Food does not last forever and it is also not available all the time. If you want to manage your life and your family’s life well, you may have noticed that providing healthy food for you and your family daily is something that takes a significant amount of your day.

That is why man invented multiple ways to preserve food, the aim of which was to provide food for a longer period so that it could survive.

Recently, man used food preservation to allow the possibility of using food for longer periods throughout the year.

 

Regardless of being a fan of preserving food in every way, I really find it very convenient for several reasons that we will explain in this post.

But before we start, let us take some light information about food and ways to preserve it, and then we will discuss the benefits that you get from preserving food.

 

Why does food get moldy or brown?

 

As a general rule, food becomes moldy or brown as a result of the interaction of internal enzymes or harmful bacteria and oxidation

 

What are the main methods of food preservation?

 

As a general rule, there are two main types of food preservation methods, the physical method, and the chemical method.

The goal of these two methods is to create an unwelcoming environment for harmful bacteria and enzymes, as well as oxygen, and thus the causes of food spoilage will end and it will remain usable.

 

Physical Methods for preserving food.

 

Preserving food by physical methods has many ways, but all of them aim to eliminate enzymes, harmful bacteria, and oxidation.

Vacuuming: This method is used to preserve food by completely absorbing the air around the food, so there is no suitable environment for oxidation

Freezing: This method aims to stop all chemical and biological processes inside the food, which prevents the rapid spoilage of food

Burial: This method depends on the presence of an environment of darkness and cooling, as well as a lack of oxygen, which prolongs the shelf life of food

Pasteurization:  This method aims to heat the food strongly and then immediately cool it, and this eliminates the microorganisms.

Canning: By using heat for both food and the jar, harmful bacteria are eliminated, and this is done with a good sealing of the jars.

Dehydrating: Using heat, the water inside the food is dried, which prevents the formation of bacteria that cause food spoilage.

 

Chemical Methods for preserving food.

Chemical methods for preserving food include three main methods, each of which is used according to the type of food to be preserved.

1-High-Salt or High-Sugar:

This method is used because it absorbs water from the microorganisms inside the food, and thus harmful enzymes die.

2- Citric and Ascorpice Acides:

This method is used to eliminate enzymes in food.

3-Antioxidants.

This method is used to eliminate oxidants in food.

 

Now that we have explained some simple information about preserving food, let us go to the second part of this post, which is about the benefits of preserving food.

 

How Food Preservation Is Beneficial For You?

 

There are many benefits that you can get when preserving food, but I will share with you the practical benefits that I noticed during my journey with food preservation.

 

1-Saving Money:

 

If you are the father or mother of a family of three or more children, then you definitely know that saving a little money that you spend on food can make a difference in your financial level.
I will share with you what I do to maximize the return on food preservation.

 

•  Always look at the offers published by supermarkets such as Walmart or Target because there is always an opportunity to pay less and get more food.

•  Know your kitchen stock well, whether it is with a stimulus in your mind or in writing.

•  Arrange your day well so that you have time to prepare and store food.

•  When buying food, especially if it is in a large quantity, start immediately to preserve it, because if you leave it for a day or two, you end up forgetting it totally so most of it will spoil, and therefore there will be no return.

 

2-Food availability.

 

One of the great benefits of preserving food is that you will always have food and you will always be ready for any emergency. You can imagine what happened in 2020 (the lockdown period) when all shops and markets were closed.

I remember that I was counting myself among the lucky ones at that time because I did not have to go To the market a very few times!

This is because all the basic materials were kept in my kitchen.

 

3-Food seasons won’t be a problem.

 

Food is now available all year round, but good-tasting food will only be obtained in its season, and here comes the role of preserving food, as it gives you the possibility to obtain food with great taste in the offseason

You can imagine that the apricots or peaches you have on the shelf will taste much more delicious than the apricots or peaches that you

will buy in the off-season.

 

4-you will have a room in your kitchen.

One of the practical benefits of preserving food is to save space in your kitchen because most food preservation methods help absorb water and liquids from the food, thus reducing its size and will take advantage of a small space in your kitchen.

For example, every three pounds of raw meat equals 1 pound of jerky 

 

5-Saves a lot of effort.

Preserving food saves a lot of effort on you when preparing food in two ways.

The first aspect is that it saves you the effort of preparing the main food.

For example, if you have all the food ingredients preserved, it will be easy for you to use them directly without the need for peeling or cutting

The second aspect, which is very important for any father and mother who have children: is to give your child something delicious as a snack

until you finish cooking your meal such as dried mango or marshmallows.

You must have gone through the situation of your child shouting “Mam, I’m hungry” while he says it 20 times a minute!

In such a situation, you will appreciate the importance of preserving food 🙂

 

Conclusion.

 

As a general rule, food preservation is beneficial to you because it saves a lot of money, effort, and time, and also allows you to get food throughout the year, and also reduces storage spaces inside your home.

 

Useful Resources.

What Is The Easiest Food To Preserve? Get Your Full Guide

How does bottling preserve food? A Full Beginner Guide

What are signs that frozen food has thawed and been refrozen? (Explained)

 

External Resources

General Canning Information