Methodology
Every page on Just Freeze Drying draws on one or more of eight evidence types, and every page says which one it is using. This page defines each type: what it means, what it does not mean, and how much weight it deserves. It also explains the source hierarchy behind technical content, so you can judge any claim without prior knowledge of this site.
Each piece of content on this site falls into exactly one of these types. The difference between types is the difference between what someone told you, what someone measured and what someone saw. Confusing them is the single biggest source of bad freeze-drying information online, so this site never mixes them.
What it means
Educational principles about freeze drying, food behavior, storage and rehydration drawn from accepted food-preservation knowledge and practical experience. Clearly labeled as guidance, never presented as test data or as a measurement.
What it does NOT mean
It is not a Lab result, not a measurement, not a claim verified on this site's own equipment, and it does not promise a specific outcome for your machine, batch or food.
What it means
Information specific to a manufacturer or model, taken from official documentation: manuals, published specifications, safety guidance, electrical requirements, vacuum targets, maintenance schedules and error codes. The brand or model is identified wherever practical, and the value is reported as the manufacturer's information.
What it does NOT mean
It is not an independent test result, not a WeFreezeDryIt measurement, and not a guarantee of performance. Promotional claims by a manufacturer are quoted as claims and never converted into facts.
What it means
A documented, published test record from the Freeze Drying Lab with a Test ID: a real batch was run, the record describes what was done, and the values are labeled Measured, Calculated or Observed. This label is reserved and is never shown without a real record behind it.
What it does NOT mean
It is not a certified laboratory analysis, not a guarantee that your batch will match, and not a universal result: it describes one machine, one preparation and one test. No WeFreezeDryIt Tested records are published on this site yet.
What it means
A value read directly from an instrument during a real test: a scale reading, a machine clock, a temperature probe. This is the raw evidence behind a record.
What it does NOT mean
It is not a calculated estimate, not a manufacturer claim and not an eyeballed guess. Nothing is labeled Measured unless it was actually read from an instrument and recorded.
What it means
A value derived by an explicit formula from measured or entered values, for example dry yield percentage from dry weight divided by fresh weight. The formula and inputs are shown wherever it appears.
What it does NOT mean
A calculated figure is never presented as a raw measurement, and it is only as good as its inputs. Changing the inputs changes the result, so a calculated value never becomes a Measured value.
What it means
A human assessment recorded during or after a real test: texture, color, rehydration feel, powder behavior, problems encountered. Honest practical notes written in plain words.
What it does NOT mean
It is not instrument data, not a formal sensory-panel result, and not a measurement. An observation describes what was seen, not what was verified with instruments.
What it means
A result from an outside laboratory, such as moisture content, water activity, nutrition or microbiology testing, where such testing was actually performed for WeFreezeDryIt. The testing laboratory is named and the result is clearly identified as external.
What it does NOT mean
It is never implied to be internal work, never derived from batch weights, and never mixed into WeFreezeDryIt's own measurements. No external lab results exist on this site yet: until one does, this label is not shown.
What it means
Data submitted by individual users, moderated by the site owner before anything is published, and always labeled Community Submission or User-Submitted Data with the appropriate COMMUNITY OBSERVATION, USER REPORTED, CALCULATED or COMMUNITY TESTED tag. Real submissions only, never fabricated.
What it does NOT mean
It is never called verified, lab tested or Measured by the Lab, and it never alters Lab conclusions, manufacturer specifications, food classifications or safety guidance. No approved community submissions are published on this site yet.
Across the whole site, content lives in one of three systems, and the systems are never merged: Lab data, Community data and General Guidance.
Just Freeze Drying keeps three evidence categories separate everywhere on this site. They are never merged into one: a number is either Lab data, community data, or general guidance, and it is labeled as such.
Controlled and documented by WeFreezeDryIt: weights, cycle records, observations and rehydration tests with clear Lab IDs. Lives only in the Freeze Drying Lab at /lab/.
Submitted by individual users, moderated by the site owner before anything is published, and always labeled Community Submission / User-Submitted Data. Never called verified or lab tested.
Educational content about freeze drying, food behavior, storage and rehydration. Labeled as guidance, never presented as test data.
Community data never alters Lab conclusions, manufacturer specifications, Food Encyclopedia classifications or site safety guidance. For controlled, documented WeFreezeDryIt testing, visit the Freeze Drying Lab.
For technical content, information is weighted in a clear order. Higher-ranked sources override lower ones when they conflict, and the difference is always stated on the page.
Model-specific operating procedures, safety guidance, electrical requirements, vacuum targets, maintenance schedules and error codes for a specific machine.
Batch results, weights, yields, rehydration observations, photos and process tests from documented real runs by the organization behind this site.
Moisture, water activity, nutrition or microbiology results from an outside lab, where available, always identified as external.
Broader principles about freeze drying and food that hold across machines and products, treated as guidance rather than evidence for a specific case. The weakest source is still useful, but it is always labeled as guidance.
The Freeze Drying Lab applies this same hierarchy to every record, and the Lab Methodology page shows exactly how measurements, calculations, observations and general guidance are kept separate.
Information on this site is reviewed as part of an ongoing process, not a one-time event. When an error is identified, it is verified, corrected and documented as described on the Corrections page. A claim's label can change as evidence changes: general guidance stays guidance until a real, documented test exists to replace it.
The standards behind all of this, including which pages are reviewed most often, are on the Editorial & Accuracy Policy.
How this site is created, reviewed, corrected and kept honest.
Prepared by: Just Freeze Drying Editorial Team Operated by: WeFreezeDryIt Evidence: General Guidance (Framework and hierarchy document)