• Freeze-dried food retains many of its original characteristics including color, taste, texture, and 90% of nutrients.

• Freeze-dried food is a versatile product. You can eat it as is, reconstitute with water or use it as a long-term storage product.

• Freeze-dried food is shelf-stable at room temperature.

• The weight of the freeze-dried product is reduced by 70–90% which makes it lightweight and easy to handle.

• Freeze drying offers the highest quality product when compared to other storage methods.

Trays of food are placed in the freeze dryer's chamber. The machine freezes the food to a temperature between -30° and -50°F (-34° and -45°C). Next, a vacuum pump pulls the air out of the chamber and the trays are slightly heated. As the water in the food heats, it sublimates (ice is directly converted from solid to water vapor) and is removed from the product. This process automatically removes up to 98 percent of the water in the food.

Usage

Freeze-dried food has many uses, including fast meal prep, emergency preparedness, harvest preservation, and outdoor recreation. The food can be eaten "as is" (except for raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs), added directly to recipes, or rehydrated and used the same as you would fresh food.

When eating freeze-dried food as is, be sure to drink water since freeze-dried food has a very low water content. Freeze-drying concentrates the flavor of most fruits and vegetables, making them great snack in their freeze-dried state.

Vegetables can be rehydrated and prepared by adding them to a bowl of hot water (or warm water that you microwave or cook on the stovetop). They can also be used directly in cooking, especially when making something like a soup or stew. Do not soak leafy greens because they may get mushy. You can either spray them with some water to rehydrate them or crush them up to be included in sauces, meatballs, or smoothies for added nutrition.

Fruit can be rehydrated by either soaking in a bowl of water or spraying it with water. Fruit is great to use in pies and smoothies, on cereal or oatmeal, or cooked in recipes that call for fresh fruit.

Milk and dairy products can be rehydrated with water or added to smoothies, baked goods, or dips.

Full meals such as casseroles can be rehydrated by mixing in water in 1/3 cup increments to reach the desired consistency and then heated in the oven or microwave.