How to Freeze Dry Airheads
Let me show you how to freeze dry Airheads at home. Freeze drying Airheads turns them into crunchy, flavorful freeze dried Airhead bites.
Cost: $6
Equipment
- pipe cutter (optional)
Ingredients
- 15 ounces Airheads (approximately)
Instructions
- You will need to preheat the freeze dryer for freeze dried Airheads. Select Candy Mode on your freeze dryer and set the temperature to 150℉ with a final dry time of 4 hours. Make sure the vacuum valve, drain valve and demister are closed and press start.
- While the freeze dryer shelf temperature raises to 150℉, begin prepping your airheads. Beginning preheating your oven to 200℉.
- Line the trays with parchment paper. The Airheads will stick if you don't use parchment paper.
- Unwrap the Airheads and cut them into ½ inch pieces using a knife, scissors, or a pipe cutter.
- Place them on the parchment lined trays, evenly spaced apart. I usually do 4 across and 9 down (this will vary depending on how big your airhead pieces are).
- Once your freeze dryer is close to or at 150℉ shelf temperature, add the freeze dryer trays of Airheads to the oven for 5-7 minutes.
- After 5-7 minutes the Airheads should be glossy, soft to the touch, but still hold their shape. Quickly take them out of the oven, pause the freeze dryer, open the vacuum valve, open the chamber door, and add them to the freeze dryer shelf.
- Immediately close the door and close the vacuum valve. Double check that the drain valve is closed too, and resume the freeze drying cycle.
- Allow the Airheads to freeze dry for 4 hours. Once, the cycle is complete, open the vacuum valve and open the chamber door. The trays may be a little hot.
- Carefully remove them and package the candy to keep it dry and crispy.
- For short term storage you can add them to mason jars and use a vacuum sealer to remove some of the air from the jars. For long term storage add them to mylar bags, add an oxygen absorber and seal them with an impulse sealer.