What is Freeze Dried Food? Why You Should Add it to YOUR Life…

If you’re a regular reader here then I’m sure by now that you’ve noticed I’ve been discussing THRIVE Life Foods on reThinkSurvival.com lately and I intend to do so for a long, long time because it’s turning out to be a wonderful addition to our mealtime strategy. 🙂 To be sure, freeze dried foods are awesome once you start to realize the true time-savings, health benefits, and more that can be had by including them into your daily meals and food storage.

With that in mind, I also realized that you may not have a clue about freeze dried foods and so I wanted to take some time to explain the process, the health benefits, what foods can be freeze dried and so on. Essentially, we’ll be answering the question: What is freeze dried food? Perhaps more importantly we’ll be considering why you should add them to your life. Let’s get started…

What is Freeze Dried Food?

Freeze drying isn’t a DIY food storage process that we can do at home–though there are expensive machines that can make it happen–as you can with dehydrating, canning, smoking meats, and so on. Because of this, the freeze drying process can seem a bit “magical.” I want you to take the time to truly understand what freeze drying is because, let’s face it, most of us really don’t understand how the process works! I know I didn’t until recently.

When and Why Was the Freeze Drying Process Developed?

Freeze drying is a very interesting and relatively new way to process foods for long term storage, often 25 years or more. Developed in WW2, “the freeze-drying process was developed as a commercial technique that enabled serum [to treat wounded soldiers] to be rendered chemically stable and viable without having to be refrigerated,” according to Wikipedia. Since then the technique has been applied to a variety of disciplines, including the processing of food for storage. This, in my humble opinion, is the most important application. 😉

How the Process Really Works

Unlike common food storage techniques (e.g., canning, dehydrating) the process is a bit more involved and does not require heat (well, sort of) to process the food. Here’s how it works…

The food is properly processed, such as being cleaned, cut, blanched, and so on as if you were going to dehydrate it, for example.
The food is frozen, really frozen, and fast! Instead of just bringing the temperature down to below the freezing point (32 degrees F) or even down to typical freezer temperatures (around 0 degrees F) the food is frozen to approximately -40 degrees F or lower. It’s also done fast so that the the food’s nutrition and texture are kept in tact. There are scientific reasons for the very low temperatures and fast speed, suffice it to say, that this is an important part as to why freeze drying works so well.
Once frozen, the food is placed in a refrigerated vacuum and essentially dehydrated. This combination allows an important process to occur called sublimation. Now, don’t freak out on me yet… sublimation simply means that the water within food will “magically” transform from a solid to a gas, completely bypassing the liquid stage. In so doing the food is kept in tact, thereby preserving maximum nutrition, flavor, and texture… you know, all the good stuff you want to keep. This initial drying process will remove about 95% of the water which is better than dehydrating on it’s best day. There’s also a bit of heat applied during this time to help speed the process (just over 100 degrees Fahrenheit).
After the initial drying stage, a secondary drying stage removes additional water molecules often reducing the water in food to between 1-4% total. Try getting to those low levels in a dehydrator! You simply cannot do it.
When finished drying, an inert gas such as Nitrogen (or an oxygen absorber) is introduced and the food is then packaged for long term storage.

Here’s a good video explanation of the commercial freeze-drying process by the folks at Mountain House:

What Foods Can be Freeze Dried?

Nearly anything can be freeze dried, from grains to vegetables, even meats and dairy. Usually, the best and MOST important reason to choose freeze dried over everything else is for those foods that don’t store well long term, specifically fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy. Obviously all the important food groups… besides chocolate, that is. 😉 In fact, it’s often the safest way to preserve many of these foods. We’ll get to that later.

Other foods that can be freeze dried include assorted drinks such as fruit punch and cocoa, desserts such as ice cream and brownies, pancakes, applesauce, yogurt, and plenty more. You’d be surprised at the vast array of foods that can be freeze dried. There are, however, some foods that don’t do so well being freeze dried. Carrots, for example, turn black. Yuck! Most everything else is better off being freeze dried.

Why Freeze Dried Foods?

Because freeze dried foods have such a low moisture content (at between 1-4%) spoilage factors–bacteria and enzymes–can’t do their work and, therefore, the food stays viable for much, much longer, often 25 years or more.

Moreover, according to Wikipedia “Freeze-drying also causes less damage to the substance than other dehydration methods using higher temperatures. Freeze-drying does not usually cause shrinkage or toughening of the material being dried. In addition, flavors, smells and nutritional content generally remain unchanged, making the process popular for preserving food… [and] freeze dried products can be re-hydrated (reconstituted) much more quickly and easily because the process leaves microscopic pores. The pores are created by the ice crystals that sublimate, leaving gaps or pores in their place.”

Essentially, you get much longer storage life, better taste and texture, more nutritional value, faster reconstitution time, and can even save money! Freeze dried foods also very lightweight too which makes them popular among hikers and backpackers. It’s really a win-win in every aspect.

Comparing Freeze Dried Foods to Other Popular Storage Methods

I figured I would briefly compare freeze dried foods to the other popular methods, including MREs, canning, and dehydrating.

Freeze Dried vs. MREs

I know some people swear by MREs and for good reason, they’re a viable meal for emergencies, backpacking, your BOB, and more. Of course, those of you who have served in the military may have a different opinion of them. 😉

Personally, I’ve never been a big fan of MREs because I never felt like you get a good amount of food for the cost you pay per meal (even at per case or entree prices). Additionally, they’re quite bulky especially when being compared to the amount of food you get in a #10 can of food, for example, and heavier too. Last, the shelf life of MREs can be up to 5-10 years (some people claim they can last even longer) depending on storage temperature, far short of the 25 years of most freeze dried foods.

On the other hand, MREs do include a built-in heater and require only a small amount of water to be added in order to activate the heater which makes them a good bug out bag option. This is, in my opinion, about the only major benefit to MREs over freeze dried foods.

Freeze Dried vs. Canning

I’m not against canning but I’ve never had really good experiences with it. In my humble opinion, home canning has always seemed like a lot of work and usually turned into a giant mess when I tried! It’s also rather time consuming to say the least. Granted, if you can set aside an entire day or perhaps a weekend you can put up a lot of food, no doubt.

I should point out that there is an initial cost to getting started with home canning but if you focus on acidic foods you can water bath can and do it relatively cheaply. Low acid foods (e.g., meats and vegetables) will need a quality pressure canner (the All American Pressure Cooker/Canner is the “gold standard” of pressure canners) which is significantly more expensive. And if you do any backyard gardening–and you should–then canning is a popular way to put up those foods. Moreover, it seems you *can* can nearly any food imagined, from fruits and vegetables to meats and dairy… just as with freeze drying.

One major benefit that canning has over most other popular food storage methods is the fact that the food is already submersed in liquid (and fully hydrated) meaning you don’t have to add water to make it edible which can be a HUGE benefit during SHTF or any emergency, for that matter!

On the other hand, canned foods sometimes do weird things to the appearance and texture of food, so much so that you might actually NOT want to eat it. That doesn’t happen very often but it is possible. Storage life can vary quite a bit but most home canned foods should last at least a year if not significantly longer. Remember that freeze dried foods almost all last dozens of years depending on storage conditions.

Freeze Dried vs. Dehydrating

Dehydrating happened to be my favorite method of home preserving food because it was relatively easy to do and generally allowed me to put up food (especially vegetables) as I felt like it. Typically, this worked out well for me over the years.

Besides the cost of food and a quality dehydrator (such as the Excalibur 9 Tray Deluxe Dehydrator which is what I own) you don’t need anything else. Processing the food couldn’t get easier if you choose to purchase and use vegetables from the frozen foods sections. If, however, you choose to use homegrown vegetables, for instance, there’s a bit more work to be done to get them ready.

Most dehydrated foods last several months up to a few years depending on how well it was originally dehydrated, storage conditions, etc. I know I’ve gotten into vegetables that were at least two years old and never had a problem.

Dehydrating fruits, on the other hand, wasn’t so easy. I never felt like we got much out of our efforts, time, and money. Like I said near the start, dehydrated foods don’t remove nearly as much water as freeze drying does. Dehydrating does remove quite a bit of water but not enough to make the food viable for dozens of years.

Moreover, dehydrated foods usually lose some nutritional value during the process whereas freeze dried foods do not. Last, dehydrating does change the texture and taste of foods a bit and they never seem to re-hydrate entirely properly. That’s why they often end up in soups because you’re less likely to notice. Freeze dried foods can be re-hydrated alone (if you like) and it’s *almost* like you’re eating them fresh!

I can ramble on and on but sometimes a video is the best way to show some differences between dehydrated and freeze dried foods:

Freeze Dried vs. Other Methods

Obviously, there are plenty of other food storage methods, from smoking to salting, pickling, fermenting, and more. Some of these I have experience with, some I do not. What I do know is that all of these “other” methods change the taste, texture, and/or nutritional value in some way or another, sometimes significantly. In fact, many of these “other” methods are only useful for specific foods, that is, you’re not going to smoke fruit or ferment salmon.

WHY You Should Add Freeze Dried Foods to YOUR Life

There are a few other topics to consider regarding freeze dried foods specifically. These topics include cost, safety, and selection.

Cost of Freeze Dried Foods vs. Everything Else

This is probably the biggest roadblock–besides actually tasting freeze dried food and realizing how wonderful it is–to most people choosing to add freeze dried foods to their daily meals and overall food storage. As much as I would like to be able to say that freeze dried foods–no matter who you purchase from–are an inexpensive option, I cannot do that.

Compared to purchasing the least expensive frozen vegetables at the store, buying bulk foods (e.g., rice and dry beans or even whole sides of beef), or growing your own vegetables in a backyard garden, freeze dried foods will typically cost more, no doubt about it.

What you’re paying for is in part the unmatched convenience at mealtime but also the quality (at least from THRIVE Life Foods), unsurpassed decades of longevity, wonderful taste and texture, maximum retained nutrition, and simply the food as you expect it to be when you open the can tomorrow or ten years from now.

You’re also NOT paying for a large amount of waste, a wide assortment of impulse buys both walking down the aisles and at checkout time, as well as spoiled and rotten “fresh” foods that went bad before you could eat them.

Safety of Thrive Freeze Dried Foods vs. Other Foods

There are some serious safety considerations when it comes to home food storage. For instance, botulism poisoning is a very real concern when canning foods because canning–unlike any other process–produces a low oxygen and high moisture environment which is precisely the right environment for Clostridium Botulinum bacteria to breed and grow. As such, you really need to pay attention to what you’re doing when home canning, including ensuring your equipment and jars are sterilized, that food is properly handled, and recipe directions are followed. Getting any one of these wrong could make for a bad day later on. 😉

Similarly, it is possible that dehydrated foods can provide an environment for botulism to grow (if they weren’t properly dehydrated in the first place) as well as other spoilage factors. Personally, I haven’t had any trouble but the possibility certainly exists when doing this stuff at home.

I do also want to point out that there are various recipes and recommendations found online–I’m sure I’ve even linked to a few here and there–on how to can or dehydrate a wide variety of foods that are likely best commercially dehydrated or freeze dried, such as milk and cheese, as examples. While it may sound like a good idea to dehydrate or can these foods at home it’s a much better strategy to choose to purchase them commercially processed.

Freeze dried foods, to my knowledge, don’t suffer from ANY of the aforementioned health and safety considerations. Granted, you would be purchasing freeze dried foods that are commercially prepared which is an important aspect to getting your food safety right. I’m not saying that you can’t properly dehydrate or can potentially dangerous foods at home but, rather, that the possibility of food poisoning exists to a much greater extent when you’re doing this on your own.

On the contrary, Thrive freeze dried foods could be the HEALTHIEST option, here’s why…

Selection of Thrive Freeze Dried Foods

Until this year my experience (for the most part) with freeze dried foods was with the packaged meals that you can buy at places like Walmart for use hiking, camping, or in a bug out bag.

While those meals certainly have their place–and Thrive does include them as “Express” meals of which I will occasionally post about–the BEST reason to choose Thrive Life foods is because you can purchase a wide variety of grains (rice, pasta, oats, wheat, etc), vegetables (carrots, corn, broccoli, cauliflower, etc), fruits (apples, pineapple, strawberries, etc), dairy (milk, cheese, etc), proteins (beef, sausage, chicken, eggs, etc), basics (honey, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, etc), desserts (brownies, cookies, etc), drinks (fruit punch, apple juice, etc), sauces, express meals, and more in both #10 and pantry cans that have been double-lined with BPA-free coating, processed within several hours of being picked, then freeze dried and sealed for maximum freshness, nutrition, and taste. 🙂

Moreover, Thrive offers a wide variety of gluten-free selections, are usually very low in sodium (lower than other manufacturers most of the time by a large margin), and are free of artificial flavors and colors, hydrogenated oils, and more stuff you don’t want in your food, including the biggest one: GMOs.

The BEST part is that you will have them delivered directly to your doorstep each and every month without lifting a finger! This is probably what put Thrive Life over the top for me when we choose to get on-board.

The MOST Important Reason to Add Thrive Life to YOUR Life

By now you realize that freeze dried foods from Thrive life offer a wide range of benefits to you and your family. They’re likely much healthier than most of the foods you eat even the “fresh” produce from the grocery store, they’re convenient since you usually just add them to hot water, they have a shelf life that’s unmatched for produce, meat, and dairy products, and more.

But let’s talk about the MOST important reason to add them to your life…

If you’re like most people you’re probably VERY busy. So much so that you’re doing all you can to work, help your kids with their homework, chauffeur them to and from their many after-school activities be it soccer, piano, Scouts, or whatever, all while trying to ensure you and the rest of your family eat something that’s somewhat healthy as often as possible. 🙂

That’s what we all try to do but most of us never truly succeed. The problem is that we’re simply too busy to stop and spend the hour or more it usually takes to make a healthy and tasty homemade meal everyday.

Instead, we’re rushed or short on time and wind up tossing a pizza in the oven, ordering takeout, or drive through the nearest fast food joint. None of this is very healthy and we know it. On weekends we may be less busy but still end up eating out–perhaps more than we should–because we’re just too tired to cook. Not only are these meals expensive (according to this article it’s the #1 budget killer) but they’re not that healthy either!

You can do things different…

Here’s Your Solution!

If you’re still with me then you really need to get on-board with me and start adding Thrive Life foods to your meals, in particular, dinner. If you can imagine that within 20 minutes (for most meals) you could have a truly tasty, hot, and healthy meal from stove-top to dinner plate, you probably wouldn’t believe me.

But it’s true. It can be done because all you have to do with most Thrive foods–though there are exceptions–is to add them to some boiling water and cook for about ten minutes or so. That’s it.

The Secret Weapon

The thing is, there’s a secret weapon when you start to include Thrive freeze dried foods in your meal planning. What is it, you ask? They’re called meals in a jar and they are, without a doubt, the easiest way to ensure your family has a healthy meal ready for them each and every day of the week.

If you can spare 30 minutes on the weekend you can put together seven quart-sized jar meals–usually enough for a family of four–one for each day weekday and even the weekends if you like.

They’re so easy to cook that if your children can boil water safely then they can cook your dinner. How’s that sound? It’s sounds good to me. 🙂 In fact, those who subscribe to my monthly newsletter on using Thrive Life foods will receive a free 64-page meals in a jar cookbook (upon subscription confirmation) as a free download, among other gifts from me to you.

By now I’m sure you want to know even MORE about Thrive Life Foods. Great! Take some time to read more about Thrive Foods (another article I wrote and continue to add to) and while you’re there choose to sign up for our monthly newsletter where you’ll continue to learn more and more about Thrive Life foods and how they can make your already hectic life easier and probably healthier too. It’s a win-win!

What is Freeze Dried Food? Why You Should Add it to YOUR Life…