Freeze dryer log: notebook, spreadsheet or app?
All three work. The right one depends on what you want the log to do: remember what you did, compare batches, or remind you when a cycle ends.
Who wrote this. We make FreezeLog, which is one of the apps. We have tried to be fair anyway, and this page says plainly where a notebook or a spreadsheet is the better pick.
The short answer
Use a notebook if you run a few batches a month and want a record that never needs charging. Use a spreadsheet if you like comparing numbers across many batches and already keep one. Use an app if long cycles keep catching you out and you want an alarm and the math done for you. Plenty of owners use two of them.
Side by side
| Notebook | Spreadsheet | App | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | A few dollars | Free if you already have Sheets, Numbers or Excel | Varies. FreezeLog is free, with an optional $14.99 one-time Pro upgrade |
| Setup | None | Set up columns once | Install, then add your first batch |
| Use at the machine | Easy, even with messy hands | Awkward on a phone, easy at a computer | Built for a phone in one hand |
| Alarm when a cycle ends | No, use a separate timer | No, use a separate timer | Depends on the app. FreezeLog rings, even on silent |
| Water loss math | By hand | A formula you write once | Usually done for you |
| Comparing batches | Flip back through pages | The strongest: sort, filter and chart anything | Built-in summaries, limited to what the app offers |
| Power cut or no Wi-Fi | Always works | Works if the file is on your device | Depends on the app. FreezeLog works offline |
| Backup | Only if you photograph the pages | Automatic with a cloud drive | Depends on the app. FreezeLog syncs through your iCloud |
| Years from now | Fine, unless it gets lost or wet | Spreadsheet files stay readable for decades | Only as long as the app is kept up, so export your data |
When a notebook is the right choice
- You run one or two batches a month, and the dryer sits in a garage or basement away from your desk.
- You want a record that works through a power cut, with no battery, screen or updates.
- Several people use the machine, and a book on top of it is the easiest shared record.
- You like writing by hand and reading back over a season of notes.
A notebook's weak spot is the end of the cycle. It cannot tell you when a batch is due, so pair it with a kitchen timer or a phone alarm. The batch log guide lists the fields worth a column.
When a spreadsheet is the right choice
- You want to compare many batches: water loss by food, cycle hours by season, or which shelf dries fastest.
- You already keep household records in one, or you have a computer near the machine.
- You want full control over the columns and the charts.
The weak spots are typing on a phone while standing at the dryer, and no alarm. Many owners keep paper by the machine and type it up later.
When an app is the right choice
- Cycles often run more than a day, and you have lost track of when one ends.
- You want the alarm, the water loss math and the pantry best-by dates in one place.
- You want a starting time estimate for each food that adjusts to your own past batches.
The weak spots are real too. An app is one more thing on your phone, and it lasts only as long as its maker keeps it up. Companion apps that talk to the machine depend on Wi-Fi. FreezeLog avoids that by never connecting to the dryer, which also means it cannot read the machine's sensors: you type in what the machine shows. It runs on iPhone only.
Mixing them
A common setup is a notebook by the machine for weights, plus an app or a spreadsheet for the timer and the long view. FreezeLog Pro exports your batches as a CSV file, so you can take them into a spreadsheet whenever you want.
Questions
Do I need a log for a home freeze dryer?
No, but it helps. A short record of weights and cycle times shows whether a batch dried like the last one, and it turns each new food into a routine you can repeat.
What should a freeze dryer log include?
The food and how you prepped it, tray weights before and after, when the cycle started and how long it ran, any extra dry time, how you checked that it was dry, and notes on the result.
Is a paper notebook good enough?
Yes, for many owners. It is cheap, it never needs charging and it works through a power cut. Pair it with a timer for the end of each cycle.
Can a spreadsheet replace an app?
For record keeping, yes. A spreadsheet will not ring when a cycle ends, so you still need a timer or an alarm.
Does FreezeLog connect to my freeze dryer?
No. FreezeLog never connects to the machine. You enter what the machine shows, and the app keeps the record and the alarm on your iPhone.