Food preservation: main methods

Choosing the foods suitable for our energy needs is just as important as storing them in the right way.

Some of them do not need special precautions to be kept at home, such as long-life foods ; for others, however, it is necessary to respect times and methods of conservation , as they are more easily perishable.

In these cases, technology comes to our aid with practical and functional tools, which guarantee the maintenance of the freshness and organoleptic qualities of the different foods.

1. Food and seasonality

It is well known that the daily consumption of fruit and vegetables "in season" ensures an optimal supply of the precious substances contained in them. But it is also true that today, especially in large retailers, it is possible to find everything and at any time of the year, so it often happens that you buy vegetables that are clearly "out of season".

It happens, yes, but it's better not to and there are many reasons. Here are some of them:

• consuming "seasonal" foods avoids introducing preservatives into the body, or even worse, harmful chemicals;
• seasonal products are healthier, because they have all their nutritional properties intact;
• "out of season" fruit and vegetables (as well as the first fruits) are more expensive;
• the purchase criterion according to seasonality reduces atmospheric pollution, to which long transport times contribute;
• finally, foods harvested at the moment of full ripeness are tastier, because they are harvested when they have all their potential for taste.

Summer is the time of year in which you can find the maximum variety of vegetables in full maturity: therefore, we take advantage of the widest offer not only to consume them immediately, but also to stock them for the cold season , storing them properly .

2. The different methods of food preservation: to each his own

To keep the foods we buy properly at home, pay attention to the environmental conditions in which the different types of food are stored, to prevent dangerous bacteria from attacking them, transforming them into potential vehicles of intoxication or infections.

2.1 "Stable" foods: versatile also to preserve

Remember the "cupboard cakes"? With this nostalgic expression we define sweets which, not containing perishable elements, can be stored at room temperature .

Well, these sweets are the prototype of "stable" foods and we can draw inspiration from them to preserve all foods that do not need special treatments : we are talking, for example, about pasta, rice, sugar, oil, dry biscuits and all canned, tinned or jarred foods. Beware of the latter: they are "stable" until the sales package is opened, they must be kept in the fridge immediately afterwards.

Storing "stable" food is therefore very simple and can take place in any useful space in the kitchen or living room, as long as it is away from sources of light and heat.

2.2 Perishable food? We need the cold!

In the preservation of fresh or already cooked food , the refrigerator and the freezer are formidable allies and only need to be supported by some precautions in choosing the containers in which to store the food. Then, we transfer the leftover dishes from meals into containers with lids: they will be preserved in a more hygienic way and the smells of different foods will not risk mixing with each other.

Even if in new generation refrigerators the internal temperature is automatically set according to the external one, it is always good to check that inside our appliance there are never more than 4 ° C, to prevent mold and bacteria from forming.

And if we decide to keep some foods in the freezer, we use bags and trays suitable for freezing, always marking the start date of the procedure.

3. Drying, modern tools for an ancient system

A traditional and always valid preservation method deserves a specific mention, such as drying , now possible with the use of devices that achieve the same characteristics of natural dehydration.

Modern dryers , in fact, using the most advanced technology, replicate the exposure of food to the air and the sun to receive the simplest and most natural preservation treatment that exists, precisely that , which deprives them of internal humidity.

Thanks to a operating system inspired by spontaneous drying, dryers like Teseko from Spice Electronics , perform their task without the use of chemical additives and do not require the addition of ingredients such as sugar, salt, oil or vinegar. For this reason, one of the most interesting characteristics of dried foods is that of keeping their taste and aroma unaltered.

If stored in tightly closed containers, vegetables, vegetables, fruit, but also fresh pasta, meat or fish, once dried, can be stored in the pantry and stored for a long time, generally up to one year from drying.

4. Food storage tips and ideas

Let us therefore be guided by the rhythms of Nature to choose the foods to buy and take advantage of technology to store them in the most suitable way for each of them.

If we decide to stock up on fresh "seasonal" vegetables, we can proceed with their dehydration , with the certainty that their qualities will remain intact: the important thing is that they are well washed and have released the washing moisture before placing them in a dryer, such as Teseko .

Thanks to the possibility of regulating the drying temperature , foods retain 90% of their nutritional properties and can be consumed in absolute safety, even after a long time.