Food Saver Techniques
Some of the old techniques of saving food and making it last have fallen out of most people's scope of knowledge in modern times. However, for people who lived a hundred years ago, saving or preserving food successfully could determine if your family would have enough food to last through the winter. Dehydrated, salted, smoked, canned or pickled food made up most of the diet for people living on a farm or homestead in the middle of nowhere. Does this Spark an idea?
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Vacuum Packing
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A relatively simple idea, vacuum sealing removes all the air and bacteria contained in a food item and seals it between two layers of impermeable plastic. The food remains preserved because micro organisms, bacteria, mold and yeast cannot grow without oxygen. Foods bought in bulk or leftover food can be vacuum packed to preserve it. Use of a stationary counter-top vacuum sealer allows people to preserve large amounts of food for a long time.
Freezing
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Throughout history, people have frozen food as a means to save it from spoiling. Today, with the use of a common household freezer, food can remain in storage without spoiling. Frozen food can last for a very long time until thawed or cooked. Caused by too much air in the sealed freezer bag coming in contact with the food surface, freezer burn causes food to acquire an undesirable taste over time. Properly stored and maintained at a constant temperature, frozen food will last indefinitely. Because food may change appearance when frozen, label freezer bags with a description of the food item.
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Canning and Pickling
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The ready availability of fresh food has caused canning and pickling to fall out of fashion. In the days before refrigeration and supermarkets, people needed a way to preserve the once-a-year harvested food to last. Canning and pickling provided a means for food preservation without refrigeration or freezing. Heated for a time at extremely high temperatures to kill any bacteria and deactivate any enzymes that could cause spoilage and sealed in jars, the cooling food would create a vacuum seal. Pickling also preserves food by allowing chemicals to alter the state of food items. Typical pickling mixtures include vinegar, brine and ethanol.
Dehydration, Smoking and Freeze-Drying
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One of the oldest ways to preserve food, dehydration removes all the water from a food item and stops or delays the growth of bacteria. The best examples of dehydrated food are meat jerky and dried fruit. Dehydrating food involves the use of a dehydrator or simply allowing the food to air-dry over a period of time. Similar to dehydration, smoking food for preservation also removes the moisture while making the food more flavorful. Freeze-drying uses a vacuum to remove the frozen moisture, or ice crystals, from food in order to preserve it indefinitely.
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References
- Gizmodo; 10 Teched-Out Techniques for Saving Food; Jonathan Bloom; Sept. 24, 2010
- HelpWithCooking .com: Guide to Home Freezing Including information on Bacteria and Enzyme Activity
- National Center for Home Food Preservation: USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning
- Good Fitness Tips; Ways to Preserve Food; Jan. 29, 2010
- Better Homes and Gardens: What is Canning?
Resources
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