Download Dehydration vs Freeze Dried

Dehydration vs Freeze Dried
When we consider the many options available for food storage today, one of the most commonly
asked question is, “What is the difference between dehydrated and freeze dried, and what foods
are best served by the different methods of preservation?”
First let’s start by defining the two. Dehydration is the oldest form of persevering food. It
significantly reduces weight by removing moisture. Removing moisture also prevents spoilage.
The moisture is usually eliminated either by exposing the food to high heat or with low heat over
a long period of time. This process will not only remove moisture, but often reduces the vitamin
content of some foods as well as affecting the appearance and taste. Sometimes the nature of the
product changes; examples would include: Grapes to Raisins and Plums to Prunes.
Dehydration is often best for harder vegetables, legumes and grains. In other words, vegetables
like carrots, potatoes, and onions and legumes and grains like: wheat, beans and rice. Macaroni
products are often purchased already dehydrated. Dehydrated items usually take longer to
rehydrate, but they do cost less.
Freeze drying, is the process of freezing water out of food and then quickly turning it into a gas
completely by-passing the liquid stage. Most fruit and vegetables are made up of 90% water,
making freeze drying the best method to drastically shrink the volume of the food. Once the
freeze drying process is completed, the water, (up to 90% of a product like strawberries), is
effectively removed thus making the product much lighter but also maintaining most of its
original shape, color, flavor, and nutrients.
Unlike standard dehydration, freeze drying is often a better choice for softer fruits and vegetables
and in my opinion, the best choice for any type of animal protein (the alternative is Texturized
Vegetable Protein TVP which is basically soy with artificial flavoring). The freeze drying
process also retains most of the original color, taste and nutritional value of the product. Freeze
dried items also rehydrate faster. The downside of freeze dried foods is that they are often more
expensive and come in smaller volumes. Once again, in my opinion, freeze dried items like
strawberries, peaches, beef and chicken even ice cream and cheese will make a big difference in
morale when food storage is used.
Therefore, when putting together a food storage plan consider saving money by purchasing your
bulk grains and legumes in dehydrated form, while putting extra funds into freeze dried fruits
and meats. This will provide you with a well-balanced program that should fit your budget as
well as the needs of your family.