Better is a frame of mind. If you exclude cost and extra storage space, FD wins as it reconstitutes more to its original color shape and size, with better flavor. I will throw an older thread in here that discussed some of this as well as some cost aspects. My experience is only with dehydrating fruits and vegetables some meats. I have no way of FDing foods myself and dehydrate a lot. I do own some FD foods that I have purchased. Mostly fruits as they are harder to get LTS dry oh yea and the 6 cans of FD ice-cream sandwiches that I cannot recreate. FD is expensive and if you garden you can dehydrate for pennies.
There is no "better". Each has its own benefits and drawbacks. FD foods last longer and is lighter, but once you open it, you need to use it fast. Within a week. Freeze dried foods can last up to 25 years unopened but it is a lot more expensive.
So neither is "better" but each has its own flaws and benefits.
Freeze dried foods removes much more moisture than dehydrated foods. It works by a freezing the foods first so all the water turns into ice. Then the ice is removed by turning it into a gas (skipping the melting phase). After that, it is dried again so all the water is removed.
With dehydrating, there may be still moisture in the food. Even if it is 2%. That is why dehydrated fruits can still be chewy. And why dehydrated foods weigh more than freeze dried.
But again, once open, the freeze dried food will absorb moisture from the air and will go bad shortly after opening. About a week or so at most unrefrigerated.
The other thing is packaging. Freeze dried foods are sealed in an airtight container that often nitrogen purged. So there is no oxygen remaining. Dehydrated foods are not packaged in such a way usually.
Dehydrated foods also weighs more than FD because there is more of it in the can. FD foods are frozen hard during the drying process so they remain the same size even after dried. Whereas dehydrated foods shrink down as they dry. Not only are they cheaper per can, but there is more food in that can.
A lot of dehydrated foods have shelf lives that are pretty close to the freeze dried ones. As more testing has come in over the years, they're starting to extend the shelf life estimates of many dehydrated foods which have always been estimated very conservatively.
I've had considerable experience using both, and my preference is strongly for dehydrated. Though I keep some FD entrees around for quick easy meals. Dehydrated takes more prep work, but also allows for more variety to be made from them.
So if I slice up some carrots and dehydrate the crap out of them, and then seal them in mylar with o2 absorbers, how long do you think the shelf life would be?
15-20 years done properly. That's part of why I like dehydrating. It's a simple old school technology that is sustainable. We can keep adding to our supplies that way, and continue to preserve our foods, even in a grid down situation. Simple is better.
indeed. you can dehydrate using the sun and other primitive means if you know how. A bit more work but its absolutely free. There are also plenty of ways to cure and preserve food that requires little to no money. Smoking is very tasty and popular.
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