Had a client come into the farm store recently that had bought some of our freeze dried goat cheese last summer. She told me that she was a little afraid to mix it up as it looks weird, (because it is a powder) but when she finally did and tasted the cheese she said "Wow!!! It tastes way better than she was expecting." She purchased three more packages to keep her stocked up until she comes back again next year.
For those of you that are unfamiliar with freeze dried foods, the process involves using freezing temperatures, vacuum pressure, and finally heat to slowly and thoroughly remove all moisture from your food. This process works much better than dehydrating for most foods. It does require some very expensive equipment though.
There are many benefits to freeze dried cheese and virtually no downside.
First, is the long term storage advantage. Our cheese in the current packaging should last on your shelf for up to 5 years (plastic bags), providing the vacuum seal holds. Our shredded cheese, vacuum sealed in glass jars should last up to 25 years, without refrigeration. If the powers that be ever actually manage to drop the power grid, your covered.
Second is the nutrition factor. Freeze dried foods retain 95% of their original nutrition. This means you are feeding your family real, chemical free foods that are much healthier than the bulk of what you purchase at the grocery store.
Third is the ease of use. If your looking for cheese to dip your crackers in you have come to the right place. To rehydrate all you need to do is slowly add water and stir. Keep adding water slowly until you reach the consistency desired. Personally, I mix this up and eat for my lunch on a regular basis, especially in the winter, when the farm kitchen is closed. I have found no discernible difference in flavor, and have found the texture to be very creamy and perfect for dipping.
In powdered form we add it to just about everything. It is perfect sprinkled on salads and bread, or added to mashed potatoes and meatloaf, I sprinkle it on pasta instead of other cheeses, I use it to make fast macaroni and cheese by adding a little milk, butter and as much powdered cheese as I want to cooked pasta. It is a much healthier alternative to those cheap boxes of mac & cheese everyone buys at the store to feed their kids. It's much healthier as it is REAL CHEESE!!!
The shredded curds, mozzarella, ricotta or cottage cheese are perfect for cooking in those incredible pasta dishes you make. Just sprinkle it on and then cook. The moisture in your food will rehydrate the cheese then it will melt with the heat. Cheese sauces are also extremely easy to make.
Fourth reason to consider freeze dried cheese is less waste. I have always hated wasting food. With this cheese I mix up only what I will eat in that sitting. If you mix too much, you can refrigerate the excess, which should keep for a couple of weeks. Rarely does any cheese go to waste which means you save money.
Got a dog that is a picky eater. Just sprinkle a little on their food. We have a husky mix puppy that would routinely refuse to eat. We now sprinkle a little on every meal and it's gone withing minutes. She LOVES her cheese.
Truthfully, I really haven't found any downside to this cheese. The price is even affordable at just $8.50 per package and comes in over twenty flavors. Stop by the farm store any time for a free sample.