Preserving Food

Food always tastes best when it’s fresh. There are few preservation methods that will improve the taste of food, but there are several ways to minimize the loss of taste, texture and nutrients.

Preserving foods used to be a vital part of survival, and it still is for some people. As time, technology, and commerce developed, food preservation has become far less important to our survival. But knowing how to make chili sauce or jellies, canned fruit or meats still provides a great deal of satisfaction. And ensuring the freshness of various “fruits of the harvest” allows us to enjoy their taste long after their caught, killed, picked or gathered.

There are six basic methods of preserving food: freezing; drying, salting and smoking; jams and marmalades; pickles and chutney; bottling; and canning.

Freezing

Freezing is the most simple and common method of preserving food. When done properly, it’s possible to maintain good flavor in meat and fish for several months, fruits and vegetables even longer. When you freeze something make sure to label and date the product so you can tell when it should be used.

The key to preserving flavor and preventing bacteria growth is freezing the fresh food item as soon as possible. When freezing anything, it’s critical to protect the food from air circulation. Air will dry out the food and make it inedible.
As a general rule, freezing most food items for up to six months is fine. The important thing to remember is that the act of freezing does not destroy food-borne microorganisms. It does, however, prevent their breeding while the food is frozen, but once it begins to thaw they begin to breed rapidly. Food – particularly meat – should not be refrozen once partially thawed because repeated thawing gives microorganisms the chance to build up each time.
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Salting

To salt – or “cure” – a meat is to impregnate it with salt. There are two types of salting: wet and dry. Wet salting involves immersing meat or fish in a salt brine and takes a long time to get the desired effect. It is best to follow a step by step method and be prepared it can take upwards of a month. Dry salting is used on things like fish and some vegetables or for making salami.
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Drying, Smoking and Salting

Before meat or fish is smoked, it is cured in a salt brine or in dry salt. This gives the food a rich flavor and ensures preservation. Curing time will depend on thickness of the cut and how salty you want it to be. When food is suspended in smoke below 100 degrees F, this is known as cold smoking, which is a much longer process than hot smoking. In hot smoking the temperature will be somewhere between 100 and 225 degrees F. Cold smoking is the method used when food is eaten raw, such as smoked salmon, or for something that will be cooked later, such as bacon. Hot smoking cooks the food as it smokes and is used on different types of sausages and fish.
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Bottling and Canning

These methods stop the spoilage of food by heating and sealing it in storage containers. The heat destroys the bacteria and the sealed containers prevent air from contaminating the food. The canning and bottling process is essentially the same. Basically, the choice depends on whether the food lends itself to a mason jar or a bottle.

The most common method for home canning is known as the hot-pack method, in which hot, precooked food and some of the liquid produced when cooking are placed in a hot, sterilized mason jar. A metal disk with a rubber ring seal on its underside covers the mouth of the jar. Then a screw-threaded lid is partially screwed onto the glass jar, on top of the metal disk. As the jar is processed in boiling water for the length of time required for the type of food, the screw top tightens and seals completely. Heat and pressure during processing force most of the air from the jar and minimize the danger of multiplication of disease-causing organisms.

If the process is performed properly, sealed cans and bottles can be stored for several months, even years for some foods. Storing them in a dark, cool basement or cellar will maximize shelf life.
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Jams and Marmalades, Pickles and Chutneys

These preserved foods are usually made to accompany meat. Jams are made from crushed fruit or berries that are broken down during the cooking process. Marmalades are jams made with only citrus fruits. Pickles are vegetables or fruit preserved in vinegar, usually with other seasonings added. Chutneys are cooked mixtures of fruit and/or vegetables that have sugar and vinegar added.
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