Freeze Dried Candy: A Delightful Treat with a Twist

What is Freeze-Dried Candy?

First — and this should be easy — what is freeze-dried candy? Close your eyes and picture your favourite sort of candy and then add an extra crunch and greater sweetness and a totally new texture. That is freeze-dried candy.

Freeze-dried candy refers to a certain type of candy: candy that's been freeze-dried in order to strip the treat of necessity, flavoured to the nth degree, as there's no excess watered-down taste to mute the candy. You can have Skittles, taffy marshmallows or almost any kind of gummy candy freeze-dried.

How is Freeze-Dried Candy Made?

You must be wondering how is this possible! Well, this is simply science at work. By first freezing the candy, lowering the pressure, and then removing the ice by sublimation, the ice goes from a solid directly to a gas, bypassing liquid altogether, leaving you with a candy containing moisture.

And you too can try it at home! It is actually quite easy. All you need is a freeze dryer, which is available via many commercially available systems. Obviously you DIY enthusiasts will love this new project.

An Overview of Popular Freeze-Dried Candies

So now that you know what can become of candy during space travel, and how it gets there, wouldn't you like to know which candies get the (administrative budget-permitting) space treatment? You know you do. First up, my favourite: Dairy Milk, followed by its friends – Oreos, Kit Kat, Yorkies, etc Got all the milk-treats covered? Moving on. Tic-tacs, Lifesavers, and After Eights feature in many an astronaut's wish list. Second on my list – my favourite bit of sweet information, if you will: Starburst candy.Three Musketeers, Yorkies, Baby Ruths, and Milky Ways make fourth place. Fifth: skittles, Mounds, Almond Joys, Snickers, and Reese's Peanut butter cups. Wee fifth – I vowed not to stress over rankings, but some I just can't help myself. Peanut M&Ms and Milky Ways share sixth, and Ring Pops take seventh. Eighth: your choice of Butterfinger or Baby Ruth bars. And what about candy corn? Delicious or disgusting? It's eleven on the list. Twelfth: Twizzlers. Pixie Sticks rank thirteenth, and so do Rolos. Fourteenth: Mint M&Ms. Bring up the rear candy brigade – Cadbury Creme Eggs, Tootsietarts, and laughably, chocolate bars. But clearly. Why would anyone want to send those to space?

Skittles: From Chewy to Crunchy

Skittles candy invites us to ‘taste the rainbow', but have you ever crunched the rainbow? The rainbow formed by freeze-dried Skittles expands the chewy-candy tasty morsels into crunchy tablets. That's the kind of science that's bound to take your taste buds by surprise!

Saltwater Taffy: Amplified Sweetness

All you saltwater taffy-lovers out there, you're in luck. Irradiated and freeze-dried, the sweetness of saltwater taffy is exaggerated tenfold. It will swell up to several times its original size, and you, lucky you, will have the chance to chew on a crunchy candy that disappears on your tongue.

Jolly Rancher: A New Texture

And next are Jolly Ranchers. Ever find Jolly Ranchers a tad bit too hard to chew? Well, freeze-drying changes this. Jolly Ranchers become creamy and airy and effortlessly melts in your mouth. Just take your favourite candy flavour, drop it in the freeze-dry machine, enjoy it once it's finished and skip out on that jaw workout. Note: when freeze-drying, candy increases up to six times their original size, so cut it in half first!

Gummy Bears: Double the Size, Double the Fun

And what about gummy bears? Not only do they get the fun treatment, they also turn from a gelatinous, squeeze-able, softie into a light, delicate crunch-a-rific treat! To top it all off, like other treats, they pretty much double in size right before they enter your mouth. Bigger, gummier and sweeter! Woo hoo! Then again, freeze-drying seems like the way to have more fun and flavour.

Is Freeze-Dried Candy Healthier?

And now might be a good time to answer the question many of you are wondering: is freeze-dried candy actually healthier? Unfortunately, there is no data that casually enjoyment of freeze-dried, puffed chocolate bar is actually healthier in a regular box examples of freeze-dried candy packet than a regular box or wrapper. That said, the freeze-drying process itself doesn't typically change the nutritional integrity of the candy. It's still the candy, just different in texture and taste.

Caloric Content of Freeze-Dried Candy

What about the calories? Removing the water makes freeze-dried candy even more concentrated, so once they are freeze-dried each candy will have more calories. That's great for your diet, right? Well, it would be if, as we know, your whole diet wasn't so concentrated. Sure, a piece of freeze-dried candy every so often can be part of a balanced diet.

Why Choose Freeze-Dried Candy?

If all of this information about freeze-dried candy has got your taste buds quivering, you might be wondering: ‘Why should I eat it?' Well, it's quite delicious. The texture is different and the flavor is boosted by the freeze-drying process (not to mention the new crunch). The candy doesn't get shrunken or tough. Instead, it crumbles and is much easier to chew because it has that airy, spongy texture. So, if you fancy trying a different food experience, why not send your taste buds on a journey and give freeze-dried candy a try?

Long Shelf Life: A Sweet Surprise

Yet another advantage to freeze-dried candy is its shelf life. Under properly stabilised & packaged conditions, your freeze-dried candy can last up to 25 years! That's a tremendous increase over confectionery's normal shelf life of just several months. In order to preserve all the fruity texture and flavours within your freeze-dried candy products, you'll need to add an oxygen absorber to your packaging.

Homemade Freeze-Dried Candy: A DIY Project

Want to make your own candies? It's not to hard: take your favourite candy and place it in a single layer on the tray of your freeze dryer. Add the suggested drying time, and you have freeze-dried candy for a fun and delicious home project! You can experiment to find your favourite form candies in their freeze dried form.​

Conclusion

Basically, freeze-dried candy tastes like your favourite candies and not the best version of them. It's no health food, but a healthy dose of interesting textures does make us crunch away at these freeze-dried candies happily. Plus, with a long-lasting shelf life, we can have our favourites for years to come. Why not take a bite and have a crunch?

FAQs

1. What is freeze-dried candy?

Freeze-dried candy is candy prepared by the freeze-drying process and thus is very tasty with the new texture, like a candy with a higher flavour concentration.

2. How is freeze-dried candy made?

After you freeze the candy, you lower the pressure, remove the ice by sublimation, and convert the ice directly into a gas. You're left with a moisture-free candy.

3. Is freeze-dried candy healthier?

There's also no indication that freeze-dried sweets constitute a ‘healthier' equivalent. The dehydration process has little or no impact on the candy's nutritional makeup.

4. Can I make freeze-dried candy at home?

Yes, absolutely! You just need a freeze dryer. Simply put the candy in a flat layer on your tray for your freeze dryer, add in the suggested dry time, and then you have your own freeze-dried candy.

5. How long can freeze-dried candy last?

Freeze-dried candy can last up to 25 years when stored properly.