Food Storage: What Keeps Food From Going Bad
Over the centuries people have come up with a number of food preservation techniques. Food is vitally important to us because we need it to survive. Without basic preservation processes food would go bad within just a few hours. Food storage preservation includes everything from freezing and refrigerating to canning, dehydrating, and freeze drying. Preservation does one of two things: it either slows down the bacteria that cause food to go bad or it kills the bacteria entirely.
Refrigerating and freezing are two of the most common ways to preserve food. When food is placed in the freezer, the bacteria in the food become frozen too. Therefore, they cannot attack the food and cause it to go bad. When food is put in the refrigerator bacteria are slowed down. This keeps food from spoiling quickly. For example, when milk is left on the counter at room temperature it goes bad within a few hours, but when placed in the refrigerator bacteria are slowed down and the milk last a lot longer.
Canning is a process that has been used since the early 1800s. People enjoy canned food because it last for quite a long time and can be stored at room temperature. This makes it perfect for food storage and for daily eating. When food is canned, it is first boiled to kill off all of the bacteria. It is then quickly canned to keep other bacteria out. Canning is a great food preservation technique but it does alter the food. Since it is boiled the taste, texture, and nutritional value change.
Dehydration is a drying process that uses heat from the sun, air, or other sources to draw the moisture content out of food. Some common dehydrated foods include powdered milk, dried meat, and dried vegetables like sun dried tomatoes. Dehydrating often alters food to the point where a new product is created–like beef being turned into beef jerky. Dehydrated food is popular for food storage because it last for an incredibly long time without going bad.
Freeze drying is a popular food storage preservation technique because it does not alter the food like other processes do and because it can be stored at room temperature. Freeze drying leaves food in a state of suspended animation. When the food is reconstituted it gains back all of its original tastes, aromas, textures, and nutritional content. During the freeze drying process most of the water in the food is removed. This is what keeps the food from spoiling. Many families buy gourmet, pre-made meals from a food storage company.
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