10 Reasons Why Freeze Dried Food is the Best!

 I have been experimenting with various types of shelf stable food for a long time. It has only been in the last couple decades that better options have become available as alternatives to canned food. Canned food was introduced in the 1800’s and was an important source of food especially during wartime…and it’s been here ever since. It is a great option for having on the shelves, but it has its drawbacks. Then food dehydrating came on the scene and was definitely an improvement when it comes to shelf life. But it still had some problems. When freeze dried food became available, I felt like I had hit the jackpot! It has solved all of the issues I previously had with other food preservation methods, and more.

If you have been mulling over what type of food to stock up on for your pantry, let me offer to you 10 reasons I have found freeze dried food to be a superior source for shelf stable food:

1. Freeze dried food has the longest shelf life, by far. It can last up to 25 years in a sealed can, which is more than triple the time dehydrated food is good for. And canned food is only good for about 2 years at best. If you don’t want to worry about constantly checking expiration dates, or having to throw away expired food (that is the worst!!)…freeze dried food is king.
2. Nutritional value of freeze dried food is outstanding! Canned food and dehydrated food requires heat in the process, which kills some of the nutrients. Not only does the freeze drying method maintain nearly all of the nutritional value in the food…the nutritional value is superior to fresh produce in some cases! This is because fresh produce loses nutrients over time as it begins to break down.
3. Freeze dried food doesn’t spoil when you open the can. Think about it. When you open a can or jar of tomato sauce, you are committing to using up that whole can within a short amount of time, or it will go bad. When I open a can of freeze dried food, I can use a little at a time without worry of it spoiling. (**I live in a dry climate. Those who live in a humid climate will still need to take some steps to maintain the freshness once the can is open.)
4. Freeze dried food is SO convenient! Meat is cooked, veggies are chopped. I keep several cans of ingredients right in my kitchen, so when I’m short on time, I can easily scoop out a half cup of chopped onions (or whatever) to add to my recipe. The ingredients also make it easy to pre-measure meals into jars, or to prep for camping/backpacking, or taking on road trips.
5. Superior flavor! Why? Because it’s real food, nothing added to it to preserve it. I first discovered freeze dried food after exhausting all other options for shelf stable cheese. I didn’t want “plastic cheese” that had extra weird stuff in it to make it shelf stable. I just wanted cheese. I was thrilled when I discovered freeze dried cheese with nothing added to it!
6. No need for refrigeration or freezers. Unless you want to have multiple freezers and the expense that goes with running them…I prefer having food that doesn’t require all that. Plus, anything that stays in the freezer for longer than a year is going to have freezer burn.
7. So much variety! When I look at the options of canned food compared to how much freeze dried food is available, there is no comparison. I have so many more options with freeze dried food.
8. Less water & time required to bring food back to life. Dehydrated food gets all shriveled up into a rock, requiring extra water and hot water and extra time cooking it to bring it back to its original state. Freeze dried food maintains its shape and size – just lacks water. So it is much quicker and easier to add water to bring it back to fresh.
9. So lightweight! This is especially important if you’re carrying food on a backpacking trip, or mailing it. I have mailed it to my kids in developing countries where they couldn’t access cheese and meat…and I appreciated how little it weighed for shipping!
10. Eat it straight out of the can as a snack! It’s actually quite tasty! Although you can add water and use it in meals, you can also just eat it straight.

Don’t just take my word for it. Give freeze dried food a try and let me know what you think! Once I tried it, I was hooked for life and have never gone back. I know you’ll love it.