Can You Freeze-Dry Strawberries Without A Machine?

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Can You Freeze-Dry Strawberries Without A Machine? (hackaday.com)

I still kind of want to buy a freeze dryer. They are fucking expensive though.

From the post:

>Summer has settled upon the northern hemisphere, which means that it’s time for sweet, sweet strawberries to be cheap and plentiful. But would you believe they taste even better in freeze-dried format? I wouldn’t have ever known until I happened to get on a health kick and was looking for new things to eat. I’m not sure I could have picked a more expensive snack, but that’s why we’re here — I wanted to start freeze-drying my own strawberries.

I still kind of want to buy a freeze dryer. They are fucking expensive though. Archive: https://archive.today/Vlpve From the post: >>Summer has settled upon the northern hemisphere, which means that it’s time for sweet, sweet strawberries to be cheap and plentiful. But would you believe they taste even better in freeze-dried format? I wouldn’t have ever known until I happened to get on a health kick and was looking for new things to eat. I’m not sure I could have picked a more expensive snack, but that’s why we’re here — I wanted to start freeze-drying my own strawberries.

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I think this method is closer to desiccation without heat than it is to real freeze drying. You can make beef jerky without heat by constantly circulating cool dry around around the meet, but it is not the same as freeze drying meat. The freezing and vacuum sublimation process is critical to the freeze drying outcome and can't be replicated by simple desiccation. That's why freeze dryers are expensive. It's much more than this method is able to accomplish.

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Read the entire article, and it was a fail at the end lol. Splurge on the machine, OP. Then post pics of all your freeze dried goodies!

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Oh I did read it. I even was looking into similar methods myself a few months ago and came to the conclusion the only reliable way is to get the machine. They cost a few grand though and I just can't justify it right now. If I had space for a massive garden and could use it to preserve things I don't can then I would totally buy one.

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Now I have to go down the rabbit hole of freeze dry machine v dehydrator lol. I’ve looked at dehydrators, even bought a cheapie (only used once, my oven can do the same thing).

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Here is the short list.

Shelf life: Freeze drying can preserve food for a longer period (20-25 years) than dehydrating (5-15 years) Texture: Freeze drying produces a crunchy texture, while dehydrating can produce a chewy or crispy texture Water content: Freeze drying removes ~99% of water content, Dehydrating removes ~70-90%

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