Air Drying vs Freeze Drying: Which Is Better for Taste, Nutrition, and the Planet?

Air Drying vs Freeze Drying: What’s the Difference and Why It Matters

When we set out to create Vince, we knew we wanted to create a dried product, something with a long shelf life, that reduces food waste and is easy to transport for local and international markets.

Freeze drying has been popular in outdoor markets for a long time and is a technology that has been virtually unchanged for the last 50 years.   Results are very reproducable but has large drawbacks in terms of energy cost and flavour, is very good for making powders.

Air drying has been around for thousands of years with the most common application being sun dried tomatoes, coffee beans, cocoa and peanuts.  Air drying is very scalable and used extensively in Asian countries but very little in westernised countries.  Our air drying technique using specialised New Zealand developed driers (as seen on country calendar) uses around 90% less energy than freeze drying.

We also did trials using cutting edge Microwave drying which is used in the medicinal marijuana industries.  Ultimately this technology was far to expensive and was not able to scale to large production quantities.

You’ve probably seen terms like freeze-dried, dehydrated, or air-dried on packaging, but what do they actually mean, and how do they affect your food’s taste, texture, and nutrition?

Let’s unpack the science behind these methods and why Vince chose slow air drying for our veggie-packed meals.

🌀 What Is Freeze Drying?

Freeze drying (or lyophilisation) removes water from food by first freezing it and then using a vacuum to turn the ice directly into vapour, skipping the liquid stage entirely.
It preserves the food’s structure, meaning freeze-dried meals often rehydrate quickly and look much like the original food once water is added.

Pros:

• Keeps the external shape and colour of food well

• Retains most nutrients

• Lightweight and shelf-stable

Cons:

• Expensive and VERY energy-intensive

• Can make some foods taste flat and gives a powdery or mushy texture

• Requires specialised machinery and high energy use

🌿 What Is Air Drying?

Air drying uses gently circulated warm air to slowly remove moisture from food. Vince’s slow-dried process uses special air drying equipment designed by a New Zealand company to preserve the food’s natural flavour and nutrition while locking in all that veggie goodness.  

Pros:

• Testing at Massey University showed almost identical nutrient retention to freeze drying and frozen food

• Uses far less energy than freeze drying, our specialised dryers run on about 10% of the energy cost of comparitive freeze dryers

• Creates and Preserves rich, natural flavours, think sundried tomatoes, coffee, cocoa and biltong

• Creates a hearty, home-style texture

• More sustainable and cost-effective

• No need for additives or fillers

Cons:

• Takes longer to dry (patience is key!) making it unsuitable for many mainstream food manufacturers and can make it extremely expensive to produce for this reason

• Does not maintain vibrant colours like freeze drying

• Some sensitive vitamins (like vitamin C) can reduce slightly with heat — though many others, like fibre and minerals, remain intact

🥕 Why Vince Chooses Air Drying

We’re all about real food made simple. Our slow-dried method brings out the deep, savoury flavours of vegetables while using a fraction of the energy of freeze drying. That means:

• Meals that taste freshly cooked when you add hot water
• A product that blends perfectly with beef mince in terms of colour and texture, fantastic for improving nutrition or extending Beef mince to go further in a meal

• A significantly lower carbon footprint through less energy useage

• Ability to use wonky veggies with blemishes or size issues

• A more affordable, everyday option for families and adventurers
  

Our process also lets us make the most of locally grown vegetables, supporting New Zealand growers and reducing waste by using “imperfect” produce that’s just as nutritious and delicious.

🌏 The Bottom Line

Both methods preserve food and make it easy to enjoy anywhere.  With the flavour advantages of air drying only Vince makes a meal that can be equally enjoyed in the home kitchen or out on the trail or campsite.

If you’re looking for something that’s big on flavour, planet-friendly, and gentle on the wallet, air-dried wins by a country mile.

Slow drying isn’t just about saving energy, it’s about bringing out the real taste of real veggies.