Freeze Drying Cream Cheese

It is always beneficial to have shelf stable dairy products available for camping or trail trips. In this video we show how to freeze dry, powder, and successfully reconstitute cream cheese. So many ways to use it on the trail!
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[@marthaalward3740]

Pam, you and Jim are just the "bomb". You combine your scientific knowledge with common sense. Also, your sense of humor is killer. We can never thank you and Jim enough for all you share with your community. ❤

[@trailgrazers3690]

Wow! Thank you so much.

[@Txevenstar4889]

Oh my goodness just about everyone who reconstitutes freeze dried foods literally eyeballs the water really according to what they like. Thank you for being so gracious to the cry babies. Love your channels ❤

[@trailgrazers3690]

Thank you!

[@maryr7023]

😂

[@tinak8081]

Well, people are lazy and want you to do the work for them. You do a great job. Don't listen to those people! I have learned so much from you and respect your knowledge!

[@trailgrazers3690]

Thank you.

[@TheMotivatedSnail]

Whether intentional or not, I love your sarcasm! Lol! Thanks for making soup.

[@ravenlaughs9757]

I have freeze dried a lot of cream cheese, sour cream, yogurt, shredded cheese, heavy cream, ice cream sandwiches. Cream cheese is one of my favorite, comes out as a powder and rehydrates perfectly. 😊 Don't worry about being precise on your freeze drying items as you might have a exceptionally muggy day and not need as much water as you would on a very hot dry day. People look for any reason to ridicule and cause another unneeded grief. Be yourself show your failures and your wins and that makes you human in perfection❤

[@trailgrazers3690]

Agree!

[@maryr7023]

I would like to try freeze drying heavy cream. Do you have any helpful hints?

[@p.3175]

@@maryr7023Hi, as a fellow freeze dryer user, I have learned that rehydrating heavy cream with hot water melts the fat. After it is reconstituted, you can chill it.

[@maryr7023]

@ Thank you! I appreciate the tip! 😃

[@jamesschultz796]

I ran out and bought 10 lbs of cream cheese so I could freeze dry it. It took about 35 hrs and turned out amazing. I now have 5 quart jars of cream cheese powder sitting on the shelf. Thanks for the information. Great job!

[@trailgrazers3690]

That is awesome! Congratulations!!

[@L.Fontein7]

So THAT'S why I couldn't find any cream cheese at the store today! 😊

[@shineon651]

I was told you couldn’t do cheese because of the fat content. This is awesome!

[@carolynsinyard5215]

I have my freezer dryer for a little over a month and I am having a blast filling our pantry shelves with long term food for our family. I will be adding powdered cream cheese to the pantry. Thank you and Jim for all of your instructional videos. Have a blessed day.

[@trailgrazers3690]

You are very welcome.

[@resourcefulgirl]

I love it when people have fun with their freeze drying. It's a great piece of equipment to own. If you freeze dry meat it pays for itself pretty quickly. I'm taking my favorite recipes and altering them a bit to ensure they freeze dry well. I thought about writing a cookbook but haven't found the time. Maybe someday :)

[@rosehavenfarm2969]

We're considering getting a freeze drier, your videos are helpful, thank you. What surprises me is that the person criticizing you doesn't do her own testing and experimenting, but demands you do her work for her.

[@hyfy-tr2jy]

if you are a Costco Member they just put some Harvest Right Small units into stores for roughly $1000 off the regular website price....do it now!

[@MyCabinLife]

Oh I wish I would have seen your post a month ago! I'm not a Costco member so but I would be to save $1,000 LOL​@@hyfy-tr2jy

[@kayreiter1226]

Hi Pam, I learned so much from you in the past when I was doing a lot of dehydrating. Last week I bought my first freeze dryer. I am excited to watch all of your videos on freeze drying now. Thank you for your great videos. Oh, my freeze dryer's name is "Sid", like the sloth on "Ice Age".

[@kateymateymusic1]

I also believe that science says "work smarter, not harder" ;). Lovely video

[@virginiaparmenter7064]

Great video Pam and Jim. I am not mathematically inclined so I just do the eyeball method and wasn’t sure what I would do when I need a “cup” of the product. Thank you for going through this whole process. I can now powder a whole tray (or 4), put in a jar and know how much to use for a given recipe. And do it for other food items too! You two are the best!

[@trailgrazers3690]

Thank you so much for your kind words. We appreciate that so much.

[@KariF-p3o]

We just watched our first video on your channel and both my husband and I think you’re adorable! We love your sense of humor and can’t believe people are so awful as to harass you about being scientific. We look forward to seeing all your videos!

[@tressakindred2402]

You are so kind to do the math for the person barking. My mom told me about your you tube channel and I’ve been a fan since the first video I watched. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge with the rest of us.

[@blueraven2345]

I have no idea how anyone could be mean or unpleasant to you, you are such a star with all the knowledge that you share. I have no doubt that you have inspired and encouraged so many to prepare food for storage in a safe manner, and saved so many From not only costly mistakes, but sickness as well. I just want to say I believe your contribution in this field is stellar, and I just adore you.

[@birdwalker7379]

Love your excitement when you figured out your reconstituting dilemma!

[@trailgrazers3690]

I love that moment of discovery!!!

[@dianeivanoff6312]

Oh rose you need to link this to the rose red channel. I would have come here also a long time ago for freeze drying! Thank you!!

[@Satirical_whit]

everything about you reminds me so much of my grandmother. Your style, enthusiasm, and sense of humor specifically

[@JokesInBase13]

So roughly 1 tablespoon of water for each of your 1/8 brick pats. That's actually really easy to remember!

[@mrsblackirish7]

I just got a freezer and really, rehydrate for me is just like making chocolate milk. Put as much as you desires. Some people use spray water, which I like. I also learned that you can buy a moisture wood thermometer, so no taking things in and out. Another think I liked was that you can measure how much water was drained and divided by the amount of product dried. That will give some people a idea of how much water to use to rehydrate if they care that much. Anyways you do your way girl, don't let people bother you in how you do things.❤

[@racheledwards6497]

Don't worry about the negative comments. You can't please everybody. I appreciate you

[@mattiegray975]

This was about the best example i could have watched thank you so much. Doing more of the cream cheese this week! I wish you well.

[@markbelcher2972]

I love your videos! You present the perfect combination of science and practicality! The boiling water epiphany was sheer genius and I will never forget it. I don’t have a freeze dryer yet but am planning to get one. Your practical experience will save me trial and error! Thank you, Rose!

[@charlenecole944]

I commend you for your total patience! That anyone doubts that you do not provide the absolute best way to process these methods of preserving food is ridiculous…..Love to you both…

[@KarenShady-l4b]

This is wonderful, and you Pam, and Jim are wonderful !!! You have given me the courage to both start pressure canning, and also to purchase a freeze dryer. Your willingness to share youre infinite knowledge has changed my life. I can’t thank you enough

[@trailgrazers3690]

Wow, thank you so much for those kind words. We are so grateful to have provided information that you took to heart!

[@10xshooters]

Trial and error makes it perfect. Came across this video. Great job 👏 now im a subscriber

[@trailgrazers3690]

Welcome! So happy to have you along on our adventures!

[@mindyrussell9464]

Well you proved a certain someone wrong by pressure canning the tattler seals with the disposable lids. Which was fabulous by the way! Some people just don’t learn at an educational level let alone trial and error! 😊

[@DM-fz3ly]

Great video. I have FD'd the gallon cans of nacho cheese from costco and then package in small 3/4C volumes and it rehydrates beautifully with boiling water. One suggestion would be to use an oxygen absorber AND vacuum seal the jars.

[@SusanGrelckJones]

Thank you for the information. I dry all my vegetables from my garden, all my spices like basil, etc…and have done eggs, snacks, ice cream sandwiches, and a lot more. You just took the worry out of cream cheese. Thank you for being so knowledgeable.

[@urbanpreppingwithpam916]

Great video! I never thought to FD cream cheese. A new project! We always add 12 hours to the process just in case things finish while we are sleeping or gone from the house. When we are ready to check the food, we simply cancel. This avoids our finished food from refreezing, which indeed would add more moisture.

[@Gmadonna]

Thank you for figuring out it needs boiling water. Now I know how to do this as well as sour cream and such.

[@alishal.176]

I can always rely on your channel to give precise information. Thank you!

[@pahbradley]

Thank you so much, I would not have thought about the boiling water.

[@Dannieat1136]

Thank you for the very helpful video. I do have a couple of suggestions. 1 Never let the vacuum pump turn off while there is a vacuum in the chamber. This will eliminate any chance of vacuum pump oil being sucked into the chamber onto the food. Number 2 will support this procedure. 2 Never let the freeze dryer officially finish and hold the food frozen. This can be done by setting the extra dry time to 24 hours. At any point during this time, the food may be checked by "pausing" the freeze dryer. A open the drain valve, after 5 seconds turn the Vacuum pump off with the switch on the pump itself B Weigh the food, otherwise check it, or rotate the trays close and latch the door C Close the drain valve then turn vacuum pump's switch on The freeze dryer should continue processing where it left off. At any point in the extra dry time the batch may be be ended by using the cancel button. Again, I thank you for all your informative videos.

[@jinglesh1398]

This is so exciting! I'll be buying 12 cream cheeses to put in my freeze dryer "Mr. Cool"! Thank you both from the bottom of my heart for all the work you did for this video

[@kellyhellbusch4150]

Thank you for this! Now I know how to reconstitute my buttermilk..with hot water!

[@RobThompson1976]

We’re new to the freeze drying world! My wife and I purchased our Harvest Right on March 7th. We just watched your video and can’t say thank you enough because we go through cream cheese! 😁

[@trailgrazers3690]

That is awesome! So glad it was helpful. Enjoy your new Harvest Right. We love ours!

[@cerimoore3577]

I fell in love with you at Rose Red Homestead, and now I find you over here. Yay! I so appreciate your commonsense, practical approach to food preservation and economical living. Sending you all kinds of love! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience!

[@k.p.1139]

😆🥰 Thank you SO much for doing this, Ms. Pam. I have been wanting to start freeze drying dairy. This video has me set on a more correct path in my thinking, storing and how to rehydrate! I never would have considered hot water, because we think of cheese as a cold product that is then melted. Thanks for this critical thinking skill!

[@trailgrazers3690]

You are very welcome.

[@cathysoukup2398]

​@trailgrazers3690 Just an fyi.. I freeze dry whole milk successfully all the time, but HWC is simply impossible! - just too much fat.

[@carolyncclark7197]

You are so smart, gracious and fun! Thank you for sharing your skill and knowledge! Love from Oxford, AL

[@patricianelson7911]

I like the idea that School Reports KZbin guy does, with weighing until it no longer loses weight. It has prevented loss of stored freeze dried food. I haven't found anyone else that uses this method of varifying dryness.

[@unltdSheep62]

Your hilarious your video was awesome. Thanks for teaching me how to freeze dry cream cheese

[@BrendaSchmitt-i6c]

I loved your unscientific videos! No math!

[@juliewilliamsnewzealand818]

It was so lovely to see the joy on your face after solving the 'problem'.....:) xxx

[@trailgrazers3690]

Thank you, Julie. It is always a fun moment when something works!!!

[@msdiomara]

You are just so amazing! Thank you for this video.

[@maryannpost8146]

This was a fantastic lesson!! Thanks so much! Sorry I haven’t been around for a while. It’s been a difficult year. Love you guys! ❤❤❤

[@joyceburton8208]

Thank you and Jim for all you do for the freeze drying community (actually all of us) and the common sense you apply. Love this recipe. You are loved!

[@trailgrazers3690]

Thank you so much.

[@HeatherH1]

Thank you for doing more experimenting and discovering the fat solution!

[@marciabosteder9781]

Happy I just found your channel.I just bought a freeze dryer, and i'm trying to learn.

[@corrinem7524]

Wow 🤩 very cool video. Thanks for doing all the leg work for us to see the results. So do you think the vacuum sealing will last as long as Mylar bag sealed with oxygen absorber? Curious ur opinion on length it will last with those two methods? Thanks 😊

[@marilynweber7957]

so exciting to learn about the hot water - I had a cow, we fdd cream, cream cheese, yogurt etc and the texture was always horrible . . . lol I used cold water!!!!!

[@donnamerritt9634]

Prof Pam⚘️ You are Wonderful... You Always teach us...I felt like I was back in my nursing lab 😊 Thanks Prof Jim, great video.. Blessings❤ Always #teamcantrell

[@trailgrazers3690]

Thank you so much for those kind words. We really appreciate that.

[@mainstmo]

You, my dear, are just a treasure trove of knowledge. I enjoy your videos very much and I feel that your science while it is over my head is very valuable, and I also appreciate your candid sense of humor. You do you! I will continue to watch because I enjoy you both.❤

[@trailgrazers3690]

Thank you so much. I really appreciate your comment.

[@conniesowers5125]

My sister asks me all the time how long to dry items, how long to rehydrate, how much water to rehydrate, and I keep telling her “I just fly by the seat of my pants”, lol.

[@trailgrazers3690]

That would be my answer as well! LOL

[@DangerZone-w6y]

Excellent video Jim and Pam.

[@trailgrazers3690]

Our pleasure! Thanks.

[@melindafox9697]

Thank you my friend for being so helpful ❤

[@appalachiannana7975]

I wonder if the veggies you did in another video would have rehydrated better in vold or room temp water and not been stringy or rubbery? Also could you maybe powder up the avocado then try to make the quac with that? Just thinking...

[@Asdfghjkl0001-c6t]

We need more of this!!

[@resourcefulgirl]

The Kelvin Laboratory, that's hilarious!!

[@ISayFinn]

Well Done! I am proud for you too!

[@grateful108]

I'm feeling the same way here in Texas and the guilt is heavy.

[@patriciamccrea8236]

You are so awesome. Thank you for great info always!!!

[@CatherineGoodrich]

May be a silly question, but could you measure the water from the defrost drain hose? Say it's 8 cups of water and you did 16 bricks of cream cheese, you'd know to rehydrate a brick you need 1/2 cup water?

[@cindyyounger7370]

This will be great! I can have cream cheese to make cheesecake!

[@elsie9649]

Just now seeing this but man, your one smart lady! Thank you

[@rebeccazegstroo6786]

Thanks. I love cream.cheese.

[@vickismith5289]

Thank you and love to you and Jim!If you need the correct answer you ask the organ grinder not the monkey. 😁

[@karenjohns8859]

Thank you for this video! I am excited to freeze dry cream cheese!

[@Selam-d7d]

Right now is soup😂😂😂 makes me laugh

[@lisajohnson5113]

Smart thinking! So thankful for your scientific minds!

[@trailgrazers3690]

I am just glad it worked!

[@bmills284]

this is great. thank you for yhe measurements to make a brick again. i too use it that way in my recipes. About how long do you think the shelf life will be?

[@JCMiller-e9x]

Pam, Some of my different freeze dried products. While great at time of removing from the machine are light and crunchy. I put the product into vacuum packed mason jars: some with and some without O2 absorbers. Now after 6 months on the shelf and looking good. I opened and tried both the bananas and carrots. They were not crisp and actually were a bit leathery. Have you heard of this and a possible solution? I haven't tried descant, storing in a darkened room or milar bags. Thanks in advance. J. C.

[@bestlife8709]

heavens to mergatroid! You are one hardworking, brilliant lady!!!

[@trailgrazers3690]

Thank you so much! LOL!

[@elainemcnabb2587]

Pam you and Jim are awesome ❤❤

[@trailgrazers3690]

Thank you!!! We appreciate that.

[@Faithbasedhomesteading]

Your awesome! Thank you!

[@karswan]

Rewatched after the Schmear video. The Boiling water is so nice to know. I've FDd cream cheese now. I looked at your videos and you've not FDd cheese. I've grated my cheeses I've bought in bulk. Some people comment it doesn't rehydrate to be like cheese and am thinking about the hot water. Need your scientific input for adding FDd cheese into recipes.

[@vginnmusa3128]

Retired at 40, live life simple guy has done cheese....shredded & sliced. Take a look.

[@bakinglady1009]

Fantastic video! I do NOT have time to do all the "math"....how about just add water until you see how well it reconstitutes? I am going to do cream cheese now too~ Thank you!

[@jo-annjewett198]

As a freeze drying person myself, it is not precise. It is like cooking. You mess with it until you are satisfied.

[@trailgrazers3690]

I so agree!

[@resourcefulgirl]

This is very exciting! I'm working on all kinds of freeze drying recipes that will be enjoyable if things turn south. It's a morale booster and better for your health to have a variety of foods in longterm storage. I have 2 questions. What do you think the shelf life is for freeze dried dairy products? I thought I heard 5 years. Secondly, in my home I have a common area that stays lit 24/7 with a ceiling light. If I were to use clear glass mason jars and store them in this room will the light deteriorate food? I haven't checked in for awhile and accidentally found your other channel. Thanks so much!!

[@tesshomestead8019]

Thank you dear . I’m gonna do some cream cheese . GODBLESS sweetie

[@annwithaplan9766]

I always reconstitute with boiling water. I have a bunch of cream cheese in the fridge for my daughter to make me some keto cheesecake, so this is good to know. Thanks. I noticed you changed your channel name, too.

[@trailgrazers3690]

We have 2 channels--RoseRed Homestead is still the name of our first channel. Trail Grazers is our second channel.

[@meredithhamilton9795]

Hi Pam! I glad you're doing freeze drying videos though I don't have a freeze dryer yet. I do have a "scientific" question for you. Would you please comment. I just watched a video of a person freeze drying raw eggs. My research tells me that freeze drying raw eggs don't kill ecoli and other bacteria. This person expressly says you must cook these freeze dried eggs before consuming. I guess I would still worry about those bacteria after long term storage. What are your thoughts?

[@kimberlybenienministries2715]

WOW THAT’S PERFECT.

[@karenclark1419]

Wow, watching this just about sold me on purchasing a freeze dryer, lol. Thanks for sharing there is dry cream cheese powder. Thanks for all the giggles during the video. This was fun, yes!!

[@trailgrazers3690]

I didn't realize we were giggling! Thanks for watching.

[@karenclark1419]

@@trailgrazers3690 giggles & smiles on my part...

[@karenclark1419]

Sorry for the patches of my responses. Anxious & nervous about heart Dr appt this am. Sometimes, when Pam gets excited, it makes me smile & giggle. Hope yall enjoy your day, yes!

[@louisianacooker321]

Oh, Pam and Jim, this is fantastic! I use cream cheese in a lot of recipes and this will come in handy. Thank you for all the work you do for us.

[@debbiecook8230]

You two are a godsend. Thank you so much for all time you spend doing emergency preparedness & sharing with us. I am just beginning to freeze dry a few items. Is there a reason you use glass jars vs Mylar bags? Thank you so much!

[@DangerZone-w6y]

Excellentip about rehydrating powedered FD cream cheese with super hot water to melt the fat! Wow... I' do the method of more time till it no longer changes or drops... I measure/weight at each point.. I've never ever had any tray gain weight..

[@trailgrazers3690]

I know...it was strange.

[@irishtea15]

Oh my goodness, I’m so happy you did this experiment. My cream cheese reconstituted was always grainy. Thank you so much for your scientific mind. I’m now going to reconstitute some cream cheese using boiling water. 🎉🎉🎉

[@trailgrazers3690]

So glad you found the info useful! Thank you!

[@lindablack6467]

Thank you so much

[@trailgrazers3690]

You're most welcome

[@michelleboyle6497]

I wonder if it might not be better quality-wise to preserve things like this in 1 cup jars, to avoid the problem of repeated oxidation with reopening, and exposure to airborne pests? It seems like everyone in the freeze-dry community uses the larger jars, though

[@reneecasey5719]

thankyou

[@mclaughlin9786]

Aunti, don’t worry about what some rot brain said. You looked like you struggled in this video. You do you we will figure out the measurements ourselves because as you said it isn’t entirely dependent on scientific measurements. Let him be mad at his computers and enjoy your passion and your time sharing with us.

[@MyCabinLife]

I think she just looked more irritated than struggled LOL

[@suzieblair8089]

Thank you so much for this video. There is a sale on cream cheese this week, I think you know where I am going with this! Thank you, thank you! suzie

[@trailgrazers3690]

You are very welcome! Glad you are aware o that sale--!

[@CapnBubbaa]

Great trick with the hot water...

[@trailgrazers3690]

Thanks.

[@cherylbishop7657]

Hi have you tried using warm water, then let it set in the icebox.?..GOD BLESS

[@stephanieturner7417]

Great video. I just took my cream cheese out of the freeze dryer and did the calculations. Mine came out to 120 grams of water per 8oz of powder. A little puzzled by this and i went back and looked at the weights of my cream cheese prior to putting it on the tray. The package says it weights 226g. But the actual weight in some cases was much less. So mystery solved. Either way it came out great!

[@trailgrazers3690]

That is awesome!

[@nfloupchcloud8643]

I think I would have done a million times better in school if I had you for a science teacher.

[@nadurkee46]

DITTO!

[@trailgrazers3690]

Thank you!

[@kerryanne6422]

Do you have videos on dehydrating (Excalibur) dairy products?

[@galindawright840]

Hi loved the video but I have a question about how long this will stay shelf stable being it has fat in it. And another question wouldn’t be can I freeze dry, sour cream, coffee mate, heavy whipping cream, milk, butter. Ty for your help.

[@jenelockhart681]

I have been watching your RoseRed Homestead channel for a very long time. I don't know how I missed that you have Trail Grazers too. I just got a freeze dryer and trying to watch videos to learn. This video is amazing. I am excited to try cream cheese and learn more from you. Thank you for sharing all your amazing knowledge!

[@trailgrazers3690]

So glad you found us over here. We are posting all future freeze drying videos on this channel.

[@bev111]

Thank you for your experimenting. I have some freeze dried cream cheese and now know how to reconstitute it properly - boiling water! I don't measure anything either - but will start with these measurements you have calculated. Again - thank you!

[@trailgrazers3690]

You are welcome.

[@sweetNess856]

Oh, the possibilities. You could add a lilltle FD raspberry powder or strawberry powder to this and make a flavored cream cheese spread. Than would make a unique gift.

[@lectrickitty]

I have a gallon jug that catches the water from the FD machine. I wonder if I measured the amount of water and divided it by the number of servings dried if it would give me a fairly accurate measurement of how much water to rehydrate each serving. I tried weighing before and after but often forget to weigh before. I need a sticky note on the door of the machine. lol