Microorganisms need water to survive, so if you remove moisture from food, it won’t spoil. Additionally, naturally occurring enzymes in food can react with oxygen to cause spoiling and ripening. Bacteria may release chemicals that cause disease, or they may just release chemicals that make food taste bad. When bacteria and other microorganisms contaminate food, they feed on the matter and decompose it, resulting in spoiled food. Even still, this is the preferred drying method for some foods, including onions, peppers, tomatoes and other ingredients used in meals with long cooking times to give rich flavors.īecause the water and oxygen have been removed from freeze-dried and dehydrated foods, it does not require refrigeration when stored and is, therefore, considered to be “shelf stable” or safe to store at room temperature for years. Flavors are not completely changed, but many feel dehydrated foods are slightly less flavorful than foods that have been freeze-dried. TasteĪfter dehydration, many items receive a chewy texture, however they do not lose a considerable amount of flavor. Dehydrated foods and meals are also made commercially and can be purchased through many local stores and online stores such as Wilderness Dining.
This provides backpackers with a low-cost option for compacting their food, although it can be very time consuming. This can be done through the use of a commercial home dehydrator (see on the left), a homemade dehydrator, or a convection oven. Because of this, you are given more control over your backpacking meals and ingredients. Dehydration, on the other hand, can be done at home without the use of such equipment. Freeze-drying may keep the food’s original look, but it takes up substantially more room than compact dehydrated food.įreeze-drying requires large, expensive equipment. Although dehydrated food may have a shriveled appearance, it will always plump back to life when added to boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Many food items are considerably smaller after dehydration. Around 98% of moisture is removed from the food after dehydration, making it considerably lighter when freeze-dried foods. Weight ReductionĪs said above, water is the heaviest part of food, so when it is removed, in this situation from evaporation, the weight is cut by significant amount. Dehydrating allows you to bring full, varied, and healthy meals backpacking that require minimal space and less money out of pocket. This technique has been performed, though through different methods (air drying, sun drying, etc.), for years to preserve foods. These dry chips can be added to many different recipes to give meals a unique twist.ĭehydrated, or dried, food is made by applying heat to the desired food item, resulting in 98% of the substance’s water being lost to evaporation. Unlike dehydrated food, many freeze-dried foods can be eaten dry as crispy chips. Because of its fast rehydration time, freeze-dried foods are great and easy meal while backpacking.
Freeze dried fruit vs dehydrated full#
However, you may also rehydrate foods in cold water, but requires at least double the time to reach full hydration.
When it is added to boiling water, freeze-dried food can reconstitute in only a few minutes. Aside from freeze-drying’s use in backpacking and camping, the military also freeze-dries foods to make it easier for one person to carry large amounts. However, during drying about 98% of the moisture in the food substance is removed, which reduces the weight by as much as 90%, making it lighter to carry backpacking. Weight ReductionĪll fresh foods contain water, which is its main source of weight (fruits are more than 80 to 90% water). To see the entire process, click the image on the left. Cell structure, nutrients, shape, and color are all preserved because of this rapid change, allowing the food to keep a “fresh” look and nutrition. Items are placed inside, where the water is removed by bing “flash frozen” and then placed into a vacuum chamber. Few backpackers freeze-dry their own food, but buy freeze-dried brands such as Mountain House. To do this however, specialized equipment is required, making it a costly option. Virtually any food item and ingredient can be freeze-dried. The finished product is substantially lighter and more compact, making it a great option of lightweight backpackers. In this process, fresh or cooked food is rapidly frozen and placed in a vacuum. Freeze-drying, or lyophilization, is like “suspended animation” for food.
0 kommentar(er)
