Most foods can be freeze dried, and many taste delicious even without being rehydrated. Each food group is unique, and with a few tips you’ll be freeze drying all your favorite foods and staples like a pro.
Freeze Drying Meat
Freeze dried meat is revolutionary. Meat is easy to freeze dry, easy to rehydrate, will last for years if packaged properly, and tastes fresh when rehydrated. Plus, meat retains 100% of its nutritional value when freeze dried. You can freeze dry raw or cooked meat, just be sure to handle freeze dried raw meat just as you would fresh raw meat – freeze drying doesn’t kill bacteria. Remove as much fat and bone as possible and cut into manageable pieces – no more than 3/4″ thick. Rehydrate cooked meat in a bowl of hot water and raw meat in a bowl of cold water.
Freeze Drying Vegetables
Freeze-dried fruits and vegetables are also easy to process and store, and they retain their original fresh taste and nutritional value. For best results, cut or slice fruits and vegetables into bite-sized pieces. Freeze-dried produce has a delicious crunch, but is much healthier than chips or other processed snack food. Some vegetables do best with blanching if you want to rehydrate and cook them the way you would frozen vegetables. And fruits and veggies are also wonderful raw, cooked or steamed and used in recipes as normal.
Freeze Drying Dairy
Freeze dried dairy is delicious and convenient. You can powder freeze dried yogurt and stir it into oatmeal, for example. You can also freeze dry ice cream, and we almost guarantee it’s going to be your new favorite food. To freeze dry creamy dairy products, spread a thick layer on the tray and freeze dry. You can use powdered dairy in recipes to make incredibly moist pancakes, cakes, muffins, and more. To rehydrate freeze dried dairy, simply add water gradually and stir.
To freeze dry cheese, just slice or grate it before placing it on the trays. Freeze dried cheese is yummy by itself, but you can also use it in casseroles, baked goods and pastas. Add the shredded cheese right into your favorite recipe and it will rehydrate with the moisture of other foods. Or, slowly add a little bit of water and stir.
Milk and eggs are easily freeze dried. To freeze dry eggs, whisk a batch together, freeze dry, and crush into a powder. To reconstitute, add water and use in baking recipes or to make scrambled eggs and omelets.
Freeze Drying Herbs
Store-bought herbs are expensive and fragile. Plus, it seems you have to buy ten times more than what any recipe calls for. With a freeze dryer, you can preserve your extra herbs or the bounty from your own herb garden. To freeze dry herbs, layer them onto trays and freeze dry. When they’re done, crush them into a powder or put them in a jar on your pantry shelf. The flavor will stay potent for up to 25 years!
Freeze dried foods are delicious on their own, but they also make great recipe staples and emergency meals. Join our Facebook community to share your stories and to learn more tips and tricks from others.
