Freeze-dried foods have become one of the most popular options for nature lovers to use in meals. In this way, even the most demanding people can enjoy the delicious taste of freeze-dried foods in addition to lightening the load they carry for camping or climbing.

Although freeze-dried foods are usually confused with dehydrated (reduced moisture or dehydration) foods, the process of preparing freeze-dried foods is completely different. In the preparation of dehydrated foods with the circulation of hot and dry air, food materials lose a large part of their water. For freeze drying, food is quickly frozen and placed in a very powerful vacuum. By elevating water in food and turning ice into steam, the food is effectively dried while maintaining the ability to recover water.

Although adventure in nature opens a window to new experiences and spectacular surprises, it also brings unique challenges. Most of the athletes in various sports such as mountaineering, mountain biking, camping or climbing are looking to lighten the load without having to give up the necessary nutrients and the delicious taste of the food. Freeze-dried foods are an ideal solution for nature enthusiasts who consider food to be more than a source of energy.

  • Ideal ratio of energy to weight: nature lovers cannot carry a lot of volume and weight when doing various sports activities such as climbing steep cliffs or carrying heavy backpacks. Canned foods and other food items, especially if you intend to spend several days in nature, add 5 to 14 kilograms to your load. Many backpackers prefer freeze-dried food because they want to reduce the weight of their backpacks by removing non-edible materials. The freeze drying process causes food to lose about 98-99% of its water and its total weight is significantly reduced. High-quality food packages can provide meals worth 500 to 900 calories with a weight of about 100 to 150 grams.
  • Taste and nutritional value: In the past, dry food reminded people of undesirable prepared foods such as MREs (meals ready to eat) used by astronauts and soldiers. But now, new freeze-dried foods are available in a wide variety of flavors, such as high-protein pancakes, sweet and sour rice, Chili Cincinati beef, pesto pasta with salmon, Santa Fe-style rice and beans, fettuccine alfredo, and … are available. Although a significant part of its taste is lost in traditional dehydrated foods, the original taste of the food is preserved much better in freeze-dried foods, and you will surprisingly be faced with a delicious and pleasant meal. One of the important points is that in freeze-dried foods, due to the removal of water weight without affecting the nutrients, all the food items retain their nutritional value and about 97% of their vitamins and minerals.
  • Easy preparation: Due to the easy preparation of freeze-dried foods, nature walkers and mountaineers can spend more time enjoying nature and doing their favorite activities. The preparation of this food has a very simple process: add boiling water; Stir the contents of the package, close the package and wait for a few minutes. Then mix the ingredients inside the package again and now your food is ready to be consumed in a short time.

Advantages of Canning Availability, cost and durability are the three main advantages of using canned foods. Every shop or store in Iran supplies us with cans of canned fish, soup, meat and even canned fruits. It costs about a third of the price of frozen food (on average per serving). The cans are also rodent and insect proof and cannot be destroyed.

Canned food is heavy and many vitamins are destroyed by the heat used in canning. You’ll also need a can opener unless it’s an easy opener, which is less durable than a regular can. Another problem is that cans can crack if they freeze.

Freezing food with ice is actually a three-step process. After removing the cooked food, the first process of freezing the food begins. Next, the food must be placed in a vacuum chamber under low heat, during which the frozen water crystals turn directly from ice to water vapor. Finally, it undergoes a second drying process in which the last water molecules are evaporated at a higher temperature. At the end of the process, food items are placed in healthy food containers and nitrogenized to prevent contamination from water and oxygen.