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When it comes to making your own dehydrated foods at home, the choice comes down to the two most prevalent methods - electric dehydration and freeze-drying. These methods ensure even dehydration without hassle. There are natural methods like sun drying and air drying that don't require expensive equipment. But it usually causes more nutrient loss and environmental factors also play a huge role. Therefore, options for conventional methods are always a reliable choice.
Although dehydrators and freeze-dryers are both used for dehydrating and preserving foods, both of these methods work in different ways and have contrasting effects on the quality of food. Where one method proves to be expensive, the other is cheaper but needs to be more sustainable.
There are several key differences that you need to consider before opting for your preferred method of dehydrating foods. Learn about those differences, their processes and common pros and cons before you decide.
Understanding Two Common Methods Of Food Preservation At Home
Dehydration:
Dehydration basically means soaking up water from fruits and vegetables to decrease moisture so that the food won't become a host for bacteria, fungus, yeast, and moulds. Several methods of dehydration, both electric and natural, are commonly used for soaking up moisture from food and increasing its shelf life. People commonly opt for indoor dehydration with the help of electric dehydrators.
Normally dehydration can cause moisture loss of about 90%, but if you do it indoors with an electric dehydrator, you can only remove 80% of the moisture, which is far less as compared to freeze-drying. It is because dehydrators work by circulating warm air evenly around food trays. The temperature and airflow can be controlled in the machines. This can ensure even dehydration but not total dehydration since tiny water molecules are still trapped in foods.
Usually, dehydrated foods last from 15 years to 25 years, depending on the type of food. One more benefit of dehydration is that equipment is far cheaper than freeze-dryers.
Freeze-Drying:
Freeze-drying is not actually drying, and it is freezing every tiny spec of water molecules so that they sublime directly from solid ice to vapour. This process is far more sustainable than dehydration as dry freezes 98% to 99% of the moisture in food, increasing its shelf life for up to 25 years and more.
The best part about freeze-drying is that you can freeze dry pre-cooked foods as well; that is what you actually get when you buy pre-cooked curries and ready-made meals from the supermarket. As this method freezes the moisture instead of soaking it up, almost all the flavours and textures remain the same, which you won't get in dehydrated foods. However, freeze-drying equipment is much more costly, so it's perfect for those who value quality over money.
Comparing Ease Of Cooking:
Both foods offer tremendous cooking possibilities and impart different flavour profiles to the recipes.
Cooking dehydrated foods generally requires rehydration by soaking in water, boiling, or cooking. The rehydration process can take up to 20 minutes before the ingredients are ready to prepare meals with. Since the flavours are mild, you might need to add additional condiments to enhance it a bit. While it may not be a huge concern, it can drastically impact when running short of time.
On the other hand, freeze-dried foods do not require rehydration at all, and since many meals are pre-cooked, you only need to heat it in an oven for a few minutes and it's ready to be served. Plus, the taste closely resembles the original flavour, making it hard to discern any difference.
Nutritional Value, Taste and Heaviness:
Dehydration causes less retention of nutrients than freeze-dried foods. Since the moisture is soaked in Dehydrated foods, it causes nutrient loss, and only 60 to 70 % of nutrients are retained. On the other hand, freeze-drying locks the moisture in, so the foods retain up to 97% of the nutrients.
Nutrient profiles also define the contrasting taste. Since nutrients are lost in dehydration, there's a drastic impact on flavour profile as well, and the foods have a mild taste from their original form. While for some recipes, this mild flavour is preferred and generally dehydrated foods still taste a lot better, but it's nothing like the original. On the contrary, freeze-dried foods hold up all the natural flavours, texture, aroma and properties.
When talking about the movability of these foods, you might have concluded that freeze-dried foods can weigh a lot more than dehydrated foods since dehydrated foods lack moisture and freeze-dried foods lock it in. But surprisingly, it's quite the opposite. As you read earlier, dehydrated foods have more moisture than freeze-dried foods, they weigh heavier in comparison. Therefore frozen foods are much more beneficial for carrying while travelling.
Pros:
Dehydration stands as a widely chosen option because of its convenience, less expensive ness and low maintenance costs as well.
Freeze-drying is preferred because it ensures higher quality, more nutrient and flavour retention, ease of cooking, easy to no rehydration, less weightage and prolonged shelf life.
Cons:
Despite the convenience of using a food dehydrator, it often causes loss in taste, and nutrition, weighs heavy, is difficult to rehydrate and promises a shorter shelf life.
Conversely, freeze-drying ensures higher quality, but the equipment and maintenance costs are sky-high. So if you want to opt for freeze-drying, loosen your pockets a little bit.
On the end note, you may have made up your mind about what you need to choose if you're planning to preserve foods at home, but consider these pros and cons before moving forward.
With this, choose what sounds best for you and make sure to preserve foods at home instead of relying on supermarkets and grocery stores.
