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I’ve touched on the ideas of hardtack and pemmican up to now, however let’s face it, nobody needs to eat both of these meals day by day.
They’re nice for short-term survival, they usually’re the proper meals for bushcrafters to complement what they hunt or collect, however they don’t make a high-quality meal on their very own. That’s the place freeze-drying is available in. It permits you to store real meals for an indefinite amount of time.
Freeze drying meals may be achieved simply with your property freezer. Slice the meals you need to freeze dry within the smallest slices (greater slices take longer to freeze dry) you possibly can handle and place them in a single layer on a rack. Place the rack in your freezer and wait at the least week earlier than you’re taking it out. Test by taking out a single piece and let it thaw. If it turns black it’s essential see it within the freezer a bit longer. Learn on for two extra methods to freeze dry meals.
Freeze drying meals in 3 methods
You’ll have to accumulate a number of issues earlier than you begin freeze-drying your individual meals.
I’m going to cowl the three best strategies on this put up.
I’ll embody what you want for every methodology in separate sections after which I’ll clarify how one can freeze dry your meals with every of the completely different strategies.
1: Utilizing a Freezer to dry freeze meals
The freezer methodology is the most affordable methodology, and also you in all probability have all the things it’s essential do it sitting round your home.
It does take a very long time, although.
Key takeaway
Earlier than we begin speaking about steps, I must warn you about meat merchandise.
It doesn’t matter which methodology you employ.
In case you resolve to dry meat, you could prepare dinner it proper earlier than you begin drying it.
Freeze-drying uncooked meat may be harmful, and you may’t let cooked meat sit round earlier than drying it, both.
beneath is a video for many who reasonably watch than learn.
What you’ll want
1) A Freezer: This one ought to be apparent, however you’ll want a freezer. The one connected to your fridge is sweet sufficient.
2) A Rack: A easy cookie sheet will work for this, however it’ll take longer for the method to complete. I like to recommend that you simply get a perforated drying rack as bakers use. The elevated airflow will dramatically cut back how lengthy it takes to freeze-dry one thing.
3) Some Meals: You may freeze dry absolutely anything. Meat, fruits, greens, and even ice cream may be freeze-dried. Nevertheless, it may be tough to dry most of these once you’re simply beginning out. I like to recommend that you simply attempt to dry one thing easy. Begin with an apple or different small fruit.
4) A knife: This methodology works greatest should you minimize the meals into small items first. That is the slowest drying methodology of the three, and drying complete apples or steaks make the wait even worse.
5) Storage Baggage: You received’t want these till the drying course of is full, however they’re important. You’ll have the ability to take your dried meals, seal it in a Ziplock, and throw it in your survival pack with ease.
step-by-step directions
Put together The Meals
To start, you’ll need to slice up no matter you’re going to dry.
Attempt to slice the meals into the smallest items you can handle.
Greater items will take loads longer to dry with this methodology, and also you’re prone to find yourself thawing them method earlier than they’re really completed.
That successfully ruins your entire exhausting work.
Place Them On A Rack
This step is easy.
All it’s a must to do is throw your meals slices onto a rack.
Just be sure you lay the meals out in a single layer, and don’t attempt to fill the tray an excessive amount of.
Freeze It
Now, it’s a must to carry out the precise drying course of.
Put the tray of meals slices into your freezer, and watch for at the least per week.
Attempt to not open your fridge an excessive amount of throughout this step.
You need the temperature within the fridge to remain as chilly as doable.
After per week or two, you can begin checking your meals.
Take a single piece out of the freezer, and permit it to thaw.
If it turns black, then it’s not dried, and it’s essential let it sit within the freezer for a bit longer.
Just be sure you throw out the take a look at pattern.
Retailer It
In case you can pull your meals out with out it turning black, you’re able to retailer it.
You don’t want a vacuum sealer for this step, however it is going to provide help to out a bit should you do have one.
All it’s a must to do is throw the meals into storage baggage, take away the air, and seal them up.
After that, you possibly can throw the meals right into a survival pack or cupboard for later use.
2: utilizing dry ice to dry freeze meals
The dry ice methodology is loads sooner than simply utilizing your freezer, however the steps are fully completely different.
You’ll need to take away all the meals in your freezer earlier than you try this methodology.
What you’ll want
1) A Freezer: If you wish to freeze-dry one thing, you want a freezer. That’s simply frequent sense, of us. It’s value noting that it’s essential take away all the meals out of your fridge earlier than you employ this methodology. It’ll get destroyed should you don’t.
2) A Giant Container: You want a container that may maintain twice the quantity of meals that you simply’re going to freeze-dry. This could be a foam cooler, Tupperware container, or anything that may defend the meals within it.
3) Dry Ice: You may decide this up at your native Walmart and most different main shops. It shouldn’t be too costly. You need to wait to purchase it, although. It’s not conventional ice, however it is going to evaporate over time. You actually don’t need to purchase it per week earlier than you begin freeze-drying.
4) Storage Baggage: Not like the freezer methodology, you’ll want these throughout the drying course of for this methodology. They forestall the dry ice from getting in your meals.
5) Meals: You’ll want one thing to freeze. You don’t should slice it into little bits with this methodology, although. The dry ice methodology is loads sooner than simply utilizing a freezer, and it received’t take for much longer to freeze-dry bigger items of meals.
step-by-step directions
Prep The Meals
You don’t technically should slice up your meals for this methodology, however it’ll assist loads.
In case you use an entire apple for this methodology, it could actually find yourself taking so long as the freezer methodology, and that’s fully towards the purpose of utilizing the dry ice within the first place.
All it’s a must to do is throw your meals into some Ziplocks, and throw the Ziplocks into a big container.
You’ll have a neater time with this methodology should you poke a number of air flow holes within the bowl.
It’ll enable the gasoline to flee accurately, and it’ll pace up the drying course of.
Add The Dry Ice
Now, it’s time to start out the drying course of.
Put your container of meals into your freezer, and canopy it in dry ice.
After you’ve achieved that, you simply want to attend.
Your meals ought to be adequately dried after all the dry ice disappears.
That sometimes solely takes between twenty-four hours and per week.
To check your meals, do the identical factor that you’d do with the freezer methodology.
Take away one piece of meals, enable it to thaw, and see if it turns black.
Retailer It
Since your dried meals is already bagged, all it’s a must to do is take away the air.
Do that by hand, or use a vacuum sealer.
A vacuum isn’t obligatory, however it’s a nice comfort.
When you’ve achieved that, you possibly can retailer the meals for years.
3: utilizing a machine to dry freeze meals
That is the strategy that’s the easiest to do.
It doesn’t require a lot preparation, and also you don’t should consistently fear about your meals throughout the drying course of.
Nevertheless, it’s very costly.
A typical freeze-dryer prices more than $1500.
right here’s a video detailing the steps.
I’ve included written directions beneath the video as properly.
What you’ll want
1) Freeze-Dryer: That is the costliest methodology you should utilize, and that’s due to this requirement. A freeze-dryer is quicker than utilizing dry ice, however a typical unit prices more than $1500, and it could actually take fairly a little bit of time to earn again your funding within the type of freeze-dried meals. In case you’re going to spend money on certainly one of these, ensure you purchase a superb one.
2) Storage Baggage: After your meals is frozen, you’ll must have some freezer baggage or Ziplocks round to retailer the meals in.
3) Meals: This is identical as the opposite strategies. In case you haven’t freeze-dried something earlier than, begin off with fruit. The excessive water content material will make the method loads simpler.
step-by-step directions
Prep The Meals
There isn’t a lot prep to do with this methodology.
Slicing your meals into small items will make it dry out sooner, however it’s not obligatory.
In case you’re drying meat, it’s essential prepare dinner it proper earlier than you place it within the freeze-dryer. That’s about it.
Dry It
Because of the easy nature of freeze-dryers, this step is loads simpler too.
All it’s a must to do is sit the meals on one of many cabinets within your dryer, shut the door, and wait.
Retailer It
You retailer your dried meals identical to you probably did for the opposite two strategies.
Throw it in a bag, take away the air, and put it in a secure place.
How To Use Freeze-Dried Meals
Utilizing freeze-dried meals is somewhat completely different than throwing collectively a typical meal, however it isn’t tough.
Open It Up
This sounds self-explanatory, however the steps are completely different relying on what sort of storage bag you used.
A daily freezer bag will likely be easy to open.
You simply unzip it such as you would some other time. Vacuum-sealed baggage could be a bit tougher.
They’re normally too thick to tear open with ease, they usually’re mechanically sealed more often than not.
Nevertheless, you’re a prepper.
Whip your knife out, and minimize it open.
Give It A Little Water
Freeze-drying turns your meals into exhausting chunks, and people chunks are barely edible.
Some meals will keep gentle sufficient to eat whereas dry, however consuming them that method can really dehydrate you.
Just like eating snow in a survival situation can.
It’s not an enormous concern, however it’s greatest to not take probabilities in a survival state of affairs. To reconstitute your dried meals, it’s a must to add boiling water.
When you’ve got entry to a microwave, you should utilize chilly water, and boil all of it collectively within the microwave. If shouldn’t take lengthy to reconstitute your meals.
All you really want to do is enable it to take a seat within the boiling water lengthy sufficient to make it plump and juicy.
In case you’re getting ready one thing like soup, you’ll need to wait till it’s at a standard consuming temperature earlier than you cease boiling it.
Eat It
Have you learnt how one can eat common meals?
Then you know the way to eat freeze-dried meals.
It ought to style virtually exactly as it could freshly ready, and it’ll have all of its pure vitamins intact. With most meals, you possibly can wait up to 25 years earlier than it’s a must to eat it or throw it out.
When you’ve got freeze-dried fruits, you’ll need to eat them within 2 years.
They don’t are inclined to final so long as extra sturdy meals.
Conclusion
Freeze-drying your meals is a good way to stay nourished during a survival situation.
It preserves the pure vitamins within the meals, and it tends to protect the flavour as should you had simply eaten it normally.
In brief, it’s among the finest methods to maintain your self from having to soak hardtack and pemmican all the time, and it’s a lot healthier.
In case you’ve made it this far, I’d wish to thanks, and I’d love to listen to something that it’s a must to say within the feedback.
Freeze-drying meals is rising in recognition, however there are nonetheless folks on the market that don’t know what it does.
If you understand anybody like that, you would possibly need to share this with them.
