We all love the taste of fresh food but it is not always possible for us to eat fresh food all the time. It is possible that we cook a large meal but there are still quite a lot of leftovers afterwards. We may see an attractive sales program in the supermarket and purchase meat enough for a week’s cooking. We may also want to spare out some type of fruits so that we can enjoy them off-season. Knowing how to preserve food properly and effectively is very important to help us save time and money. Here are four effective ways to preserve food, including both traditional and modern methods:
- Vacuum packing
This method aims to remove air from the package before sealing to extend food and fruit’s shelf life. It is often done with the best vacuum sealer. In general, you can store a wide variety of dried and fresh food and fruits such as: meat, fish, cereals or nuts. Food preserved through using the vacuum sealer can stay fresh and crisp for a very long time, which means we will have less spoiled food to throw away and save our money or time going to the supermarket. We can enjoy off-season fruit. By dividing food into small portions before putting into the bags, we can easily take out just the amount we need. Another benefit we get is no freezer burn because foods don’t come into contact with cold, dry air.
Vacuum packing is considered a modern, effective way of keeping our food fresh even for months.
- Canning
As opposed to vacuum packing, canning is a tradition method of preservation. This involves cooking or processing food partially before sealing it in sterilized jars or cans. Canning is very effective in killing bacteria. Once the sealed container is opened, we should use the canned food right away or spoilage can occur.
There are a number of steps for canning: preparing food and addictive, boiling containers (normally glass jars) and lids for sterilization, filling food into containers, then closing them tightly and storing them properly. It is quite a time-consuming process but one we get used to doing it, it will be easier and quicker.
The nice thing about canning is that canning jars are reusable. While they can be expensive at first, they can last for an extremely long time. Canning our own food is environmentally friendly and cost-efficient because we don’t even need electricity or a refrigerator to preserve food. What is even better is: we can give away our canned jars as meaning gifts too (a jar of homemade jam, perhaps).
- Drying
Drying is the preservation method of removing water in food and fruit to avoid the development of mold and bacteria. With drying, we can either use a food dehydrator (for quick drying) or the oven (which can be quite time-consuming). This traditional method is especially suitable for preserving fruits for a very very long time. When we want to eat dried food or fruit, we can choose to eat them in their dry forms or soaking them in water for a few hours to rehydrate them. With this method, it is completely fine if we don’t have a lot of space for storing. Dried food takes much less storage once it is dehydrated. Also, it costs less money and effort to preserve food as compared to canning or freezing.
- Fermenting
With the rising popularity of vacuum packing, freezing and canning, it seems that fermenting is not favored any more. That being said, it is still a very effective method for preserving food, especially vegetables. Even though this method resembles canning in using jars or containers, the ways it works to preserve food is different: food is not sealed up, useful bacteria is allowed to get in and acidic brine is used. Through fermenting, the food’s flavor is enhanced greatly. This is how kimchi, a popular Korean dish, is made.
There are many different methods for preserving food; each has its own pros and cons. It is suggested that you combine several methods to achieve the best result of keeping your food and fruit quality for a long time.