Anyone done this?
How?
And what's the best Freeze Dried food to buy?
g/f's mom would like to get some for the road..
How?
And what's the best Freeze Dried food to buy?
g/f's mom would like to get some for the road..
Making your own Freeze dried food
- Thread starter ArcticLight
- Start date
Re: Making your own Freeze dried food
My understanding is that you need a freezer capable of reaching temps far below what a home unit is capable of. But I'm no expert on it.
My understanding is that you need a freezer capable of reaching temps far below what a home unit is capable of. But I'm no expert on it.
Re: Making your own Freeze dried food
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ArcticLight</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Anyone done this?
How?<span style="color: #009900"> Yes I did and had great success. I used store bought dried soup mixes, Hamburger Helper, etc. Go to your local market and find anything that requires only boiling water. Remove from package and place one meal inside a freezer zip lock bag with salt, pepper, spices, bouillon, etc. to add flavor. On the day with left, I sometimes added a bagel cut in half with a good amount of butter, nothing like a fried bagel in butter. You can buy FD meats or used canned meats. I actually fried up burger, sausage, chicken, added some pepperoni and things. Freeze the meat in a separate smaller zip lock bag, place one entire meal in a zip lock. Add boiling water to the zip lock, let sit, eat from the zip lock, its its own trash bag too and zips up. To add volume to any FD meal, carry potato flakes, or instant rice to add with little weight. I used Gator-Ade as sugar too, not empty calories, weighs the same as sugar and different taste in coffee, tea, oatmeal, etc. </span>
And what's the best Freeze Dried food to buy?<span style="color: #009900">Backpacker Pantry is the best FD I have used. I know of few who did not like it when I was tramping the hills in Alaska. It cost a little more but it is quite good. </span>
g/f's mom would like to get some for the road.. </div></div>
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ArcticLight</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Anyone done this?
How?<span style="color: #009900"> Yes I did and had great success. I used store bought dried soup mixes, Hamburger Helper, etc. Go to your local market and find anything that requires only boiling water. Remove from package and place one meal inside a freezer zip lock bag with salt, pepper, spices, bouillon, etc. to add flavor. On the day with left, I sometimes added a bagel cut in half with a good amount of butter, nothing like a fried bagel in butter. You can buy FD meats or used canned meats. I actually fried up burger, sausage, chicken, added some pepperoni and things. Freeze the meat in a separate smaller zip lock bag, place one entire meal in a zip lock. Add boiling water to the zip lock, let sit, eat from the zip lock, its its own trash bag too and zips up. To add volume to any FD meal, carry potato flakes, or instant rice to add with little weight. I used Gator-Ade as sugar too, not empty calories, weighs the same as sugar and different taste in coffee, tea, oatmeal, etc. </span>
And what's the best Freeze Dried food to buy?<span style="color: #009900">Backpacker Pantry is the best FD I have used. I know of few who did not like it when I was tramping the hills in Alaska. It cost a little more but it is quite good. </span>
g/f's mom would like to get some for the road..
</div></div>
Re: Making your own Freeze dried food
When I was in the NG we lived on this stuff when we were out doing our two week drills in central Cali or down at NTC
http://www.freeze-dried-food.com/store/freeze_dried_foods.html
As a recon squad, we would all pitch in at the local backpacking/camping store and get enough stuff to support our squad for the duration of 10 days. 12 5G water cans, and 2 hum vees with 8 somewhat well equipped weekend warriors. We would also tote a case of MRE's in case the dehydrated chow was gone, but we were usually right on point after the first year doing it.
Talked to Mike, my partner the other day and the subject came up. He's living the good life in his place in northern So-Co totally retired from the Army(Benning, Recondo), Testing al your NG and California Army pisses as his second career, and still rides, shoots and hangs out doing the family thing.
A lot of good ideas came from him and me when we were pounding the sandy ground of NTC way back in the day. Shoot, as I remember we had a great time for the 10 years we went out and played
When I was in the NG we lived on this stuff when we were out doing our two week drills in central Cali or down at NTC
http://www.freeze-dried-food.com/store/freeze_dried_foods.html
As a recon squad, we would all pitch in at the local backpacking/camping store and get enough stuff to support our squad for the duration of 10 days. 12 5G water cans, and 2 hum vees with 8 somewhat well equipped weekend warriors. We would also tote a case of MRE's in case the dehydrated chow was gone, but we were usually right on point after the first year doing it.
Talked to Mike, my partner the other day and the subject came up. He's living the good life in his place in northern So-Co totally retired from the Army(Benning, Recondo), Testing al your NG and California Army pisses as his second career, and still rides, shoots and hangs out doing the family thing.
A lot of good ideas came from him and me when we were pounding the sandy ground of NTC way back in the day. Shoot, as I remember we had a great time for the 10 years we went out and played
Re: Making your own Freeze dried food
I did NTC rotation 11-87 Desert Steel. We ate those god aweful first generation MRE and the T-rats. They would bring hot t-rats about every third day. After the second time I quit eating them because they all had sand. The mess guys sucked at keeping the sand out.
I made some freeze dried coffee once. We had a freeze dryer at the lab that pulled a high vacuum at -10 Celsius. Looked just like folgers instant.
I think to do real freeze died food takes a pretty big setup. Otherwise it is just dehydrated. If look at freeze dried ice cream like you get from the NASA gift store that tells the difference between dehydration and freeze dried.
I did NTC rotation 11-87 Desert Steel. We ate those god aweful first generation MRE and the T-rats. They would bring hot t-rats about every third day. After the second time I quit eating them because they all had sand. The mess guys sucked at keeping the sand out.
I made some freeze dried coffee once. We had a freeze dryer at the lab that pulled a high vacuum at -10 Celsius. Looked just like folgers instant.
I think to do real freeze died food takes a pretty big setup. Otherwise it is just dehydrated. If look at freeze dried ice cream like you get from the NASA gift store that tells the difference between dehydration and freeze dried.
Re: Making your own Freeze dried food
Bought a bag of mountain scrambled eggs, it's steaming now LOL
My g/f drinks nothing but tasters choice so she has the coffee - she has 8 cases of MRE's too LOL but her mom is from the deep south, grew up in late depression era so th ey have a walk in freezer (almost)...
Now the BEST absolute BEST freeze dried was the LRRP's - if anyone has ever had those, damn those were good. I came in as they were using the last of them in 83....they should STILL be good though...LOVE to get my hands on some of those.
Bought a bag of mountain scrambled eggs, it's steaming now LOL
My g/f drinks nothing but tasters choice so she has the coffee - she has 8 cases of MRE's too LOL but her mom is from the deep south, grew up in late depression era so th ey have a walk in freezer (almost)...
Now the BEST absolute BEST freeze dried was the LRRP's - if anyone has ever had those, damn those were good. I came in as they were using the last of them in 83....they should STILL be good though...LOVE to get my hands on some of those.
Re: Making your own Freeze dried food
I know it's not freeze-dried, but the current MREs we have now over here in Iraq are not too bad. Lot better than the first couple gen's of 'em.
I know it's not freeze-dried, but the current MREs we have now over here in Iraq are not too bad. Lot better than the first couple gen's of 'em.
Re: Making your own Freeze dried food
Hey Sig - you shoot at Paul BUnyan? Pm me if so - that's where I got all my highpower medals but I want to go down at their 600 yard line and shoot again...
And yeah, I was there when the MRE first came out, Gen1, I said "Give me back my C-rations!"...LOL
They're pretty good, Gen2 was good and who knows what gen they are on now but I've got a case of em, not bad..
Hey Sig - you shoot at Paul BUnyan? Pm me if so - that's where I got all my highpower medals but I want to go down at their 600 yard line and shoot again...
And yeah, I was there when the MRE first came out, Gen1, I said "Give me back my C-rations!"...LOL
They're pretty good, Gen2 was good and who knows what gen they are on now but I've got a case of em, not bad..
Re: Making your own Freeze dried food
I did a little research after reading your post, because I had the same question.
I found that you have to freeze the food as cold as -40, then use a very strong vacuum to dry it.
Not feasible for home use.
I did a little research after reading your post, because I had the same question.
I found that you have to freeze the food as cold as -40, then use a very strong vacuum to dry it.
Not feasible for home use.
Re: Making your own Freeze dried food
Freeze drying requires a vacuum after the freezing occurs, to achieve the sublimation that delivers a true freeze dry condition. Taxidermists come closest to making this work on a small enough scale to be useful for your purposes. I'd say more, if I knew more.
Greg
Freeze drying requires a vacuum after the freezing occurs, to achieve the sublimation that delivers a true freeze dry condition. Taxidermists come closest to making this work on a small enough scale to be useful for your purposes. I'd say more, if I knew more.
Greg
Re: Making your own Freeze dried food
For home use dehydrated works well. Things like beef and other meat jerky's can be easily made, pemican or offshoots with nuts and berries are all simple to make. flat racks, or let the stuff hang over the open racks then go for about 4 - 8 hours at 150*F - 170*F
For home use dehydrated works well. Things like beef and other meat jerky's can be easily made, pemican or offshoots with nuts and berries are all simple to make. flat racks, or let the stuff hang over the open racks then go for about 4 - 8 hours at 150*F - 170*F
Re: Making your own Freeze dried food
An electric roaster can be used as a "poor man's" dehydrator.
An electric roaster can be used as a "poor man's" dehydrator.
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