Sunday

Shelf Stable Meals Can Be Both Convenient And Tasty

By Lena Stephenson


Occasionally it happens that there is no access to a refrigerator, but a supply of simple to use food is needed. Shelf stable meals are made from foods that would ordinarily have to be refrigerated, but have been processed in such a way that they can be safely kept at a regular room temperature. Storage in a special sealed container is required however.

Due to their ability to be safely kept at room temperature, also called ambient temperature, this type of meal can also be referred to as ambient food. They are able to be used in a wide variety of was as a result of not requiring refrigeration. Common usage of this kind of food varies from pure convenience to use as emergency supplies.

The majority of this type of prepared meal has a very long shelf life. Due to this they are perfectly suited for use as a source of food during emergency situations. They can be bought in advance and kept in storage in case a situation develops where food is not easy to get .

Pre-packed meals that are shelf stable can be a great asset and even stop people from going hungry during emergency conditions. A good example of this would be people that are affected by a heavy snow, a hurricane, tornado or other severe weather event and have to take shelter, making it difficult for them to leave and get food. In a case like this, packaged food that can be stored without refrigeration and have a long shelf life can be a welcome source of much needed nutrition.

Another use to which these food kits is put is during times when members of the military are sent out away from a base and have no cooking facilities. This occurs frequently when military personnel are in training or deployed in an active combat situation. In both cases, they are not likely to have refrigeration equipment nearby so food that is suitable for storage, transportation and use at room temperature is ideal in this situation.

Elderly people can also find pre-prepared shelf stable food kits useful. Sometimes residents of retirement facilities of nursing homes have limited or no access to cooking facilities. Even if they have access to a kitchen there can be times when people at this stage of their lives simply do not feel like cooking every day.

Food kits can be used simply for convenience, not only in the specialized applications described before. Keeping a few packed away in a grocery cupboard or pantry can be a good backup plan in case the power goes out, or the store has closed and there isn't much food at home to cook. A couple of ready meals can be taken out and microwaved, or even eaten cold in the case of a power outage.

In previous years, some of these meals gained a reputation for being bland and having a very poor taste, but technological advances in food preparation have made this unnecessary. Sadly, some below-par, bad tasting food is still manufactured by certain careless companies. But fortunately there are also companies out there that make good tasting meals from quality ingredients that can be stored without refrigeration.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment