What is freeze-dried food?
Freeze-drying is a way to preserve food to last a very long time (many years or decades). This is achieved by removing maximum moisture from the food (around 99%). It’s usually then vacuum sealed in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers inside – sometimes also moisture absorbers.
The end product is compact and lightweight, thus highly portable, and is easily rehydrated by adding hot or cold water and waiting a few minutes, to create palatable food that’s about as fresh-tasting and nutritious as wet canned food.
Recommended freeze-dried foods to buy online
Rolled Oats, Apple & Blackcurrant by Expedition Foods
Ingredients: Oats, Sugar, Coconut Milk, Blackcurrants, Apple
This product is great. It contains minimal additives – just a bit high on refined sugar but this can be diluted down. It’s allegedly entirely GMO-free. It’s not only suitable for vegans, it’s quite creamy with a generous amount of fresh-tasting coconut milk powder – a precious rare textural & nutritional characteristic for vegans. The semi-fresh tasting blackcurrants are also a rare treat for long-life foods, contributing a small dose of the rich flavour & nutrients that you would expect from the fresh equivalent.
Overall the meal balances nicely when you’re hungry, and can be easily embellished for nutrition & fun with the addition of cacao powder, and fresh fruit or Del Monte canned peach slices. Potentially also cacao nibs, nuts, cinnamon, etc.
You may also want to add extra water, perhaps along with extra oats or muesli or granola etc, to thin out the sweetness & creaminess and make the meal go further. The packet is easily resealed for short-term storage of leftovers providing you only cut the very top bit off (eat with a long-handled spoon or serve into separate containers).
This particular product is available in 3 different sized packets, and the best value-for-money by far is the larger sized packet (252g dry weight, 1000kcal).
Shelf-life is about 4 years. For best shelf-life, buy direct from the supplier’s official site.