The first rule of food storage can be summed up in the acronym HALT. It stands for the four enemies of good food storage. These are Humidity, Air (oxygen), Light, and Temperature. This is the basis of all food storage
To get the maximum storage life of your food you need to protect it from these four enemies. This will also preserve the maximum amount of nutrition.
- Store your food at constant temperature of between 40 – 70 degrees.
- Protect your foods from exposure to moisture and high humidity.
- Protect your foods from exposure to oxygen.
- Store your foods in a dark area or opaque containers.
Today we will discuss temperature. Since storage temperature is one of the most important factors, perhaps a general rule might be appropriate. The lower the temperature the longer the shelf-life. Persons storing foods in a garage at an average temperature of 90°F should expect a shelf-life less than half of what could be obtained at room temperature (60-70°F) which in turn is less than half the storage life in cold storage (40°F)
Now for some of us this is easier said than done. A good dry basement is always a good choice; anything below ground maintains a relatively even temperature. But if you don’t have a basement, what is your next choice? Avoid uninsulated garages and storage sheds, if at all possible. On this subject, a wise man once said that if we have to use our food storage, we would wish we had stored our furniture in the garage and our food in the house. If you have to store food in the garage, store it low, near the floor, but leave a little air space between it and the concrete. Plant some fast growing trees to shade your garage. If possible, move your sheds into the shade.
Avoid attic areas; if you store your food in the house in temperature-controlled areas you are in good shape. If your home gets hot, store your food low in closets and under beds etc. Remember heat rises.
If you have to use some less desirable storage areas, use them for foods that are less likely to be damaged by heat. Foods subject to heat damage would include most wet packed canned foods. Food stored in hot areas should be rotated on a more frequent time schedule.
Over the next three days we will discuss the three other major enemies of food storage. Humidity or moisture, oxygen and light.