Ways to preserve food
by Gordon Hamilton
The need to preserve food and prevent it from spoiling is not a problem new to modern day society. If anything, people centuries and more ago had an even more pressing need to find ways of storing food for consumption beyond the relevant growing and hunting seasons. The methods which they came up with for doing so were very varied, depending perhaps more than anything upon the climate in which they lived and many of these food preservation methods are still in use today.
Salting
Hams are perhaps the most popular foodstuff still preserved by salting in modern times. The upper part of a pig’s leg is what is normally used to make a ham, skin and bone intact. A mixture of salt, sugar and saltpetre is firstly forced between the bone and the meat. This is essential to prevent the meat decaying from the inside out. The mixture is subsequently rubbed well in to the outer skin and flesh. The ham is then wrapped and refrigerated for a few weeks before being hung in a dry, well ventilated place in a string bag for several months.
Fish is also commonly preserved by salting, particularly white fish such as cod. The fish is filleted and packed in salt, which serves to draw the moisture that would otherwise cause it to decay, leaving the fish dry and firm. It is later soaked in water to re-hydrate it prior to being cooked in the normal fashion. The flavor of previously salted cod is deliciously sweet.
Smoking
Fish and meats are commonly smoked as a way of preserving them and of adding additional flavor. Hot smoking is where the food is also directly submitted to the heat of the fire, allowing it to be cooked at the same time. Cold smoking is where the smoke is channelled to a separate chamber, helping to preserve the food without actually cooking it.
Pickling
It is usually but not always vegetables which are preserved by pickling. The vegetables will be washed and any roots, leaves or inappropriate skins removed. They will then be added to canning jars, along with vinegar and a number of potential pickling spices. Mustard seeds, black peppercorns, bay leaves, salt and sugar are just some of the more common inclusions. The pickling process takes four to six weeks, after which time the pickles will last for six months or more so long as the jar remains unopened.
Refrigerating or freezing
Modern day refrigerators and deep freezers are the most common ways of extending the shelf life of food. Refrigeration will help to preserve meats, dairy products and certain vegetables for a number of days, while deep freezers will extend that period often to a number of months.
Vacuum packing
The most recent popular development in preserving food is done by encasing it in vacuum packs. These packs are usually made of plastic. The food is placed in the bag and a special vacuum packing machine is used to extract the air and bacteria it contains from the bag, subsequently sealing it. Vacuum packing can preserve foods almost to the same extent as deep freezing.
It is imperative when looking to extend the life of any foodstuff by an artificial preservation method that the procedures required, and the extent of time for which the food is subsequently preserved, are understood in full. Only by following the prescribed course of action, and guidelines, is it possible to properly preserve food and enjoy it at its best, in a safe fashion, at a future time and date.