Freeze-dried dairy products are some of the most versatile ingredients you can have in your pantry. Dairy is not only easy to freeze dry, it’s easy to rehydrate and use in recipes. For example, yogurt is high in protein, so adding it to your breakfast oatmeal adds to the nutritional content. Yogurt drops are a big favorite among our customers, and if you haven’t yet had freeze dried ice cream you need to go do that right now.
To freeze dry dairy products such as sour cream or yogurt, spread a thick, even layer on a freeze drying tray. You can also freeze dry milk – when ground to a powder it makes recipes such as cakes extremely moist. When you’re ready to rehydrate freeze dried dairy, just add water gradually and stir until it returns to its original state. If you’re freeze drying ice cream sandwiches, no need to rehydrate. Just eat them as a crunchy snack. Or, powder them up in a food processor and add them to another recipe to get a delicious ice cream flavor.
Sliced and grated cheese can also be freeze dried. To rehydrate, you can easily toss it on top of your casserole dish, cover with tin foil and it will rehydrate from the moisture in the other food. Or, you can spritz it with a little water or even add water to it and warm it up in the microwave to get melted cheese. If you want to rehydrate sliced cheese, put it in a ziplock bag with moist towel until it returns to its original consistency. Freeze dried cheese is delicious on its own, but it’s wonderful to have on hand for pastas and casseroles.
Dairy products have a short shelf life in your refrigerator – but if you have a home freeze dryer, you’ll not only reduce food waste, you’ll increase the versatile ingredients in your long-term food storage.
Guest
says:Can you freeze dry milk and if so how well does milk freeze dry?
freezeadmin
says:Yes! Milk freeze dries great. It turns into a true milk powder that can then be easily rehydrated.
Guest
says:Can you freeze dry heavy whipping cream?
freezeadmin
says:Heavy cream is a short-term storage freeze-dried food. The oil/fat content is so high it tends to have a oily feel to it once freeze dried and is not something that would work for long-term storage. You may want to try heavy coconut cream. You can whip it and then freeze dry.
Guest
says:Can we freeze dry raw milk? What is the ratio of water to powder to rehydrate milk?
freezeadmin
says:1 to 1 ratio of water to powder.
Guest
says:Can you freeze dry buttermilk?
freezeadmin
says:Yes, you can freeze dry buttermilk!
Guest
says:Do the Freeze Dryers come with instruction booklets for freeze drying times and reconstitution instructions?
freezeadmin
says:Yes, you get an Owner’s Manual and a Starter Guide with your freeze dryer purchase, which gives you some instructions as to how to begin freeze drying. There are also a lot of online resources that can help determine a good range of what to expect for different foods. It’s hard to give one specific dry time/reconstitution method for every single food because there are many variables that can impact it – there is not typically just one clear-cut answer. But, for example, the default dry times that are built right into the freeze dryer work for most foods. Just check the food at the end of each batch to test its dryness then decide if you are ready to defrost the freeze dryer or if you need to add more dry time. You will see that a lot of the learning happens naturally as you start using your freeze dryer.
Guest
says:Should I expect to waste some food during the learning process?
If I only use my freeze dryer once a week, would I ever need to defrost it?
freezeadmin
says:I would not expect to waste any food at all. The freeze dryers are very easy to use. If you use it once a week you will never need to defrost. The defrost is only needed for back to back batches.
Guest
says:I freeze dried potato salad. The potatoes were dry and crisp as they should be. However the remainder was an oily globby mess. So do not freeze dry heavy cream. Too much oil. Nothing with lots of fat and oil will work well.
Guest
says:Can we freeze/dry kefir? Kefir is like a yogurt drink, e.g. thick like buttermilk.
freezeadmin
says:Yes, I’ve seen where a lot of people have done it successfully.
Guest
says:does 1 gallon of milk freeze dried make a lot less reconstituted milk? the powder produced seems less than a gallon of milk.
freezeadmin
says:No, the ratios stay the same. If you freeze dry a quart of milk, just reconstitute to a quart size. It’s easy if you store the freeze dried milk in, say, a quart size jar. Then just add water to fill the quart.
Guest
says:Should I vacuum seal my jars of freeze dried milk or will it store fine with just a lid and not sealed?
freezeadmin
says:For longer storage than a few weeks you will definitely want to take the oxygen out. Vacuum sealed with an o2 absorber is best.
Guest
says:Can you freeze dry rice milk?
freezeadmin
says:I have never tried it but it should not be a problem at all since rice freeze dries wonderfully.