Whether you are a home cook, starting up a small cottage business, or running a full-fledged restaurant, preserving food is important. Waste is one of the greatest threats to a household or business’s bankroll, and this is especially true for those in the food industry.
One way to make sure a product lasts as it should and ensure customers get the freshest food is to preserve items properly. There are many ways to do this, but some of the best methods of food preservation are familiar and easy.
Freezing Ingredients
Hopefully, everyone is aware of the benefits of freezing food. Most homes and restaurants are fitted with some type of refrigeration unit as well as a deep freeze unit.
Restaurants and businesses with hot or deli food counters typically have large walk-in units that store all the supplies that do not need to be delivered fresh daily. Keeping a freezer stocked and operating at full capacity ensures there is always enough product available and keeps it in tiptop shape.
Pickling Products
Pickling is another familiar and popular way to preserve the product. This process involves introducing acids that alter a food’s flavor and texture, adding in a new and unique taste that’s iconic to pickling. There is a lot of variety that can go into the pickling flavor, but the most common types are sweet, spicy, or tangy.
Pickled foods will keep for many years if left sealed and will still be good for quite a while after the seal is broken. In addition to keeping produce fresh, pickled foods can be added to dishes or sold on their own as a bonus service for patrons to enjoy.
Canning Produce
Another great way to keep products fresh and ready to go is with canning. This is a much shorter process than pickling, and fewer unusual ingredients are added besides a touch of vinegar or other natural preserving ingredients.
With the same inexpensive investment of mason jars, a restaurant can create a wide variety of new products for its customers while maintaining a backlog of ingredients. Almost anything can be canned, and the effort is done all at once. Having a backlog of canned fruits, vegetables, and sauces can save a lot of time and money.
Preserving Fruits
One of the best methods of food preservation is to turn ingredients into jams, jellies, and spreads. As with the previous two methods, you can also package and sell the products directly to customers that want to bring a taste of their favorite restaurant home.
Mixing different fruit flavors can be an exciting way to create unique tastes your customers will love. Creating a jelly or jam requires a little more effort than canning but less than pickling. Customers will love the taste of your house specialty jams with their breakfast, and your business will save money by keeping expensive fruit produce from spoiling too quickly.