What is freeze dry candy?
Freeze drying is a unique technique for preserving food for a long period because it removes moisture from the product that causes degradation in product quality. Freeze drying allows to preserve its natural taste and essential nutrients. Freeze-dried candy is just regular candy that has undergone this treatment. How to freeze dry candy, a complete process is explained in this blog.
How to freeze dry candy at home?
Also, people want to know “how to freeze dry candy without a machine?” although the answer to both questions is the same.
Two popular ways to dry candy at home without machines are using dry ice or simply freezing it in a regular freezer. Both methods are straightforward and help remove moisture from the candy, making it last longer and giving it a nice texture.
Freeze dry candy in a freezer:
Freeze-drying without a machine seems tricky but it’s possible. While using a freezer it allows moisture to freeze. when you bring candy to room temperature the moisture should be separated from the candy so it will melt and leave a crunchy flavor. Here’s a simple method to try.
Get Your Candy Ready: Start with your favorite candy. Make sure it’s in small pieces or bites.
Spread Out and Freeze: Lay your candy pieces on a tray lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Put the tray in your freezer and let the candy freeze solid. This helps keep its shape during drying.
Seal It Up: Once frozen, transfer the candy to a sealed bag or container. Try to get rid of as much air as you can before sealing it. This stops moisture from getting in.
Chill Out: Put the sealed candy back in the freezer. Leave it there for 2-3 weeks. This gives time for the moisture in the candy to turn into vapor and disappear. If the candy stil has moisture leave it in the freezer for more time until it gets completely dry
Check and Wait: Now and then, check on your candy. It should become hard and crispy. If it’s still soft, it needs more time in the freezer.
Time to Enjoy: When your candy is completely dry and crispy, it’s ready to eat! Keep it in a sealed container in a cool, dry place.
Freeze dry candy with Dry Ice:
Get Your Supplies: You will need dry ice, a cooler or insulated container, a wire rack or mesh, parchment paper, and your candy.
Prepare the Dry Ice: Put the dry ice in a bag and crush it into small pieces with a hammer. Be careful, it’s super cold! Keep the bag closed to keep the gas inside.
Set Up Your Space: Put a layer of crushed dry ice at the bottom of your cooler.
Arrange the Candy: Put a wire rack or mesh over the dry ice and lay your candy on the rack in a single layer. Make sure they are not touching.
Cover with Parchment: Put parchment paper over the candy to protect them from the extreme cold.
Add More Dry Ice: Put another layer of crushed dry ice on top of the parchment paper covering the candy completely.
Close Up: Seal the cooler tightly to keep the cold in.
Wait it Out: Leave the candy in the cooler for a few hours or overnight. This freezes the candy while removing moisture.
Check for Dryness: Take a peek, your candy should be hard and crispy with no moisture left.
Store and Enjoy: Once dry, put your candy in a sealed container. Now you have got freeze-dried candy to snack on whenever you want!
Remember…! Handle dry ice with care and work in a well-ventilated area. And be patient the process takes time but the yummy results are worth it!
How long does it take to freeze dry candy?
As discussed in the previous steps there are two common methods to freeze dry candy at home: one involves using dry ice (a fast process) and the other is using a domestic freezer (a time-consuming process). Each method has its own benefits.
The domestic freezer process typically takes 2 to 3 weeks, while the dry ice process can be completed in 24 to 48 hours. However, these times may vary depending on the type of candy being freeze dried. Generally candies with higher water content will require more time to freeze dry.
The best kind of candies to freeze-dry?
Lots of candies can be freeze-dried but there are some that just won’t work. Candies with lots of oil won’t freeze-dry well. Also, chocolate chips can not be freeze-dried quickly. When things are freeze-dried the moisture gets taken out. With chocolate chips, if you took out the moisture you would end up with a mess because of all the oil.
List of candies that can be freeze-dried:
1. Fruit-based candies like Skittles create intense fruit flavors when freeze-dried.
2. Freeze-dried Gummy worms and Gummy bears offer a crispy texture, enhancing their flavor.
3. Jelly beans, similar to gummy worms, produce concentrated flavors and a crispy texture when freeze-dried.
4. Marshmallows provide a crisp texture and are ideal for cake decoration or gifting.
5. Pop rocks, when freeze-dried, deliver intense flavors without stickiness.
6. Freeze-dried hard candies offer a crispy texture, perfect for cake decoration.
7. Chewy candies like taffy become crispy and flavorful when freeze-dried.
8. Freeze-dried cotton candy maintains its melt-in-your-mouth feel but in a crisp form.
These candies work well for freeze-drying because they do not contain much oil.