Ways To Preserve Your Food

Food preservation has long been relied upon as a way to extend the shelf life of different kinds of food, allowing us to keep them longer and see us through the winter when fruits and vegetables aren't abundant. Aside from that, it saves us from making daily trips to the grocery store to buy for our daily intake.The most important thing to do when preserving food is to prevent bacteria and other bad microorganisms from growing, because these are what hastens the spoilage of food. Now there are several ways of doing this, most of which are very simple to do and don't require major equipment.FreezingThis is the easiest form of preservation when you have a freezer at home. The freezing process halts the growth of bacteria and other microbes on your meat, so it doesn't spoil at all. When frozen, raw meats can even last for several months up to a year as long as they are continually frozen. Once they are thawed however, the bacteria come back to life and reproduce so it is important to cook them all right away. It is not recommended that they be returned to the freezer again.SaltingThis method is done by putting dry salt on the meats (including fish and poultry). Salt absorbs water through osmosis, thus dehydrating any living microorganisms on the meat, killing them and preventing further growth.PicklingThis is another effective method for extending the shelf life of your food up to several years. Pickling is done by keeping your food in edible liquids such as vinegar, brine (salted water), olive oil and alcohol. These pickling agents inhibit the growth of or even kill the micro-organisms.DryingThis method has been used since the ancient times to preserve different kinds of foods such as meat, mushrooms, fruits, and vegetables. This works with the same concept as salting. The water is drawn out of the food, making it a hostile environment for the bacteria to grow and preventing quick decay. Drying can be done in different ways, but the simplest one is putting the food out in the sun by hanging or placing them on wire racks, and allowing their water content to evaporate.SmokingSmoking is a great way to preserve your food and add flavors to it at the same time. Most common smoked foods are meat and fish, but some vegetables can be kept this way. This is done by exposing the food to smoke and heat from burning plant materials such as wood. The heat cooks the food and reduces the water content while the smoke adds the flavors. Since this does not exactly cook the meat all the way through, smoking is sometimes paired with other methods such as salting or drying.BottlingSealing food in airtight containers such as bottles is a common way to extend the life of your fruits and vegetables. This method of food preservation involves cooking them first and adding preservatives if necessary, then storing them in sterilized jars or bottles, sealing the containers and then boiling the bottles to kill whatever bacteria may still be remaining in or around the containers.
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• What Is Food Preservation?
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• Basic Food Preservation - Canning Fruits
• Basic Food Preservation - Canning Meat
• Canning Fruits And Vegetables
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• Canning Supplies And Equipment
• Drying Fruits And Vegetables