How to Preserve Food

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How to Preserve Food

Food preservation has been an important factor since in the past. Though the methods of preservation were quite different from the modern ones, they were still effective enough to increase the longevity of foods. This was not long before the refrigerators were invented in the 18th century. Most amazingly, most of these preservation techniques are still in place presently. They have seemed to be beneficial for preservation of various type of food, especially in the summer period. Although refrigeration and freezing have become popular today, the traditional methods of preservation have also proven to be ideal.

Here are a few ways of preserving food.

1. Drying

It is the most traditional way of preserving food. What actually happens when food is dried is, the moisture is completely removed. This happens where the food is exposed to medium temperature so that it dries but do not cook. Nowadays, there have emerged various methods of drying food. Machines such as electric dehydrator have become the best where it dries food in a much better way and faster compared to heat and sun drying.

2. Salting

Salting and drying are somehow alike in terms of the preservation process. However, salting is added to food especially meat and fish so that it can withdraw moisture. Unlike the sun that dries the food; salt subordinates the microorganism content increasing the longevity of food.

3. Canning

As an inventory of a French chemist, canning can be an effective way to preserve food. It is very effective particularly for foods such as fruits, vegetables, and meats. Canning can be done by putting food in either glass jars or cans but must be sterilized. Heat is required where you have to boil the final package in a pot of water. This allows great preservation where it creates a vacuum seal automatically as it cools.

4. Freezing

Currently, freezing food has become easier as opposed to earlier. Contrary to the old way of collecting ice on mountains, there are electric freezers and refrigerators. The advantages of freezing food are that it increases the longevity of food and it is applicable to almost all types of food. The main function of Freezing is it prevents bacteria from forming. Vacuum sealers are used, especially, in foods such as meat and vegetables to prevent moisture and contaminants from penetrating through to the preserved food. The food can, therefore, stay fresh for longer. Avoid any random vacuum sealers as they are not a hundred percent trusted. There are Quality Vacuum Sealers that are dependable and can ensure a long lasting preservation.

5. Charcuterie

Just like salting, charcuterie does remove moisture from food but it is quite different. It adds flavor to the food being preserved. Curing turns food into a finished product thus it does not need to be cooked.

6. Sugaring

Sugar was previously used as a preservative where most fruits were stored in honey. Sugar is found to draw water from the microbes leaving them dehydrated. As a result, the microbes die eventually leaving food safe from the microbial spoilage. Sugaring is most commonly used to preserve foods fruits such as apples,pears,peaches,apricots, and plums among others.

Overall, the aim of preserving food is primarily to slow down the activity of bacteria and enzymes. Preservation can also kill these germs if done appropriately leaving food fresher for longer. For instance, due to the fact that some preservation methods leave food either dry or acidic, germs are set to limited environment thus they die due to low chances of survival.