Rehydrating Freeze-Dried Food: A Simple Guide

Emergency preparedness is essential to surviving and thriving in emergency situations. Emergencies can be natural disasters, job loss, pandemics, and more.

However, if you have a DIY long-term food storage plan, you will always have enough food to nourish your family. If you are a seasoned prepper, you have probably already stored dry food items long-term, such as pasta, grains, rice, and beans, in addition to freeze-dried foods.

But do you know how to rehydrate your freeze-dried foods?

If not, there is no need to worry! In this blog post, we will give you a simple overview of how to use freeze-dried foods effectively.

Avoid Overhydrating Freeze-Dried Foods

Freeze-dried foods such as fruits or vegetables are freeze-dried during their peak season. So, they are very nutritious, they taste delicious, and they contain all the necessary vitamins and minerals you need for your diet. Freeze-dried food items can also retain their texture if you rehydrate them properly.

However, if you add too much water to rehydrate them before use, freeze-dried fruits and vegetables will become soggy and lose all their nutrients and taste. So, you should try to avoid overhydrating your freeze-dried food.

In order to rehydrate your fruits and vegetables effectively, you can just add enough water so that the pieces pool in the bottom of the vessel. Then stir for a few minutes, and they will taste fresh and retain their nutrients.

The exception to this method is rehydrating meat, as you might need more water. 

The last thing we want to mention is that you can also use a spray bottle to spray water over freeze-dried foods for perfect rehydration.

Enjoy Freeze-Dried Foods as is!

Many beginner food preppers ask whether they can eat freeze-dried food as is without rehydrating it. 

The answer is yes, you can! 

Freeze-dried foods are dry and fragile when packed in mylar bags. If you crush a freeze-dried food item in your hand, it will turn into powder. So, you can consume it as is. Some few freeze-dried fruits and vegetables even taste like candies when eaten in their freeze-dried state! Freeze-dried meats are pre-cooked, so you can safely enjoy them as is, too.

The only thing you need to remember is to drink more water when you eat freeze-dried foods as is (dry). Fresh produce has natural water, but freeze-dried foods don’t have water so drinking water will help you digest them more easily.

Avoid Overcooking Meat

You might be tempted to add hot water to rehydrate your meat, but that is not the best option.

As mentioned above, freeze-dried meat is pre-cooked. So, adding hot/boiling water will overcook it. To rehydrate your freeze-dried meat, you can add room-temperature water or even cold water. Once rehydrated, you can add it to anything that you are cooking.

Don’t Always Hydrate Freeze-Dried Food First

Many people think that it is necessary to rehydrate freeze-dried food before cooking. However, it might not always be necessary!

Whether you should rehydrate freeze-dried food depends on how you are going to use it.

• Rehydrating freeze-dried ingredients before cooking is necessary if you won’t be adding any water during cooking. For example, enchilada sauce. 
• Rehydrating freeze-dried ingredients before cooking is necessary if these foods will be a part of a creamy and thick sauce. For example, casserole filling.

However, rehydrating freeze-dried ingredients won’t be necessary if they are going to be a part of watery sauces such as soups and stews. You can just add all your freeze-dried ingredients directly and add the required amount of water.

Bottom Line

Freeze-dried foods are a great addition to long-term food storage, but most people struggle when it comes to rehydrating them properly. Keeping these simple rehydrating tips in mind will help you use freeze-dried foods effectively.

For more tips and advice, you can keep reading our blog! All of us here at Wallaby Goods are passionate about sharing our long-term food storage knowledge with our customers and providing them with the best quality mylar bags and oxygen absorbers.