Read up on freeze-dried fruits

Although drying fruits (and other items) has been a practice since the dawn of time, freeze drying makes use of modern technology. Foods put inside a professional freeze dryer are frozen to extremely low temperatures. After being frozen, the meals are vacuum dried with the use of a vacuum pump. The processing chamber is cleared of both air and water vapor, including the water vapor that was formerly contained within the meal. Once dry, the food can be securely stored at room temperature.

How to use freeze-dried fruit?

How should you use freeze-dried fruit, which is available in many grocery shops and is sometimes found in the same aisle as dehydrated fruits like raisins? Freeze-dried fruit is perfect for adding fresh, vibrant tastes to baked goods without worrying about changing the consistency or sweetness of a batter or dough because it doesn't include any water or additional sugar.

Create a powder for cake batter, frosting, whipped cream, and other things.

Any freeze-dried fruit, such as strawberries, raspberries, mangoes, or apples, can be ground up in a food processor to create a powder that mixes and dissolves easily in cake batter, whipped cream, buttercream frosting, meringues, and other recipes. Dust popcorn with the same powder for a salty-sweet treat or sift it over a shaken egg white cocktail.

According to recipe developer and cookbook author Yossy Arefi, who uses freeze-dried fruit in a number of recipes in her book Snacking Cakes, it is "so great for baking because it adds tons of fruit flavor, but no liquid, so you can play with it in recipes that normally would be so hard to make fruity, like cookies.

Including in a syrup for desserts and drinks

Any freeze-dried fruit can be added to a small saucepan with equal parts water and granulated white sugar for rich, gorgeously colored syrups. Pour into jars or glass bottles after reducing and bringing to a simmer for an ingredient that is both aesthetically pleasing and useful. Use it to sweeten tea, top waffles or French toast, drizzle it over ice cream or yogurt, mix it into your favorite cocktail or mocktail, or drizzle it on ice cream or yogurt.

Use whole

Freeze-dried fruit is a tasty and original addition to trail mix or snack mix, breakfast bars, cereal or oatmeal, and much more, even when left whole or roughly crumbled. It packs a punch, so first-time users should be aware of that. Riley Wofford, a recipe developer and food stylist, advises "starting small." "And adjust to your personal taste."

How to store fruit that has been freeze-dried?

In order to keep freeze-dried fruit fresh in your kitchen, place the fruit in a zip-top bag and store it in an airtight container in a cool, dry area away from any excess moisture or sunshine. Arefi advises sealing the containers tightly after opening them because you will frequently want to grind the fruit before using it. Fruit becomes soft and chewy when moisture hits it, making it less effective for that application.

If the box you purchase includes a tiny packet of desiccant silica gel, feel free to add that to the bag or container you use to preserve leftover fruit.