Some experts on preserving foods stress safety and recommend that all dried meats such as beef jerky be precooked to a safe internal temperature before drying. This safety step results in a product with a different color and texture than traditionally dried meat, and is unacceptable to some people. Precooking meats to a minimum temperature of 160°F before drying ensures that… …click to read more…
Refrigerator or fresh pickles are one of the easiest food preservation methods that anyone can do. You can make these pickles simply by washing, trimming, and soaking fresh vegetables in acid. The most common acids used to pickle foods are acetic (vinegar), citric (lemon juice), and lactic (whey). Because these pickles have unknown acidity and are not heat processed (such… …click to read more…
Brining, also known as corning or sweet pickling is a good meat curing method for beginners because it is easy and relatively inexpensive to do with delicious results. To make corned beef, you immerse meat in brine, which is simply a solution of salt and water. Besides salt and water, there are a few other ingredients commonly used in a… …click to read more…
Studies estimate that most Americans waste food, an average of 25% or a little over $2,000 annually in the family grocery shopping budget. Fresh produce tops the list of food waste items. Below are easy ways you can preserve fresh fruits and vegetables before they spoil. Even if you have never tried any food preservation methods, you can easily incorporate… …click to read more…
If you want to try pressure canning low-acid meats and vegetables, here is a short tutorial on the essential concepts and a plan for getting started. Boiling Water Bath vs. Pressure Canning As you may know, there are two canning methods: boiling water–bath (BWB) canning and steam-pressure canning. Which method you use depends on whether the foods you want to… …click to read more…
Here is a brief description of the food preservation methods detailed in the book The Home Preserving Bible. Canning, freezing, and drying food are the most common methods for preserving foods at home today. However, there are many other methods, and some are easier and less expensive. Listed below is an overview of 10 methods for preserving foods, including today’s popular… …click to read more…
Canning, freezing, and drying are popular home preservation methods today. In the past, people preserved food because they didn’t have any other choice. In times of pestilence, war, famine, tsunamis, and earthquakes, people wanted to make sure they had some food ‘put by.’ Unlike today, they lacked a year-round supply of fresh food and mechanical refrigeration. But preservation methods go well… …click to read more…
The information in this article has been updated and expanded. For a more detailed discussion on this topic, see Salting is an easy way to ferment, pickle, and store vegetables. Dry salting is an old-fashioned method for preserving vegetables. It was popular in the early twentieth century, especially during the first and second World Wars. Layering food with salt as… …click to read more…
