Original Rainbow Crunchies

Freeze-drying takes candy, freezes it solid, and pulls the moisture out under vacuum so the ice sublimates straight to vapour. No heat, no melting — just the water leaving and the flavour staying behind in a honeycomb of air pockets.

The Original Rainbow is where most people start, and it is the clearest demonstration of what the process does. You know exactly what these tasted like before; the flavour is familiar down to the individual colour. What is completely unfamiliar is the texture.

A chewy fruit candy becomes something that collapses the instant you bite it, then melts. The chew is gone entirely, replaced by a crunch and a rush of concentrated fruit. It is the same sweet you have eaten a thousand times, made unrecognisable.

The 1.5 oz bag is one generous serving — 42.5 g of candy that looks like far more than that once it is poured out, because freeze-dried candy is mostly air. It is the size to buy if you are trying a flavour for the first time, and the size that fits a lunchbox or a jacket pocket without being crushed.

Store it sealed in a cool, dry place. Moisture is the one thing that undoes freeze-dried candy — an open bag left out will slowly go soft, so press the seal shut properly and it will keep its snap.

• Classic rainbow candy balls, freeze-dried
• Puffed, airy texture with bold fruit flavour
• 170 calories per 1.5 oz bag
• No artificial preservatives added
• Snack Kings LLC, Linden NJ