FAQ

Expect the best and nothing else!

Landig & Lava (owner of the brand DRY AGER®) is a prestigious family owned company in Southern Germany, where all big car-brands manufacture their great products.

We started developing the DRY AGER® dry aging fridge in 2009 with a lot of passion and love for details. The first prototype was ready in 2013, after 4 years of hard work. We sent it immediately to a food laboratory and two German Master Butchers for a long testing period. The start for selling was in late 2014 and we can say with full pride, that we have met all expectations and even very sceptic German Butchers became a big fan of our “baby”, which is protected with several patents and we do now export to more than 60 countries.

It makes us proud to say: We are the No.1 brand worldwide for dry-aging fridges

In addition to the  DRY AGER® dry aging meat fridge, we also produce since many years high-quality vacuum packing-machines, sous vide devices, refrigerators and cooling-devices for home- and commercial use.

IN TOTAL:
Landig & Lava has over 35 years of experience in meat curing & cooling.

The DRY AGER® dry aging refrigerator is much more than a fridge, or a modified standard fridge, as many shops worldwide try to sell a meat-fridge or meat-locker nowadays without having any knowledge in the sector of meat curing or refrigeration and we all now, meat is a sensitive product, that needs the best possible curing & maturation.

A professional cabinet for dry-aging is more than a fridge, it is a “climate chamber” – the DRY AGER® dry aging meat fridge does control through an intelligent mechanism in software and system the following in a worldwide unique way:

Temperature
Can be set from 0 to +25 °C for production of all kinds of meat, charcuterie like ham, salami etc… high accuracy and minimal fluctuation. Other mostly cheaper units on market (Made in China) have another “quality level” of temperature control.

Humidity
Fully electronic, can be set from 60 to 90 % in precise steps. Many other units on market do not allow any active humidity setting at all and when it can be set, the word “accuracy” should not be used here at all.

Humidity Control (HUMICONTROL®)
Only the DRY AGER® dry aging fridge does work 100 % without external water supply or humidifier / water box. You will have no problems with lime in humidifier or bacterias getting sprayed into the atmosphere through humidifiers. Clean & save – that’s it.

Airflow & Airspeed (DX AIRREG®)
The secret is not having as much as possible ventilators inside – after a research time of many years, we have found the perfect airflow, air-guiding system and airspeed, because only this guarantees such a minimal weight loss after aging, we do have now – unique!

Sterilisation
Patented UVC ventilated system. This unique system has nothing in common with just placing an UV bulb in the unit like many others do. Our system does sterilize the air inside the unit when needed and not the meat surface. In Europe for example it is not allowed that UV light in high concentration does shine on meat directly, because it does destroy the meat surface.

No-mold-warrenty
Mold has nothing to do with dry aging. DRY AGER® does guarantee, when the meat product was handled correct, that even after a period of 50 weeks, there will not be any particle of dangerous mold on the dry aged beef. In case customer does prefer white mold, for example during production of a salami Milanese, the “good mold” will obviously be able to grow on the sausages.

Minimal weight-loss
Aging meat means besides a complex enzymatic process inside the meat always a loss of water = loss of weight, which is connected to tenderness and an incredible development of a unique taste profile. In a DRY AGER® dry aging refrigerator the weight loss after 4 weeks of aging fresh meat on the bone is between only 8 and 9 % which offers incredible opportunities for resellers, because compared to “old fashioned dry aging” it does save up to 15 % of weight.

Trust the Original, because your meat deserves the best care!
-Made in Germany – where the best butchers in the world were born!
-Superior & unmatched performance for meat, charcuterie, cheese & many more products
-Original DRY AGER® patented technology, design and construction
-Award winning protected design and technology

At the moment there are 2 sizes available:

DX 500® (for up to 20 kg of meat)
The small DRY AGER® unit is the perfect product for private and commercial use, where there is not that much space available. The small unit has the same great technology installed and is perfect for Dry-Aging meat, charcuterie, salami and ham. You can use it as a free standing unit or just install it in a wall, which looks even better. To load this unit, we recommend to use the shelves, which are included and also the optional hanger for pieces up to 50 cm in length.

DX 1000® (for up to 100 kg of meat)
The Bestseller in our range – perfect as a free standing unit or as an installation in a wall single or side-by-side. This fantastic Dry-Aging Fridge is perfect to load with up to 2-3 complete back loins hanging, each up to 25 kg. Mixing is possible as well, just take full shelves or half shelves and hang the pieces inside + put them on shelves, it is your decision. To fill the fridge completely, just take 5 full shelves and put your meat on the shelves to have in total approx. 100 kg inside. Important: Do not fill it up too much, otherwise you block the air-flow

Dry Aging = meat loses weight. The weight loss in the DRY AGER® unit is surprisingly small:

-Beef:  After 4 weeks approx. 7 – 8 %  |  After 6 weeks approx. 12 %
-Pork:  After 3 weeks approx. 9 – 10 %

This is a very important benefit to our Dry Aging Fridge. We have found out after intensive testing, theat many others so called “Dry Aging Cabinets and Fridges” of other companies, loose up to 3 times more weight. So you see, in the DRY AGER® unit, the result immediately effects your wallet!

At the moment there are 2 sizes available and both can be installed as a single unit free standing or installed in a wall and also you can easily put them side-by-side in a wall which looks fantastic:

DX 500®
For or up to 20 kg of meat
External dimensions: 60 x 60 x 91 cm (LxWxH)
220-240 V and 50/60 Hz
115 V for USA available here: DRY AGER USA

DX 1000®
For up to 100 kg of meat
External dimensions: 70 x 75 x 165 cm (LxWxH)
220-240 V and 50/60 Hz / 110 V on request
115 V for USA available here: DRY AGER USA

Here the same: Expect the best and nothing else!

The  DRY AGER® Dry Aging Fridge is a professional dry aging cabinet, it ages fresh meat to perfect dry-aged meat or produces from fresh meat lovely charcuterie, ham or sausages and dry aged fish.

If you are not currently aging meat in it, you can of course also use the DRY AGER® meat aging fridge for storage, because also your normal meat needs perfect conditions regarding sterilisation and climate.

Thanks to continuous sterilisation, vegetables and herbs also stay fresh in the DRY AGER® dry aging meat fridge for a particularly long time.

The DRY AGER® Dry Aging Fridge naturally can be used for ham and sausages, the respective values for humidity (60 to 90 %) and temperature (0 °C to +25 °C) can be adjusted electronically. Also the device can be used as a cheese production and storing cabinet. Furthermore, it does produce lovely dry aged fish.

In case you have questions regarding the right settings for your product, just look into your Starter-Package you will receive with your unit – you will love it!

Many thousands of happy customers all over the world enjoy fantastic dry aging results since 2014 – several tenthousands of happy customers!

Follow our social media channels to be updated:
https://www.facebook.com/thedryager
https://www.instagram.com/dryager/

Popular and famous chefs like Gordon Ramsey, almost every big hotel-group and many others, from all over the world love this cabinet. All existing customers are enthusiastic and have almost doubled their meat sales in Dry Aged Beef in the commercial sector. Also from domestic sector, there is consistently positive feedback. You can find here some of the DRY AGER® testimonials and reviews.

Due to sophisticated technology and a special combination of components, the DRY AGER® meat aging fridges do not need a water connection.

IN DETAIL:
Only the DRY AGER® dry aging refrigerator does work 100 % without external water supply or humidifier / water box. You will have no problems with lime in humidifier or bacterias getting sprayed into the atmosphere through humidifiers.

Clean & save – that’s it.

Of course, this is absolutely necessary for a professional dry aging – the values are electronically adjustable in small steps:

Humidity (60 to 90%) and temperature (0 to +25 °C) respectively in 0.5 % and 0.1 °C increments on display.

Yes, the units have a well developed and protected system inside, we call it: DX AIRREG®

This is an air circulation system, which is matched in terms of air velocity and air guide specifically for the dry aging of meat, fish and charcuterie.

Salt has a sterilizing effect. Also, once the salt is slightly wet it can pass into the air and can affect the flavor of the meat. It also positively influences stability to the set air humidity inside the unit – very important:

An Original DRYAGER™ dry aging refrigerator does not require any salt for a good result, for us, the salt is more a visual highlight. Also notice please, products on the market with real salt-walls inside the device are very critical, because the huge quantity of salt can destroy all technology inside step by step, because salt is very aggressive.

It is not just plastic, it is a special mixture of antibacterial silver-ion coating combined with an extra strong plastic.

The advantages: Round corners and no edges, so it is very easy and quick to clean with the special DRY AGER cleaner. Through the new antibacterial coating inside bacterias will be detroyed within seconds, this is unique in the DRY AGER® and worldwide in no other Dry-Aging Fridge available. The inner plastic body has been protected for meat maturing cabinets and registered as a utility model.

No, the triple glazing will not mist up when the door is closed. Only when the door is open for more than half a minute will the glass briefly mist over, but gets clear again just a few seconds later.

The device can be used in areas with high humidity without any problems.

No, the appliance defrosts automatically and the water evaporates into a receptacle on the compressor in the back of the device = no drain-water system required at all!

DX 500®
Door: Stainless-Steel
Housing: Satin black and available in stainless-steel on request

DX 1000®
Door and housing: Stainless-Steel
Also available for this model is a purpose built DRY AGER podium.

Yes, no problem, the feet are height adjustable. Also available for the DX 1000® is a purpose built DRY AGER podium.

The laborytory measurement gives a sound performance value of 48 dB (A) for the smaller DX 500 and 52 dB (A) for the big DX 1000.

In order to compare this value: A talking person at 1 m distance has a sound source of: 40 – 60 dB (A).

DX 500®
Cooling Gas = Isobutane:  R 600 a  (33 g)
Connected Wattage:  0,61 A / 220-240 V / 50 / 60 Hz

DX 1000®
Cooling Gas = Isobutane:  R 600 a  (45 g)
Connected Wattage:  1,0 A / 220-240 V / 50 / 60 Hz

This information can be found in the user guides or directly on the device detail page.

The German engineering guarantees a low energy consumption!

DX 500®
Energy consumption in 24 hours just approx. 1,0 KWh = 365 KWh per year

DX 1000®
Energy consumption in 24 hours just approx. 1,7 KWh = 621 KWh per year

The datas above have been indicated at a temperature of +25 °C and a setting-temperature of +1 °C.

Yes, each foot is adjustable in height of about 2 cm.

Yes, there are fully certified units for the US market available – here your contact:

DRY AGER USA – OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Beef, pork, lamb and game – basically any red meat. Do you have questions about the perfect aging-time for your meat?

Just send us a mail and our meat experts and butchers will answer you shortly – Mail address: verkauf@dry-ager.com

In a professional dry aging refrigerator from DRY AGER® this whole process is safe.

To make a summary:
We do have an electronically controlled decomposition process in a purpose built unit. Laboratory tests that we ourselves have done (every week a meat sample was sent to a laboratory, a total of 10 weeks) confirm the sensorial neutrality and released for consumption and sale, even after 10 weeks dry aging period.

Even after 50 weeks of producing dry aged beef in the DRY AGER® aging cabinet, the meat quality is just fantastic. If the meat fullfills all criterias for perfect aging!

In addition to genes, breed and slaughtery, the food of each animal does influence tremendously the meat quality. For this reason, we recommend to use meat from animals, which were mostly on the pasture, had a lot of exercise and were fed not too much with silage and corn.

Each user has her or his own preference. We recommend a temperature of about 1.5 °C and 82 % humidity for a period of 4 – 6 weeks, especially for beef. More aging details on request, after purchasing a unit.

Please notice, units from DRY AGER® do have an intelligent software, that does generate a perfect program for each type of meat.

Dry Aging is a natural oxidation and enzymatic process of meat and speeding this up by increasing temperature or extremely high airflow, does not help at all and will lead to a much worse quality level or we explain it as “non dry aging”.

Wet matured meat from a vacuum bag is influenced by lactic acid bacteria often sour with a metallic taste. Dry Aged meat or Dry Aged Beef matures slowly and develops a very special, nutty intense flavour, those who’ve tried it once won’t want to eat meat any other way.

The best solution:
Directly from the slaughter-house or a trusted butcher, it must be fresh and maximum 5 days old after the slaughtery. This meat will develop the maximum in flavour. We recommend here especially meat from a young cow (female, who has not yet calved). The back should have an ordinary fat cover plus good marbling. What is great as well, an old cow (between 12 and 15 years) that has already calved at least 10 times – perfect for aging as well, you will be thrilled. Aging-time here 4-6 weeks for a great result.

Still a good solution:
Take wet aged meat out of the vacuum-bag and dry age it for maximum 2-3 weeks in the DRY AGER® dry aging steak fridge. The result is good, but you will have a lot more weight loss, because of mostly missing bones and fat cover. Additionally, when this meat is too sour (was too long in vacuum) the PH is very low = the risk getting mold is very big.

You can also order right here at the DRY AGER Shop top quality meat – for deliveries in Germany and Austria only.

The bigger the piece you dry-age, the less you cut away after the aging, so full loins of the cattle or pig would be the best. The maturation of smaller 2 rib or 3 rib meat cuts is possible as well, but you need to cut away more after dry aging.

Ideally rub smaller pieces with beef tallow, especially on areas that have no protective fat layer this prevents too much wastage.

This is definitely possible, here are our top 10 useful tips.

In addition to the DRY AGER® cabinet, we recommend a few important items such as: latex gloves, bone saw, work apron, boning knife and, for the packaging/freezing, a Vacuum Sealer.

Whenever in contact with meat wear protective gloves and take meticulous care that your meat supplier complies with all hygiene guidelines. In addition, the cold chain must not be interrupted and the meat must be fresh (up to 5 days after slaughter in the DRY AGER unit).

Unique in the DRY AGER® cabinet!

You can hang different loins with different dry aging levels in the dry aging fridge. The AIRREG® UVC sterilisation (patented system) ensures that germs are not transmitted through the air, if one of the loins should be infected.

You are additionally able to dry age different types of meat together, as long as they do not touch each other: Beef, pork, lamb, game, fish and much more…

Yes, no problem, the DRY AGER® cabinet regulates back pretty fast to previously set values – just ensure, that you open it not to often a day.

There is much less to cut away, because the pure meat surface is not exposed, there is also the bone side and the layer of fat which protects the meat against being unduly dehydrated. It is, therefore, even more aromatic.

Mould can damage health and is no quality criteria for good dry aging!

In a DRY AGER® cabinet mould does not exist or grow, as long as the meat was coming from a clean source and it was handled with care. Mould will not grow at all, even after 50 weeks of aging.

Aging without mould means professional dry aging and no playing and trying.

Please notice:
When the mold becomes visible on the outside, the spores are already inside the meat.

The salt only changes the taste if it liquifies and passes into the air. It has been checked in a laboratory test whether in fact it changed the meat flavour. It proved positive and supports compliance with the humidity inside the unit and also is eye-catching to the customers. In addition, the salt has a sterilizing effect.

We recommend rubbing with beef tallow, this protects the very thin pieces. Fillet should be removed after 1 week of the dry aging period on the back or be rubbed with tallow.

Poor here refers to the quality, not to hygiene!

The tenderness will be certainly positively influenced. Unfortunately, it has no effect on the taste, because the output quality is decisive for the result of maturity.

Let us bring that topic to the point: Shit in – shit out!

You can store the meet after dry aging up to 1 week without any problem. After that time, it should be vacuum packed. Now you can store it in an refrigerator for one more week.

Alternatively you can directly put in in the freezer. In case you use a good quality vacuum packer, the meat will still be as good after 3 years as it was on the day you froze it in.

Vacuum pack it with a high quality vacuum sealer and freezing the meat ensures the quality remains fully maintained up to 3 years. Also, rapid freezing (with a blast chiller for example) does have a positive impact on meat quality.

Up to 3 years in the freezer, if it is vacuum packed.

By eating the mat 🙂 and by vacuum packing + freezing it.

If kept chilled in a refrigerator then, yes, for up to a maximum of 1 week. In the deep freezer the maturing process stops.

Our testings confirm:
Even after 50 weeks of Dry Aging, not one piece of our own meat got mouldy.

If it happens it could be because of: There has not been enough respect given during the slaughter (high airflow, temperature, bacterial contamination …) hygiene guidelines not followed. As a rule, you can remove the external mouldy area but the spores of mould are already inside the meat.

For further questions send a photo to verkauf@dry-ager.com and we will get back to you shortly.

The DRY AGER® expert team is holding up to 15 seminars and courses per year. At the moment it is only available in German, but soon we have all content in other languages as well.

DX 500®
1 x Full shelf (DX0025) and 1 x bottom shelf (DX0028)

DX 1000®
1 x Hanger for meat (DX0010)

Here, more accessories are available for both devices.

You have no risk at all!
We deliver by courier, standing on a pallet and very well secured and insured.

Yes, fully insured. Important: In the presence of the driver unpack and check for transport damage.

Yes, they will phone prior and agree a delivery date.

Yes, after ordering, please send a mail or call: +49 (0) 7581-90430. The delivery date should be at least 10 days after the order date, delivery is possible between Monday and Friday.

The device is ready for use (plug & play): Unboxing & Dry Aging!

Call: +49 (0) 7581 90430 or send an e-mail: verkauf@dry-ager.com

Directly to the sales and service team at DRY AGER: Call: +49 (0) 7581-90430 or send an e-mail: verkauf@dry-ager.com

24-hour emergency hotline: +49 (0) 7581-90430 and throughout Europe we offer over 200 service stations. Also, the importer in your country as well as any certified refrigeration technician in your area would be able to check/repair the unit with our service manual.

For all 220-240 V units:

The UVC bulb and the activated carbon filter should be replaced annually.

Included is a 2 years full warranty.

In addition, an extended 3 year warranty is available when purchasing the unit (for household and commercial customers). Extra costs for the longer warrenty directly in the shop available when ordering the unit or ask your dealer.

You find it inside the unit in a printed version and it can be downloaded here as well:

DRY AGER – USER MANUALS

Directly here, just open the files and check the first pages of the User Manuals:

DRY AGER – USER MANUALS

Yes, there is an extensive range of accessories, which can be found in the manual supplied or right here online at the store: Accessories DRY AGER

The best solution:
From a slaughter-house or a trusted butcher, it must be fresh and maximum 5 days old after the slaughtery. This meat will develop the maximum in flavour. We recommend here especially meat from a young cow (female, who has not yet calved). The back should have an ordinary fat cover plus good marbling. What is great as well, an old cow (between 12 and 15 years) that has already calved at least 10 times – perfect for aging as well, you will be thrilled. Aging-time here 4-6 weeks for a great result.

Still a good solution:
Take wet aged meat out of the vacuum-bag and Dry-Age it for maximum 2-3 weeks in the DRY AGER® cabinet.

You can also order right here at the DRY AGER Shop top quality meat – for deliveries in Germany only.

This allows you to hang strip loins and also place joints on the half shelf at the front of the fridge for display.

Ideally suited are the DRY AGER meat labels, these are reusable and very stable, also very attractively designed.

The salt dissolves slowly through moisture. However, the device must be used for quite a long time (over 3 years) until you should need to replace the salt blocks.

A maximum of 2 hangers are possible per side locators. The small DX 500 will take maximum 2 hangers and the bigger DX 1000 can take even more hangers, because the fridge is much bigger in height. In the end, it depends on how you want to load your fridge and with which product.

Definitely the swivel hooks, because they have a hinge in the middle so you can re-position the meat without it turning and ensure it’s best side is on view to the customer.

Yes, for the bigger DX 1000 there is a 40 cm high metal pedestal in satin black available: DRY AGER podium.

On request, it is possible to request individual heights or even lettering in matt black.

Yes, there are special charcuterie shelves available, which you can use for the salami and sausage maturing. You find these accessories here in the shop.

Contact your authorised dealer/retailer or order directly from DRY AGER: Call: +49 (0) 7581-90430 or send an e-mail: verkauf@dry-ager.com

The most suitable are fatty ocean fish such as halibut, hamachi, mackerel, amberjack, yellowtail, tuna, bonito, salmon, swordfish, black cod, or barramundi. Dry aging is less effective with fish that have loose muscle structure, such as John Dory, sea bream, whiting, or flounder. Generally, saltwater fish are more suitable than freshwater fish, as the salt in seawater helps protect against bacterial growth. However, with meticulous hygiene, carp, trout, or pike-perch can also be excellently dry aged.

The raw material, if possible, is individually caught (not in large nets) a few hours ago, transported chilled, and has not been gutted yet. Ideally, the fish was slaughtered using the Ike-Jime method and has had no contact with water after bleeding. Many suppliers who also serve top gastronomy can provide such products. If you are a hobby angler or fisherman, none of this is a problem anyway as you can ensure the proper handling first-hand.

In this method, the fish is killed with a targeted brain puncture. Immediately after that, the gill cut starts bleeding, and a wire inserted through the spinal cord terminates postmortem motor reflexes, making the fillet muscles even more tender. In the end, the fish slowly bleeds out completely in ice water, which is essential for later hygienic dry aging. There are plenty of good tutorials available online for this method.

The ideal aging time not only depends on the fish species but also on each individual fish. Flatfish such as halibut or sole age similar to complete sides with skin of salmon, cod/skrei, or tuna for only a few days, while large fish with skin age for 21 days to approximately 4 weeks. Specialty products such as wild salmon pastrami or hamachi ham can remain in the DRY AGER® for up to 6 months.

Dry aged fish is definitely not fishy in any way but rather has a noble-nutty, complex, oceanic, and intense flavor with surprisingly robust umami notes. The texture remains juicy but becomes slightly firm, marzipan-like, and silky. Compared to fresh fish, dry aged fillets have a much wider flavor spectrum.

We do not recommend aging meat together with fish. That’s why you can now see separate DRY AGER® Cabinets for fish and meat in many top restaurants worldwide. In any case, before filling your DRY AGER® Cabinet with other products, make sure to clean and disinfect it.

When filleting fish from the DRY AGER® Cabinet, you can experience several positive surprises: the fillets detach from the skin more easily and provide your knife with just the right amount of resistance to cut perfectly precise portions, for example, for sushi and sashimi. Large fish, from which slices are cut perpendicular to the muscle fibers, can be gradually filleted and hung back in the DRY AGER in between. It is very important to cover the cut surfaces with parchment paper to protect them.

You can prepare dry aged fish just like fresh fish, meaning it can be consumed raw, briefly seared, grilled, poached, steamed, or cooked sous vide. The key is not to overcook it. The enhancement provided by the DRY AGER® Cabinet is best showcased when serving the fillets raw, such as sashimi and tartare, or marinated as ceviche, tiradito, or crudo. When preparing fillets in a pan, it’s best to sear them on the skin side until the surface of the fillet becomes lukewarm. Once the fillet has warmed,flip them, remove the pan from the heat, and finish cooking briefly. Highly aged tuna or salmon can also be pan-fried in thicker slices, similar to beef fillet, and served with a veal jus, while carp cut into chops can be grilled briefly and harmonize with a whisky-based BBQ sauce—the line between fish and meat blurs.

You can leave large fish, from which portions are filleted, hanging in the DRY AGER® Unit for an additional 1-2 weeks. If a longitudinally separated fillet from the dry aging process is not fully consumed, the remaining portion can be vacuum-sealed tightly and stored in the refrigerator for up to 14 days.

The DRY AGER® Cabinet with SmartAging Technology (Premium S models) offers two programs for the maturation of fish.

Whole fish: P14
Fish fillet: P15.

A lot of problems can occur if the initial product is faulty, meaning it still contains traces of blood, hasn’t been thoroughly cleaned, or comes from a catch where the fish was subjected to severe stress. It is also crucial to maintain absolute hygiene during preparation – it’s best to wear silicone gloves when handling the fish during the aging process in the DRY AGER® Cabinet. Additionally, you should always keep everything as dry as possible around and inside the fish. And of course, it should never start to smell fishy. As a precaution, you can check every 3-4 days if the pH level in the fillets remains relatively unchanged. If it drops significantly, you should avoid consuming the fish.