Strawberries before freeze-drying.
Freeze-dried strawberries are strawberries that have been processed in a way that preserves their fresh flavor and extends the shelf life of the berries for years. When strawberries are freeze-dried, almost all of the moisture inside is removed, leaving a slightly spongy but mostly brittle fruit that can be reconstituted with a liquid, mashed and used in recipes, or eaten in its dried form . An advantage of using freeze-dried strawberries in some recipes is that they can be boiled or blended and retain their shape and most of their original texture without becoming mushy. Also, the flavor of freeze-dried strawberries, when not reconstituted, is much more concentrated than normal, allowing them to be used almost like a spice.
Many fruits can be freeze-dried and made into a crunchy snack.
The way freeze-dried strawberries are made begins with the freezing process. This involves cleaning and drying the strawberries and putting them in a special machine that freezes them at temperatures as low as -112° Fahrenheit (-80° Celsius) to quickly convert the moisture into ice. Once frozen, the strawberries are dried in a chamber where the air pressure is reduced and some heat is applied, causing the ice crystals to evaporate without first liquefying and moistening the pulp of the berries. Strawberries are reheated to remove any remaining moisture, leaving only the dried fruit mostly intact. The freeze-dried strawberries are then sealed in vacuum-sealed containers to prevent moisture from reaching them as they are shipped to their final destinations.
A good use for freeze-dried strawberries is in baked goods like cakes or breads. They are well suited for this type of baking because, when added dry to the batter, the strawberries slowly rehydrate as steam is released from the cake or bread during baking. They can also be rolled inside the puff pastry. The end result will be a baked product containing nearly whole strawberries with a ripe flavor and minimal color bleed.
Another popular use for freeze-dried strawberries is as a crunchy twist to breakfast cereals. They can also be added to yogurt, oatmeal, or fruit drinks. These strawberries can be coarsely chopped and used as a topping for cakes or ice cream.
An often overlooked aspect of eating freeze-dried strawberries is that they are deceptively light. Once freeze-dried, the fruits weigh much less than normal and it can be easy to use too many in a recipe or eat too many for a snack. Strawberries in this state are almost all carbohydrates, which may be a concern for some people on special diets.