Freeze-dried food has been a popular food choice for travelers, astronauts, and the military, to list a few. With the new rave in-home freeze-drying where more people are getting their freeze-dryer, you might become more curious about the process and its products.

For this reason, we’ve gathered the most important pros and cons of freeze-drying in this article.

Pros

1. Retains nutritional value

Freeze-dried foods retain almost all of their originality when preserved. The nutritional value, shape, taste, and size are practically unchanged afterward. The process works to keep the food without losing its quality. There was no significant difference when scientists compared the nutritional value of freeze-dried food to that of commercially frozen and raw foods.

When freeze-dried, the taste of food is closer to what it was when it was fresh than when the food is dehydrated.

2. Easily stores

Freeze-dried foods can be easily stored. A freeze-dried food item can last for years without the need to refrigerate. This particular feature of freeze-dried foods is why it’s a choice food item for people in the military and astronauts.

Additionally, freeze-dried foods quickly rehydrate once needed, unlike dehydrated foods, which take a bit of time to be rehydrated.

3. Almost all foods can be freeze-dried.

Freeze-drying is an encompassing method of food preservation that preserves almost all foods. Food items like egg and dairy products are easily freeze-dried. This makes freeze-drying an excellent option for people like astronauts and military personnel who might not have access to fresh food for long periods.

4. Cheaper transportation cost

Freeze-dried food is usually very light as all the water has been removed from it. Their weight makes it easy to transport more significant food and cuts down transportation costs.

5. Easy procedure

Freeze-drying food is not complicated as it requires no special techniques to prepare the food. Instead, you prepare the food to be freeze-dried as you would any food you want to freeze. Rinsing, blanching, and pretreating as you would for other preservation methods.

Cons

1. Expensive

The most crucial point against freeze-drying is the price involved. Small commercial freeze-dryers can cost as much as $10,000. Additionally, the running cost increases significantly by factoring in the expenses of a vacuum pump, electricity and oxidizer pack, and other necessary items.

Because of how expensive the machines and items required are, freeze-dried foods are usually more expensive than raw foods and foods preserved using other methods.

2. Time-consuming

The process of freeze-drying is quite time-intensive. It involves more than one drying cycle, with each cycle as long as 4 hours and more.

3. Does not kill bacteria

Freeze-drying food does not kill the microorganisms present in the food. Instead,  they become dormant and will get reactivated once the conditions are right for their survival. You should cook food like raw seafood, raw meat, and raw eggs properly before eating when freeze-dried as you usually would.

While freeze-drying remains a great option for food preservation, the high cost and time-consuming process might be worrisome. However, it is unarguably a great food preservation technique.