PRESENTED BY DRYAGER
I am proud to announce that I am a brand ambassador and partner with DRYAGER, the original home dry aging refrigerator. All DRYAGERs are designed and manufactured in Germany and include temperature and humidity regulation and ultra violet light sterilization. DRYAGER makes a number of units for both residential and professional markets. I opted to test out the compact UX 500 which can hold up to 44 lbs. of meat and retails for $4,695. I knew that dry aging at home, especially with a dedicated unit is possible, having previously used several different refrigerators, including a dorm room style mini-fridge with a computer fan, to successfully age beef. But those setups, despite the results, where hackneyed. I wanted to know what a dedicated device could achieve in relation to professional dry age rooms.
DRYAGER ships via freight so expect a large package, with the unit delivered on a palate. While somewhat bulky, its not especially heavy as its mostly empty space! I was concerned when my accessories box had a big dent in it, but it was only due to empty space in the box. The DRYAGER and the accessories all arrived in perfect working order. Unpacking the UX500 was straight forward affair, the unit is packaged snuggly in cardboard and polystyrene, all stainless steel surfaces are wrapped in plastic and the internal shelving in padding. The only assembly required is attaching the handle (I opted to leave mine off due to the location of my unit near a hallway, I was worried about walking into to it) Finally, depending on the configuration you opt for you instal the shelves and/or the hanging rail with hooks.
I live in a rather cramped Manhattan apartment with a galley kitchen so I had to set up my DRYAGER in the living room next to a bookshelf. Appropriately, it sits next to my books about meat. But the unit should fit into most kitchen environments easily. My UX500 is situated on the floor, but ideally I’d like it higher up by a few feet. I am considering installing it on a shelf. But then again I am also considering getting a bigger unit. More on that later. Set up is almost as easy as a standard refrigerator, except that after you plug it in you need to set temperature and humidity, as well as activating the UV filtration system. The instructions for beef, which I followed, recommend setting the Humidity to 82% and the temperature to 34F. The controls are situated behind the door, which is not ideal, as you need to open it to monitor the temp, and turn the light on or off. On the other hand it does make the unit completely disappear with no lights or controls visible. My unit was up and running with in an hour of unpacking.
The UX500 does produce a low humming sound from the transformer, but its quieter than my refrigerator (which is admittedly larger than the DRYAGER) and is certainly masked by my air conditioner, let alone the stereo that I am usually cranking on 11.
I let the unit run for a few days just to make sure everything was copacetic. The temperature and humidity held steady during the initial run in period. i was surprised at how cool the unit is externally, it’s barely warm to the touch. I must say the UX500 is quite handsome, even without being loaded with meat, and even in a somewhat discordant setting like a living room! The fit and finish is commiserate with its price. It feels like professional equipment and would be right at home in a luxury kitchen.
As for accessories I received “taste and operations” package which includes two slabs of SALTAIR salt blocks intended to help regulate humidity and season the meat. It also includes some nifty tags and skewers to help you label your meat and keep track of the date, weight etc. and a special cleaning solution they recommend used between batches.
Next time find out what I decided to age to test out the DRYAGER!
Special DRYAGER discount available for my readers:
20% off retail price on UX500/UX1000
Freel XL Accessory Package
Free Shipping/Delivery Mainland US + Canada
Code: MEATLIFE20
