I'm surprised he didn't just use a big filter funnel for vacuum filtration. If you extend the tube on it so it reaches the bottom of the lower Erlenmeyer flask and suspend the whole thing above a burner, you'll have a far more compact version similar to the commercial option.
Also as a side note: for any food related or edible chemistry always use new glassware
Never use glass from other chemistry projects, no matter how good you think you've cleaned it