Okay! Do You Want To Know How To Freeze Dry Egg Nog?
Well, you’ve come to the right place. I can show you how to freeze dry egg nog – and reconstitute it efficiently to give you the same exquisite flavor that the egg nog originally had when you bought it during the last holiday season!
This is actually my SECOND post about freeze drying egg nog. A little over a year ago, I authored “Freeze Dried Egg Nog” – which utilizes a freeze drying technique making use of pouring the egg nog into silicone baking cup molds.
But, here, I’ll look at my most recent discovery – the fact that I can actually freeze dry egg nog the same way I do when I make “Freeze Dried Eggs.”
How Is That, You May Ask?
It’s much simpler, quicker, and easier to just pour the egg nog into the Harvest Right Freeze Dryer trays – and, crank up the freeze dryer to do the rest.
Over the holidays – in November and December, 2021 – I found a great sale for the best egg nog I have ever tasted. So, I bought FOUR CASES of it – 6 half-gallon bottles per case. That’s 12 gallons of egg nog!
Superior Dairy, Inc., in Canton, Ohio, makes it – and, I’ve never tasted anyone else’s egg nog that even comes close to being as delicious!
Doing the silicone-baking-cup-mold thing for freeze drying this egg nog wasn’t an option this time because, I had to freeze dry a much larger quantity of egg nog each freeze dryer cycle – to get the better part of it freeze dried before it spoiled. Egg nog doesn’t last forever, you know. It’ll deteriorate into oblivion much faster than milk – or eggs.
So, I took a chance that I could just pour the nog directly into the trays – and hope for the best.
I first placed the empty trays in the freeze dryer. Then, I slowly poured egg nog into the trays a little at a time – making sure not to overflow the trays.
Here’s how it looked before the freeze drying process commenced…
I can freeze dry about a gallon of egg nog at a time – a quart per tray – without the egg nog splashing over the tray rim.
Just follow the instructions in Harvest Right Freeze Dryer Operation – and, in about a day-and-a-half, the entire process is over and done with.
And, lo and behold! Out it came – extremely well freeze dried, don’t you think?
Now, I’ll just use my Ninja MEGA Kitchen System to grind it all up into powder – and, put it into some Mason jars – adding an oxygen absorber to each jar as I use the Foodsaver Vacuum System in conjunction with a Foodsaver Mason Jar Attachment.
You could stuff the powder into Foodsaver bags – and pack them flat – saving space – but, I prefer loading the concentrate into Mason jars and storing them on a shelf.
This is mostly because my Mason jars are infinitely re-usable – and, the Foodsaver bags could only possibly be used one or two more times.
NOTE: Don’t forget… Since this is in powder form, stick a coffee filter in the top to keep the powder from getting sucked into the Foodsaver System when you start pulling a vacuum on the jar!
All foods you freeze dry with the Harvest Right Freeze Dryer will have a shelf life approaching 25 YEARS or more! That’s a heck-uv-a long time!
Now, To Reconstitute It – Anytime Of The Year
Fur shure – I mean “anytime of the year” – because, I plan on drinking it “ice cold” during the hottest days of the summer for a cool – but, luxuriously satisfying relief from the summer heat!
My formula is pretty straightforward…
I use a 1:1 ratio of milk and freeze dried egg nog.
If I just need a quick glass, I use one of my 16 ounce tumblers that came with my Ninja MEGA Kitchen System. Adding 6 ounces of milk and 6 ounces of freeze dried egg nog powder, I churn it well with the Ninja then, add an ice cube or two and, quite possibly, “too much of a healthy dose” of Bacardi Dark Rum. What an amazing way to beat the heat and relax!
NOTE: Don’t forget to add a dash of nutmeg to make the drink complete!
If I want to make enough for family and friends as well, I use the big Ninja pitcher and blend about 20 ounces each of milk and freeze dried egg nog.
Feel free to adjust the 1:1 ratio to suit your individual taste. Some like egg nog a bit stronger – while some prefer a weaker concoction. When I add a coupla ice cubes on a hot summer day, I opt for a stronger mix to compensate for the melting cubes.
Last Thought…
Drinking egg nog can be a relatively amusing experience if it is made from “Comedi-hens” coupled with inebriated cows that stagger around singing “kari-yolkie.” And, that’s no yolk! But, of course, I’m just egg-in’ you on!
I look forward to your comments and emails.
