Vinegar plays a big role in not only preserving but also in all types of cooking. Acidity is a vital part of balancing a dish. It is something we all take for granted, picking up a bottle of vinegar and adding a splash over a salad or a glug into a pan after sweating down …
Many of the preserve recipes that you find here and elsewhere call for an ingredient called “pickling spice”. Whether it is in a brine for curing corned beef, fermenting vegetables or pickles and chutneys, there are so many recipes that say to add pickling spice. The question is, however, what is pickling spice? In this …
Making your own corned beef or salt beef is so easy, it’s fascinating how something so simple as soaking a piece of beef in brine can completely transform it. Curing your own corned beef is something you really should try, it is a firm favourite in my house year round. Corned Beef or Salt Beef …
There are many foods that can be preserved by dehydration. The method in which you dehydrate food isn’t going to alter the flavour or the shelf life of the food (if done properly) so does it matter what method you use to dry the food out? In this post, we will cover some of the …
If you have ever made jam before you may have had the problem of getting it to set properly. You might have seen jam sugar or gelling sugar at the supermarket and wondered whether you should be using that instead of normal sugar. The simple answer is that jam sugar will make your jams set …
Jams and Jellies are one of the simplest ways to preserve fruit as well as some vegetables. Almost any fruit is ripe for making a jam or jelly and the good thing about it is you don’t need a lot of equipment or supplies to get started. You can make store quality jams and jellies, …
Sweet, salty and tart combine in these addictive pickled cucumbers. These pickles are great on top of burgers, with bread, butter and cheese or served with cold meats. The origins of the name bread and butter pickle isn’t completely agreed upon. There are sources that say the name come about because at some point the …
Fruit leathers also known as fruit roll ups are one of the simplest things you can do to preserve a large amount of fruit at home. Not only are they really tasty, they are also healthy as the only ingredient you really need is fruit. Drying food as a means of preservation is one of …
Curing salts, also known as Prague Powder are essential in food preservation. We know that salt is a valuable preservative however it isn’t effective at killing all microorganisms that can spoil food. Curing salt is usually a blend or salt as well as sodium nitrite or sodium nitrite that have special preservative qualities Salt has …
Vinegar is used in all sorts of food preservation methods. It has a few key properties that make it ideal at slowing or stopping food from spoiling for long periods. It is primarily the pH or acidity of vinegar that inhibits bacterial growth and this process is most commonly called pickling. What Is Vinegar? Vinegar …