If you are old enough to remember the Y2K scare that took place more than two decades ago, you probably also remember that preppers really came into their own in the late 1990s. Today, the prepper movement is still alive and well. If you are part of that movement, don’t forget the candy as you make plans for the apocalypse.
One of the prepper’s favorite tools for preserving food is the freeze dryer. A household freeze dryer can transform nearly any food into a long-term survival product. Admittedly, some foods do better with freeze-drying than others. But almost nothing is off the table if you have the stomach for it.
It turns out that you can even freeze-dry most types of candy. If you have trouble believing that, check out the Chilito Loco website. In addition to all sorts of Mexican snack foods and candies, they also sell freeze-dried candy. They say the stuff is so good that it literally melts in your mouth.
Two Ways to Dry Your Food
Drying out food, or dehydrating it, is one way to preserve it for a long time. The principle is pretty straightforward. Food spoils because naturally occurring bacteria feed and propagate. The process is aided by natural enzymes in the food. But in order for bacteria to do what they do, water is necessary. Remove the water and the bacteria cannot thrive.
There are two primary ways by which food is dehydrated. The first is evaporation. Interested in making a drink powder? Just apply heat to the liquid and let all the water boil off. You’ll be left with a powdery residue.
While this form of dehydration is effective, it doesn’t actually eliminate all the water content. Up to 5% of the water remains. As a result, spoilage will only be slowed; it will not be completely prevented. But wait, there is an alternative in freeze-drying.
Freeze-drying is a process that removes water through sublimation. It removes all the water content, which is obviously better for preserving food. Better yet, freeze-drying preserves a food’s original flavor and texture. Dehydrating with heat does not.
How Freeze-Drying Works
The key to freeze-dryingis understanding the three phases of water. At its coldest phase, water forms into ice. Its other two phases are liquid and gas. By controlling temperature and pressure, you control the phase. This is the foundation of freeze-drying.
Freeze-drying any food, even if it’s candy, begins by freezing the product in a pressurized chamber. Then you reduce the pressure in the chamber below the threshold required to maintain the liquid phase. Finally, add had just enough heat to thaw the ice. What happens? The solid ice is converted to water vapor without ever becoming a liquid. This is known as sublimation.
Tasty Treats at the End
So why freeze-dry candy as a prepper? So you can enjoy some tasty treats when the end of the world finally arrives. As long as everything is going to hell in a hand basket, you might just as well spoil yourself with something delicious, right?
You can freeze-dry all sorts of candies. Why not try gummy bears and worms. If that works out, you might want to freeze-dry some hard candy. Even chocolates can be freeze-dried, but they may not be all that appealing when you actually try to eat them.
As long as you are prepping for the apocalypse, do something that will put a smile on your face. Get a hold of some of your favorite candies and freeze-dry them. Yes, it really does work.
