Freeze Dryers and Freeze Dried Food (Part 1)

[rotuts]

""   anhydrous butter ""

 

this is an advantage in working with chocolate ?

[Kerry Beal]

""   anhydrous butter ""

 

this is an advantage in working with chocolate ?

Yup - no water in it.

[Chocolot]

Yup - no water in it.

So what is the advantage over ghee or clarified butter?

[curls]

So what is the advantage over ghee or clarified butter?

Kerry got to use her freeze drier! 

Seriously, I was wondering the same thing.

[Kerry Beal]

Kerry got to use her freeze drier! 

Seriously, I was wondering the same thing.

 

So what is the advantage over ghee or clarified butter?

I suspect that getting the milk solids in there will add some buttery flavour that you wouldn't get with clarified butter - but only a suspicion.  

 

I think I had this idea I wanted to make it since the Morato book calls for anhydrous butter in most of his recipes.  

[Kerry Beal]

The batch I started yesterday noon - gave it an extra 7 hours or so drying.  Everything was nice and dry with one exception.

 

 

A few more ice cream sandwiches.  Hey I had the space!

 

 

Apricots that have been in the freezer for quite some time.  Very intensely sour and apricoty.

 

 

Rotuts mushrooms and some lime juice that had been frozen in cubes when I had an excess.  It remained sticky - I don't think there is any water left - the wine had the same thing happen.  I think for liquids like that mixing with some maltodextrin might be the solution.  

 

 

Avocados.  Dried beautifully - tasted a couple of stray pieces after I'd tasted the apricot.  I don't know if they were really bitter or it was an effect of the two foods together.   Anyway - still trying to get the bitter taste out of my mouth.  I've been picturing FD guacamole mix since I put them in.  

[Smithy]

Your comment about 'intensely sour and apricoty' brought me up short, because I never think of a good ripe apricot as 'sour'; at most (to me) a good apricot may have the barest hint of a slightly tart note. Your avocados did something unexpected also.  This makes me wonder: does the freeze-drying change the flavor profile by removing some flavor compounds more than others?  As an example: if a food has some flavors that are water-soluble and others that are alcohol-soluble, what happens to the balance between them when you freeze-dry the food in question?

[teonzo]

Can you try with fresh albumen? Thanks.

 

 

 

Teo

[Kerry Beal]

Can you try with fresh albumen? Thanks.

 

 

 

Teo

Will do.  Rumour has it it looses it's ability to foam after - but I'm sure I've had purchased ones before.

[gfweb]

Will do.  Rumour has it it looses it's ability to foam after - but I'm sure I've had purchased ones before.

 

Bet it doesn't. Freeze dried medical stiff with albumin still foams annoyingly if rehydrated carelessly.

[Kerry Beal]

Bet it doesn't. Freeze dried medical stiff with albumin still foams annoyingly if rehydrated carelessly.

Indeed - this was my thought too.

[Kerry Beal]

Your comment about 'intensely sour and apricoty' brought me up short, because I never think of a good ripe apricot as 'sour'; at most (to me) a good apricot may have the barest hint of a slightly tart note. Your avocados did something unexpected also.  This makes me wonder: does the freeze-drying change the flavor profile by removing some flavor compounds more than others?  As an example: if a food has some flavors that are water-soluble and others that are alcohol-soluble, what happens to the balance between them when you freeze-dry the food in question?

Good question.  I do have a question out to Matt from Harvestright about the avocados.

 

Matt has joined eG and I'm hoping he'll jump in to the conversation here before long.  

[huiray]

Indeed - this was my thought too.

 

I used a fair bit of BSA and much less frequently OVA - in in both cases one re-dissolved the freeze-dried stuff slowly in buffer (rather than water) with slow stirring, typically with a magnetic bar on a stir plate.  All one needs to do to get an immensely foamed "solution" is to have a moment of inattention and "accidently" crank up the stirrer for a few moments.

 

Edited to add links to the intended meanings of the acronyms I used - not to be confused with *other* meanings.

Edited September 18, 2014 by huiray (log)

[rotuts]

I had hopes that FD'd mushrooms could be ground and kept in a jar to use as an easy 'add-in' for soups and gravy.

[Kerry Beal]

Possibly a combination of both vac seal and dessicant.  

[Harvest Right]

This is Matt from Harvest Right. I must say it is a bit intimidating to post here because of all the food knowledge. One thing we do know something about is freeze dried food and it has been fun working with both Kerry and Ruth on their great projects. 

 

There have been some posts about bitter avocado and tart apricots. As a general rule the quality and taste of the food going in will be the way it tastes coming out but the flavors are accentuated (both the bitter and the sweet). If you chose to re-hydrate the avocado and make guacamole, you would probably find the bitter diluted greatly.  Feel free to post or ask any great/crazy questions you may have about freeze drying and freeze dried food. I'll hop on here from time to time and add my 2 cents. 

[Smithy]

Welcome to eGullet, Matt. Thanks for chiming in.

[Chocolot]

Good to have you around, Matt. Ill be stopping by soon:)

[Beebs]

Is it possible to freeze-dry an entire meal - say, a turkey dinner or serving of lasagna?  Not sure what the purpose would be, besides rampant curiosity!

[Kerry Beal]

Is it possible to freeze-dry an entire meal - say, a turkey dinner or serving of lasagna?  Not sure what the purpose would be, besides rampant curiosity!

Apparently is is - you can buy things like that for camping.

[Beebs]

Apparently is is - you can buy things like that for camping.

 

I don't do camping - but how would you reconstitute it?  Just add water?  And is the turkey dinner in small bits mixed together, or would you have actual freeze dried slices of turkey and scoop of mashed potatoes?

 

(Turkey dinners on the brain, because Canadian Thanksgiving coming up - and I'll bet freeze dried pumpkin pie would be seriously awesome!   )

[rotuts]

Im wondering if FD'd ripe fruit my be an easy way to make jams/marmalades

 

rather than boiling down the fruit w sugar +/- pectin  to the proper 'sugar-temp'

 

much of the work can be done unattended in the FD-er ?

 

I grew up in Los Altos CA for some time and we lived on two acres of apricot trees.  we dried a lot of them etc 

 

It was 'rural' then there, no chips to be seen anywhere.

 

I love dried apricots probably for this reason.  there are about 20 $$$$ home in on that same plot  +/-

 

what about sliced 'ripe' oranges for 'quick' orange marmalade ?  toss in a bit of FD'd grapefruit, limes  etc

 

for something pretty interesting.

[Kerry Beal]

Yup - add water - there seems to be some discussion of spraying with water, other times they add to package.

 

Think you can get individual things like the turkey and potato - or a mixed casserole type of thing.

[rotuts]

I cant imagine a FD'd Dinner.  those things never taste close to the original.

 

of course, if your starving, hiking, and there is nothing else :  Delicious !

 

Dinner  SousVide, a different matter .

[Kerry Beal]

Im wondering if FD'd ripe fruit my be an easy way to make jams/marmalades

 

rather than boiling down the fruit w sugar +/- pectin  to the proper 'sugar-temp'

 

much of the work can be done unattended in the FD-er ?

 

I grew up in Los Altos CA for some time and we lived on two acres of apricot trees.  we dried a lot of them etc 

 

It was 'rural' then there, no chips to be seen anywhere.

 

I love dried apricots probably for this reason.  there are about 20 $$$$ home in on that same plot  +/-

 

what about sliced 'ripe' oranges for 'quick' orange marmalade ?  toss in a bit of FD'd grapefruit, limes  etc

 

for something pretty interesting.

Good way to store the fruit before you boil it up I'm sure.