Food Preservation Techniques

H.O.T.A.S.

Hey Guys

Anyone want to go over some of their food preservation techniques?

I've been experimenting with ways of storing Brown Rice due to the added health benefits over White Rice. Unfortunately Brown Rice has a recommended shelf life of 6 months so it is not ideal for long term storage without proper precautions.

I use 3-5 Litre Mason Kilner Jars



Jars are sterilized before use and allowed to air dry. Then filled with rice and a silica gel desiccant pack placed in the top of the jar. After one week the desiccant pack is removed and an oxygen absorber placed in the top of the jar and resealed.

Because I'm building up my supplies bit by bit it's not economical for me to buy a bulk pack of oxygen absorbers



that have to be used quickly once the airtight plastic bag is open. I've found an easy to buy alternative though, disposable pocket hand warmers such as the ones available form hiking stores and golf shops



These hand warmers contain the same ingredients as the oxygen absorbers and work on the same principles but have the advantage of being individually sealed, large enough to be used without calculating the cubic capacity of your storage container and being readily available in Ireland. One downside is the cost though

I recently opened one of the jars that had past the 6 month period and found no discernable traces of the rice being rancid.

Anyone else experimenting out there and would like to share their experiences?