In the olden days, to preserve food without electricity was the order of the day. However, as time went by, electrical appliances such as refrigerators emerged, thanks to our scientists. Refrigerators have played a more significant role in the manufacturing industry and have equally improved people’s lives.
However, there are still a couple of ways you can preserve food without electricity and especially when you have no budget to get modern appliances for keeping food. This guide will explain the various methods you can preserve food without electricity. Let’s cut to the chase.
1. Canning
Canning is a popular way to keep food safe until you are ready to consume it. This food preservation method helps with preventing bacteria from contaminating food. Canning has a downside, though. It will require you to invest some time. For example, you will need to sterilize the cans, add additives such as brine to food, heat the jars, then store. If you need to go faster, using large cans will help.
2. Zeer Pot
Zeer pots are not anything new. They were used in the past and can still be used today. Now, Zeer pots are refrigeration devices made from clay. Zeer pots preserve food using the evaporative cooling principle and are quite straightforward to set up.
To set up, place a slightly smaller glazed pot in a bigger pot. Once that is done, place wet sand between the two pots. So as evaporation takes place, heat is drawn from the inner pot. So you can place foods you want to store in the inner jar to keep them fresh.
3. Coal
This method operates under the same principle of Zeer pot. The only difference is that a cooler is made out of coal while a Zeer pot uses sand.
In practice, put the material wet and allow the water to evaporate. For effective evaporation, ensure that both the coal and the food material are kept wet.
Developing countries are leveraging this food preservation method. They have even improved on it by introducing charcoal and coal coolers to help keep foods fresh.
4. Drying
For decades now, this method of food preservation is perceived to be the most comfortable option to preserve any food. This is because there are zero chances for bacteria and mold to survive in dried food products.
There are multiple ways to preserve food without electricity, one of them being sun-drying. Fruits, vegetables, and meat are directly put in the sun and left to dry naturally. This method is ideal in dry, warm climatic conditions.
5. Fermentation
Fermentation is a mimic to canning, although it requires no sealing. This is because, for a successful fermentation process, the presence of “good” bacteria is a must-have. This bacteria acts as an acidic brine, which promotes healthy fermentation while also preventing the growth of harmful bacteria in the food. This method cut across all type of foods, from meat to vegetables.
Because brine tastes like vinegar, rest assured that your fermented food will remain flavoured over time. The best of all is that no labour is required for the fermentation process. And yes, you can preserve food without electricity so, you don’t have to worry about electricity costs.
