Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.
Whats up with freeze drieds?
Those arent the exact words but its the gist of an email I got. For better or worse, I’m calling this ‘Freeze drieds 101′.
You guys know what sublimation is? Its the transition from solid to gas, skipping the liquid stage. Like water – When its really freaking cold its a solid called “ice”, when it gets warmer it becomes a liquid called “water” and when it gets even hotter it becomes a gas we call it “steam’” or “vapor”. Freezedried food is dried food that had the water removed through sublimation – they freeze the food and the water in it becomes ice crystals, then the temperature is brought up and the ice directly becomes gas and leaves the food. The result is the majority of the water is removed from the food.
Its more complicated than that though…the whole process takes place in a vaccuum. But, essentially, FD food has virtually all the moisture removed without the moisture leaving as a liquid.
The practical upshot of this is that your food retains its flavors and appearance and, with the moisture removed, is much lighter in weight and a far less hospitable environment for the nasties that degrade food over time.
To use FD food, you normally add water and let the food soak up the moisture that replaces what was taken out. If youve got water and something to heat it with (although you can use cold water if you have to) youre good to go. You can, of course, eat FD food ‘as is’ like a crunchy snack if you are so inclined. FD strawberries and other fruits are amazingly yummy.
So, the FD food has far less weight and a longer shelf life than before it went through the process…making it an excellent candidate for long term storage. Most outfits then package the stuff in either foil pouches or #10 cans (usually with a neutral gas like nitrogen in the can instead of room air). Mountain House, the folks who have been doing this longet than most outfits, rates the pouches at a minimum of seven years shelf life and the #10 cans at a minimum of 25-30 years. Assuming that you store the stuff in the classic “Cool, dark place” and the packaging is not damaged, the real-world shelf life probably bumps up a few notches to “forever”.
So the advantages are:
Maintains flavor/texture/color – Rehydrated properly, the FD’s are probably the tastiest long-term storge food you’ll ever eat.
Indefinite shelf life – Needs no explanation.
Light weight – If youre going to grab-n-go or live out of a pack then the reduced weight is a big plus.
Disadvantages:
Price – Theyre expensive. No two ways about it. Probably the most expensive form of long-term storage food out there.
Size – While weight is reduced, the actual bulk of the food is not.
Availability – Not everything you want or like is available.
So, like anything else, theres some good and some not so good. If you were going to assemble your long-term storage supply of food from nothing but FD’s you’d have to spend some serious coin. The FD’s are, however, an excellent addition to a long-term storage plan that incorporates all the other long-term methods and foods – dehydrated, wet canned, dry canned, frozen, etc.
Some folks think that the more expensive MRE’s and FD’s are ‘yuppie survivalist’ food and, by god, a real survivalist stores rice and beans in empty two-liter pop bottles he salvaged and cleaned out…I can eat for a month for sixty-five cents! Hey, I’m all about long term, inexpensive food. Rice and beans beats the crap out of starving to death, a large portion of the Third World subsists on rice and beans. But…no one eats rice and beans every day at every meal if they dont have to. And while the Third World may subsist on that stuff that doesnt mean much unless you think a Third World standard of living is the way to go. Its worth $40 to me to be able to crack open a #10 can of pork chops or chicken and turn rice and beans into something a little more appetizing. Plus, as I’ve said before, there’s no award for the person who makes it through the apocalypse with the least expense.
Do you need FD food? Depends on what your plans are. I like the portability and convenience. A weeks worth of food, three meals a day, fits into a box 12×18×8. One box like that would take the sting out of getting caught in a Chilean earthquake. The small single-serving pouches are excellent for packs, hunting camps and vehicle storage. The long shelf life means that I can have actual honest-to-Crom animal protein (meat!) with no regard for refrigeration.
For me FD food is a component in a ‘well rounded’ food storage plan – canned, dried, freeze dried, MRE’s and frozen. If theres a circumstance that prevents us from being able to prepare one kind of food, we have another that doesnt need preparation. If theres a circumstance that requires us to leave in a hurry we have a food that lends itself to portability. If circumstance allow us to stay in place with relatively normal cooking ability, we have food for that.
My suggestion to you is that if you want to try the freezedrieds, buy single serving pouches in various flavors and find one you like, then buy it in larger quantities or in the #10 cans. Also buy foods that can be mixed with other storage foods to create more palatable dishes. Freezedried ground beef with stored bulk rice and canned tomatoes and spice makes a meal of Spanish rice that is probably going to be far more appetizing than a plain bowl of steamed rice and cooked beans…again.
