Freeze Drying Food !!

Freeze drying, also called lyophilization is a process that is usually used in the preservation of perishable products. The process usually removes moisture from food through sublimation which turns water molecules into vapor.

Before you freeze dry, you should first ensure that the products you want to dry contain as much water as possible. This is because these products remain intact after the process is complete.

Some of the best foods that you should consider for the process include: fruits such as apples, berries, pears, and persimmons. Vegetables such as carrots, peppers, potatoes, and parsnips are also very good for the process.

You should also ensure that you choose the freshest foods. This is because fresh food tends to be tasty once it's reconstituted.

There are two main ways in which you can freeze dry food: using a freezer and using dry ice.

Freeze drying using a freezer

Here you need to place the food on a plate or tray then spread it to prevent it from clumping together. You should then place the tray in the freezer and close. Closing the freezer ensures that the freezing process is not slowed down.

The freeze drying process takes about one week and you should only remove the food from the freezer once all the food has sublimed. To ensure that the food has fully sublimed you should test it.

To test you need to remove food from the freezer then allow it to thaw. If it turns black, the process is not yet complete. Once you have confirmed that the food has completely freeze dried, you should store it in storage bags. You should push air out, seal the bags, and store them either in the freezer or in a pantry.

Freeze drying using dry ice

Here you need to place food in freezer bags. To ensure that the food does not bunch up in one corner, you should lay the bags flat.

Once you have done this you should place the freezer bags in a large cooler then cover the food using dry ice. You should then place the cooler in the freezer then after six hours cover the cooler with a lid.

You should then wait for 24 hours after which you should check inside the cooler and see if the dry ice is still there. If the ice is gone, you can conclude that the food has sublimed and it's ready for storage.

You should now remove the bags from the cooler and store them in the freezer or in a pantry. You can also store them in emergency preparedness kits.

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