| Food is one of the most important things in our lives | | | | Freezing -- This is the next most common way to |
| because it is a basic necessity that we need to | | | | preserve food. Bacteria are literally frozen and cannot |
| survive. For centuries we have found ways to | | | | damage or spoil the food. It is often used for meats |
| preserve food for storage purposes, emergency | | | | that would go bad within a few days if left in the |
| preparedness, and daily eating. Being able to preserve | | | | refrigerator. Freezing certain foods can greatly |
| food, even for a short period of time, ensures that our | | | | increase their shelf lives. |
| food will not go to waste because it went bad in just a | | | | Canning -- This is another very common food |
| few hours. Everything from refrigerating, freezing, and | | | | preservation technique. It has been around since the |
| canning to dehydrating and freeze drying are useful | | | | early 1800s and is still used a lot today. Homeowners |
| food preservation techniques. | | | | enjoy being able to keep food at room temperature |
| When food is preserved one of two things is | | | | without it going bad for long periods of time. Canned |
| happening. Either disease-causing bacteria are being | | | | foods are boiled before being quickly sealed in cans. |
| slowed down so that they do not spoil or damage the | | | | Boiling kills all of the bacteria. Once opened canned |
| food as quickly, or the bacteria are killed off all | | | | foods become susceptible to bacteria again, hence the |
| together. Food preservation can be used to preserve | | | | "refrigerate after opening" verbiage on most canned |
| food for days, weeks, months, or even years. | | | | foods. |
| Refrigerating -- This is the most common way to | | | | Dehydrating -- Dehydrating is a another technique used |
| preserve food. It is a short-term storage option, but | | | | to preserve foods. Some come dehydrated items are |
| most people buy perishable foods intending to eat | | | | powdered milk, powdered soup, dried meat, and so on. |
| them within a few days. Refrigerating can make the | | | | Dehydrated food is popular because some items can |
| difference between a food spoiling in a few hours or a | | | | last for an incredibly long time. Others are popular |
| few weeks. The raised temperature in the refrigerator | | | | because they have become whole new products of |
| slows down bacteria so that it doesn't do damage to | | | | their own, like beef jerky and dried fruits. |
| food as quickly. | | | | |