5 ingenious ways for preserving food leftoversBy Angelica Malin

“Please don’t waste food. Live simply, so that others may simply live.”

Food is one of the basic needs of life and you can not live a single day without a meal. Food is cooked to eliminate hunger and what we do after getting filled? we dispose-off the remaining food.

Food preservation is very important as whenever we go to the kitchen we produce waste more often. Some of them are actually a waste but some of the food should be saved or preserved for later use. But throwing out an earth’s great resource is really a shameful act.

The main purpose of preserving food is to slow down the activity of microorganisms. Food-quality control varies from material to material. We can preserve food in different ways so it can be used later.

Let’s go in-depth with the solutions!

 

Pickling of Food

Pickling is one of the most-used ways to preserve food and undoubtedly a well-known one. It is an easy way to store your leftovers, all you need is to save food in a jar soaked in vinegar or in oil and keep it in your kitchen shelf for several days or hours.

This is a method, our grandmothers used to apply and when we mix our food with vinegar, salt, spices; it gives a chemical reaction between them and exceeds its life expectancy. It tends to change the color of the food but maintains the texture.

Canned leftovers

Canning is another convenient method to preserve food. You must have a pot full of water with a lid to cover or a pressure cooker for this. Firstly, you need to boil then place a lid over your food to keep it in pressure for some time.

Afterward, keep the food in sterilized canned jars and put the lid over it. It will keep microorganisms, air out of the jar and store your food for longer-term.

Find a cure in S&S (Salt & Sugar)

In the old days, grandmothers used to save food by salting them especially the fish or meats as there were no refrigerators then. But now you can notice that in many of the houses salting is used to store food in order to make it available at times when options are short. It draws out all the excess water of the food, it’s similar to pickling and food is reserved for months.

Another quite interesting method used by grandmas was the use of sugar on food. It keeps the food save for several hours that is to be used later and is a super-easy tip to preserve your meal. Sugar is used to preserve fruits like apples, strawberries, peaches, etc. The procedure is as follows: Cook material that is needed to be preserved and then stores it in the dry form. 

Use dinner leftover in lunch & Vice versa

“My favorite time of the day is to get up and eat leftovers from dinner, especially spicy food.” –  David Byrne

Sometimes, it becomes convenient for us if we eat food that was left last night as we do not have to cook today. Happy time? Definitely yes. Leftovers are not only for wastage but can easily be used and eaten the next day after refreshing it.

Now, in most of the homes, freezers or refrigerators are already available. We can store our leftovers in them as it becomes a “blessing in disguise” in times when there is nothing else to eat. You just need to save food in the container and keep it in your fridge, it’s a time-saver as well as money-saver for many people.

You can also make packets of leftovers, freeze them and then you can reuse even after a month. Some fruits or vegetables do not maintain their condition according to their preserving power but still, it is beneficial to save food in freezers or refrigerators as many can maintain also.

At times, when you are done with your lunch and still your plate is half-filled with your leftover. You can eat it later by placing your plate in your microwave oven for a few hours with a cover on it. Many types of meal savers are already available in the market and once, you have it, you don’t have to worry about the food later. 

Jellying & Jugging

The aim behind these two methods is the same; to preserve food. Jellying is the process in which the substance is boiled until it comes in the form of a gel and then goes into the jars. Different kinds of fruits generally are preserved by implementing this method and are used later in the form of jams, jellies, and marmalades. Other than fruits, meat and sugar can also be stored in this way.

Jugging is whereas, another super interesting way out to save meals. It involves braising meat and then closing it in air-tightened casseroles or jugs. It was formerly used in ancient times and still used in homes where no advance electronics are being used.

Remember that:

Sharing is Caring!

A lot of people barely eat anything for a whole day and many of them rarely find even a meal in the day. Help them by feeding them. Almost one-third of the total food is wasted every single year and that is huge.

• We have mentioned above how can we preserve our food for later use. The solution is in your hands now, but you can also reduce the chance by following certain tips.
• When you are out to shop, make a perfect limited list according to your requirements.
• Learn to store food to maximize its use.
• Do not overload your fridge; distribute the extra-meal in poor people.
• Blend it and make a stock.
• Look out for expiry dates.
• Get creative with the leftovers.
• Keep checking your serving sizes.

Bottom Line
Preservation of food gives fruitful results as it reduces the amount of time we need to suffer while cooking and the money of course. Make maximum efforts to preserve at your side first. Because almost 30% of the food is being wasted on a daily basis. Try to be creative with your older meal to get a newer one.