The Best Dessert Ever
My earliest memories of eating freeze dried food was from when I was 7 years old. My parents had taken me and my siblings to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After taking a tour of the museum we stopped off in the gift shop. We were each allowed to pick out one small item. When I saw the freeze dried ice cream that was the same ice cream used in space during the Apollo missions, I knew I had to try it. I instantly fell in love. It was a block of Neapolitan ice cream with the strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate flavors. I broke off a bite and it slowly dissolved in my mouth, releasing the most amazing flavors. It was like nothing I had ever had before and I couldn’t get enough. To this day I still buy packages of freeze dried ice cream any time I find them at a museum or store. My husband even bought me some for Christmas once.
Although Neapolitan ice cream is probably the most recognized flavor of freeze dried food, there are many varieties of food available these days. You may have already eaten freeze dried food without even knowing it. Some instant coffee is freeze dried, as is fruit that is sometimes included in breakfast cereals. With freeze dried food now being used not just for missions in space, you can get freeze dried food for any meal of the day.
Some of the popular flavors for different meals are:
- scrambled eggs with ham or bacon
- granola with fruit
- bananas, cinnamon apples, peaches, pineapples, strawberries, blue berries, or raspberries
- potatoes, broccoli, rice, green beans, peas, or corn
- dice beef, diced chicken, or ground beef
- beef teriyaki
- pasta primavera
- chicken and rice
- seafood chowder
- spaghetti with meat sauce
- sweet and sour pork
- vegetable stew
- beef stroganoff
- chili mac
- mac and cheese
- blueberry cheesecake
- raspberry crumble
- and many more
As with the ice cream, some items such as the fruit can be eaten as is without preparation. The other items couldn’t be easier to prepare. Simply boil water, add it to the food item, and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. The food tastes great and can be stored for up to 30 years. So if you are planning a camping or hiking trip where weight of your gear is a concern, or you want to have quick and easy meals on hand, then freeze dried food is an excellent option.
