Dehydrated Food vs. Freeze Dried – Which Method is Right for You?
This page may contain affiliate links. More Information.
If you ask the question what’s better- Dehydrated food vs freeze dried food? You’ll get lots of different answers!
Let’s look at both methods, compare their pros and cons, and help you decide which option fits your needs. It could be both have a place, or maybe there will be one obvious winner for you.
Spoiler alert: Dehydrating and freeze drying both might have their place in a home kitchen, and neither is definitively better than the other. Just different.
Dehydrated Foods vs Freeze Dried
What is Dehydrating?
Dehydrating is one of the oldest food preservation methods. The process involves slicing and pretreating if needed then laying out food in a single layer where moisture can evaporate quickly. Removing moisture from food prevents the growth of bacteria and enzymes that cause spoilage. Dehydrated foods can include fruits, vegetables, meats, and herbs. Great for snacks or meals alike.
Equipment Needed: A dehydrator makes the process efficient and consistent, but you can also use an oven or even air drying in certain climates. If you are curious, I’ve got more on 7 different dehydrating methods here.
What is Freeze Drying?
Freeze drying process shares some similarities with dehydrating in that both involve removing moisture from food, but the process and results are quite different.
The process involves freezing food to a super cold temperature (colder than you can get in your freezer), then using a vacuum to remove the moisture from your food. Freeze drying preserves the food’s original texture, flavor, and nutritional value very well.
Freeze drying is ideal for creating lightweight, shelf-stable food storage with a long shelf life. It’s commonly used for emergency preparedness, travel, and even products to sell at farmers’ markets.
Equipment Needed: A home freeze dryer is required for this process. While the initial cost is significant, for some people it’s a worthwhile investment. To my knowledge the Harvest Right Freeze dryer is the only freeze dryer currently available for average home use.
Freeze Drying vs. Dehydrating: Pros and Cons
Shelf Life and Storage
- Dehydrated Foods: Have a moderate shelf life, usually ranging from 6 months to a year. This will vary according to how you package and store the food. They’re easy to store but you do need to have air tight containers to keep moisture away from your food.
- Freeze Dried Foods: Has an amazingly long storage life. Can last up to 25 years, making them excellent for long-term storage. Just like dehydrated food, storage length will be dependent upon how the food is packaged. But the potential for very long term is good.
Equipment Costs
- Dehydrating: Dehydrators are relatively affordable and accessible for most budgets.
- Freeze Drying: Home freeze dryers are pricey! There is no way around that. If you have long-term goals or a growing family, it might be a worthy investment.
A few thoughts on saving some money on a freeze dryer.
You could look for a second hand unit but I’d be cautious with that. Make sure there is not some mechanical reason someone is selling. I confess, the pump that came with my freeze dryer has been a pain in the rear. If I were selling, I’d reveal that, but not everyone would.
Another option is to partner with another family to share the cost. Just be sure to communicate clearly about how and when the machine will be used.
Ease of Use
The food preparation steps for freeze drying and dehydrating are quite similar. Both involve slicing, blanching, or pretreating food as needed, then arranging it on trays. The difference lies in the equipment and process.
- Dehydrating: Generally straightforward—place the food in the dehydrator, set the temperature and time. Then wait and check on progress.
- Freeze Drying: Requires additional setup, including preparing and operating the freeze dryer. Maintenance, such as caring for the vacuum pump, is more involved compared to a dehydrator.
Texture and Taste
This is an area where the final results can be quite different. One is not necessarily better than the other depending on how you want to use it. They are just different.
- Dehydrated Foods: Fruit can chewy or leathery; great for snacking as is. Vegetables should be very hard; great for rehydrating in meals like soup.
- Freeze Dried Foods: Retain their original texture, flavor, and appearance better than dehydrated. The texture is more of crispy crunchy.
Different, but one is not necessarily better than the other.
So here is a weird and imperfect comparison. Do you remember the little marshmallows in Lucky Charms cereal? Freeze-dried food has a light, crispy crunchy texture, similar to those cereal marshmallows—but without all the added sugar!
Rehydration
- Dehydrated Foods: Take longer to rehydrate. Best suited for recipes like soups and stews. You’ll add hot water and let it soak, or add to meals where you can simmer them and rehydrate as you cook.
- Freeze Dried Foods: Rehydrate quickly, making them convenient for instant meals. Add some water and wait 5 minutes at the most and it is rehydrated and ready to go.
Nutritional Value
Both methods preserve nutrients well, but freeze drying has the edge. Of all food preservation methods freeze drying maintains the most minerals, vitamins and general nutritional value with dehydrating coming in second.
Types of Food
- Dehydrated Foods: Great for fruits, vegetables, herbs, and jerky. Works well with most foods that can be sliced or shredded.
- Freeze Dried Foods: Suitable for a broader range of foods, including full meals, eggs, cheese, dairy products, and even candy and desserts. The only thing that doesn’t freeze dry well is fats. Lean meats work well but pork might be a problem.
Disadvantages? Dehydrated food vs Freeze Dried
Disadvantages of freeze dried food are pretty hard to come by.
Cost is the main issue. Other than that… It’s pretty significantly good. :).
There are no disadvantages that I feel are significant. Most were common sense. Here are a few that are mentioned.
Higher calories- Basically since the moisture is removed, sugars are intensified. So eating dried food can cause us to eat more… which will end up with more calories consumed. I can’t see how eating more healthy food is an issue… but that’s just me. :).
Nutritional loss – Any form of food preservation can cause a loss of vitamins. Dehydrating actually has pretty good retention… but no it’s not the same as freshly picked.
Time to rehydrate – This could be a problem depending on how you use your food. It is not quick rehydration. You’ll need to think ahead to add hot water to your food and allow it to soak up. OR start a pot of soup in the morning in your crockpot. If you need dinner in 5 minutes… dehydrated is probably not what you want to pull out.
Dehydrating safely – You do need to dry food in a safe manner. Dehydrating should happen as quickly as possible. So for instance, you can’t simply put sliced food out on a tray on a hot humid day. It will spoil. That is vastly different than putting sliced food in a dehydrator where warmth and fans will cause quick preserving.
Choosing the Right Method for You
When deciding between freeze dried food vs dehydrating consider these factors:
- Budget: If a freeze dryer isn’t in the cards right now, dehydrating is a great option. You can always purchase commercially produced freeze-dried foods to supplement if you want.
- Long-Term Goals: For families planning for the future, investing in a freeze dryer could be worthwhile. Partnering with another family to share the cost and usage is another creative solution.
- Storage Space: Both methods are compact and easy to store, while freeze-dried foods offer the most shelf life.
Conclusion
Both dehydrating and freeze drying work great. Neither method is universally better, and each has unique strengths. By considering your needs, budget, and goals, you can choose the method that works best for you.
