How To Freeze Dry Apple Pie Filling
Jul 6, 2023
How much time do you spend making your oatmeal? 1-5 minutes in the microwave or 10-20 minutes on the stovetop. That is if you’re lucky. In its purest form, oatmeal sometimes needs 20-30 minutes or more to cook down to a delicious consistency. So it’s okay if you have time to burn in your hands. But what if you’re in a hurry, say you woke up late or have so many things to do? That’s where freeze-drying oatmeal comes in.
There’s a golden ratio for preparing oats, and that’s 1:2. This means if you want to cook 1/2 cup of oats, then you need 1 cup of liquid. Your liquid can be water, milk, or a combination of both.
You can also use some spices to give your oatmeal some layer of flavor. For example, add cinnamon and vanilla to make your oatmeal taste like apple pie.
You can also cook the oats with your chosen fruits. But if you want to crumble your freeze-dried oatmeal after processing, you might have to avoid them.
Toasting the oats in butter or coconut oil does give the oats a subtle nutty flavor. However, remember that butter and oil don’t freeze dry well. So your oatmeal may get dry, but you won’t have that decades-long shelf-life freeze-dried foods are famous for.
For freeze-drying oatmeal, the more robust the oats, the better. This means you can use steel-cut oats or rolled oats. Quick oats and instant oats are fine if you want melt-in-your-mouth oatmeal. But if you want something that’s chewable and has some substance, go for the thick ones.
If you don’t want to deal with spills and burns, then there are some tools to make cooking oats easier.
If you want to eyeball your food, that’s fine. Less cleanup this way, so we get you. Measuring is a must if you want consistent oatmeal each time you cook it. Follow the recommended measurements on the label, then adjust gradually. If you need to add more or less water, remember to use your measuring cups and write down your measurement.
This remarkable cooking tool can help considerably shorten your cooking time. It can work on potatoes, rice, and even on your oatmeal. A huge batch of oatmeal will only take a few minutes instead of an hour with the Instant Pot.
Some oatmeal needs time to cook. However, you don’t have the patience or luxury to babysit the stove. You’ll get a softer consistency with a slow cooker compared to Instant Pot. Moreover, you can leave your oatmeal cooking while doing other important tasks.
Yes, you can freeze dry raw oats if you want to store it for 25 years. However, reconstituting it would be just like cooking it. If you plan to keep it as an emergency food supply, you’ll use far in the future, that’s fine. But if you’re in an emergency situation, freeze-dried raw oats will take a toll on your resources.
It’s not necessary to pre-freeze your oatmeal. But if you want to shorten your freeze-drying time, then freezing can surely help. Pre-freezing should take more than 8 hours so that your oatmeal’s completely frozen right down to the middle.
Your Harvest Right freeze dryer’s ready to make this easy and effortless for you. Just remember not to pile your trays higher than the tray lip to help your freeze dryer.
Cooked oatmeal can take more than 24 hours, depending on what you put in your trays. For example, if you add strawberries, cranberries, or apples, your freeze-drying time can take 38 hours or more.
Crumble the freeze-dried oatmeal to separate the grains before storing. This will help you rehydrate the food faster, and you have less stirring to do.
You can store the freeze-dried breakfast in Mason Jars as individual servings to take it with you on the go. Mylar bags are also great for long-term storage or bringing a healthy breakfast with you on camping trips.
If you didn’t cook your oats with fruits, this is the best time to add your freeze-dried fruits. Then, throw in your favorite fruit combo before sealing for a healthier food pack.
Don’t forget your oxygen absorbers. Generally, you need 1-2 of the 300cc oxygen absorbers for every gallon size of your container. Is your container smaller than one gallon? Just add 1. You can always use more without problems but never use less.
Your freeze-dried oatmeal can last 25 years, depending on how well you store it. Keep the containers in a cool, dry, dark place with a temperature of 72°F (22 °C) and relative humidity of 15% or less.
Making freeze-dried oatmeal is a great way to have a nourishing meal without wasting hours in the kitchen. When hungry, you can eat it straight from the Mason jar or Mylar bag. Remember to use the right tools to maintain your preferred consistency each time.
How do you usually prepare your oatmeal? Let us know about your preference in the comment section.
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