Freeze Drying vs. Dehydrating How are they Different?

What's the difference between freeze-drying and dehydrating? Quite a bit actually! So which one is better? BOTH!
See why I love both freeze-drying and dehydrating as I put five foods to the test and compare the differences.
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#freezedrying #dehydrating

[@garyvee6023]

This has to be one of the BEST vids I have seen for a very very long time. 😍

[@MP-le8iw]

Thanks for making this video. I've never fully understood the difference. Your explanation makes it clear.

[@emilyb41]

Just got my freeze dryer and setting it up. I’m so excited. I love chips - so excited to make healthier veggie alternatives.

[@aliciadupuy9228]

Freeze dried baby carrots are like healthy cheese puff replacements

[@emilyb41]

@@aliciadupuy9228 nice thank you!

[@wack464]

Which freeze dryer did you get

[@geoffreytudor5674]

I grew up hiking with Mountain House freeze dried meals when they were newish and not exactly impressive. As a young adult I came across (the only time I saw this) a freeze-dried rib eye steak in a pouch from MH on a fireline. Add water to reconstitute, toss in the ashes and embers, and voila! I tell you this from 40 yrs. distance, that was one of the best steaks I can remember. Of course, exhaustion and privation prime the taste buds, but our usual fare was C-rations from the Korean war, so comparison helped too. I enjoyed the lesson, and I'm glad home freeze drying is now possible! 😄

[@16theaceman]

Mountain House has come a long way flavor-wise (as well as the cost lol)

[@dirtriders3615]

Y’all are great always a smile on your face. Beautiful family keep it up

[@CookingwithCatLover0330]

This is a great video. I have both. I am freeze drying a lot of foods for long term, but I need to use them more to know how to hydrate. I love my freeze dryer. I have milk, eggs, cooked gr. beef, ice cream... all freeze dryed. I have jerky dehydrated. I do herbs too all summer long in the dehydrator. Thank you for the video and I look forward to more freeze dryer videos. I am also watching all the canning videos I can. I am learning that skill too. Thank you again!

[@judyrogers8775]

The preservation community gets excited about these methods but my question is always "will my family eat it afterwards?" Wonderful comparisons!

[@aliciadupuy9228]

"Rose red homestead" shows great ways to practically and conveniently ENJOY your goods.

[@Katalinmason]

I think, in the case of a food shortage, they will be happy to have whatever you have thoughtfully and lovingly prepared for them 😋

[@AccidentalPreppper]

dont tell them tis freeze dried or dehydrated ;)

[@1realtruthrightnow742]

If they are starving they will.

[@MNIU_]

@@1realtruthrightnow742 😂😂😂

[@slong835]

The bread from the freeze dryer can be used for french toast. You can also get it soft by putting it in a steamy oven for about 3 hours ( with a hot water pan at the bottom)

[@slong835]

@@hazelbellefarm476 brownies, cake and stuff like that can be brought back in a Chinese streamer basket. I've been freeze drying cinamon and french toast bread for the future and they come back well with a light steam

[@moniquem783]

Don’t forget bread pudding! Or if you have slices rather than cubes, bread and butter pudding! Yum!

[@slong835]

@@moniquem783 my mouth is watering!!

[@moniquem783]

@@slong835 mine too! Summer is just over here so the oven can start going on more often and I’ve been thinking about a good bread and butter pud! I’ll have to bake some bread and purposely let it go stale 😂😂😂

[@slong835]

@@moniquem783 I just bought a professional bread maker. I love making my own but the way I work it will be impossible some weeks. There is a brand of bread called Jessica's. They make a wonderful cinamon swirl and French toast loaf. I've been lazy and buying those to dry

[@k8jones121]

When I did my initial bread test with my freeze dryer, I rehydrated in an egg and milk mix and made it into French toast. Worked great!

[@suzieclary3328]

That was going to be my question.

[@sarahburke1576]

Thank you for clarifying so much confusion on what a freeze dryer does. I really have found this video so informative!

[@Cee1505]

Thank you for the time and energy you put into the infomative video! I love your calm clear way of educating ❤

[@tinyheart3]

I love the detail in this video I wanted to decide between the two but they are completely different now I want both for sure 😅

[@lilangel97712]

The dehydrated or probably the freeze dried bread too can be chunked and used in meat loaf or in a French toast casserole.

[@sarahstocks3088]

Using the freeze dried fruit smoothie or fruit powders is excellent in flavoring cake and frosting.

[@ericpl7227]

The difference between dehydrating and freeze drying is $2000.00 plus! Which is why I'll probably never own a freeze dryer!

[@JanineMJoi]

The difference is quality of nutrients remaining in the food, texture, flavor. Save up

[@noplanman474]

For now. Wait 5/10 years we will be buying them for a few hundred

[@jamesmorten9248]

I’ll spend the money now and hopefully it last 20 yrs so my girls can keep using it

[@chellwilliams1907]

Can one be financed

[@THEmaggspie]

Exactly!!!

[@earthmuffin28]

The difference is KZbinrs get a freeze dryer for free when the rest of us have to pay thousands and it's just absolutely not worth it

[@happytherapy4542]

Right 😂😢

[@SK-cm5mt]

We all need to demo products so we get them FREE like they do!!!!

[@TiffanyalmazanLifeOfJoie]

Great examples illustrating the differences between the two appliances. Thank you!

[@VaultBoy1776]

One of the critical items not addressed in this lovely video was nutritional information regarding each processor. Freez drying retains upwards of 90% of the nutritional value of its processed foods, whereas dehydration is less than 60% +/-. So you'll need to eat more dehydrated food to maintain a healthy life. Your welcome

[@Iron_Thunderstorm]

She did mention that around 3:25, just not with the specific numbers

[@VaultBoy1776]

@@Iron_Thunderstorm oh sweet, ty. Rad channel. We love it.

[@Iron_Thunderstorm]

@@VaultBoy1776 Thank you for the response. Best of luck to you during these unstable times

[@VaultBoy1776]

@@Iron_Thunderstorm And to you- stay frosty.

[@danforthrhodes8960]

Great video. Dehydrating slowly heats and "cooks" the food which destroys some of the nutrients whereas freeze drying retains more / most of the nutrients. $2,000-$4,000 for a freeze dryer is about 10 times as expensive compared to dehydrating. Maybe worthwhile for large families and serious preppers but still large expense and what happens if the machine dies after a few years?

[@Doc1855]

Before Freeze Drying our meat we simply add our rubs and/or spices and sometimes smoke it, then cook it to rare. Then we freeze dry it, so whenever we want to eat it, we rehydrate it in water, warm it up and eat it

[@artstamper316]

Wow. I'm impressed just with the idea that you could pile up those trays so much. I thought everything has to be done in single layers.

[@kan-zee]

🤩👍 I love your Chalkboard lessons on Homesteading....Your a good teacher. Thank you for the great INFOTAINMENT , Mrs Carolyn ! 🤩👍

[@anjbum]

I have a dehydrator which I just used to dehydrate celery. It's a way longer than the 10 hours. But, it's okay. I was making celery powder. Then I made the mistake of sticking it in an oven to finish drying it. Proofing is what the original poster said. It burnt. So now I'm back at square one. I am seriously considering getting a freeze dryer, but they're so stinking expensive! Thank you for your video, it was wonderful, as all your videos are.

[@livingthegoodlifeinwales]

Hi Carolyn, loving this video as just trying my new dehydrator which arrived yesterday!

[@baddog9320]

BTW thanks for video. I like to add an funny FYI about freeze drying. If you freeze dry fruit, it can still be used to make alcohol after. While you can't do this with dehydration. lol..had to throw that in. Many years ago, we made our hooch out of freeze dried fruits. ( was in a dry country at the time) Today, I use much easier methods. ( sugar, yeast and water is all that is needed) And just to clear the air. I was 17 making corn beer when I started. Aged that in orange groves. Almost 40 years later and im still making home brews.

[@mudoh2131]

Fascinating. hadn't realised you could get domestic freeze dryers. Something to consider.

[@kimgow7671]

Huh? You can get em at Walmart

[@leeslees65]

@@kimgow7671 a food dehydrator, yes. A freeze dryer, no. Wal-Mart does not sell, nor have they ever sold, freeze dryers. It's a pretty specialized appliance.

[@tiffles699]

My husband LOVES freeze dried fruit, i sell freeze dried candy to fund the freeze dryer. He also love jerky... And Idehydrated onions and garlic, so i can make spices, and i want to make fruit leathers soon. We use both. We will also be "sharing" our freeze dryer when we finish moving, giving other access to an expensive item.

[@KimsKluckers]

I've owned dehydrators for 40 years. Recently purchased a freeze dryer and I am addicted!

[@ginasurber891]

You can extend your soups and casseroles with dried bread. If you have more people coming over to eat than expected, add bread to make it go farther.

[@Doc1855]

We Love our Harvest Right Freeze Dryer. We freeze dry almost every day. During the summer we freeze dry everything that we harvest from our large garden and our small orchard. During the winter we freeze dry meat. We barter some of our fruits and vegetables for meat that is hormone free from my wife’s 17K acre ranch in Montana. We live in north central Washington state where we can grow many varieties of vegetables and fruits. When freeze drying our greens, I always cook them first and then simply add water and reheat. They taste garden fresh. We have to buy Kiwi peel and slice before freeze drying. We HIGHLY recommend Harvest Right Freeze Dryer for preserving food.

[@Doc1855]

@@user-uy8nw9zm6b We store them in Mylar bags with an oxygen absorber and seal it. You can put them in jars with the oxygen absorber but they have to stay sealed and in a dark spot. Sunlight will destroy your freeze dried food. If stored properly your food will last 25 years.

[@bethsands7665]

Nice informative and useful information comparing new and exciting cooking options . Wow, if I had to choose.... the freeze dried food looks more essential for cooking needs and the nutrient value is locked in. Thank you ! Yes, they are both useful new kitchen inventions which is cool and they are quite different ...so maybe everyone needs both ?!

[@suzieclary3328]

Being a one person home, I vacuum seal my jars in between uses. I have electric source and Rain Country's contraption & manual vac using breaking system, the latter which I now keep for off grid.

[@WildKraftyAotearoa]

Thank you for another wonderful video! I love freeze dryer video's, I would so love a freeze dryer, they are not so easy to access yet in NZ, the last time I researched a source, Australia was our closest possibility, this would be expensive in shipping also. I am hoping the price will come day asap and NZ will start stocking the domestic ones. They are quite spectacular!🌺🌺🌺

[@laura.breneman1868]

Excellent video and comparison! Thank you for sharing!

[@danpost4755]

Excellent comparison video. Well done! Thanks for doing it.

[@Eimerej]

Great job, Carolyn! Thank you for doing this! 😀

[@ddzk2993]

thanks

[@theoryismypraxis3538]

@3:10 i love how You say "temperatures" as "tempuhchures" rather than "tempruhchures" like most people from the US i've heard. its a fascinating way to pronounce that word, for me as a phonetics geek :)

[@Howard_Spence]

Great video. Nice job. Love the side by side comparisons.

[@askhermit586]

If you marinade the apples in lemon juice it should mitigate some of the brown-ness. I like to marinade my apple chips 🍎 in Lemon juice, bourbon, honey, Himalayan pink salt, cinnamon, & dark brown sugar. Sometimes in the fall I'll add a touch of quality maple syrup. 😋

[@gailwendtland5970]

I have always used pineapple juice to prevent browning.....works like a charm...taste great too!

[@thespiritualgardenhomestea8329]

What a wonderful video! That was amazing! 🥰💖

[@Afaq-vw6hm]

I never really knew what freeze drying was about. You did an amazing comparison. Good video

[@HomesteadingFamily]

Glad it was helpful!

[@danielstensrud353]

Very informative and interesting! I worked at a steak house where we put our bread slices on racks to air dry. Then we had a steamer that you put the bone dry bread under a lid and pushed a hand lever down to rehydrate the bread to amazingly oven fresh softness. Looked one up and of course big bucks- Adcraft CTS-1800W Fresh Shot Countertop Steamer, 120V. Might find one on C's List etc. In case you want to try and come up with a work around, the principle was like laying your bread on an enclosed steam Iron and giving it a couple blasts of steam. That would be interesting to see!

[@SouthHaven_Farms]

Very informative. Thank you.

[@liahnotleah]

In short: dehydrator is good for homemade jerky and fruit leather products. Freeze dryer is good for longevity and the ability to rehydrate to its original component.

[@changemaster1554]

Thank you so much, learning...

[@EachpieceSounique]

Absolutely loved this video as it covered my question on the difference between both processes. Thank you for such great content. God bless you.

[@claudiaizaguirre3768]

Excellent video 👍 , so much information, not sure why you don’t have more views on it.

[@marcfruchtman9473]

Really great info. Thank you for making this video. I didn't realize freeze drying was such a great way to preserve foods.

[@KitClan]

BOTH is a very good answer. the ONLY food which I prefer to be Dehydrated and NOT freeze-dried is bananas. Don't know why, but they remain much better tasting. YourConscience

[@MsSerendipityJoy]

Informative video, and thanks! For me, a freeze dryer is an expensive purchase, especially if you consider the electricity also needed to run it. I'd love to see a comparison of energy usage and cost for each set of freeze-drying. Right now, for a few thousand dollars, I can super-load my pantry with dry goods, canned goods, and other store-bought items. With a freeze dryer, I'd have to buy the freeze dryer, then all the food, then run the electricity to process it, then have the jars/lids and oxygen absorbers to store it all. It's pretty expensive. Hopefully the price will come down. Until then, I'll bulk-purchase and store quantities, hopefully with a level of variety that works well.

[@thewhitewolffl]

Watch Retired at 40 channel, he measures , price of food, electricity=, packaging, watch video kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4falI2Inbd9opI and most of the channel is freeze drying related and he sells accessories.

[@brandynash1409]

Living traditions homestead did this. Freeze drying only cost $0.15 more in a cycle than dehydrating. While I know that adds up, the end product is more than worth the $0.15

[@MsSerendipityJoy]

@@user-bv1ss5nj9b Thanks for this info. Helpful to know the quality control issues too. Everything comes with a cost, and if it doesn't work, then it's even costlier. Thanks again.

[@scottburgle4889]

Deb M. I think you’re on the wrong channel.

[@patriciahammett4197]

Easy choice for me, on a limited income. Price.

[@MuhammadKhan-nj8qq]

Thank you ma'am

[@savoy6100]

Try toasting both breads and add butter. Oh my word w live it.

[@junedelarosa8520]

Carolyn... Can you please give us viewers a link to purchase your food dehydrator as well as the freeze dryer? Thank you.

[@HomesteadingFamily]

They should be in the description, but here you go. Excalibur Dehydrator: homesteadingfamily.com/dehydrator-r Harvest Right Freeze Dryer: homesteadingfamily.com/harvest_right_yt

[@tinaredington3445]

i have the small harvest right freeze dryer as its only two of us and i take beef and chicken breasts raw cut into 2 in cubes and freeze dry them for later for fresh cooked stews and soups and also freeze dry alot of cooked meals and deserts and smoothies and love how they store for years down the road i got mine last year and its already paid for its self in this high food price's i have freeze dried alot of whole fruits and cooked vegatables and i am keeping them for emergency use along with all my beans and rice and wheat berries and whole corn kernals in my cool storage pantry. so i can grind my own flour and corn meal too

[@candaceaustin4258]

Thank you very much

[@dacwebb]

Thank you!

[@irmasanchez5274]

The small Harvest Right unit is $2,395! I'm going to wait for the price to come down. Someone below said their unit broke down after 2 months of use. I would be very upset if my 2 grand machine malfunctioned in any way.

[@MoiraKamgar]

Super useful vid clip! Informative, authoritative! Really liked the presentation!

[@MsRecoveryroom]

Thank you for this video

[@jennyprorock]

If only I had 3 grand for one. Dehydrating amd canning it will stay for my broke bum 🤣

[@subdawg1331]

thank you

[@geewilli2080]

Blue Alpine also sells a home model freeze dryer

[@22ERICSHELLY]

Thanks for a great video. Happy Easter! May Jesus continue to bless you and your family

[@workinprogress9613]

You can rehydrate bread by wrapping it in a damp paper towel, and wrap that in something that won't burn, like foil or w.e., and then pop it in the toaster oven, or regular oven, on a low temp. The temp and time you can experiment with to see whatever works best for the consistency you want. There are other ways to do it as well. Basically the idea is you want the bread in a relatively heated damp environment.

[@tshikosiphathutshedzotshik1396]

You can steam the bread to rehydrate it

[@JanineMJoi]

If your FD breaks, do NOT wait longer than 1 month to file a complaint with the BBB. They have you do tests, but they are not responsive unless you file a complaint. Nathan is the only employee worth his weight in gold at that company.

[@msgottaneedtoknow]

Oh god... now I’m worried 😳

[@Melshed]

This was so helpful, thank you!

[@justjenn9011]

I made a homeade dehydrator and it works well, id like to one day have one of each though honestly. So that way i can have a choice for which is best for what ill be using the items for. But, until then, dehydrating is all i got for now, but it works! Love yalls videos! Keep up the good work! 👍

[@herricksln7919]

The idea of the freeze dryer is great, but it is SO expensive. It really does seem more like a luxury item rather out of reach for a big family on a modest income. It seems it would take a LONG time to earn it's weight back in gold. The food dehydrator is a work horse and pays for itself more quickly, I think.

[@Kim-un7vl]

After you dehydrate or freeze dry your food, how do you store them? Do you put them in canning jars, Mylar bags etc. Thanks Kim

[@msgottaneedtoknow]

Both. The freeze dryer comes with 50 Mylar bags. You can also vacuum seal but it’s best to put it in Mylar or glass jars. The less light and moisture the better.

[@oilnurturelady2347]

How do we know what is a good brand of dehydrator and what to watch for when purchasing one? Any suggestions or could you do a comparison or pros and cons video?

[@hassanmusa6375]

Agree, I am waiting for the next video on this.

[@Iron_Thunderstorm]

Brilliant experiment!

[@BamaRollOn]

Just wondering…. Could we use the bread to make French toast by rehydrating with our egg/milk mixture????

[@awalkingsong]

Thank you for making this video. I’d like to get to a point to save and buy a freeze dryer so I can make my dogs their own treats and food, as well as for myself and friends and family.

[@carter_1]

(By accident) I discovered if you freeze basil leaves & then chop later/ thawed & then dry, *it keeps it's "fresh taste." Story: I got some out of freezer, chopped for recipe & left the leftovers in a glass bowl for a couple days. I noticed it dried differently than normal & KEPT THAT AMAZING SMELL. So decided to play around with it a little bit. You definitely want it in glass & very spread out. Fluffing 2-3 times a day for a couple days. Right at the kitchen table! I haven't tried it in huge batches BUT if you can't invest in a freeze dryer but have a couple basil meals planned... you can use fresh one day & crumble the dried for some chicken breasts 😉 for another day that week!! Im assuming if it hikds that amazing aroma, it has to keep more nutrients as well!

[@donnawright4780]

My biggest question is whether freeze dried foods can be fermented after reconstitution?

[@jamikrietzman9728]

Hey there! I just watched this again with my husband, and you mentioned that you used the dehydrator to allow bread dough to rise. What would you set it at to do that? We have both a dehydrator and a freeze-dryer, so we greatly appreciate all your ideas and help!

[@dottiea.2186]

You can also set you bread in a oven and that will proof your bread 🍞 or set in a warm room with a towel over the bowl.. No need to buy a dehydrator for proofing bread..

[@jamikrietzman9728]

@@dottiea.2186 I already have a dehydrator. I just wanted to know what it would have been set at. My home is cool and so I do not have a warm room to set it in.

[@idahohoosier8989]

Awesome. Thank y'all, julie

[@fero5978]

Very educational! Thankyou! I didn’t know a home freeze dryer existed. Also watch in 2x speed 😊

[@gregm.846]

This is like watching grass grow.

[@MBear43932]

The investment is a legacy purchase for your family. Worth it in my opinion ❤

[@cheryljohnson206]

Great demonstrations and info!❤

[@HomesteadingFamily]

Glad it was helpful!

[@debbiestallard694]

What about the cost and time to complete the drying process?

[@lindamadson]

Great information thank you!

[@Nathouuuutheone]

How does freeze-dried meat react to getting marinated? It might be a way to force the meat to suck up the marinade It could also be cool to buy freeze-dried beef cubes for stews at the grocery store

[@AllergySafeKitchen]

Love my freeze dryer!

[@mattiemathis9549]

Great video and good information! Thanks!

[@HomesteadingFamily]

Thanks for watching!

[@HGoyas]

Woooow, that's why there are organism in the permafrost that can back to love 😮

[@kimberlyshada9716]

Thank you for this informative video! It is helpful to see the comparison side by side. Have you studied the difference in cost to run them? I have wanted a freeze dryer for years. Love your videos, & the time you take to teach us.💕

[@16theaceman]

Freeze drying start to finish uses more energy. The taste, nutritional value and longevity is superior

[@user-lr5cx1ni4r]

With the food situation being dire right now I would love a freeze drier. I have a rare autoimmune disease that makes me allergic to most food. Dairy, all Fruit, Gluten, nuts. It's impossible to find my food right now. I can't afford a freeze drier but they're pretty amazing.

[@shadykatie9256]

Hi guys! What do you use as pesticide on your fruit trees?Love your show and just NOW starting to learn how to start Homesteading at a very small level. Thanks for all you do! Katie

[@sandicupp5009]

Garlic, chilli, cinnamon, milk, dishwashing liquid , cayenne pepper infusions

[@OcRefrig]

Good video! 😎

[@KeepItReal33]

Freeze dried is obviously better, but the cost if a freeze dryer unit is WAY too much money for me.

[@Jeeperanthony]

Something I didn't see mentioned in my (quick) review of the comments is cost. Both to start up, and to run. I'll leave it to the reader to look up the cost of either unit they are interested in, but the freeze-dryer is much more energy intensive, so will cost more to run with refrigerating the food down to temperature then creating a vacuum, and cycling the temperature back and forth. The BIG cost difference comes in when you consider trying to build either one of these units. When considering the dehydrator, anyone can build a solar powered dehydrator to use in their backyard in the summer months, and it can scale up pretty easily. This has the added benefit of using no energy from your home, so you are basically getting free dehydration. The freeze dryer, on the other hand would be much more complicated for a DIYer to build, and it would be very difficult to get around using so much energy.

[@Thea_MojaveOutliersWhipmakers]

If you want to "rehydrate" the bread, I'd say try wrapping it in a well-wrung damp paper towel and pop it in the microwave for about 10 seconds (one slice). Then let it sit, and test it. Might work!

[@SK-cm5mt]

Yeah don’t think she did that right. I would like to see it microwaved or put in low temp oven to see what it does. I’ve seen ham done and it bounce back

[@MatoNupai]

The answer is yes and no. Yes the moisture was removed but freeze dried retain its appearance and color with more nutrition than possible via regular dehydration

[@rockyalvarez520]

You can eliminate the Browning of the apple spices by placing them in limited use for a short period before you process them

[@Wildevis]

Great comparison video

[@vickiegossett7214]

Interesting. Thank you

[@ejack4961]

Great video I need one of each