| Preservation of food can done in many ways other | | | | Vegetables are rarely dried as it takes all the flavor |
| than using a refrigerator and here we will look at some | | | | and vitamins out of them. |
| of these options. First let's ask ourselves a question. | | | | Pickling is a method of preserving food by creating a |
| Why do need to preserve food? Well simply put food | | | | chemical reaction which is safe to us but which |
| is essentially biological and was at one point alive and | | | | bacteria are unable to survive in. There are various |
| just like us when we die we start to degrade or rot. | | | | ways in which this can be done with the most |
| Some foodstuffs are seasonal so if we did not | | | | common ones being the use of vinegar or brine. Brine |
| preserve them the majority of food would be wasted | | | | is produced when fermentation of salted water |
| as most of it would become ripe to eat at the same | | | | produces an acid solution. As this is more a chemical |
| time resulting in too much food at this point and none | | | | system the method tends to change between |
| at others. Preservation processes must be non | | | | different foods as foods with more moisture can |
| damaging to the food and non toxic to us so this | | | | produce brine much easier than dryer foods. Food can |
| narrows down the options. | | | | last for many months using this process which doesn't |
| Drying works on the principle that bacteria needs | | | | require a heat source like the sun or fire unlike the |
| water to grow so by removing the water the growth | | | | drying method of preservation. |
| of bacteria which rots the food is slowed or even | | | | Sugaring is a method used to preserve fruit where the |
| stopped. This is a long established method of | | | | fruit is placed into a sugar based syrup this is popular |
| preservation involving drying out the food using the sun, | | | | with apples, pears, apricots and many other fruits. |
| wind or possibly smoking. An added benefit of drying is | | | | Sometimes the fruit is cooked in this syrup and then |
| that it hardens the surface or skin of the food which | | | | dried and stored and in some instances the fruit skins |
| stops dirt and other bacteria from contaminating the | | | | are used as dried fruit skins are popular as a delicacy |
| food. Dried or smoked fish has been a popular | | | | in some countries. |
| preserved food for hundreds of years and still | | | | Freezing is the method that most of us use as most |
| regarded by many today as tastier than fresh fish. | | | | people have home freezers that are cheap to run. An |
| Meat is another product that can be dried although in | | | | advantage of frozen food is that many products can |
| many cases it is salted first, all red meats are able to | | | | now be bought ready frozen to go straight into your |
| be preserved in this manner. Fruits are also dried but | | | | freezer. Even foods that are unsuitable for freezing |
| undergo changes in texture and taste during this | | | | can be cooked and then frozen and many are |
| process some examples are drying a plum produces | | | | prepared so that that defrosting before cooking is also |
| a prune and drying a grape produces a raisin. | | | | not required. |