Simple Tips in Keeping and Prolonging the Freshness of your Basic Foods (Part 1)

This two part article will give you some knowledge in the proper storing and cooking some of our basic food source such as meat, poultry, fish and others.

It is quite satisfying to eat your food prepared in a delicious way. But if your food does not have or lose its nutrients during the preparation and storing, you will be at lost in the end. Here are more basic tips on how to prepare basic food products to ensure its freshness before cooking.

Meat is one of the important sources of food for many of us. It is the main source for most of our nutrients and even though, it is not healthy to eaten in excess, many are still preferring compared to other alternatives. But if meat is not properly handled, it is also one of the easiest foods to spoil. Below are some basic tips on how to handle meat and meat-related products to ensure that you will get the best nutrition out of it and at the same time able to prolong its freshness and avoid spoiling.

• When preparing meat for storage, be sure to wash it thoroughly and drain it quickly.

  This will remove any contaminations on it and at the same time maintains its freshness before storing.

• If you were preparing meat into separate individual recipes, it is wise to put each set of cuts into separate containers before placing it on your refrigerator. This will become handy later on as you will only be thawing the needed meat for a certain recipe.
• When storing meat on refrigerator, be sure to place it on the coldest part – typically the freezer. This is to let your meat frozen easily. Freezing meat in a fast condition will prevent the regeneration of any harmful bacteria which will cause spoiling and shortening its life span.
• Do not soak frozen meat on water. This will remove nutrients on it. It is advisable to remove the frozen meat during the night and place it on the chiller to thaw overnight. An alternative is to remove the frozen meat and place it at room temperature at least two hours before cooking.
• Most of the meat (except tender cuts) is made up of connective tissues which will require a slower and longer time to cook. Therefore, it is advisable to seat the gas range at a lower temperature to ensure you are not wasting any excess consumption of electricity or gas. Also, high temperature cooking will tend to toughen these connective tissues and at the same time will cause shrinkage of the meat itself.
• Pork is one type of meat that can be easily invaded by harmful bacteria. When cooking pork, it is advisable to cook it long enough to kill any harmful bacteria and germs that can be found on it.