Even perishable foods such as fish, meat and milk can be stored without refrigeration for several days
How vulnerable are we to circumstances? It would seem that such a problem does not exist and cannot exist. We are surrounded by reliable modern household appliances, and life does not promise any surprises. But suddenly the refrigerator refused to reciprocate or there were problems with electricity! What to do, how to preserve food without refrigeration? There is no need to worry or panic.
Without a refrigerator, you can prevent meat, fish, butter, milk, and eggs from spoiling, at least in the time it takes to repair a household appliance or solve an electrical problem. After all, this has been done for centuries before us, and we will undoubtedly succeed.
Content revision
If you take a critical look at the contents of the refrigerator, you may discover something surprising. Not all products contained in it require refrigeration. Jams, pickles, cans of canned fish and meat, often cereals, sweets and other products can find a new permanent or temporary home. As practice shows, this is up to 90% of its content.
Canning is carried out so that products do not depend on temperature conditions. If there is a “trouble” with the refrigerator, then jars with cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms and other “delights”, which are stored in it for no apparent reason, must be moved to places more suitable for them, thereby freeing up the refrigerator to the maximum.
Help from neighbors
If there is a problem with storing food, you can temporarily place it in a neighbor’s refrigerator. But there is another option. Many models of modern refrigerators are equipped with cold storage batteries. However, not all, and most of us still use household appliances that were released ten, twenty, or even thirty years ago. But no problem. It’s easy to make a cold accumulator yourself. A few plastic bottles filled with water is all you need.
But even here you can’t do without the help of your neighbors, since bottles of water need to be frozen, for which the neighbor’s refrigerator is perfect. Next, a capacious container is selected, for example, a boiler. A couple of bottles with ice are placed on the bottom, four to six bottles are placed from the inside in a circle. Food is placed in the resulting improvised refrigerator. You need to put two more bottles of ice on top of them. The final stage is to wrap the entire structure with an old blanket or bedspread. In such a “cryogenic chamber” food can be stored for two to three days, even in summer. However, they can be kept in such a device forever, if you do not forget to freeze the liquid in bottles as needed.
Storing meat, poultry and fish without refrigeration
Meat, poultry, and fish belong to the category of perishable products, and therefore require special attention if the refrigerator is not working or is missing. Of course, if it’s winter outside, then the issue resolves itself. All problematic products are moved outside - carefully packaged and laid out on the balcony or hung in bags outside the window. Everything is clear here and advice is unnecessary. The situation changes dramatically if you need to store meat products at room temperature or in the summer heat. Nevertheless, this is also possible.
Heat treatment
Heat-treated stewed, boiled or fried meat will “live” much longer than raw meat. Place the cooked meat in a clean glass or enamel bowl and pour over vegetable oil. Next, mix everything thoroughly so that the meat is covered with an oil film. Cover the bowl or pan with a lid and find a cool place for it. Now you have at least a couple of days to resolve the issue with the refrigerator. A similar procedure can be done with poultry and fish, thereby extending their shelf life.
The next method of preserving meat products contains the same ideas as in the previous case - heat treatment and restricting air access. To prepare the stew, pork, veal, beef, lamb, rabbit, and poultry are used. You can also simmer and then seal the fish in jars. In this case, you will get excellent canned fish. There are a huge number of recipes for making stew. But in any case, the meat is subjected to long-term heat treatment - from two hours or more, after which it is filled with fat and rolled into sterilized jars. Theoretically, this product can be stored for several years, but this is not army stew in cans coated with grease, designed for decades of storage. Therefore, it is better not to take risks and consume the stew as quickly as possible - within several weeks if it is stored outside the refrigerator.
To preserve meat products without refrigeration, it is not at all necessary to practice cooking, although heat treatment will still be required. The meat can simply be boiled. Thus, its surface will be cleared of microorganisms and an unfavorable environment will be created for their reproduction. Five minutes of cooking - and the meat can be stored at room temperature for at least a day. You can also boil chicken fillet. It should be immersed in boiling water for a couple of minutes and removed as soon as it turns white.
Salt and other preservatives
There are many different natural preservatives that can ensure the safety of food outside the refrigerator. You can significantly extend the shelf life of meat by rubbing it well with salt and wrapping it in linen or cotton cloth. A similar option is to wrap meat products in food paper and wrap them with natural fabric soaked in a saline solution.
Lemon juice, vinegar, etc. can replace salt with no less effect. Meat processed by them, pre-dried and then placed in a clean glass or enamel container, receives additional protection and can be stored for quite a long time. The same can be done with a bird.
You will have to tinker a little with the fish. Its gills must be removed, gutted well and wiped dry, and the abdominal cavity thoroughly rubbed with salt. After completing all of the above operations, each fish is wrapped in a clean cloth or food paper.
Marinade
Meat or poultry can simply be marinated, giving the product additional flavor properties. Cut them into pieces and place them in layers in an enamel bowl, not forgetting to sprinkle them generously with salt and ground black pepper. It would be enough. There is no need to add vinegar. It is strictly not recommended to use onions or any spices, except when the meat is marinated directly for the kebab and will be cooked within the next few hours.
Something similar can be done with fish. It should be cut along the ridge, each part should be rubbed well with table salt, wrapped in a cloth pre-soaked in a mixture of vinegar and sugar and hung in a well-ventilated place. To prepare the solution you will need a bottle of table vinegar and three teaspoons of sugar. This method allows you to extend the shelf life of fish without refrigeration by up to a week.
Salicylic acid
This substance is used in the food industry for preservation, but it is easy to buy acid at any pharmacy, as it has useful pharmacological properties and is prescribed for the treatment of certain diseases.
For three to five days you don’t have to worry about the meat and the refrigerator if you “wrap” it in natural fabric soaked in a weak acid solution prepared at the rate of two teaspoons per liter of water. The only thing is that you have to wash the meat thoroughly before eating.
Bird cherry and nettle
If the problem of “saving” meat products without a refrigerator finds you far from the benefits of civilization, then bird cherry or nettle will help in this case. These plants contain substances that are natural antibiotics that effectively resist microorganisms harmful to food.
Place pieces of poultry, meat, gutted fish with nettle leaves or bird cherry branches, wrap in a damp cloth and place in a cool place. Now you don’t have to worry about their safety in the next day or two.
Storing eggs without refrigeration
The issue of egg storage is generally very interesting. They lie under the hen for three weeks until the chicks hatch and do not spoil in any way. But the body temperature of this bird is 40.5-42 °C. So the conclusion suggests itself - fresh chicken eggs do not need any special storage at all. If they stay outside the refrigerator for several days at room temperature and not in the open sun, then there is no need to worry about their condition.
The only thing you need to take care of is that the eggs are folded neatly. Otherwise, they may become damaged, which does not contribute to their successful storage.
Still, if you want to play it safe, “seal” them - rub fresh, well-washed eggs with vegetable oil or egg white, and then wrap them individually in. Also, each egg can be immersed in boiling water for 10-15 seconds. The thin protein film formed under the shell will 100% protect the eggs from spoilage.
Storing dairy products without refrigeration
Storing dairy products without refrigeration is not an easy task, but it can be solved. This is where water comes to the rescue. Alternatively, you can fill a bathtub or other large container with cold water, and put the butter, cottage cheese, hard cheese, and milk in a suitable container and set it to cool. If there is a well on a summer cottage or private property, then the problem can be solved even easier. All products that need cooling are placed in a bucket, and it is immersed in the well. Of course, these are not the most convenient ways to store food without a refrigerator, but they allow you to gain the time necessary to radically solve the problem.
Butter is the best way to go without refrigeration. Packed tightly into a glass jar and filled with brine (a teaspoon of salt per glass of water), it can be stored for a long time without additional refrigeration. But the water must be changed daily.
Hard cheese can be saved by storing it in a cool place, wrapped in parchment paper or natural cloth soaked in brine.
To extend the life of fresh milk outside the refrigerator, it must be boiled with the addition of soda or sugar - just a little, about the tip of a teaspoon. In general, why bother with him? Leave it and let it sour. The result is a very healthy and tasty product. After all, you can make or use it to make pancakes.
The hardest thing is to preserve cottage cheese without a refrigerator. The most effective way is to fill the bottom of a glass jar with a layer of table salt and compact the cottage cheese tightly into it. The neck of the jar should be wrapped in gauze soaked in saline solution, which should be refreshed with brine as it dries.
Storing vegetables, fruits, herbs without a refrigerator
Most vegetables and fruits do not need refrigeration at all. The main condition for their long-term storage is moderate coolness and low humidity. It is strictly contraindicated to place them in plastic bags, containers and other sealed containers. They should always be dry and able to “breathe”. Therefore, use a basket or wooden box and store them in a ventilated, cool, dark room.
But greens love moisture. Place it in a container of water - a bowl or even a jar. It will remain pristine fresh for several days.
Things are much more complicated with frozen berries. They won't last long without cold. Therefore, try using the method described at the beginning of the article - place them in a suitable container along with ice in plastic bottles. Well, if there are only a few of them left, cook compote, quick jam, or let it ferment in wine.
How to store food without refrigeration? One of the essential attributes of the kitchen is the refrigerator. We can't imagine how much trouble not having a refrigerator can cause.
Thanks to it, all food products are stored, ingredients needed for cooking are cooled, fruits, vegetables, ice, and meat are frozen for long-term storage.
Just imagine what you will do if the refrigerator breaks down? Panic will immediately begin. After all, it would be a pity for many products that quickly spoil without refrigeration. But there is no need to create unfounded panic. Think about how in past times people managed without this food lifesaver.
Even our grandparents managed to store food without having refrigerators in their kitchen arsenal. All products can be stored without refrigeration for several days. The main thing is to know a few secrets.
If such an unpleasant incident has happened to you - the refrigerator has broken down, and there is no opportunity to buy a new one yet, do not panic. It's good when it's cold season outside. For example, in winter there are no problems at all.
Products can be taken out to the balcony or hung outside the window. At low temperatures, they will not only last a long time, but will also not shrink or lose their original shape.
Various types of liquids It’s better to leave them in the apartment and use them quickly, as they will freeze on the balcony and become unusable. If the refrigerator breakdown occurred in the summer, then more radical methods are needed. After all, you won’t run to your neighbors and ask them to rent two or three shelves for your products.
This is where traditional methods of storing food outside the refrigerator will come to the rescue. They will be very useful. After all, we are faced with the problem of storing food not only in the event of a refrigerator breakdown. He is often absent from the dacha, where many people like to spend a couple of weekends, but they need to eat every day. 
These methods are still useful for a picnic when a large group of you went for a day or two to the countryside in order to take a break from the bustle of the city. In this case, the food supplies may be considerable and everything will definitely not fit in the cooler bag. Therefore, remember the following methods.
Water is a lifesaver for storing many foods.. Many people know how to store greens in it. You need to place parsley, dill, lettuce and other plants in a bowl of water. They will last longer this way and will not lose their primary freshness.
This method is used even if there is a refrigerator. Because the greenery in it quickly fades and loses its presentable appearance. Therefore, before decorating many dishes with it, the greens are placed in cold water for at least forty minutes, then their former beauty will return to it.
You can also store other foods in water. For example, if there is a well at the dacha, then place the desired food in the bucket and lower it into the water, somewhere to the middle of the bucket. The water in the well is always quite cold. This will allow many products to extend their life without refrigeration. Each product category has its own secrets for storing without refrigeration.
To keep milk out of refrigerator, you need to boil it with the addition of soda. After this, place the jar of liquid in a basin or bucket of water. Cover the top of the jar with a towel so that its ends are in the water. This way the entire container will be kept cool.
From time to time the water will need to be changed to colder water to maintain the desired storage temperature. The basin itself also needs to be placed in a cool place or in the shade.
Cheese and you can also save it a little longer if wrap them in parchment paper, which was previously soaked in salt water. If the cheese begins to emit an unpleasant odor, then thoroughly wipe it with gauze soaked in salted water.
Oil can also be stored by immersing it in salt water container, and pour a thin layer of vegetable oil on top. Another way to store butter is to immerse it in water diluted with wine vinegar.
It is very difficult to store all dairy products without refrigeration. But the hardest thing to deal with. Here you can try the following method. Take a cleanly washed jar, sterilize it thoroughly, pour salt into the bottom and fill it tightly with cottage cheese so that there is no room for air. Cover the top tightly with gauze, which must first be moistened in salted water. Place pressure on gauze.
To preserve meat, many ways have been invented. A great option when the meat is still frozen. Then it is enough to wrap it in several layers of paper and then in warm clothes. Then it will melt very slowly. The most reliable method is to pickle it and roll it into jars. In this case, it will live long enough without a refrigerator.
If you need to preserve a large piece of meat entirely, then another option will come to your aid. Do not wash it under any circumstances, just wipe thoroughly with a dry cloth to remove excess moisture. Add salt, place in a glass or enamel container and set aside in a cool place. But it will not remain in this form for long. Therefore, it is best to use this product as quickly as possible.
You can also place the meat in a solution of water and vinegar. or wrap the piece in a vinegar-soaked towel. Store in a cool place with low light. Be sure to rinse thoroughly before cooking.
Another method:Boil the meat and then fry until crust appears over high heat.. Then wrap it in dry gauze and hang it in a dark place in a draft. The meat can be completely filled with milk, covered with a thick towel and placed in a dark place. This method is good because the milk coagulates after a few hours and serves as a kind of vacuum, which prevents the proliferation of harmful microorganisms. 
Chicken meat will help preserve nettle longer. Place the pieces of meat with its leaves. And if you have a whole carcass, then completely fill the chicken’s belly with nettles. You can also wrap it in a towel that has been soaked in vinegar. As it dries, it needs to be wetted again.
In addition to meat, you can also save sausage. But not boiled. She can't live even a few hours without a refrigerator. This product is best eaten immediately. Regarding smoked, the situation looks somewhat simpler. It just needs to be kept in a dark, ventilated place. Then she can last about three days.
Fish can be saved, if you gut it thoroughly, wash it, dry it, rub it with salt and hang it to dry. In this form it will last for a long time. If you don’t want to get dried fish, you can also use the nettle method, which is also suitable for chicken. Another method is to wrap the fish in gauze soaked in a wine solution. It needs to be refreshed periodically.
Sunflower oil will help keep eggs alive outside the refrigerator. You need to grease each egg with oil, lard or white and arrange it in such a way as to avoid them touching each other. It’s even better to place it in a box filled with sand or sawdust.
Fresh vegetables You can also store it in a box with sand. They will last longer if they are not exposed to moisture and if they are kept in a dark, cool place.
But it’s best when you don’t have to resort to such storage methods. After all, a dish is tasty and healthy when prepared from fresh, unspoiled ingredients.
To a modern person, accustomed to everyday conveniences as something taken for granted, such a formulation of the question may seem strange. But let’s imagine that you went to the country, for a picnic, in the end, your refrigerator may simply break down and you need to somehow get around while it is being repaired. It’s good if it’s winter outside, but what if it’s August? How to be?
Prepared meals and products can be stored in the basement. In rural areas, if there is no refrigerator or basement, food can be stored in a well by hanging it on a rope.
If you have ice, you can use a large saucepan or boiler to store food and prepared dishes. Pieces of ice are wrapped in paper and placed tightly on the bottom. Food is placed on top, covered with paper, and again with ice wrapped in paper. Cover the pan with a blanket or some thick cloth and place it in a cool place. If there is no ice, it is replaced with moistened sand.
Store prepared foods separately from raw foods. Try to prepare enough food for your family for one day. On the 2-3rd day, it not only loses its nutritional value and taste, but can also spoil.
Sausages and lard In summer it can be stored in tiled ovens. Clean the oven thoroughly and place food wrapped in paper in it. In a draft (draft) in the oven they will remain fresh for a long time.
Raw meat It will last longer if you wrap it in a clean cloth moistened with vinegar or salt it well and put it in some container and cover it with a lid. Place a saucer at the bottom so that the blood from the meat drips into it.
Bones and meat with bones Even in the refrigerator they do not last long, and therefore their storage outside the refrigerator is problematic.
Cooked meat It is better preserved in dry form, so the water in which it was cooked must be drained.
Grilled meat It lasts for a long time if it is filled with fat. However, make sure that there is no water left in the fat.
If you need to store smoked meat for a long time, do not wash it.
In summer, protect meat from flies. Do not place raw vegetables, dairy or cooked products nearby.
Open canned food use immediately. If there is some left over, transfer to a glass container and cover.
Also open canned vegetables only before consumption.
Milk cannot be stored in aluminum containers. After boiling it, pour it into a glass, enamel or earthenware container.
You should not cover freshly boiled milk. It acquires an unpleasant odor.
Boiled milk will last longer if you add a little sugar to it.
Milk can be kept fresh longer if the glass container with it is placed in a bowl or wide pan with cold water and covered with a clean, wet napkin so that its edges dip into the water. Uniform evaporation of water from the napkin will maintain a low temperature in the container with milk.
Sour cream, cottage cheese, butter They are well preserved if they are placed in a container in cold water. In summer, the water should be changed several times a day. Cottage cheese is well preserved without refrigeration if it is wrapped in a clean, damp white cloth and kept at a temperature no higher than 10-15 °C. The fabric should be rinsed in cold water once or twice a day.
To prevent the surface of the cheeses from drying out, wrap them in a damp cloth.
Flour and cereals Best stored in tin boxes or boxes. You can also put it in bags, but then you should ventilate it at least once a month, stirring it. Place some charcoal on top of the bag. Thanks to it, you can avoid the penetration of insects, dampness and prevent the appearance of rottenness.
Eggs for long-term storage, they are placed in boxes with the sharp end down and covered with shavings, sand or straw.
Eggs are not washed for this storage. You can also grease each egg or fill it with paraffin and put it in a jar. Regardless of storage method, they should be kept in a cool place.
Fresh vegetables They are stored for a long time if they are put in a box and covered with dry sand (so that they do not touch each other).
Peeled vegetables can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. However, avoid metal utensils. Also, do not keep boiled vegetables in metal containers.
Potato store in a cool, dark place at a temperature not lower than 0 °C. At lower temperatures, starch quickly turns into sugar, and potatoes become sweet and tasteless. Light promotes the formation of a harmful substance in potatoes - solanine.
Onion and garlic In winter, it is better to store them woven into wreaths and hanging so that they do not touch other objects.
Lettuce, radishes, green onions and other vegetables will remain fresh for several days if they are wrapped in a cloth moistened with a solution of vinegar and water.
Parsley and green onions You can have it in winter too. To do this, plant parsley roots and onions in flower pots or boxes and place them on the windowsill in the kitchen. You should not water frequently.
Pork fat keeps for a long time in glass, enamel or earthenware containers in a cold room.
Vegetable oil It won’t go rancid if you pour it into a dark glass bottle to the top, add 50 g of vodka and seal it well. The oil should be stored in a cool, dry place.
Mushrooms buy only if you are one hundred percent sure of their quality, and this quality is determined by competent persons, and purchase as much as is necessary for one-time use.
Fresh mushrooms and dishes made from them cannot be stored even in the refrigerator.
To prevent dried mushrooms from losing their flavor, they should be stored in jars that are hermetically sealed.
Salt, sugar, black and red pepper easily absorb moisture, so they should be stored in a dry place in tightly sealed glass or porcelain containers.
To prevent salt and sugar from absorbing moisture, place a few grains of rice at the bottom of a salt shaker or sugar bowl.
The salt will also be dry if you mix it with starch (for 500 g of salt - 30 g of starch) or put blotting paper at the bottom of the jar in which it is stored.
Poppy goes rancid quickly. Fresh poppy seeds are best kept in a linen bag in a cool, well-ventilated room. You should grind poppy seeds only before use: if ground, it will spoil faster and become bitter.
Yeast They stay fresh for two weeks if they are cut into small pieces, put in a jar, filled with cold water and placed in a cool, dark place. Yeast does not lose its fermentation properties for several weeks if it is ground with flour, dried, put in a cup or glass and sprinkled with more flour on top. You can also add yeast to crushed salt.
Nuts They are well preserved if washed in cold water and dried in the open fresh air. When the nuts are completely dry, they are put in a bag and hung.
Dried fruits and vegetables are well preserved in gauze bags in a suspended state in a cool room. From time to time they should be examined and spoiled ones selected.
Dry dough products They are stored for a long time if they are placed in a tin box, tightly closed and kept in a cool room.
Cake will not dry out if you put an apple in the box where it lies.
Black and white bread should be kept separately. White easily absorbs the smell of black, as a result of which its taste deteriorates.
In fact, there are many options when it comes to storing food outside of the refrigerator. For example, you need to know how to preserve meat without refrigeration if a person goes somewhere in the summer for a barbecue picnic. It is in this case that ordinary ice in which the meat will be placed will help. Beef or lamb can survive the longest without refrigeration, but for poultry and pork this shelf life is reduced. Any meat will retain its fresh appearance best if it is separated from the bones. Having cleared the meat from the bones in advance, you need to rinse it well, removing all the blood and dirt. Well-dried meat is rubbed with lemon juice or vinegar, leaving the product in a sealed container in a cool place. It is allowed to hang meat in a draft.
To ensure that a fresh meat product does not spoil over several days, it is necessary to rub it on each side with rendered pork, beef or lamb fat. The processed piece of meat is wrapped in waterproof paper and sent to the coolest place. There is another option that will allow the product not to spoil in the absence of a refrigerator. It is necessary to take raw meat and immerse it in boiling water for several minutes, and the liquid should be well salted. Beef and lamb are dipped in boiling water for three minutes; if it is young veal, then one minute is enough. After which the meat is left in a ventilated, cold place where flies have no access.
Among the folk methods are the transfer of meat products with grated horseradish or nettle, as well as fresh bird cherry leaves, wrapping the pieces in a wet towel. Material well soaked in vinegar or saline solution, in which you will need to wrap beef and pork, will also prevent the meat from deteriorating. Even in the strongest heat, the meat will not go rotten if you rub it with cut lemon. It is important to leave the prepared product in a ventilated place. Skim milk, which quickly curdles and tightly covers the product, will allow you to keep the meat tenderloin in good condition for a whole week. In this case, it is also necessary to send the meat to a cool place. Before further use of tenderloin that has been stored in this way, it must be washed well and dried.
Honey or fresh milk combats oxidation and bacterial growth well. To do this, you need to completely cover the meat with raw milk or honey. Regular table salt will also help preserve meat longer. In this case, you will need to prepare a saline solution from a pack of salt and two liters of water. Meat pieces are placed in the prepared salty liquid, which must be wrapped in advance with culinary parchment (the weight of each of them should not exceed two hundred grams). In this way, the product can be stored for more than two days. If it so happens that meat was already stored in the freezer compartment of a broken refrigerator, it is important to slow down the defrosting. In this case, you can use foil or special thermal bags. To create the effect of a thermos, a piece wrapped in foil is wrapped in several layers of material.
If you need to preserve meat for up to a week, a towel soaked in a solution of salicylic acid will do. Before preparing meat for long-term storage without refrigeration, regardless of the method chosen, you need to rinse it well under running water. To prevent the meat from spoiling, you can fry it until a crust forms, pack it in a gauze bag and hang it in a place where there is a draft. It is also possible to keep the meat over the gas until a dry crust forms. Tied with twine, such meat is hung in a cool place. In order to preserve boiled chicken meat, you should use red pepper and salt, rubbing the product well with spices on all sides.
In addition, you can use salting of meat, obtaining the so-called corned beef. To do this, you can traditionally use salt or add your favorite herbal spices. To prepare the brine, thirty grams of salt are used for one liter of water (it is best to use boiled water). Beef, lamb or pork is cut into large pieces and sent to the prepared salty solution. Such a product should be kept in brine for up to a month. Store cooked corned beef in a cool, dark place. You can also use drying the meat in a special dryer, removing all the fat from it in advance. The meat, cut into thin slices, is placed in a drying apparatus and dried for twenty hours at a temperature of at least eighty degrees.
Sometimes life gives us gifts in the form of a large leg of lamb or two or three farm chickens bought for the occasion. It’s impossible to eat it right away, but you really want to save it. A life hacker figured out how to properly store different types of meat so as not to harm your health.
Storing meat in the refrigerator
If you are going to cook meat today or tomorrow, you don’t have to freeze it. It is enough to remove it deeper into.
Typically, the bottom shelf is coldest. However, it also happens that the top shelf is the coldest - it all depends on the model of the refrigerator. So read the instructions.
Chicken, turkey and other poultry can only be stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 days raw and 3-4 days cooked.
Pork, beef and other raw red meat will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator. But after preparation, it is not recommended to store it for more than 4 days.
Minced meat can be stored on the refrigerator shelf for no more than 2 days.
Storing meat in the freezer
It is believed that the optimal temperature of the freezer is -18 °C.
The main condition for preserving meat in the freezer is the absence of air in the packaging. Try to remove the meat from the bag and close it tightly. If you have a special vacuum sealer, great, use it. It also doesn't hurt to wrap the bag of meat in foil.
To prevent large pieces from freezing, wrap each piece in cling film.
Be sure to sign all packages and containers. This way you will always know how long the meat has been in the freezer.
A whole chicken, duck, goose or turkey can be stored in the freezer for a very long time - up to 12 months. It is recommended to store individual parts of the bird for no more than 9 months.
Large cuts of beef, veal, pork and lamb can also be stored in the freezer for six months to a year. Small pieces of red meat will last less - 4-6 months.
Game (but not wild fowl) can be stored for 8–12 months.
Frozen minced meat will last no more than 3-4 months.
Cooked frozen meat retains its properties for 2–6 months.
Storing meat without a refrigerator or freezer
If you're going on a long trip or just want to stock up on meat for future use, and the size of your freezer doesn't allow you to go wild, think about alternative ways to store meat.
Pickling
Salt destroys microbes, dries the meat and allows it not to spoil for a long time. There are two main methods of salting. You can rub the meat with salt, let the released liquid drain and get a dry product. To make the meat more tasty, you can add herbs and spices to the salt or pre-marinate it with vinegar. Or you can soak the meat in a saline solution, adding honey or brown sugar for taste.
There are many recipes, but Lifehacker found the simplest one.
How to cook corned beef
Place the pieces of meat in a bag or jar with a tight-fitting lid and sprinkle them with salt. Make sure that the meat is covered with salt on all sides.
Close the jar or bag tightly and put it in a cool place (2–4 °C, but never below zero).
The aging period for meat is calculated as follows: 3 days for each centimeter of meat. For example, a piece 10 cm thick will be salted for a month. Corned beef in a jar with a volume of no more than 1 liter is prepared for at least 3 weeks.
Rinse meat with water before eating. Corned beef can be stored without refrigeration for 3-4 months if kept in a container that does not allow air to pass through.
Drying
Cut the meat into narrow strips approximately 1 cm thick. Boil the meat for 3-5 minutes. Then take it out of the water and let it dry completely.
Salt the meat strips and season with spices to taste.
Place a sheet of parchment on a baking sheet, place the meat in a single layer and place in the oven. Select the minimum temperature and turn on the ventilation mode or open the door slightly. After 8–12 hours the meat is ready.
Dried meat can be stored for up to 2 months without refrigeration in a tightly closed container.
Canning
Canned meat can be stored for years. The only thing you need to take into account: for canning meat, in addition to jars with lids, you need a special device called an autoclave.
FoodCraftLab/flickr.com
This is a rather cumbersome thing that not everyone has on their household. However, it is precisely this that guarantees the safety of canned meat. Grandma’s old method of canning with steamed sterilization of jars, alas, is not safe enough for meat.
You can preserve both boiled and raw meat.
Canning boiled meat
Boil the meat with salt and spices until half cooked. Then transfer the pieces into hot sterile jars and fill with hot broth almost to the top.
Wipe the jars, close them tightly with lids and place in the autoclave. Next, follow the instructions for using the autoclave.
Canning Raw Meat
Pieces of raw meat are salted and placed in jars. The meat does not need to be filled with anything: it will give juice on its own when heat treated in an autoclave. This method requires more time than canning cooked meat. Cooking pressure and time also depend on the size of the jars and the amount of meat. The jars must be hermetically sealed.
Meat preserved in this way can be stored without refrigeration, but it is still recommended to keep it in a cool place.
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