Questions about long-term food storage such as canning, pickling, freezing, and drying.
2
votes
1answer
64 views
Is it possible to can lemons in a simple syrup as opposed to using salt?
I would like to know if its possible to can/preserve whole meyer lemons in a sweet simple syrup, much like you would can peaches or cherries.
I haven't been able to find a recipe for canning lemons ...
29
votes
1answer
3k views
How long can I store a food in the pantry, refrigerator, or freezer?
How do I know if a given food or ingredient I have is still good, or if I should discard it?
How can I best preserve a food or ingredient?
This broad question is intended as a "general reference" ...
6
votes
6answers
227 views
Does a home produce refrigerator exist?
It seems there are many foods that benefit from 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit / 10 to 15 degrees Celsius storage temperature--herbs, peppers, tomatoes, etc. As it stands, I store tomatoes and some ...
2
votes
2answers
109 views
Why does soda bread preserve less well than sourdough or yeast based bread?
Most soda bread recipes I've come across (for example, this one) say something along the lines of "best eaten the day it's prepared", "will keep for a day" or similar. This is not the case for most ...
-1
votes
2answers
102 views
Pickle handling [closed]
Pickles - My brother in law has a fit if you touch the pickles with your hands to replace them in the jar. He claims if they come in contact with you it will cause the whole jar to spoil.
28
votes
7answers
35k views
How dangerous is it to refreeze meat that has been thawed?
I've often been told by people that I shouldn't refreeze meat (particularly hamburger meat) once it has been thawed. However, this seems a little silly to me. I can't imagine how meat that hasn't ...
5
votes
2answers
10k views
How long will fresh scallops keep in the refrigerator?
Today I bought one pound of fresh scallops from the seafood counter at the local market, but my dinner plans have changed - I am no longer planning to cook the scallops this evening and I don't ...
2
votes
2answers
147 views
homemade chilli oil
I am making chilli oil using light olive oil, crushed chilli, dried garlic, dried fennel seeds and parsley. I have been making this for years. I am concerned about this Botulinum business. Should I ...
6
votes
5answers
32k views
What is the ideal fridge temperature
I notice that in both countries where I lived the fridges are kept at 6 or 7 °C (43-45 °F). When it would be colder, people find their drinks to cold, when served straight out of fridge (especially in ...
2
votes
1answer
113 views
Keeping rice paper spring rolls moist
I've made some fresh spring rolls by filling rice paper sheets with vegetables, cheese and peanuts, without any cooking. I've kept the uneaten ones in the fridge for a night in a sealed box. The ...
10
votes
5answers
3k views
Can I make pickled eggs that don't require refrigeration?
This time of year I have a ton of extra eggs. In the winter I have fewer. I have, therefore, been experimenting with egg preservation techniques.
I like pickled eggs a lot. They aren't very versatile ...
12
votes
8answers
6k views
Making “long(er)-life” homemade mayonnaise
Most recipes I've seen for mayonnaise suggest that homemade mayo should be kept in the fridge for no longer than between 3 and 5 days.
What techniques or ingredients can be used to increase the ...
4
votes
2answers
677 views
How to preserve the “sugar syrup” without using a cold storage?
I prepared the Gulab jamuns few days back. Now there is a lot of sugar syrup remaining, what's the way of preserving it without using the fridge?
One way is to boil it daily, but that'll consume a ...
4
votes
5answers
9k views
How to dry homemade pork sausages with proper humidity and temperature?
I am new to this and am attempting to dry some pork sausages. I was told to add a quarter pound of salt for every ten pounds of pork meat, which I did (I used ordinary table salt). I have the sausages ...
2
votes
2answers
180 views
Shelf-life of pressure-canned soups - is it still good?
I am just trying to get a rough idea of how long a pressure canned soup can last. We made turkey soup with thanksgiving leftovers, which we canned. I have it dated from 10-28-2012, so it's a little ...
7
votes
1answer
164 views
How to ship bread or bread dough?
I've been thinking about starting a boutique mail order dinner roll business.
Dough
While I'd really like to ship dough and allow customers to bake (per roll) at their leisure, I'm beginning to think ...
2
votes
1answer
47 views
What are 'quick cook' beans?
I've been looking at recipes to prepare in bulk and store in mason jars for a few weeks. A company called Honeyville Farms sells a bunch of freeze dried stuff for this purpose, as well as 'quick cook' ...
2
votes
1answer
67 views
Can I substitute dehydrated veggies for freeze dried in recipes?
I've been looking at pre-made mason-jar meals recently and notice a lot of recipes use freeze dried food. Namely, Cheff Tess' (presumably a spokesperson for Honeyville Foods) meal-in-a-jar mixes. I ...
6
votes
5answers
1k views
Possible to freeze jam in glass?
I have read on multiple canning sites that you can freeze jam in glass jars. Has anyone actually done this successfully? Under what circumstances would it be preferable to putting the jam in plastic ...
7
votes
5answers
4k views
Minimum procedure for sterilizing mason jars for canning
My wife and I are about to do some tomato canning tomorrow. We have a bunch of mason jars that we didn't have time to sterilize. She thinks that just washing them in hot water is enough. After ...
8
votes
5answers
3k views
Why prevent apples from turning brown?
It's somewhat well-known that applying an acidic solution to sliced apples prevents them from turning brown as quickly. I believe that the primary motivation to prevent the "browning" is aesthetic: ...
4
votes
3answers
160 views
What would be good preservatives for chili to give it a longer shelf life?
Everyone says we make a great chili and I was thinking about selling it at Chili festivals etc... and was wondering does anyone have any ideas of what preservatives would make the shelf life stretch ...
24
votes
3answers
895 views
Does freezing butter or margarine change the properties?
I have a lot of butter & margarine and looking for ways to keep it for longer time.
Will freezing them change melting point, flavor, or anything that could be undesirable when cooking?
Update:
...
8
votes
3answers
276 views
Can the bacon in homemade “Bacon Salt” be made shelf stable?
After success making several fancy salts including Sriracha, smoked, and green chili I've decided to try to move in to stranger and tastier territories. As such I want to make a bacon salt. The ...
2
votes
1answer
123 views
How to make shelf-stable chocolate milk?
Based on online reading, it seems like decreasing PH to < 4.5 is the way to reduce spore-former activity.
Is it possible to decrease the pH of milk without significantly affecting its taste and ...
8
votes
1answer
195 views
How to make/preserve popcorn so that its taste and texture doesn't deteriorate within a day or two?
I really love popcorn and usually pop it on the stove and eat it right away. However I'd like to make it ahead to save for snacks at work. I tried this once before and the kernels got a bit stale ...
2
votes
1answer
57 views
Which parts of fresh Fenugreek am I supposed to throw off before attempting to dry them out completely?
The fresh Fenugreek which I bought contains:
- long stems
- green leaves
- yellow leaves
I wish to know what parts of fresh Fenugreek am I supposed to throw off before attempting to place them ...
5
votes
3answers
170 views
What is the procedure to dry out Fenugreek leaves?
It is winter here. I wish to purchase lots of fresh Fenugreek leaves and then dry them out for later use.
Questions:
What procedure should be followed to dry them out in winter as fast as possible ...
4
votes
2answers
324 views
How to store homemade bread?
I made a bigger batch of bread than I was initially planning on, and I don't want it to go bad before I get a chance to eat it. Having it go stale isn't an issue (french toast, bread pudding), but ...
3
votes
1answer
209 views
How long does lotus root stay fresh?
I've got some lotus root that I had in the fridge about a week before I opened it. I left the lotus root in the water in which it was packaged and I'm wondering how long it stays fresh. It still ...
1
vote
2answers
188 views
Why do vegetables cooked with freshly ground spices taste better than those cooked with powdered spices available in the market?
I used to use powdered spices (purchased from market) for all my vegetables. Lately I have started grinding the spice seeds myself to use in the vegetables.
I have noticed a remarkable "taste" ...
-3
votes
2answers
211 views
What are the alternatives to fresh apple juice?
My doctor has told me to drink fresh apple juice in the morning.
I am finding it difficult to drink fresh fruit juice daily.
Is there anything available in the market which I can keep in the ...
7
votes
5answers
12k views
Do you have to refrigerate Pickles?
So last weekend the wife and I got a huge jar of pickles at Costco. The thing is bigger than a gallon of milk (the wife really loves her pickles). There really isn't any room for it in the fridge, ...
5
votes
5answers
24k views
How long can you keep chocolate, and what is the best way to store it?
For instance, I have some bars of Valrhona I use for chocolate tarts and pastries, but I haven't been doing the dessert thing in a while. How long does chocolate last before losing flavor (or does ...
7
votes
3answers
4k views
Why do they put the jelly-like substance in pork pies?
I don't like the jelly-like substance found in between the pastry and meat of pork pies, and I don't know anyone that does, so I was wondering why they put it in. Or is it a by-product of the ...
6
votes
1answer
219 views
How to remove individual steaks from a lump I mistakenly froze together?
I got a vacuum sealer and stored about 7 pieces of steak in 1 bag. I put it in the freezer and just now I decided to take out a couple of steaks to thaw out so I cut open the bag but all the steaks ...
3
votes
3answers
169 views
best way to preserve ricotta?
I buy ricotta in large quantities (1kg) and I'm always throwing it out when it gets yellowish on the top border, and I'm pretty sure that yellow stuff is toxic.
Since I always eat ricotta with lots ...
7
votes
7answers
890 views
Looking for non-standard (i.e. no dill) fermented pickle suggestions
I'm looking for some outside the box ideas for fermented (sour) pickles. Fermented pickles only use a salt water brine, spices and some time.
Here's a short list of what I'm NOT looking for:
...
3
votes
2answers
984 views
My Shrink Wrapped Steaks are Brown when I thaw them!
My parents bought a slab of steaks from my cousin who personally shrink-wrapped them. But when they thawed them out they were brown!
Are they still good to eat? What's going on?
My dad didn't cook ...
3
votes
1answer
199 views
What is a economic way to store/buy ingredient for salad
Given that many ingredients in salad will go bad after several days, how can you store leftover salad so it is not wasted? Many vegetables such as beans lose their freshness after opening the ...
3
votes
1answer
408 views
Preserve cut potatoes
I am going to cut some potatoes tonight for a dish I am going to make tomorrow. Will keeping the cut pieces in water immediately after cutting preserve them? There are suggestions at other websites ...
4
votes
1answer
50 views
Keeping ripe pears for canning later
I picked my pears Labor day weekend like I always do but when I went to can them the following weekend only about 1/4 of them were ripe. Now the rest are all very ripe and there is no way I can get to ...
6
votes
3answers
1k views
Why is my blueberry jam grainy?
I recently made and canned blueberry jam for the first time, using this recipe and canning instructions.
I filled all my jars & canned them, but there was a little jam left in the pot. It was a ...
7
votes
3answers
4k views
How do I maximize the shelf life of my homemade hot sauce?
I am planning on putting this year's crop of hot peppers to use by trying my hand at making my own hot sauces.
I've never tried this before, but I've found a number of recipes on the Internet. ...
16
votes
5answers
4k views
Is there anything I can add to homemade bread to preserve it?
I love making our own bread - we rarely buy shop bought, but it tends to go off very quickly. Part of the appeal is that it doesn't have any "junk" in it - artificial preservatives - which I'm sure ...
15
votes
2answers
1k views
Why peel tomatoes?
Everyone seems to think it is necessary to peel tomatoes before canning or freezing them. Since I do not peel tomatoes when I'm cooking with them (soups, salsa, etc.), I'm wondering if I can freeze ...
2
votes
1answer
1k views
How can I cure and store bacon in a warm climate?
I know bacon was originally a meat preservation method. Now it is just for flavor and manufacturers take shortcuts that make it need refrigeration. I have read in other answers that it is possible to ...
17
votes
5answers
3k views
Can I freeze Milk?
After a bit of miscommunication, my wife and I ended up buying 6 litres of milk between us. I don't really want to waste it, so I'm wondering if it's safe to freeze some of it and defrost and use it ...
4
votes
2answers
225 views
how to have fresh steamed bluecrabs in the late afternoon that I buy live in the morning
I have a pretty awesome live blue crab hookup, but I can only get crabs there super early in the morning. I want to have a crab feast this coming weekend, but wont be able to have company over until ...
2
votes
1answer
99 views
How long is sugar (mixed with minor ingredients) good for?
Over a year ago I made flavored sugars and have recently remembered them. They are basically a sealed container (canning jar) with a cinnamon stick, lemon/orange zest, vanilla bean/pod, or a ...
