Freeze Dried Foods - What Are the Options? MRE's, Freeze Dried Food and Why it is a Great Choice

Freeze drying is a recently developed method of preserving food stuffs. It involves the freezing of the food, then removing most of the foods moisture within a vacuum, and lastly sealing the food in air-tight storage. Freeze dried foods can be transported at normal temperatures, stored for very long periods of time, and be eaten with minimum preparation. Once prepared to eat, freeze-dried foods look and taste the same as the original, natural products.

Freeze-dried food was developed during World War II as a method of preserving blood for battlefield injuries, without needing refrigeration or damaging the organic nature of the plasma. The technology was later applied to food products after the end of the war. Coffee was one of the first freeze-dried products to be produced on a large scale. Many fruits, vegetables, meats, eggs, and foods are freeze-dried.

Freeze-dried food has many advantages. Because as much as 98% of the water content has been removed, the food is extremely lightweight, which reduces the cost of shipping. This also makes it popular with anyone that has to carry their food with them. Because it requires no refrigeration, shipping and storage costs are minimal. Freeze-dried food is also relatively clean, as the dehydration process makes it virtually impossible for yeast and harmful bacteria to survive the process. Finally, since the physical structure of the food is not altered during the freeze-dried process, the food retains much of its color and flavor when it is prepared by adding water. This makes it far more attractive to people, than food preserved by other methods.

Freeze Dried Foods - What Are the Options? MRE's, Freeze Dried Food and Why it is a Great Choice

One of the major disadvantages of freeze-dried food is its cost. The equipment required for this process is expensive, and the process itself is time consuming and labor intensive. These costs are usually passed on to the consumer, which makes freeze-dried food very expensive when compared to other methods of food preservation such as canning or freezing.

Raw Materials

Some foods are extremely well-suited to the freeze-drying process. Liquids, thin portions of meat, and small fruits and vegetables can be freeze dried easily. Coffee is the most common freeze-dried liquid. Chunks or slices of shrimp, crab, lobster, beef, and chicken can be freeze-dried. They are often mixed with vegetables as part of soups or main course entrees. Almost all fruits and vegetables can be freeze-dried, including beans, corn, peas, tomatoes, berries, lemons, oranges, and pineapples. Even items like olives and water chestnuts can be processed this way.

Thick portions of meat and larger, whole vegetables and fruits cannot be freeze dried with any success. With many other foods, it is simply not economical to preserve them by freeze drying.

The Manufacturing Process

A freeze-drying processing facility is usually a large plant with modern equipment. Its food-handling areas must be approved by the United States Department of Agriculture, and the company and its employees must adhere to government regulatory procedures. The plant may include a receiving and storage area for raw foods that arrive at the plant in bulk; a food cooking area for those foods that must be cooked before processing; a large area with several large freezing and drying chambers; and a packaging area. The facility may also include a research area where improved methods of freeze-drying foods are developed, and a test kitchen where new preparation techniques to improve the final taste, quality, and texture of the food are tried. Some plants are dedicated to freeze-drying only one product like freeze-dried coffee. Others process a wide range of meats, vegetables, and fruits. Nonfood products such as chemicals and pharmaceuticals are usually processed in separate plants from food products.

The freeze-drying process varies in the details of temperatures, times, pressures, and intermediate steps from one food to another. The following is a generalized description of the process with several specific exceptions noted.

Testing and preparation

The food is first checked for contamination and purity. Fruits, meats, and some other edibles are tested for bacterial counts and spoilage. Much of the work of the plant is dependent on the harvest season for each food. In January, for example, the plant would be processing celery, olives, lemons, oranges, and pineapples. In July, it would process green beans, peas, and strawberries, among others.

Some kinds of food, like seafood and meats, must be cooked before freeze drying. They are usually purchased already cut into small pieces. If they have not been pre-cooked and frozen, these foods are placed in large, industrial-sized kettles and properly cooked. Fruits and vegetables are usually purchased already cut, pitted, and peeled. These foods are simply washed with sprays of water. Some vegetables, like peas and corn, are quickly scalded, or blanched, before freezing. Coffee is purchased as a pre-brewed concentrated liquid. Because the aroma of coffee is important to consumers, a small amount of coffee bean oil may be added to the liquid. Unlike the water, the oil is not removed during the drying process.

Freezing

The food pieces are spread out on flat, metal trays which are stacked 20 to 30 high in slots in a wheeled cart. With food that has been pre-cooked and frozen, the trays are pre-chilled to prevent partial thawing during handling. With liquids like coffee, the pre-brewed coffee is poured into shallow pans. The carts are wheeled into a large, walk-in coldroom where the temperature can be as low as -40F (-40C). In this extremely cold temperature, the food is quickly frozen. There are usually a dozen or more coldrooms in operation, and the carts are kept there until it is time to move them into the drying chamber.

Drying

The carts are wheeled out of the coldroom and into a vacuum drying chamber. In the case of liquids like coffee, the frozen coffee is first ground up into small particles in a low-temperature grinder. The drying chamber is a large, long, horizontal cylinder with semi-elliptical ends. One end is hinged to open and close. When the trays of frozen food pieces are inside, the chamber is closed and sealed. In a large plant, there may be 20 to 30 drying chambers in operation at any time.

The drying procedure involves a process known as sublimation. In sublimation, a solid material is forced to change state into a gaseous material without ever becoming a liquid. In the case of freezedried food, the solid ice crystals trapped in the frozen food pieces are forced to change into water vapor without ever becoming liquid water. In the drying chamber, this is accomplished by evacuating the air with a vacuum pump to reduce the pressure to about 0.036 psi (0.0025 bar). The temperature of the food is raised to about 100 degrees by direct conduction through the bottom of the trays, radiation from heat lamps, or microwave heating. When the chamber is evacuated of air, the pressure is below the threshold at which water can simultaneously exist in a solid, liquid, and gaseous (vapor) state. This threshold is known as the triple point of water. Once the pressure falls below this point, the heat causes the ice crystals trapped in the frozen pieces of food to change directly to water vapor. The vapor is drawn off and condensed within the chamber leaving the food behind. The dried food is filled with tiny voids, like a sponge, where the ice crystals were once present. Not only does this make it easier for the food to reabsorb water when it is prepared for consumption, but the dried food retains its original size and shape. The time for this drying process varies. Freeze-dried liquids make take only about four hours to prepare, while semi-solids and solids like soup and sliced meats may take 12 hours or more.

Sizing and blending

The dried food pieces are removed from the drying chamber and tested for moisture content and purity.

Some food pieces may be ground to a smaller size or may be reduced to a powder. Others may be screened to separate them by size. Two or more different products may also be blended together to meet a customers specific specifications.

Packaging

Freeze-dried foods must be sealed in airtight containers to prevent them from absorbing moisture from the air. Several types of containers may be used: plastic laminated foil pouches, metal and plastic cans, or metal and fiber drums for bulk packaging. Some freeze-dried food is vacuum packed, in which the air is evacuated from the container before sealing. Other food has an inert gas like nitrogen injected into the container before sealing to displace the oxygen in the air and prevent oxidation or spoiling of the food. The packaging is done in the freeze-dry plant almost as soon as the foods come out of the drying chamber. The plant can form, fill, and seal the packages to the desired weight for the end user. Packages that are to be sold directly to the consumer are packed in cartons, stacked on pallets, and transported to the grocery warehouse. Other freeze-dried food is packaged in bulk and sold to a secondary processor for incorporation into other food products. Freeze-dried blueberries, for example, may be sent to a company that makes pancake and muffin mixes.

Quality Control

Each food has different processing, storage, and rehydration requirements. Some of the variables include the sizing of the raw food products before freezing, the cooking or blanching time and temperature, the rate of freezing and final freezing temperature, the rate of application of vacuum and the final vacuum pressure during drying, the rate and method of application of heat and the final dried product temperature, the allowable residual moisture content after drying, the storage temperature and atmosphere (vacuum, nitrogen, etc) after drying, and the rehydration procedures. At large freeze-drying facilities, electronic microprocessors regulate the times, temperatures, and pressures throughout each step of the process. A central computer collects this data, analyzes it using statistical quality control methods, and stores it for later reference. This assures that the food sent out to the public for consumption has been through a strictly controlled process that meets government guidelines and varies only slightly from batch to batch. The computer also collects data on the bacterial and moisture levels of the raw, bulk food products coming into the plant as well as the final freezedried products. Special equipment may include computerized gas chromatographs and oxygen analyzers. Even the packaging materials are tested for their ability to prevent water vapor and oxygen transmission.

The Future

Food is not the only material that is freeze-dried. Pharmaceutical products such as antibiotics and vaccines are often preserved this way. Specialty chemicals, pigments, and ceramics powders are also produced using freeze-drying. Currently, there is development work on freeze-drying various aerosol sprays. One of the most interesting applications is freeze-drying flowers to produce bouquets that can be stored for many months before being reactivated to make fresh flowers. This would be especially beneficial for those who want flowers that bloom only during a short season.

Freeze Dried Foods - What Are the Options? MRE's, Freeze Dried Food and Why it is a Great Choice
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The author enjoys camping and has recently become aware of the need for an emergency survival kit for the household.

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Cultural Food - Special Confinement Food For After Delivery Care

Among the Asian, many ethnic groups have their own after birth dietary care. This is based on the belief that the health of the mother is significantly weakened during the childbearing period and the labour process where lots of blood is lost.

For the Ethnic Chinese, the first 30 days after child birth is called the 'confinement period'. It is also the most crucial 'window period' where the mother's body is able to absorb the required nutrients in it's maximum capacity. During the confinement period, the new mother is to stay at home and avoid going out so as to minimise the exposure to wind (adverse weather condition) and crowd.

A live-in confinement lady is usually employed to do the cooking and caring of the mother and the new born.

Cultural Food - Special Confinement Food For After Delivery Care

There are variations in the type of food and the cooking among the different dialect groups (or different provinces in China). However, the main ingredients used are essentially the same.

In Chinese Confinement food, the main ingredients and herbs used are Ginger, wine and black vinegar.

Ginger is thought to possess warm and heaty properties which is needed to 'drive away the winds' in the body. The pores of the skins are believed to have opened up and the joints loosen to prepare for
labour and remain in a loose state for a short period after delivery. This is when the 'winds' from the climate will enter the body if one is exposed to a windy environment. The ginger would counter the coolness and the wind effect on the body.

Black vinegar is used to cleanse the womb of residual blood clot. It is commonly cooked with Ginger and Pig trotters and simmer for several hours until the trotters are tender and tasty. This dish is cooked in large pot and eaten over several days.

Wine especially tonic wine is helpful in warming and nourishing the body. It is also believed to help in the blood production and circulatory process. Therefore, food or soup are cooked with lot of wine and ginger for this reason.

Confinement mothers are also encouraged to drink tonic wine. If she is breastfeeding, timing of wine consumption will have to be carefully planned out.

Another common dish for breastfeeding mum is fish soup cooked with ginger and raw papaya. It is extremely effective in inducing milk production by the milk glands.

The Chinese believe that failure to eat these food during the confinement period will result in the woman aging faster, experience joint pain and other health problem in later part of their lives.

Cultural Food - Special Confinement Food For After Delivery Care
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19th Century Food And Drink

Eat, drink and be merry! That was the cry of the Victorian era and the people of that period attacked their meals with great gusto! A revolution in stoves, cookware and kitchen gadgets, combined with the discovery of canning and food sterilization techniques, open up endless possibilities for the motivated domestic servant who held the position of cook.

Eating was an event in the Victorian home. Even the breakfast meal featured a variety of fruits, scones, omelettes, bacon and more. From the ritual pouring of afternoon tea, complete with its own elaborate rituals and opportunities to show off the lady's finest silver, china and linen, to elaborate banquets attended my noblemen and their guests there was always something on the stove in a Victorian kitchen.

In reality, the Victorian menu wasn't terribly different from what is served in homes today or at least in the homes where someone still cooks. Meat, fish and poultry were common and fresh or canned vegetables were served with most meals. Winter and autumn meals usually included hearty soups and stews while chicken and lighter dishes prevailed in the summertime.

19th Century Food And Drink

Holidays meals were special celebrations and called for the finest dishes including Roast Mutton, Pork or Turkey, Boiled Beef, Stewed Rabbits, Plum Pudding and Mince Pies. Baked good were plentiful and cooks were especially prized for their dessert-making skills.

Most evening meals were served in courses with raw or baked Oysters a popular appetizer. The second course featured cream soups or plain bouillon along with a serving of baked or broiled fish. The main course, usually roasted poultry, pork or beef, accompanied by a variety of savoury vegetables, fresh baked bread, and frequently some pasta, was presented by the serving maid in grand fashion and to the great delight of those seated around the table.

The dessert course featured several puddings, cakes and highly prized specialities such as Nesselrode and Plum Pudding. Of course a variety of cheeses and fresh fruit were often served when available.

Wine was not particularly popular, but beer was and continues to be a favourite beverage in England. But it wasn't all alcohol in the Victorian home. Lemonade, root beer, hot tea and, yes, Perrier were also popular beverages.

Yes, the Victorians loved to eat and drink. We have them to thank for a long running tradition of good food served with gusto and a pint of beer!

19th Century Food And Drink
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You can learn more about Victorian Food and Drink by visiting http://www.thecooksguide.com a site brimming with historical recipes and household management wisdom imparted by the celebrity chef of his time Charles Elme Francatelli

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Filipino Recipes - Suman Moron (Dessert) Recipe - Pinoy Food

Suman Moron originated from Leyte, an island in the Visayas. It is a popular Filipino dessert served during fiestas and other special occasions. Luckily, I don't have to wait for any special celebrations to taste this delicacy because these are commonly sold outside the church during Sundays.

This recipe makes about 30 pieces of Suman Moron 4-inches long each.

Ingredients:
2 cups glutinous rice flour 6 cups ordinary rice flour 2 kilos grated coconut meat 1 big can evaporated milk ½ kilo white (refined) granulated sugar 1 kilo muscovado sugar 30 chocolate tableya, melted with 1/4 cup water 1 bar cheddar cheese (julienned) 1 cup chopped peanuts 1 small bottle vanilla extract 8 cups boiling water about 30 pieces banana leaves, cut into rectangles (8″x10″)

Filipino Recipes - Suman Moron (Dessert) Recipe - Pinoy Food

Cooking Instructions:
In a basin, place the grated coconut meat and pour boiling water. Set aside. (Note: 8 cups of canned coconut milk can be used as alternative.) Mix the 2 types of flour well until thoroughly incorporated. Divide the flour mixture equally into two parts. Squeeze the grated meat when the coconut mixture is already cool enough to handle. Use a fine strainer to separate the coconut milk. Divide the coconut milk equally into two parts. In a thick-bottomed pan, place ½ of the flour mixture and pour in one part coconut milk, muscovado sugar, melted chocolate, vanilla extract and peanuts. Mix well and place over medium heat. Keep on stirring while cooking the mixture. At first, uneven lumps will form. But as you keep stirring, the mixture will even out as it thickens. Turn off the heat when oil starts to come out. Set aside to cool. To the second half of flour mixture, add the remaining coconut milk. Then pour about half of the white sugar and the evaporated milk. Mix thoroughly. Place in a separate pan and cook over medium heat while stirring continuously. Remove from the heat when the mixture is thickened. Set aside to cool. Pass the banana leaves over the heat to make them supple. Then use the squeezed-dry coconut meat over the leaves. Take a heaping tablespoonful of the first mixture (chocolate) and place on the banana leaf wrapper. Sprinkle a little cheese on it before rolling, with the banana leaf covering the mixture. Therefore, you hands won't be touching the mixture being rolled. Take another heaping tablespoonful of the second mixture (milk) and do the same process. Place the two cylinders (milk and chocolate) and roll to form a thicker cylinder with the two colors fused together. Roll the banana leaf to wrap tightly and tie a string at both ends to secure. Repeat the process until all of the two mixtures have been wrapped. Steam for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool before serving.

Filipino Recipes - Suman Moron (Dessert) Recipe - Pinoy Food
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Jasmine is a native Filipino with a passion for cooking and gardening. Her love of Pinoy food has lead her to create a website to share her favorite Filipino recipes with the world.
Come and explore and enjoy a true taste of the Philippines with these authentic Pinoy recipes and stories of the Philippine culture.

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How to Treat Your Liver Right

The liver has many functions, but the one I will concentrate on is its ability to neutralize toxins we eat. The liver is responsible for making sure that nutrients reach your cells and blood is free of toxins and pathogens. It does this by moving these contaminates out through your 5 channels of elimination - kidneys, lungs, colon, lymphatic system, and skin.

Of course, when these 5 channels become toxic, sluggish, or blocked, the liver itself becomes toxic and sluggish. This causes the liver to become inefficient, which leads to an unhealthy body.

Sluggish Liver
As the liver loses its ability to detoxify toxins, you will exhibit a variety of symptoms and various illnesses - constipation, high cholesterol, irritable bowel, asthma, skin rashes, high blood sugar, allergies. Other conditions related to a sluggish liver are:

How to Treat Your Liver Right

* high blood pressure
* abdominal bloating
* pot belly, weight gain, cellulite
* elevated cholesterol
* brownish spots on your skin
* acne, pimples, eczema
* hot flashes, irritability, depression
* chronic fatigue syndrome

The liver is most affected by the foods we eat. What is especially deadly is eating food products that have "Hydrogenated Oils", which contain trans-fatty acids. The liver sees trans-fatty acids as a toxin and not as a nutrient. At least 40% of all the fat that you consume or more, if you eat junk food, contains hydrogenated oils :

Trans-fatty acids are deadlier than regular animal fat. Trans-fatty acids are associated with heart disease, breast cancer, and diabetes.

What a good liver does

The more junk food you eat the more you overload your liver. Its ability to process and create the nutrients that you need is hampered. Its ability to process and utilize fat is reduced.

If your liver is sluggish and overworked, it will store the fats you eat within its own cells, within the cells of your body and especially around your mid drift.

When your liver is working properly, some fats are eliminated through bile and out through fecal matter. If you eat plenty of fiber, this fat is absorbed by the fiber and held there until you have a bowel movement. If you do not eat enough fiber, this fat can be reabsorbed by the colon walls and routed back to the liver to be reprocessed.

So now you can see how important is it to reduce, from all sources, the amount of toxins that get into your body and to eat plenty of fiber.

Rejuvenating your liver

So what will it take to rejuvenate your liver so that it is not sluggish, not toxic, and functions like it should to help you maintain your weight?

There are three things that you need to do. These things take a lot of work. You have to be motivated to do them. Getting your liver back to health will takes some time since you need to remove the toxins from your liver slowly otherwise you will have side effects.

* eat liver friendly foods
* cleanse the liver
* strengthen the liver

Eat liver friendly foods:

* prepare a liquid green drink for your liver first thing in the morning.
* squeeze the juice of one lemon into a glass
* add one tablespoon of chlorophyll
* add one tablespoon of aloe vera drink
* add 8 oz of distilled water

This drink helps to regenerate the liver.

* The lemon helps your liver regenerate and produce bile (healthy bile is necessary for breaking down fat so that fats can be absorbed properly into the liver.)

* Chlorophyll helps to detoxify your colon so fewer toxins get into the liver.

* The lemon and aloe vera help stimulate bowel movements.

The liver needs plenty of minerals. As you know minerals are obtained from fruits and vegetables. Once a day try to drink a vegetable juice. A juice that I enjoy is:

* carrots
* celery
* apples

If you can't make your own juices, buy bottled. It is better to drink these than to not drink any vegetable juices at all.

Here are some foods to add to your eating habits. These foods are liver friendly and will help liver to get rid of its toxic condition and regenerate itself.

* beets, asparagus, broccoli,
* green and red cabbage, brussels sprouts
* carrots, squash, okra
* collard greens, mustard greens, kale, romaine lettuce, arugula
* cauliflower
* green beans
* peas
* tomatoes
* spinach
* potatoes, yams, avocado
* onions, garlic, ginger, bell peppers, olives, radishes
* eggs - two a day
* flax seed oil - two tablespoons a day
* olive oil
* apples, grapefruits, oranges, plums, cherries, peach, berries
* cranberry juice
* sesame seeds, cashews, almonds
* pumping, papaya, mangoes
* all lettuces except iceberg
* brown rice
* chicken, fish
* all legumes, sprouts of all types
* organic soy milk, almond milk, oat milk, rice milk, distilled water
* honey, maple syrup

Herbs to use as seasonings:
* basil, bay leaves, caraway,
* rosemary, dill, parsley, thyme
* oregano, tarragon, chives, cardamom

Add some of these foods, if you are not already eating them, to your eating habits and in next article, I will give you some herbal formulas for teas that you can drink daily for good liver function.

How to Treat Your Liver Right
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Discover how you can eliminate or prevent illness using natural remedies. Go here Now to get my Free report on the "Top 67 Best Foods" to eat to keep disease free. Treat Liver

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Unique Halloween Party Food Ideas

Having a Halloween party is lots of fun, and that should include the food too. Instead of the usual, try some of these Halloween-themed foods to really liven up the party. These ideas would also make a great edible gift to bring along if the hostess asks for your help with food for the party. If you are hosting a kid's party, you can involve your children in helping to make any of these treats.

- Scary Jell-O shapes. There are a lot of Jell-O molds you can buy that are perfect for Halloween. Two of the more common shapes are brains and hands. Use red gelatin (cherry or raspberry) to fill the mold, then "garnish" around the mold with a knife and fork so guests can enjoy a slice. If you really want to make an impression, use a flesh colored flavor (like peach), and then use some red food coloring drops along the cracks of the gelatin. For an adult only Halloween party, you can make spiked Jell-O with vodka or other alcohol.

- Pumpkin or Apple cheese ball. These are fun cheese balls you can make that are shaped for the holiday season. To make a pumpkin cheese ball, you'll want to use cheddar cheese, with just enough cream cheese to hold it together. Form the ball into a pumpkin shape, and use a dull knife blade to make the ribs on the pumpkin. Keep it wrapped in the refrigerator until it is time for the party. You can make a "stalk" for your pumpkin using an upside down piece of broccoli stalk. Put your pumpkin in the center of a lined basket, and surround it with gourmet crackers. To make an apple-shaped cheese ball, you can use the same ingredients; only shape your mixture to resemble an apple. Right before serving, roll the ball in paprika to give it a red coating, and use a cinnamon stick and bay leaf for the apple "stem."

Unique Halloween Party Food Ideas

- Halloween punch. To make a memorable party drink, make a light-colored punch, and then use Halloween-shaped Jell-O molds to make giant themed "ice cubes." For example, you could use a hand mold, fill it with red juice, and then freeze it. Just before the party starts, pop the frozen juice out of the mold and put it in the punch bowl. Not only will it make an eerie floating hand in the bowl, but since it's frozen it will help keep the punch cold.

- Spider web cupcakes - These cupcakes are sure to be a hit. First, make a batch of your favorite cupcakes; chocolate, apple spice and pumpkin are popular options. Then top with a white or cream cheese frosting. Finally, using black food coloring, decorate the tops of each cupcake to look like a spider web. The easiest way to make the spider webs is to make 2 or 3 concentric circles with the black icing, then drag a toothpick through the icing outwards from the center. Repeat the toothpick dragging four or five times are the top and you'll have a realistic effect. You can also use Halloween themed paper cupcake liners.

Unique Halloween Party Food Ideas
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If you don't have time to make treats for your next Halloween party, check out Holiday Gifts & Gift Baskets. We have a great selection of Halloween gifts, including candy, cookies and more. And shop our site year-round for great holiday gifts for Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day and more. Whatever holiday you are celebrating, make it memorable with a gift from Holiday Gifts & Gift Baskets.

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