Dried or Freeze Dried?

I did a little shopping and had to control myself. I wanted all the dried/freeze dried fruits I saw. Fun to bake with but I knew spring/summer is coming....so I had to severely limit myself.... what I did get was from my impatience for the abundant produces of the summer....

So which is better while you are waiting for the fresh stuff?

Dried vs. Freeze Dried ?

Dried Fruits:

-chewy
-become rock hard in something like milk from cereal or yogurt.
-must be soaked in hot water for about an hour if you want the food to return to texture similar to natural state.
-Tricks your mind in thinking you are eating candy (w/ fruits)
-Can sink to the bottom of batter when making baked goods
-Can get extremely stuck together and harder when stored in cabinet over long periods of time.
-can be 'weighty' if special ordering online.
-cheaper if you purchase your own produce and use food dehydrator to make it yourself
-place online to buy dried fruits is Nutsonline.com




-Is dried better? Look on the back of these dried cherries....



Sugar? Sunflower Oil? They so tart that they need sugar?....are they so dry they need oil? Hmmmm....




Freeze Dried:


-Crispy
-Becomes soft/pliable quickly in something like milk from cereal or yogurt
-will absorb moisture from cooking and return to state similar to cooked.
-lightweight and will stay 'afloat' in batters when baking
-better to order online for these products are light as a feather!
not possible to make yourself
-prices can be $4-7 per package depending on the costliness of produce.
-longer shelf life (meaning they don't get harder)
-suggested online for purchasing freeze dried Just Tomatoes.com
-most fruits are pretty sweet regardless of brand, although I wasn't impressed with the freeze dried mango....I guess it's because I had FRESH mango with breakfast?















You can find these products around your home at your Whole Foods store or Trader Joes.

But be cautious and read labels. In an Amish market this summer, I bought these 'dried' strawberries on the right....they weren't dried strawberries when I opened it....it was some strawberry flavored gelatinous thing coated in sugar. RIP OFF! Hard to tell when they are all stuck together in a tight bag!