Freeze Drying Food

[Ascholten]

Hello everyone:
Looking for a thread dedicated to freeze drying food, didn't see one so figured Id start one here.
I know many here are avid cooks, and also do a lot of food preservation, so was wondering how many other folks freeze dry their food, and their experiences with it.

Thanks
Aaron

 

[the_peanut_coop]

Hello everyone:
Looking for a thread dedicated to freeze drying food, didn't see one so figured Id start one here.
I know many here are avid cooks, and also do a lot of food preservation, so was wondering how many other folks freeze dry their food, and their experiences with it.

Thanks
Aaron

I would love to start freeze-drying, and it's actually a good business to freeze-dry skittles and sell them, apparently. But a freeze-dryer is not in my budged, unfortunately. Would love to watch this thread, though.

 

[Sally PB]

I'll be watching this thread too. I'd love to get a freeze drier, but they aren't cheap to buy, and I've heard they're expensive to run. (Not verified that, so I'm not sure.)

One thing I did read in the description is that they can be loud.

If anyone has one, please tell us about it!

 

[Ascholten]

Freeze Dried skittles? As in the candy? Hmm I have to try that. I hear ice cream is all puffy when it's done.

I do have one, in 24 hours it will run about 16 kilowatts of electricity, you are running a freezer, a fairly hefty one, a vaccuum pump, and heating plates too that cycle on and off. They can be a bit noisy, think like an ice cream machine noise, so yes it's something you will want to do in the garage or in an isolated room if noise is a thing for you.

Otherwise Ive been freeze drying food for a few years now and love it. It retains so much more of the flavor over heating them in air it seems and the food they say can last 25 years, so there's a big plus there.

What I have been doing lately while kind of cheating, works well. Buy frozen veggies from the store and freeze drying them. That way you bag them, seal them and they are good. if the freezer goes out you are in trouble, or if your electric goes out. Freeze dry, you can throw them in a pantry, in a closet, in the garage, under the bed, wherever and they are good to go.

ill have to take some pictures of freeze dried stuff I have done and post them.

Aaron

 

[Ruby Rogue]

I don't know anything about freeze drying food, but always interested in preservation, so I'm watching. Thanks for the info so far.

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

Freeze Dried skittles? As in the candy? Hmm I have to try that. I hear ice cream is all puffy when it's done.

I do have one, in 24 hours it will run about 16 kilowatts of electricity, you are running a freezer, a fairly hefty one, a vaccuum pump, and heating plates too that cycle on and off. They can be a bit noisy, think like an ice cream machine noise, so yes it's something you will want to do in the garage or in an isolated room if noise is a thing for you.

Otherwise Ive been freeze drying food for a few years now and love it. It retains so much more of the flavor over heating them in air it seems and the food they say can last 25 years, so there's a big plus there.

What I have been doing lately while kind of cheating, works well. Buy frozen veggies from the store and freeze drying them. That way you bag them, seal them and they are good. if the freezer goes out you are in trouble, or if your electric goes out. Freeze dry, you can throw them in a pantry, in a closet, in the garage, under the bed, wherever and they are good to go.

ill have to take some pictures of freeze dried stuff I have done and post them.

Aaron

Cool! I've been watching Living Traditions Homestead on youtube and they freeze dry their excess stuff. Looks like fun! I'm one of the 'can't afford it' people, but I would love to have one if I could 1) Find the space to put it and 2) Afford it!

 

[Ascholten]

One thing I have done is I will freeze dry stuff for my friends and some people I know. A beekeeping club I am in, and some stuff like that. There may be other clubs around you who have one that may let you use it as well.

Oh, honey does NOT freeze dry well AT ALL !!! Ever see that spray insulation that is a foam that hardens into like wallboard that you can NOT get off you to save your soul??? Yah it's almost like that !!

Aaron

 

[Sally PB]

Oh, honey does NOT freeze dry well AT ALL

Why would you freeze dry honey? It'll keep forever as it is, though it will crystalize. Just warm it up, and it will be fine.

Or is there something I don't know about honey... something lurking in there... waiting in my basement...

 

[MGG]

Idk too much about freeze drying, but I LOVE the way freeze dried things taste.
I got a freeze dried ice cream sandwich for Christmas and it was incredible.
If you haven't tried that yet you definitely should!!!

 

[Ascholten]

Why would you freeze dry honey? It'll keep forever as it is, though it will crystalize. Just warm it up, and it will be fine.

Or is there something I don't know about honey... something lurking in there... waiting in my basement...

I wanted to see what it would do. Honey is heavy and liquid, if you could crystallize it or dry it powder it, be easier to store, lighter, just experimenting to see what does what. With the knowledge gained from this though, it also lets me know some of the things to expect if I do decide to dry something that might have a lot of honey in it. I know it last forever. I got a jug here from the 90's still, I tap out of every now and then

Aaron