Have you heard of the freeze-drying method? If you haven’t, then you have been living like Patrick Star from SpongeBob SquarePants … under a rock! But regardless of your freeze-drying knowledge up until this point, we are taking it back to the basics with this fabulous step-by-step beginner’s guide to the freeze-drying process. So, kick-up your feet, grab that glass of wine you’ve been waiting all day to sip on and stay for a while.
Shall we begin? There’s no time like the present now is there? *Drumroll please*.
And so, without further ado, we present to you that sweet lyfe’s fabulous beginner’s guide to the freeze-drying process.
Freeze-Drying Process Steps
Step #1 → Grab your freeze-dry machine.
Step #2 → Gather all the materials that are needed for the freeze-drying method.
Step #3 → Place your product of choice onto a tray.
Step #4 → Put the tray full of goodies into your freeze-dryer machine.
Step #5 → And just like that, it’s time to enjoy your delicious snack!
The Freeze-Drying Process Steps Further Explained
Step #1 → Grab your freeze-dry machine.
- If you have a freeze-dry machine then keep on reading!
- If you don’t have a freeze-dry machine then stay tuned for our blog post on How to Freeze-Dry at Home: Without a Machine!
- Here at that sweet lyfe we use a Harvest Right freeze-dry machine.
Step #2 → Gather all the materials that are needed for the freeze-drying method.
- Grab your candy, fruit, veggies and more. You can freeze-dry pretty much anything!
- Find a tray to put your product of choice on.
- Locate an airtight container to store the product in afterwards.
- Mason jars, #10 cans, etc.
- Add an oxygen absorber in the airtight container to increase the shelf-life of the product.
- For short-term freeze-drying projects this step is not necessary.
Step #3 Place your product of choice onto a tray.
- Try to keep the product the same height as the tray.
- If the product is too tall – that’s no excuse – get to slicing!
Step #4 Put the tray full of goodies into your freeze-dryer machine.
- The process of freeze-drying takes anywhere from 20-40 hours – typically 24 hours.
- The freeze-dryer machine starts by freezing the product then dries it to give a crunchy texture while maintaining the flavour, size and nutrients!
Step #5 And just like that, it’s time to enjoy your delicious snack!
- You deserve it!
Yeah, you guessed it, the freeze-drying method begins with freezing and ends with drying! We believe that cooking food should not be so much of a hassle, it should be an absolute delight. And that’s why we love to freeze-dry food here in Canada at that sweet lyfe – it’s easy, fun and lasts up to 25 years! Does it get any better than that? We don’t think so!