Freeze Dried Food
When building up emergency food storage, you want food that will last for many years. After all, these foods are simply a backup for the ones you grow yourself. One common method used for many types of emergency foods by Mountain House, Provident Pantry and Alpine Aire is freeze drying. Freeze dried food is stored in cans and pouches by these brands and can last for as long as 30 years when kept in a cool, dry place.
Why freeze drying instead of dehydrating? Techniques for freeze drying preserve a perishable product - a fruit, vegetable, meat, or dairy item usually - and make it lighter and smaller - easier for transport. Freeze drying starts with freezing the material and, then, reducing the surrounding pressure, which allows for enough heat to alter the composition and change it from a solid to a gas. When pertaining to foods, freeze drying allows items to be packed in a sealed container and last for many years - as long as moisture doesn't get near the food. Additionally, the reduced water content prevents enzymes and microorganisms from spoiling the freeze dried food.
What are the benefits of freeze dried food? Manufacturers Mountain House, Provident Pantry and Alpine Aire tout that their products simply need water to become a full meal, and they're right. Freeze dried foods don't shrink and, once water is added, the flavor is often unchanged. The pieces of freeze dried food develop pores and, once water is added, the food absorbs it far more quickly than dehydrated items, which usually require some cooking.
Although freeze dried food is often recommended for emergency preparedness kits, it's common as backpacking food because of its lightweight nature and that it can be sealed fully in a pouch. No matter if the freeze dried food is used for backpacking or food storage, the food should be kept dry and unopened. Opened #10 cans of freeze dried food by Mountain House, for example, should be consumed in a week to a month but, if left unopened, will last up to 30 years.
