Junior Mint Extravaganza
Updated: Apr 3, 2021
NULL HYPOTHESIS 11 (Junior Mints): Freeze-Drying Christmas Junior Mints Will Brighten Your Christmas.
Conclusion: We could not reject this hypothesis
Abstract: We bought a package of Christmas Junior Mints and spread them out over a tray. Then we froze them and freeze-dried them.
Starting Materials:
a 1 small box of Junior Mints candies
1 Harvest Right freeze dryer tray with a silicone mat
Above: The top photo is of Christmas Junior Mints before freeze-drying. The bottom photo is of the freeze-dried Junior Mints.
Method:
Start freeze drier to the non-liquid, pre-freeze setting (wait 30 mins.)
Arranged the Junior Mints on the tray.
Once the pre-freeze cycle completes, placed the frozen trays in freeze-drier (with 3 other trays of food; we did sugar cookies and Skittles)
Started the freeze-drying cycle.
Removed Junior Mints from freeze-dryer.
Results:
Our actual total starting weight of Junior Mints on the tray was .618 kg and the finished weight was .578 kg (not including the tray itself).
The freeze-drier completed its ordinary cycle at 25 hours. The temperature scanner showed an approximate average temperature of 100° F. We did not find any cold spots.
As you can see in the photos above, we were not able to refute our hypothesis that freeze-dried Junior Mints can brighten your Christmas.
We learned two other things from freeze drying Junior Mints. First, we would have done better to space them out so they wouldn't become a molten mass (chocolate doesn't freeze-dry, it just melts and then hardens at room temperature). Second, we would let them return to room temperature before handling them next time so the chocolate wouldn't be so messy.
Merry Christmas!