Be able to determine quality
It is impossible to save a spoiled product. When planning to use any storage method, make sure it is fresh:
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A detailed description of the characteristic signs of freshness and staleness is presented in GOST 7269-79. The information applies to beef, pork and all types of slaughter animals, including lamb.
GOST 7269-79 “Meat. Sampling methods and organoleptic methods for determining freshness"
On the third and fourth pages of GOST, methods for determining freshness are described in detail.
Store meat for up to 3 days without refrigeration
The need for safety arises among suburban residents when there is no electricity or refrigerator. Tourists going on long trips to barbecue are puzzled by a similar problem. I’ll tell you about several ways to preserve fresh meat without refrigeration.
If you follow the rules, the meat will remain fresh for three days. If you are not sure of the quality of the product, you should sell it within 48 hours.
If left untreated and kept warm, the meat will begin to spoil within a few hours. To prevent this from happening, any of the following processing methods are used:
| Vinegar wrap The acidic environment prevents the development of bacteria. To store meat without refrigeration, use a towel or piece of cloth thoroughly soaked in vinegar:
There are 3 ways to preserve meat: Method 1 Place the pan or other container with vinegar wrap away from the sun, in a draft. The product will last for two days without loss of quality. Method 2 Barbecue marinating with spices - 2 days. Method 3 To preserve it for a week, dig a hole so that after installing the pan the earth covers it by 10–20 cm | |
| scalding A strong saline solution is made:
Shelf life at room temperature - 2 days | |
| Burning Take a skewer or sharpened stick:
Shelf life : 1–2 days | |
Salting out
Shelf life - 4 days | |
| Nettle When in nature, use the traditional method - cover the meat with nettle leaves:
Shelf life is two days. The leaves of bird cherry, horseradish, and hazel “work” similarly to nettles. | |
Milk and honey
Honey also works - rub it on a piece of meat and leave it covered. Shelf life - 2 days |
How long does smoked fish last in the refrigerator?
Cold smoking fish
If the fish has been smoked for a long time using the cold method, it can remain fresh in the refrigerator for up to 10 days if it is wrapped in paper.
Hot smoking of fish
This fish can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Such a large difference in shelf life is due to the fact that during cold smoking, the fish is soaked in more salt, and a longer heat treatment takes place.
* It is worth noting that both types of fish can be safely frozen. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
* You can also wrap the fish in a cloth previously soaked in salt water and place it in the refrigerator (+3 C). In this form, it does not need to be frozen and can remain fresh for up to 1 month.
* Pay close attention to the smell of the fish and its appearance.
Store meat without refrigeration for a long time
In hot weather without refrigeration, meat will quickly spoil. There are long-term storage methods based on various processing options. With their help, you will extend storage for a month, and even years. Let's look at several popular methods.
In nature, covering the meat with a cloth soaked in a strong saline solution will help keep flies away.
Drying
Our distant ancestors used this method; they cut food into small pieces and laid it out in the sun. Today we have electric dryers that can make high-quality workpieces without our efforts.
It is better to dry lean fillet pieces. Fat after drying gives a bitter taste. Photo: stozabot.com
Before drying, bones and fat are cut off, the piece is crushed into plates 1–1.5 cm thick. Place the slices on a wire rack and turn on the dryer to +75 °C. In 18–20 hours the product will be ready.
Store in a food container at room temperature. The dried pieces will remain usable for two months. Vacuum packaging will extend shelf life for another couple of months.
Vacuum containers come in all sizes and are sold as a set with a pump. Photo: www.compactorstore.co.uk
Pickling
The method is suitable for long-term storage. Salting is done using two methods: wet and dry:
- Dry salting - consists of pouring and rubbing salt and spices into pieces of meat. After this, the product is placed under pressure for 48 hours.
- Wet salting - carried out in a saline solution (10 tbsp + 500 ml of water) for 24 hours. For large volumes 0.5 kg of salt + 5 liters of water. Soak in brine for a day, transfer to jars, seal, pour the remaining liquid to the top and close with a lid.
Corned beef can be stored for 3 months. It is used to make soup, goulash, solyanka and other dishes. It is recommended to soak salted meat before frying.
Conservation
The most reliable storage method. If you follow the rules of preparation and subsequent sterilization, the shelf life of meat can reach several years (2–3 years). There are 2 methods of canning in the table:
Hot canning
Store in a dark place | |
Cold canning
These methods allow you to preserve meat and fish for a long time. |
Storage conditions for fresh fish
It is advisable to cook fresh carp or crucian carp, for example, as quickly as possible. However, there are times when there is no time to cook, or something has happened and the fish needs to be kept fresh for a while.
It is better to clean such fish from the insides and store it at a temperature of 0 to +3 ° C.
Helpful information:
1. It is better to store fresh fish and various seafood in the plus compartment of the refrigerator and for no more than 48 hours.
2. After eating fish, it is worth cooking.
3. If you have prepared seafood, you can store it in the plus compartment of the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Immediately before use, you need to boil them for about 5 minutes.
4. Depending on the type of refrigerator (number of stars), you can store seafood in the freezer from 4 to 12 weeks.
Save frozen food
When going on a trip, many people prefer to take food with them. It's easy to store frozen food on the go. There are special devices and tricks for this.
| Thermal packages Will allow you to keep the cold for 3-5 hours. Sometimes it is possible to preserve meat for up to 14 hours. The bags have a three-layer structure made of foil and laminated paper. Available in the form of a handbag with a handle and a plastic slider clasp. Can be used several times if handled carefully | |
| Cold accumulators Subject to repeated use, complete freezing is required before storing products. They are produced in different sizes and with different fillers (water or gel). Sold complete with portable refrigerator or separately | |
| Thermal bag Made from heat-insulating fillers, specially designed to maintain the microclimate. Sometimes cold accumulators are built into the lid, which increases performance. It is recommended to cool the bag in the freezer before use. Retains cold for 12–24 hours | |
| Portable refrigerator There are two types:
Batteries will not defrost food for almost a day. The car will maintain a constant temperature as long as you like |
In the summer, before laying, each piece is additionally wrapped in several layers of foil.
This increases thermal insulation when transporting meat and will help transport fish on a train or in a car. Photo: annasel.ru If you don’t have any device, use foil and wrap with thick things (towels, sweater, jacket, etc.).
Shelf life of meat: offal and minced meat
Typically, by-products such as liver, kidneys and heart are purchased for preparing meat filling.
Such by-products spoil quite quickly. If kept in the refrigerator, they can stay fresh for up to 8 hours.
If during this time you have not prepared anything from them, then be sure to put them in the freezer, after wrapping them in foil or plastic. They can stay fresh in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Fresh minced meat:
In the refrigerator - up to 10 hours.
In the freezer - up to 3 months.
