This article was originally published in the October 2023 issue of 225 Magazine.
Puff, crackle, crunch. That’s the life cycle of a freeze-dried treat.
This crispy craze has blown up lately, bringing a resurgence of space-inspired foods to earthlings.
Freeze drying is primarily used to preserve foods. The moisture is zapped out of a food item to give it a longer shelf life. Most freeze-dried items take on an airy, crunchy texture and often have more intense flavors than their natural counterpart.
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But when applied to candied sweets, freeze drying gets really fun. Imagine gummy worms growing into crunchy snakes and Milk Duds morphing into golf-ball-sized orbs.
Suzette Turner hopped on the trend in 2021 when she was first introduced to a futuristic freeze-drying machine by her son-in-law, who worked as a chef. They experimented with Skittles, Jolly Ranchers and other candies.
Seeing the online popularity of the dried-up sweets, Turner and her daughter Sarah started selling their products at local pop-ups—and her company, Puf Sweet, was born.
“We’re freeze drying every day,” Turner says. “We now have four machines, and it’s just 24/7.”
Turner and her daughter aren’t the only ones cashing in on the craze. Sisters Celeste Barrett and Sarah Moran’s Easy Freezy brand has cranked out textural treats since early 2022.
“This is a little side project for us,” Moran says. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Kevin and Stephanie Sarver began Sarver Sweets and Eats after sampling similar snacks on a trip to Montana. In late 2022, the couple started selling freeze-dried candies and a variety of saltwater taffy. Stephanie says they’ve grown to now carry over 70 candy varieties. They’re even considering opening a commercial kitchen.
“Our entire den has turned into a freeze-drying factory, but we’re going to outgrow that,” she says.
But some products, like chocolate and peanut butter, don’t survive the process, and others expand too much.
“Certain things, like a Werther’s caramel, if you put the whole thing in the machine, it will probably get to the size of a baseball,” Moran explains.
All three sellers also make freeze-dried veggies, such as corn, green beans and even pickles, and fruit options for customers who might not have a sweet tooth.
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And each has intrigued customers with their puffed-out products. Because, what’s not interesting about a Skittle with a crunch?
How does it work?
The magic happens inside a freeze-drying machine about the size of a mini fridge. They can cost upward of $4,000, depending on size and brand. After the food is placed inside the airtight chamber, everything is chilled down to a cool -30 F to -50 F. Once the items are frozen, a vacuum inside the machine aids in pulling moisture from the food. The food items are then slowly heated, which causes all moisture to evaporate. The end product is usually bubbly and flaky or hard and crisp.