Understanding Freeze Drying
A. What is Freeze Drying?
This method freezes the product and then lowers the pressure to let some of the water, frozen in the food matrix, to convert directly from the solid to the gas phase. The product dried by this process retains its quality considerably better than when dried by more common methods.
B. Why Choose Freeze Drying for Green Onions?
You know, green onions are really quite delicate and, if we use the conventional process for doing the drying, the onions will lose their taste quite a bit. If we want to preserve the taste of the onions, the freeze dried food is much better, it retains the colour and taste and the nutritious part much better than conventional drying does.
How to Freeze Dry Green Onions
A. Preparing the Green Onions
Pick Fresh Green Onions: Find fresh green onions with vibrant green stalks. Skip those that look droopy or whose color has turned yellow.
Rinse the Green Onions: Rinse the green onions under cold water to remove any loose dirt or grit.
Chop the Green Onions: Trim the ends and chop into your preferred size.
B. Freeze Drying Process
Pre-Freezing: Prep the container the green onions will go in by covering it with plastic wrap. Cut the green onions and spread them on the baking sheet in an even layer. Freeze them for several hours, until solid.
Packing Charge 3: Loading the Freeze Dryer: Replenish the electric dryer (freeze dryer) with the frozen green onions, polythene sheets included. Arrange it flat on the packing table, equally distributing it among the trays.
4. Freeze Drying Cycle: Start: Start the Freeze Drying Cycle per the manufacturer’s instructions. Your freeze drying cycle will probably run about 24 hours, but check your freeze dryer manual for details when starting out. This time is just an estimate and is dependent upon your model of freeze dryer and how many onions you’ve placed in the unit.
Test for Dryness: When the cycle is finished, test a slice of the freeze-dried green onion. It should snap easily when bent, becoming brittle, which is an indicator that the processing has worked.
C. Storing the Freeze-Dried Green Onions
place the freeze-dried green onions in vacuum-sealed Mylar bags or Mason jars to keep them dry then store in a cool, dark place where they’ll keep indefinitely with full flavour and nutritional value.
Using Freeze-Dried Green Onions
Rehydrate the freeze-dried green onions in a few minutes of water before use. It’s worth rehydrating them because freeze-dried onions are best when they replenish the flavour profile of the dish with the characteristic smell and recognizable onion pieces. They will also work in soups, stews, and similar dishes with enough liquid to rehydrate the onion as it cooks.
Conclusion
If you ever find yourself with more green onions than you know what to do with, freeze-drying them is an excellent way to retain their flavour and nutrition while extending their shelf-life to years. With the right equipment, in just a short time you can use your freeze dryer to ensure that green onions will always be available whenever you're ready to cook regardless of the season. When you have access to quality produce and know how to store it properly, freeze drying hope that you’ll be enjoying them all throughout the year!
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