Preserving food.

Saranak

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Ciao a tutti,
Give the situation I think it may have use to share ways to preserve foods. Sun dry in UK is not option but we can use vinegars, oils and honey. Any way that stop bacteria growing. I know we have freezer but what happen when freezer full or electric goes off?
For many century honey was used all through Italia even today it is used. Expensive vegetable are preserved in big jar covered in honey. Meats and fish can have same treatment. Salt is age old also balsamic is good. I see mama and nonna seal fish in a pot with a cover of boiled lard then layer of honey over. Nonna said lard keep out air and honey stop germs. I read this called anaerobic condition. Lacking of air stops decay. Also cooked lasts better than raw. Please forgive I did not go school too often.
Use and melt candle wax to covering cheeses, if it swim, move or grow pickle!. Mama always said to me think best will happen but prepare for worse. I often use sea salt I always have 4 -5 kilo in house. I salt cure many fish and make in the past own Salumi. Anything left over can preserved. As I say never throw out what you could look for tomorrow! Fresh pasta can stay good for months hang racks over heater to dry.
I come from poor area of Italia in traditions we may be more use to scarce food (No offence intend). So if situation get very bad I revert to Cucina Povera. A piece of cheese has mouldy cut off not throw. Same with vegetable. Celery leaf use. Many flower can be eaten. Boil citrus fruit in sugar and sit to dry. Look at thing many will not.
Funghi can be dried as all know.
Mi dispiace I ramble.

Sarana x
 
We preserve in bottles (tomato, mint, plum sauces) jars (Beetroot,gerkins,relish,onions,) all,stored in cupboards in the garage. We also freeze in 2 litre containers tomato pasta sauce, tomato with herbs for winter pastas etc. nz being a small country do a lot of preserving. My mum did and my nana did. We were all considered poor, working class families. I make lots of other things as well that keep really well. I keep a lot of general stuff like ginger, galangal, lemon grass etc frozen as well.

Russ
 
Does anyone have experience with preserving meat? I was looking for ham last month and my grocery store was sold out, said they weren't sure when they would get any in (except for deli ham for sandwiches, which I don't want). I have multiple pork tenderloins in my chest freezer that I bought awhile back when on sale for $1.99 lb, which is a great price. I got some pink curing salt from my husband's cousin and am thinking about giving it a try to cure the tenderloin. I thought it might be good for eggs Benedict or just to use for omelets or small batches of soup...not much a fan of cured pork otherwise except bacon, pancetta, and proscuitto.

Also was thinking about trying to do salmon in my air fryer using the dehydrator setting. I don't want it too dehydrated, really, not chewy or crunchy. I would use it pretty quickly and keep it in the frig so it wouldn't have to be perfectly preserved. My goal is to achieve more of the texture that hot smoked salmon has. I prefer it over cold-smoked lox for bagels, lox always seems slimy to me. I thought about using a marinade with some liquid smoke for flavor. I had always thought liquid smoke was made of chemicals but found out recently that's not the case. And since I don't have a smoker, well...any ideas are welcome!

Thanks in advance!
 
If you want to preserve meat, one option is to use a pressure canner (NOT a pressure cooker). I did this with a friend back in 2013, using her pressure canner.

Dehydration is another method, but I'd freeze after. Just for added safety. Jerky, which is dehydrated meat, has a good historical pedigree as a useful meat preservation method.
 
My goal is to achieve more of the texture that hot smoked salmon has. I prefer it over cold-smoked lox for bagels, lox always seems slimy to me. I thought about using a marinade with some liquid smoke for flavor. I had always thought liquid smoke was made of chemicals but found out recently that's not the case. And since I don't have a smoker, well...

Thanks in advance!

Okay, so what I did was: I took a 4 oz. piece of fresh salmon and took off the skin. I gave it a quick marinade of a few drops of liquid smoke mixed with soy sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, and lemon pepper and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then I put it in my air fryer on 220 and let it cook for about 30 minutes. I then turned it down to 180 and let it cook another 20 minutes or so. It came out perfect for what I want to use it for, which is to put on bagels for breakfast with cream cheese, red onion, and capers. It came out firm and has a delicious, delicate smoky flavor. I think it's going to be great on the bagels tomorrow! Now that I know it works, I can buy a bigger piece of fish next time and cut it into sections to cook all at once, then freeze whatever we aren't going to use immediately.

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Okay, so what I did was: I took a 4 oz. piece of fresh salmon and took off the skin. I gave it a quick marinade of a few drops of liquid smoke mixed with soy sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, and lemon pepper and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then I put it in my air fryer on 220 and let it cook for about 30 minutes. I then turned it down to 180 and let it cook another 20 minutes or so. It came out perfect for what I want to use it for, which is to put on bagels for breakfast with cream cheese, red onion, and capers. It came out firm and has a delicious, delicate smoky flavor. I think it's going to be great on the bagels tomorrow! Now that I know it works, I can buy a bigger piece of fish next time and cut it into sections to cook all at once, then freeze whatever we aren't going to use immediately.

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I just recently run out of liquid smoke. I must have had it for about 8 years. My butcher friend gave it to me,and he's been retired that long. Very little is needed. I used it on my ribs.

Russ
 
I haven't bought it in a long time, since back when I lived in FL. I used to make a great smoked tuna dip (without a smoker). I always thought it was a great product but was worried it was a fake, chemical product. I was so wrong! It's not.
 
You might find this strange, but I can't stand any kind of cooked salmon. I love lox, nova and home cured gravlax. Have you ever had smoked black mullet from the Tampa area? I just put a 10 pound batch of Tasso in a cure and in the fridge until next Monday when I'll smoke it, along with 10 pounds of Andouille that I'll add the spices to Friday or Saturday. I'll also add additional fat to it before grinding and stuffing into casings to smoke. Both the Tasso and Andouille will be vacuum packed in individual serving portions and frozen. We do a bit of preserving meats (charcuterie) which is always vacuum packed and frozen. Altough we do some canning, we have never tried preserving meat by canning. The place I get boneless pork butts from, didn't have any today, so I bought boneless pork sirloin in cryo packs. We'll see how that works.
 
You might find this strange, but I can't stand any kind of cooked salmon. I love lox, nova and home cured gravlax.

I don't find it strange at all as I'm exactly the same! I hate the texture of cooked salmon and find the taste cloying. But like you I love lox, smoked salmon etc. Oddly enough I don't mind tinned salmon (which is obviously cooked) but only occasionally in small doses.
 
I am the opposite. I am not a fan of cold smoked salmon (lox). I find the texture slimy and unappealing. I prefer it hot smoked with a flaky texture. But I like raw salmon nigiri or sushi rolls.

My bagel was yummy.

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CraigC

I haven't had mullet from Tampa but I've eaten it plenty of times in Destin, smoked is preferred. I like smoked yellowfin tuna better, though.

My oldest brother's ex-wife is from a little town near Destin called Niceville. The local newspaper there is nicknamed "the mullet wrapper", lol!
 
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