Rainbow Crunchers Original

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 4 oz bag holds 113 g — close to three times the small bag for well under three times the price, which makes it the better buy once you know you like a flavour. It is also the sharing size: poured into a bowl it fills it, and it disappears faster than anyone expects.

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.

• 4oz family-size bag
• Classic rainbow candy balls freeze-dried to perfection
• Airy, melt-in-your-mouth crunch
• Snack Kings LLC, Linden NJ