The refrigerator is probably the main attribute of the kitchen. It solves many problems related to food storage. When it is, no one thinks about the fact that it is unlikely that any of the products will spoil in the near future. Therefore, if the refrigerator breaks down or the electricity is cut off for a long time, panic begins. Many products can spoil in a few hours. However, instead of panicking, you should start thinking clearly and soberly: think about how to properly store food without a refrigerator. Any product can be stored for several days. The main thing is to know some secrets.
If it’s winter outside the window
In the winter time, there should be no problems at all with the storage of products, even after the failure of the refrigerator or a power cut. It is enough to simply take the products outside.
If there is a balcony, it can well fulfill the role of a refrigerator in winter. If it is not there, then you can hang perishable products near the window. In severe frosts, they will not freeze and will keep their shape.
The problem of storing food in the winter in rural areas is solved even more simply. After all, here the resident has at his disposal not only his house, but also a huge plot of land. There is enough storage space here. Various unheated outbuildings will also come to the rescue.
All products are suitable for storage outside the living space. An exception can be only drinks, and even then only in the case when the temperature outside is minus. The fact is that if they freeze, they will lose their taste and useful properties.
Use of water
Water, which can be used in such cases, will help preserve products.
- Green
Water can protect various greens from spoilage no worse than a refrigerator. It is enough to fill a container with water and put the plants there. So they will lie for a long time and will not lose their freshness.
- A well, a well
Not only greens, but also many other products can be saved with the help of water. But you only need cold enough water, the temperature of which is close to 0 degrees. The best option is to use a well. The water is always cold in it. It is enough just to put the products in a bucket and lower them into the water. But the cebro should not sink completely, but only about half.
- Milk
You can use the well method to store milk. And you can apply a unique method of storage that is suitable for this product.
So, you need to add soda to the milk, and then heat it to 100 degrees. Then it is placed in a fairly wide container with cool water and covered with a towel. The ends of the towel should be immersed in water.
It will be necessary to periodically replace the water. It is important to ensure that it always remains quite cold.
It is also better to put the container with water in a cool place, where it could not quickly heat up together with all the contents.
Storage of dairy products
The most difficult thing is to keep dairy products fresh and suitable for consumption without a refrigerator. This especially applies to sour milk cheese (cottage cheese). But still there are effective methods.
- Sour milk cheese
It can spoil in a few hours, so it is one of the first products that should be stored when the refrigerator is turned off. The easiest way is to eat immediately. But there are more long-term ways.
So, in order to keep sour milk cheese fresh, you need to take a well-washed jar, sterilize it, and pour a thin layer of salt on the bottom. After that, you can transfer the cheese to the prepared jar. At the same time, it is important to try to tamp better, leaving no space for air to penetrate. After filling the jar with cheese to the top, you need to cover it with a gauze cloth, pre-soaked in a weak salt solution. A fold is placed on top of the gauze.
- Cheese
Long-term cheese storage will be facilitated by parchment paper. First, this material should be soaked in a salt solution. And then they can rotate the product.
If the cheese begins to smell unpleasant, it should be wiped with a gauze cloth, pre-soaked with salt water.
- Butter
There are several ways to store butter.
One of the methods is similar to that used to store cheese. That is, you need to wrap the butter with parchment, pre-soaked in salt water.
Another way is to use wine vinegar. It is quite simple to prepare a solution of this vinegar and put oil in it.
Oil will help keep the butter fresh. To use this method, in addition to vegetable oil, you need water, salt and a fairly wide container. First, salt should be dissolved in water. Then butter is added to this solution. At the end, all that remains is to pour a small amount of vegetable oil on top of everything so that a thin layer of it forms on the surface of the salt water.
How to store meat products
The most important product stored in the refrigerator is meat. It is he who has to be saved first when the device breaks down. And luckily, there are plenty of ways to store this product without refrigeration.
- Paper and clothes
If the meat has not yet thawed, you can use paper and fairly warm winter clothes. All this will help to keep the low temperature as long as possible. A kind of thermos is created from paper and clothes. The process of melting the meat will take place slowly.
- Banks
You can also salt the meat and roll it in glass jars.
- Garlic and onion
Garlic and onion help preserve the freshness of the meat. First, they are crushed in a blender, and then they are placed at the bottom of the pan. Then a piece of meat, previously placed on a small stand, is placed in the same pot. Then all this remains to be closed with a lid and put in a cool place.
- Storing a large piece of meat
If you need to save a large piece of meat, you can put it in a glass or enamel dish, and then put it in a cold place. At the same time, all water must first be removed from the surface of the product. This should be done exclusively with a dry napkin. A piece of meat should never be washed.
However, when using this method, you should still not count on the fact that the product will last a long time. Therefore, it is necessary to try to use it as soon as possible.
- Vinegar
Vinegar, or rather its solution, can help keep meat fresh. It is enough to simply immerse the product in this liquid. You can also wrap it with a cloth previously soaked in this solution.
At the same time, the meat should be stored in a cool place. And before using it, it will be necessary to wash it, trying to get rid of the remaining vinegar.
More tips
Vegetables will not lose their freshness for a long time if they are placed in a cool place and reliably protected from moisture. You can use a box filled with sand for this.
Raw eggs can be preserved by wrapping them in parchment, covering them with sand, or treating the shell with oil.
When the refrigerator breaks down and you need to save food urgently, you should not start panicking. Everything can be saved from rapid deterioration. The main thing is to use the appropriate method for this.