How To Freeze Dry Apple Pie Filling
Jul 6, 2023
Pizza is one of the greatest snacks of all time. It’s a medley of flavors and textures that make them so satisfying to eat. Unfortunately, they spoil easily, usually lasting for about 4 days if stored properly. You’re lucky in your car on a trip if it can last for the day.
But what if you can preserve it and make it last for years at room temperature instead of hours? Here’s how to freeze-dry pizza so that you can bring it with you anywhere/
Technically speaking, all pizzas respond well to freeze drying – if your goal is to make it crisp and bone dry. You get this crispy snack that’s great to eat on movie nights, play dates, and hiking without worrying about the mess.
This means you can use homemade, frozen, or one from your favorite pizzeria. Of course, all flavors go well, too. You can even add in an extra topping of whatever ingredient you want.
But the best pizza you must try freeze-drying is thin-crust pizza. It’s perfect as is, with thin, crisp dough that’s full of flavor with every bite. Imagine eating pizza chips; only this time, you’re munching on real ingredients.
What you’ll need are:
The cutter or knife is for sizing the meal in slices to make them fit inside your containers. You can cut them in two-inch square sizes or anything smaller than the typical triangular slices.
As for the paper towels, some flavors can be oily. Oil doesn’t freeze dry well and can make your efforts useless. Use the paper towels to remove as much oil as possible from the pizza.
The parchment paper is an option, but some use it to help keep the food from sticking.
It’s an option, but it would definitely help lessen the load on your freeze-dryer. It’s a convenient practice, especially when your freeze dryer’s loaded.
Once you got your meal prepared, it’s time to start freeze-drying.
Touch the surface of the pizza and check for dryness. If any slices feel moist, soft, and cool, put in an extra drying time of 1-3 hours.
Freeze-dried pizza will taste just like the pizza flavor you preserved. Some say you get a bit of intensified flavor with a medley of different textures from the toppings. They’re super crunchy; it’s like you’re eating pizza crisps.
The crispiness and crunch are satisfying for thin-crust pizza slices. They’re fun to eat and mess-free too. You don’t have to look for paper towels to wipe out the runny sauce and gooey cheese.
What many find difficulty in is the thick-crust pizza and the stuffed crust. The thick-crust pizza was so tough, especially the outer edge or the cornicione. Some feel like they’re breaking their teeth when they bite into it. It’s rock-hard and tough to bite and chew.
Pizza lovers have mixed reactions to freeze-dried pizza. Some love the interesting texture. Some don’t care for it because it’s dry and crunchy. They’re okay with the flavor, but the texture is a huge turn-off for them.
Mylar bags are excellent food storage solutions for freeze-dried pizza. They’re lightweight and can easily fit into a bag if needed.
Mason jars are awesome, especially if you want to display your freeze-dried snack. They look impressive with their bright colors and slices of meat or veggies.
But if you feel you won’t get enough of it, an airtight container will be okay. This eliminates repeated vacuum sealing to preserve freshness. Compared to Mylar bags and mason jars, this is just for short-term storage.
For this one, a lot of people are having a hard time, with some even failing. Most especially if you freeze-dried thick-crust pizza.
Soaking is a no-no because the bread will turn mush, and the sauce will run over. But some find success in steaming the meal. It’s like a double hit to introduce water to the dough and heat to melt the cheese.
It’s hard, though, to get back to that soft, chewy crust that makes you crave it in the middle of the night. It will take twice the same effort to get it back to the way it was.
After steaming, you can put it back in the pan to make the bottom crispy. Or to take out excess moisture. Sometimes this helps, sometimes, it doesn’t. So, it’s really a trial-and-error process that you should have fun and play with.
Done and stored correctly, your freeze-dried meal can last for 25 years. Imagine storing food that usually lasts for 4 days and make it suitable to eat even decades after.
How much pizza do you plan to store and take on trips? Let us know in the comment section.
Have you seen our YouTube Channel? Take a look and see video guides for freeze drying.
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