How To Preserve Food?

[Pete E]

I would like to be able to cook some meals at home and "preserve" them in such a way they will keep in the field for say a week to ten days (max).

I am wondering if it is possible to duplicate the process of "canning" only using plastic ziploc bags instead of tins so that you end up with something like the British or American MRE's only at a fraction of the cost and more edible/tasty!

What i am thinking is to cook your food, lets say a stew, on the stove at home and when it is say 3/4 cooked, using a clean laddle, put into your foodgrade ziplock bag making sure that there is as little air in there as possible.

Next, with the bag not quite sealed pop it into the microwave, and nuke it for say two minutes. While it is still really hot, seal the bag proplerly and leave to cool. Once cool store in the freezer until needed.

What I am hoping is that by nuking the whole thing your are effectively sterilizing it including the inside of the bag and the remains of any air thats in there. By sealing the bag while its still pipping hot,I am hoping on cooling it would be in effect a vaccum again helping to preserve it.

I don't expect the food to keep for weeks, hence why I said store it in the freezer until needed, but I wonder if they would last say a week in a reasonable British summer as long as the bag was not punctured?

Regards,

Pete

 

[alick]

Hmmm - interesting.

It would be very useful to find a method to do this.

On a practical note, last time I defrosted and reheated a bag of "road accident" (chicken, mushroom, peppers and the like cooked up with a can of tinned tomatoes) from our freezer, the oil in the mix absorbed enough energy from the microwave to melt the bag !

I wonder how they do it in factories that prepare those long life meals in foil pouches ?

 

[Pete E]

alick,

After I typed my post it occured to me that perhaps it might be better to use a pressure cooker rather than a mirowave for the final "cook" to kill off anybugs in the bag ect for the reasons you say. But if you do that I think the pack would have to be sealed going into it and then you would risk it blowing up ect...more head scratching need I think

The yanks survivalists are into home canning and from reading one or two articles in the past, I know everything must be effectively sterile or you risk food poisoning. I would like to use palstic bags as then you don't have to worry about disposing of tins ect.

I have seen American MRE meals sold quite cheaply in the States, but looking in a local shop today a civvie version costs around £3.50 for a simple meat stew. As a tin of stew from Asda cost around £1, that is quite a mark up simple because its in a pouch!

I was also wondering if anybody sold the British Army Artic issue boil in the bag meals at a reasonable price. I seem to recall they were reasonably eddible at least compared to the old Compo anyway..

Regards,

Pete

 

[HAM]

I've been looking into this type of thing also, there are bags that you can buy for sterilising babys bottles in a microwave - you would do this with the bag empty. The other option is to totally immerse the bag in a weak solution of bleach (Milton fluid is effectively this and thats used for sterilising babies bottles).

There seem to be two good sites for boil in the bag meals

http://www.expeditionfoods.com/shop/index.php

or

http://www.armyrations.co.uk/

I've got an order in with the first lot as a tester before buying in bulk for trips this winter / spring. I was going to place a small order with the 2nd lot until I saw their postal charges - Owch - that'll need to be a bulk buy !!

My worry with the home method has always been testing - the only way to test is to try and if you've got it wrong . . . .two days on the cludgie (toilet). I'm also not convinced that a ziploc bag will seal sufficiently to keep out bacteria for any length of time. Canning uses vacuum against a bomb proof seal, but would a ziploc hold a long term seal against a sligh vaccum - dont know the answer

 

[ESpy]

There are a few bag sealers around on the market - I *think* Morphy-Richards do one. Combination vacuum pump & heatseal. From what I remember, you have to use relatively thick plastic, but other than that they get close.

As to the sterility - ah. Even pasteurised isn't going to have as much longevity as I'd want. You could always dehydrate the stuff? The lower moisture content will help prevent spoilage.

Gamma irradiation is supposed to be quite effective Not strictly a home process, thankfully.

 

[Tony]

Gamma irradiation is supposed to be quite effective Not strictly a home process, thankfully.

If it was we'd have lots of big green people logging in :biggthump

 

[bambodoggy]

Pete.... I believe they stopped doing the arctic ones a while back and at about the time they updated the old compo packs (the ones that had the little zinc coated tins in them right?)

The new British rat-packs are all boil in the bag and can be picked up very very cheaply from surplus shops, local markets or even from Ebay.

There are now 6 or 7 menu's instead of the old 4 and the meals are (personal taste dependant) pretty yummy and certainly very edible.....(ok so they get boring after three weeks of them but wouldn't all food! ): )

Give them a go mate...you might be plesantly suprised at how they have changed and it could save you blowing your kitchen up with the microwave!!!!!

 

[arctic hobo]

www.tilltopps.com do a brilliant walker's menu, which I have used several times to great success. It's based on drying everything out completely and then adding water, which is everywhere in mountains, but less practical if you are in a drier area or must sterilise all water.

 

[Realgar]

If it was we'd have lots of big green people logging in :biggthump

Could be arranged - I have a magic badge that soaks up all the radiation or at least that's what they tell me I have to wear it for.

I'd still rather dry or salt food than try heat sterilising, somehow I just don't trust it home done in plastic bags.

Oneforthepot

 

[maddave]

If it was we'd have lots of big green people logging in :biggthump

New club patch Tone ??

):

 

[Pete E]

Folks,

I have done a little researching on some American Home canning site, and I think my idea is feasible for short term storage but the consequnces of getting it wrong are very serious.

It seems that foods with a high acidity are the easiest to preserve this way, so starting out with a curry or two would be the way to go.

One thing that made me hopefull is that even when things went wrong with traditional canning methods, the foods still seemed to last about a month..

What I need is some unspuspecting soul to test my ideas on

When did the inlaws say they were coming over Christmas????

Regards,

Pete

 

[match]

Not sure how you'd go about the preserving, but most supermarkets sell 'oven-proof plastic bags' - these can be heated to about 180 deg C, and are suitable for boil in the bag cooking of foods (no good for cooking over an open fire though!) :rolmao:

 

[Andy]

I'd start off with a veggi curry. Meat seems to be the most risky so if you cut that out you can reduce the risk.

I would be happy to try it but I think you should have that honour

 

[Pete E]

Match,

Completely off topic here but seeing as you mentioned roast bags, I have used them to boil water over an open fire in the past or at least over the coals of such a fire.

As I remember, you have to be choosy about which ones you buy; some seemed to have pretty poor bottom seams that burst/leaked very easy.

With regards using it for preserving food, the problem would be sealing them properly which why I thought about trying a zip lock freezer bag.

regards,

Pete

 

[Keith_Beef]

Taking dry food and reconstituting it sound a good easy way of doing it.

Maybe you're looking for the convenience of just heating up an MRE (Meal, ready to Eat), but cooking can be done quickly, with very little kit.

Take rice (prefereably some basmati and some arborio), fruit and vegetables that won't go off easily (apples, onions), and salted or dried meat (jerky, biltong, but don't forget salami-type sausages), and you've got yourself tasy risotto that takes about five minutes prep and twenty minutes to cook.

Canning seems to be difficult. Using preserving jars is easier, but adds considerably to the weight.

What Andy says about meat being the most difficult is true, but long cooking, and sealing benath a layer of salty fat protects even if the jar or can doesn't seal properly. Potted meat (pork or beef, or even goose and duck) is not too hard, and should easily keep in cool weather for five days.

I remember an Indonesian beef curry called Rendang, that was supposed to be traditional traveling fare for pilgrims. They would prepare it before leaving home, and eat it during the pilgrimage. If you can find a proper recipe (that includes the drying aspect), that might help you out.
Try here, for a start:
http://www.recipecottage.com/asian/beef-rendang.html

Keith.