FOOD PRESERVATION NOW A HIGH ART

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19118, 10 July 1930, Page 11

FOOD PRESERVATION NOW A HIGH ART

PROPER STORAGE IS HOUSEHOLD PROBLEM. (Contributed bv the Department of Health). “I suppose that housewives all 9 through the ages have had ideas about ■ the keeping of food, and there is no doubt that their labours and experience were of much use to scientists when at last they began to look into the matter,” states E. M. Dobbs, M.A., Lecturer in the Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Battersea Polytechnic. in an article in “Better Health,’* an official journal of the Society of Medical Officers of Health, London. In our day the business of food preservation and storage has become a high art, although we are not all fortunate enough to make use of its greatest triumphs. Any woman with the necessary knowledge, funds and opportunity would doubtless plan for her house a separate storeroom and larder and perhaps even a refrigerator into the bargain. Under much simpler conditions, however, we can store quite well if we attend to a few important rules. If a storeroom, or even a store cupboard, is impossible, one or two shelves in a well-ventilated cupboard will serve our purpose. If perishable things are to be kept here, then it is important to have the cupboard as far away from the fire as possible and to arrange that a good current of fresh air can freely pass through it. Still better would it be to have a meat-safe, home-made or otherwise, in which to keep meat, milk, cooked food, etc., and this could perhaps be fixed up in a good position I outside the house. One ingenious device is to have a sort of roomy windowbox with a lid hinged to open backwards. The framework could be filled in with gauze, or, still better, with perforated zinc. A cupboard for dry stores should be light, airy, clean and dry. The stores in it should be kept in convenient vessels, tins or packets, should be suitably arranged, duly renewed and carefully supervised, the older stores being used first. No new stores should be added unless the containers are wholly fit to receive them. The larder, if there is one, should be on the north or south side of the building, should be freely supplied with air which cannot in any way become impure, should be light, cool, dry, scrupulously clean, and as roomy as possible, and should allow no entrance for flies. Overcrowding must not be allowed, and daily supervision must be given, especially in summer or in damp, muggy weather. Evils to Guard Against. The need for these conditions will become more clear if we consider what evils we have to guard against. They are mainly;— (a) Things that we can readily see and prevent, e.g., dirt and flies, which make our food an easy prey to disease germs. (b) Things so minute that as a rule we can only see their results, e.g, bacteria, causing rot and decay; fungus growths, causing mould; yeasts, causing fermentation. These bacteria, fungi and yeasts are all extremely minute forms of plant life which abound everywhere and grow with incredible speed under favouring conditions. Our plan, therefore, must be to make the conditions as unfavourable as possible. In some points the three classes are alike, but in 1 others they differ, and it is just there differences that we need most to remember. j They are all antagonistic to extreme heat and cold, so that methods of heating. cooling and freezing are important in food preservation. Most of them ' dislike salt and vinegar if used in sufficent quantities. Bacteria dislike sugar and acidity, but not so moulds and yeasts; yeasts, in fact, need sugar for rapid growth. Thus it happened that the more acid fruits and vegetables were the first to be successfully tinned, since the methods of heating destroyed mould and fermentation, and the acid -further discouraged bacteria. ' Again, although as a rule moulds and yeasts succumb to bacteria we find them sometimes prevailing in such things as acid fruits cooked with sugar. Besides heating and freezing, drying is another process which tends to destroy all three forms. This helps to explain the argument that any reputable dried milk is a safer thing than fresh milk. Of the three, moulds need least moisture for their development. Indeed, we have all at times seen mouldy leather or kid. Storage. If we have mastered the chief principles of storage we can consider the 1 disposal of our provisions when bought, , and for this we may classify them as: (a) Dry foods and jams, pickles, etc., belonging mainly to the storeroom, and needing to be guarded chiefly against moulds and yeasts. (b) Perishable foods for the larder, which must be the main stronghold against bacteria. Cereals, pulses, sugar, etc. keep well in covered jars, bottles, canisters or even jam-jars. Flour keeps best in a bin of enamel or wood or even in a large ordinary tin with lid. Bread should be kept in a well-ventilated enamel pan, with lid, or in the older type of earthenware pan, or even in a ventilated biscuit tin. Cakes, biscuits, small pastries should be kept separtely in tins. Larder Foods. The chief problem lies in the storage of larder foods, especially during the warmer months. Butchers’ meat, rabbits, poultry should be left in cold storage with the butcher, etc., until wanted, unless, forsooth, the house has its own refrigerator. The same applies to fish and, in fact, at such times one should altogether refrain from buying certain kinds (e.g. mackerel) which are not then really in season. In the home, uncooked meats should, if possible, be hung in a muslin cage. This in cool weather, actually improves the meat. Bacon, ham and other salted or smoked meats and fish, keep moderately well owing to the method of curing, but even these should not be left long uncooked in summer weather. Cooked meat may be laid on a clean, dry, flat dish and covered with a cage of muslin, wire or perforated metal. Gravy, broth and stock should, at least, in summer, be boiled up every day. Dairy Produce. Eggs should, if possible, be kept just above freezing point. Genuine new-laid eggs can be excellently preserved in water-glass. In warm weather butter should be kept in a cool cellar or in a butter-cooler, or under a clean earthenware flower-pot which is covered by a white cloth with its ends dipping into, cold water._ Milk, cream and cheese also should be kept in a place as cool as possible. Fresh fruit should be stored in layers on shelves of wooden laths. Small soft fruit should be spread in a thin layer on a flat dish, and unless eaten or cooked at once, should be sprinkled with soft sugar. Cooked or tinned fruit can be re-boiled as a precaution against mould and fermentation. Vegetable racks are useful though the the vegetable supply will naturally

be very often renewed. Sometimes there may be a chance of earthing such things as potatoes, artichokes and root vegetables. Summing up, we may say that the surest means of defence in storeroom and arder are: (1) Light; (2) ventilation; (3) utter cleanliness: (4) adequate space; (5) i coolness; (6) dryness; (7 ) regular r supervision. i