goes is 170 degrees F. My dehydrator can be set at 120 degrees F. Of course my next question would be, how efficient would the dried/reused oxygen absorbers be in comparison to the new ones. Lastly, would freeze drying my used oxygen absorbers give them new life? It doesn't seem sustainable or environmental to constantly be sending little plastic bags of iron, salt, carbon & sodium chloride to landfill. Thanks for your answer in advance. I am thinking you may have actually weighed the packet at the end of the experiment but just not included the info in your video.
Good idea. I still have many of those old oxygen absorbers.
One (1) cc of oxygen weighs 0.001429 grams. Many of my tests were able to absorb 1000cc. So, 1000cc x 0.00149 = would equal 1.49 grams. My scale should be able to detect that amount. Some of the oxygen, instead of being absorbed, is converted to CO gas instead.
you can make your own oxygen desiccant from a few common house hold items. rice or natural clay kitty litter also natural clay "oil spill" clean up "safe t zorb" its usually sold as. also called turface..
You're referring to a dessicant (which removes water), while an oxygen absorber removes oxygen.
I love the science in your content. Are you a harvest right affiliate? I'm hoping to buy a freeze dryer in the next year or maybe 2, and I would totally purchase through your affiliate link if you have one because I love your freeze drying content.
Nope, No relation to Harvest Right, But I have Beta tested there software.
“Hoping to buy in the next year or two?”
In contrast, it took me six hours after discovery of Harvest Right to order one. It would have only taken two hours but I had to decide on the medium over the large!
@@cornpop1baddude132 Might be a matter of budget.
Last night I took some Oa's out of my small jar and put into the product I was FDing. I always take the jar with the OA packets and seal it in my chamber sealer to keep the packets nice and fresh. Last night I forgot to do that. The lid was on tight, but this morning it was NOT sealed even though it had about 10 packets in it. I assumed those OA's were no good so I tossed them in the garbage. I'm bummed because I now wonder if I just wasted a bunch of food. I am fortunate enough to have use of a #10 can sealer and #10 cans. What do you think? Have I just ruined some food? Should I open those cans and use new ones on the last 6 can's of food? I really don't know if any of the OA's I used from that bunch are any good.
How valuable is the food in the cans? Rather than recan the food, you could use the food sooner than later.
You just gained a sub sir very nice, very good information thank you
Thanks for the sub
Excellent. Now I am wondering how to evaluate the best mylar bag sealer machine. So far I have a dehydrator.
Thank you.
The sealer from HR has worked well.
Thank you! I really appreciate you hard work😊
Thanks Phil! You're the bomb!
Blush
Thanks, very informative.
great video!
Well done
We bought oxygen absorbers and apparently they were a bad batch. I was putting up dry beans in canning jars. After 3 trys on each jar, I finally just bought a jar attachment for my food saver
Did the contents of the oxygen absorbers feel like flour or sand/gravel? This is one way to tell if they're good or not.
@@Philat4800feet sandy. I just decided not to chance it and pulled them all😉. I still have them because I wasn't sure how to dispose of them
@@JB-le6zm Maybe you should do your own water test on one.
@@Philat4800feet 🤔 I may just do that... for fun. Sadly, I don't trust any of them now. Everything is getting too expensive to chance it. Especially if I have to go in and check the seals every other day. Is it safe to dispose of the packets in the garbage?
Phil, thank you for this info. Did you happen to test any of the OA from Uline? You can buy 2000 300CC OA for $160.00, .08 each.
Not yet. I need to find out where U-line get theirs
I have some uline oxygen absorbers and clay desiccant. Also some Impak Mylar bags. I would be willing to send to you for testing. Let me know.
@@ryam8962 Thanks for the offer, however, it need to be a blind and random sample.
Pack Fresh USA and Wallaby both make a good product.
Fantastic video. THANK YOU, PHIL!
Many thanks!
I buy from pack fresh USA... They recently changes the look (maybe different supplier??) of their oxygen absorbers. They used to sell genuine Dupont Mylar bags that were awesome. Now they sell a different brand that seem good too. Maybe check them out for testing... TY
I like Pack Fresh
Hi Phil, hope you are fine. Can I also package the fruits in kind of „Pringles Cans“ and seal them with a sealing machine? I want a „harder“ package that protects the breakable veggies 🙏🏽
Canning jars can be used in place of bags. Jars are reusable and see through. There are pros and cons with bags and jars
I learned a lot, thanks
So good to know. Thanks