What is Freeze Drying?

We have been freeze-drying for almost two years, and it has become an essential part of our preparedness. It has almost completely replaced our food dehydrator as we prefer freeze-dried foods' taste and texture.

I've been sharing this weekend over on Instagram the process from start to finish of freeze-drying eggs. So head to my story highlight called Freeze Drying and Freeze Dry Q & A to see what's been going on over there.

What is Freeze Drying?

Freeze drying is the process of removing moisture from food using sub-zero temperatures and a vacuum to remove moisture from food. 

Freeze drying is not dehydration; it is also not just using your standard freezer to preserve food. I get these questions a lot. A freeze dryer is a special machine that makes food shelf stable through its process.

We have a medium size (standard pump) from Harvest Right and have been running it for almost two years now with no issues.

Freeze-dried food is preferred here for many reasons!

• Freeze-dried food retains nearly all of its nutrients.
• It tastes better.
• Freeze-dried food can last up to 25 years if stored properly.
• Freeze-dried food provides versatility and a long-term storage option for many foods that are difficult to preserve long-term in other ways.
• Freeze-drying at home is cheaper than purchasing freeze-dried food.
• Freeze-drying allows me to control what is in our food.

We use freeze-drying for snacks, backpacking and hiking meals, having quick meals on hand, preserving leftovers, long-term food storage, preparedness, preserving garden harvests, and bulk produce purchases.

The decision to buy a freeze dryer was big in our house because they are not cheap. The simple act of doing some math eventually helped us make the decision. I calculated my preparedness and food storage goals vs. the cost of purchasing freeze-dried ingredients for our food storage. The freeze dryer was far cheaper for our family and our goals.

I went into the idea of freeze drying, thinking it would benefit our preparedness. I didn't expect we'd replace some of our other food preservation methods. This added bonus has allowed us to preserve so many new things.

If you have questions about freeze-drying, head to my Instagram This Prepared Life. There is a wealth of information and videos walking you through this topic.

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