You may not realize it but freeze-dried ice cream has been around for quite some time. When it was first created, the makers were hopeful that it would turn out to be a great hit for astronauts that travel into space so that they could enjoy ice cream while out in space. However, this did not go over as planned because some of the people that tried it were not fans of it at first.
Ice Cream
Ice cream is one of the greatest inventions to ever hit the United States. It is cold, sweet, creamy, and delicious. In addition to it being so phenomenally good, it’s completely versatile and can be fashioned in any way the creator can imagine.
There is:
- Vanilla ice cream
- Peanut butter ice cream
- Chocolate chip ice cream
- Pistachio ice cream
- Mint ice cream
- Sugar-free ice cream
- Fat-free ice cream
The best kind of ice cream is when it is churned from fresh cream and mixed together with fresh ingredients. Although there are millions of methods to make ice cream and process it, the best is homemade.
The only drawback about ice cream, other than the fact that it is very fattening, is that it has to remain frozen or it will melt and turn into a goopy gob of syrupy yuk. Although the sugar and other ingredients remain in the goop, when it is not frozen it does not taste as good.
Some restaurants actually take a scoop of ice cream and dip it into a sweet batter then deep fry it until it is crispy and hot on the outside, but creamy and cold in the middle. Fried ice cream is a delicacy in many restaurants.
Freeze-drying ice cream, on the other hand, is an altogether different story. Although it may be good, it is much different than any natural ice cream that is frozen.
Freeze Drying Food
The thing about freeze-drying food is that it makes it to where the food that is treated will not go bad. The process of freeze-drying consists of taking food and placing it into an environment that not only freezes it but turns the liquid inside of it into a gas state for a brief moment while the machine sweeps away all of the moisture within it.
For example, when a piece of ice cream is put into a freeze-drying machine the atmosphere inside of the machine will be controlled by an outside control panel that causes the air pressure within the chamber to decrease to a point where the moisture within the ice cream turns into gas. Once this happens the ice cream is placed into a chamber that is designed to vacuum out all of the remaining moisture where it is frozen. The freezing causes the moisture that is left behind in the ice cream to crystallize, then the solids are vacuumed away and removed from the solid.
The reason why they refer to the process as “freeze-drying” is that the frozen temperature literally removes the moisture from the food and dries it out by using freezing temperatures.
Freeze-Dried Ice Cream
It would be great if there was a way to perfectly capture the entire essence of ice cream in a way that does not need a freezer and can be taken anywhere regardless of the temperature.
Although freeze-dried ice cream is still ice cream in a way, it is void of all of the creamy moisture that makes it taste so amazing.
If a person is looking for a great snack that tastes amazing and does not have to be put away anywhere to keep it cold they can get great results from snacking on a freeze-dried ice cream dessert.
However, once the ice cream has become freeze-dried, it is not the same. One of the things that make ice cream so delicious is that it is made with cream and milk, which are primarily liquid. When you remove the water from substances like that you completely change the structure of the item.
You change a nice, cold creamy delight into a hard crunchy wafer that just doesn’t feel the same. Yes, you can enjoy the sweetness and flavor of the ice cream, but you miss out on that soft, cool, creamy delight that we all seem to love so much.
In any event, the theory behind the creation of freeze-dried ice cream was so that people that love ice cream could be able to enjoy it wherever they are whether they are in space, deep below the surface of the ocean in a submarine, or out in the middle of nowhere on a camping trip in 100-degree weather.
Different Types of Freeze-Dried Food
If you understand the process of freeze-drying it is easy to see why so many companies have chosen to capitalize on it by selling it as “survival food.” In the event of an emergency situation where there is no electricity to run a freezer or a refrigerator, or gas to cook meals, having a backup of food that consists of freeze-dried goods seems like a no-brainer.
Fruits and vegetables are ideal for transforming into freeze-dried foods, but meats can be freeze-dried as well.
Some of these companies that sell freeze-dried goods offer complete freeze-dried meals such as lasagna, beef stroganoff, shepherd’s pie, meatloaf, oatmeal, mac and cheese, and mashed potatoes.
Most of the meals, all that you have to do is add boiling water and you have an instant hot meal that is nearly as nutritious as it would have been if served freshly cooked.
For desserts, of course, there is freeze-dried ice cream, but also there is freeze-dried cheesecake, cupcakes, cookies, pies, cakes, and other delicious creations that would otherwise go bad if left lying around for months without refrigeration.
Freeze-Dried Ice Cream Novelties
When it comes to novelty ice cream products such as Klondike Bars, drumsticks, dipped ice cream treats, and other ice cream delights it is possible for them to be freeze-dried and eaten from that form. If somebody has their own freeze-dry machine they have pretty much unlimited reign on what types of food they can process and which ones they can.
There are a number of companies out there that sell freeze-dried ice cream sandwiches, or ice cream sandwich bites.
Yes, there are a plethora of various novelty type ice cream products that are available freeze-dried for convenience and longevity, but it all goes back to whether or not the taste can compare to the creamy goodness of ice cream before it gets freeze-dried.
The Freeze-Dried Craze
In the wake of the pandemic and everything closing down, people looked towards solutions that would help them to survive in the event of a catastrophic emergency that left the world without power, food, and other essentials.
When this happened there was a pretty big boom in the freeze-dried industry. People from all over the country were ordering freeze-dried survival kits that had complete meals and snacks.
For a while, many of the companies that offered freeze-dried goods were doing very well. In fact, there were many new businesses created from this sudden demand for freeze-dried goods.
Conclusion
Not everybody likes ice cream, believe it or not, but everyone does need food to survive. As long as people need food there will be a supply of freeze-dried goods that will be ready for them if ever the situation calls for it. Good thing there is ice cream!