Harvest Right Medium review
Harvest Right Medium Home Freeze Dryer
By Tom Calder
Key specs
The maker's figures.
- Type
- Vacuum freeze dryer
- Capacity
- 5 trays · 4.5–6.8kg per batch
- Power
- 220V version for UK mains (UK sellers list 230V); 110V US units need a step-down transformer
- Timer
- 20–40hr cycles
The real thing: genuine vacuum freeze-drying, not hot-air dehydrating, from the brand that effectively owns the home market. Properly packaged output keeps for up to 25 years and rehydrates close to fresh — nothing else on this page can do that. Now the honest bit: it costs thousands of pounds, isn't sold on Amazon (you buy from a specialist UK importer, often on pre-order), runs noisy 20–40-hour cycles, needs pump-oil maintenance, and is the size of a large dishwasher. Unless you're processing serious volumes from a garden, a smallholding or bulk buys, the payback is years-to-never — for most households, tins plus a vacuum sealer do more for far less.
- Best for
- True freeze-drying at home — 25-year shelf life, at a price that suits very few households.
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Researched, not used. We haven't used this product. This review is built from the maker's specifications, owner reports and our own sizing.
What we like
- Genuine 25-year storage — the only true long-term preservation tech here
- Handles meals, dairy and meat that dehydrators can't
- Dominant brand with a dedicated UK importer for support
Worth knowing
- Costs thousands of pounds, and that's the medium size
- Noisy day-plus cycles, pump maintenance, dishwasher-sized footprint
- Payback only makes sense at genuine volume
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Our review
A vacuum freeze dryer for the home: five stainless trays, 4.5 to 6.8kg of fresh food a batch, and output that keeps for up to 25 years once sealed in the Mylar bags it ships with. The figure to weigh first is the cycle. Harvest Right says most foods take 13 to 35 hours, drawing about a kilowatt on average throughout. It suits a household preserving a garden, a smallholding or bulk buys week after week.
What the numbers mean
Freeze-drying freezes food solid, then pulls a vacuum so the ice leaves as vapour without ever melting. That is why the result rehydrates close to fresh and why it handles meat, dairy and whole meals that a hot-air dehydrator cannot. The Medium takes five trays of 7.5 by 18 inches, about 19 by 46cm, giving 675 square inches, or 0.44 square metres, of drying area. Harvest Right rates it at 10 to 15lb of fresh food a batch, 4.5 to 6.8kg, and up to 3,000lb a year, about 1,360kg, which it says means running four batches a week for 50 weeks.
The cabinet is 19 by 25 by 29 inches, roughly 48 by 64 by 74cm, and weighs 119lb, about 54kg, with a shipping weight of 95kg. It comes with Harvest Right's Premier oil pump, five trays, pump oil and a filter, 50 Mylar bags, 50 oxygen absorbers and an impulse sealer.
In a British home
Harvest Right says the Small and Medium draw 9 to 11 amps at 110V on average, about 990 to 1,210 watts, peaking at 13 to 15 amps, roughly 1,430 to 1,650 watts. At the Ofgem price cap unit rate of 26.32p per kWh for October to December 2026 that is about 26p to 32p an hour, so a 24-hour cycle uses 24 to 29kWh and a 35-hour one up to 42kWh, before any transformer losses.
Harvest Right builds for a 110V outlet and lists a 220V version of every size, but its own site names no UK dealer. UK sellers list their machines for standard UK 230V mains, the kind to buy here; a 110V US import needs a step-down transformer rated for that 1,650W peak. Harvest Right's FAQ says the Small and Medium, like the Large, need a dedicated 15-amp circuit, so ask an electrician first, and its standard warranty terms exclude running it from an extension cord. It wants a room between 50 and 75°F, about 10 to 24°C, and voids the warranty above 105°F, so an unheated garage in January or a conservatory in July is a poor fit.
How it compares
The Harvest Right Large adds a sixth, bigger tray for 8.2 to 12.2kg a batch, draws about 1,500 watts and needs a dedicated circuit. The hot-air alternatives on our dehydrator page are a different proposition: the Excalibur 9-tray runs at 600 watts, about 16p an hour at the same cap rate, and the Andrew James 6-tray at 550 watts with a 48-hour timer. Neither can do meals, dairy or 25-year storage.
Living with it
Harvest Right says a candy batch takes about two hours and most other foods 13 to 35 hours depending on type, quantity and slice thickness, so most batches run overnight and into the next day. The Premier pump needs an oil change every 20 to 30 batches, or sooner if the oil clouds; an oil-free pump is sold as an upgrade. Harvest Right publishes no decibel figure for the home sizes. Dried food must go straight into moisture- and oxygen-proof packaging, which is what the Mylar bags and absorbers are for; see our 25-year food guide.
Harvest Right's warranty page gives UK and EU purchases from July 2026 a two-year full warranty from the ship date; the US terms are one year in full and years two and three on the sealed refrigeration system only, with the owner paying diagnostics and transport. The UK terms exclude improper installation, unreliable electricity and changes made without Harvest Right's written approval. Its own returns policy allows 30 days from shipping, less shipping costs and a 15% restocking fee, though an importer's terms will differ.
Our verdict
Buy it if you will fill five trays most weeks from a garden, livestock or bulk buying, have a cool room with a socket of its own, and want food that keeps for decades rather than a season. Skip it if the plan is a few batches a year: a dehydrator and tinned food cover that for a small fraction of the outlay and the electricity. Growing your own is the usual reason the sums start to work.
A researched review, built from the maker's specs, manual and UK listings; facts checked 21 Oct 2026. Sources: Harvest Right: Home Pro freeze dryer bundle (per-size specifications); Harvest Right: FAQs (power draw, cycle times, room temperature, pump oil); Harvest Right: warranty (UK and EU terms); Harvest Right: return policy; Ofgem: energy price cap unit rates and standing charges.
This is a Researched review: we haven't used this product. We check every specification against at least two independent sources, re-check the UK price on a schedule where we can track it automatically, and say plainly who it isn't for. Commissions never change a rating.
If this isn’t the one
Best for The best-value proper dehydrator — 6 trays and a 48-hour timer for overnight batches.
as of 4 Nov 2026, 21:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Best for Long, slow, low-temperature drying — the 99-hour timer is the standout.
as of 4 Nov 2026, 21:07 GMT · Details
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.co.uk at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.Best for Nearly double the batch size for ~20% more money — but only if you'll actually fill it.
Read the review →Questions
How long does a Harvest Right Medium cycle take?
Harvest Right says most foods take 13 to 35 hours depending on type, quantity and slice thickness. Candy is the exception at about two hours.
How much electricity does the Harvest Right Medium use?
Harvest Right quotes 9 to 11 amps at 110V on average, about 990 to 1,210 watts. At the Ofgem price cap rate of 26.32p per kWh for October to December 2026 that is about 26p to 32p an hour, or 24 to 29kWh for a 24-hour cycle.
Does the Harvest Right Medium work on UK mains?
Yes, if you buy the 220V version. Harvest Right lists one for each size, and UK sellers list their machines for standard UK 230V mains. A 110V US import needs a step-down transformer instead. Harvest Right says it needs a dedicated 15-amp circuit.
How often does the Harvest Right pump need an oil change?
Harvest Right says the Premier pump supplied with the Medium needs its oil changed every 20 to 30 batches, or sooner if it turns cloudy. An oil-free pump is offered as an upgrade.
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