Hello,

Have you ever tried successfully (or almost) to keep raw food fresh for some time?

I'm searching for a way to preserve food without the use of a refrigerator. In particular, I'm looking for an energy efficient solution i.e. consume less energy than a standard fridge. I don't really want to use the traditional ways of preserving food (like drying, putting food under salt, alchool, ethyl, or any other chemical substance) because they all alter the taste of food in some way.

I basically need to find:
• a way to safely preserve perishable food (also raw)
• that keeps the nutritional characteristic of the food itself unaltered
• that is more energy saving than the best refrigerator available on the market
• not involving:
- drying
- vacuuming
- putting under salt, alcohol, ethyl, oil
- canning
- smoking
- marinating
- chemicals
- preservatives

I'll really appreciate it if you could share your experience and tips :)

well, you could can your food. It even works with meat, like canned ham of the hormel food corporation.

Thanks to everyone for the replies!
"putting it in a magic Eco box" will certainly work :) However, I don't exclude efford in the preservation method...
Canning and drying are great methods but they involve altering the characteristics of the food in some way. Do you know any way to keep raw food, well, raw for long time besides refrigerating?

Hello,

Have you ever tried successfully (or almost) to keep raw food fresh for some time?

I'm searching for a way to preserve food without the use of a refrigerator. In particular, I'm looking for an energy efficient solution i.e. consume less energy than a standard fridge. I don't really want to use the traditional ways of preserving food (like drying, putting food under salt, alchool, ethyl, or any other chemical substance) because they all alter the taste of food in some way.

I basically need to find:
• a way to safely preserve perishable food (also raw)
• that keeps the nutritional characteristic of the food itself unaltered
• that is more energy saving than the best refrigerator available on the market
• not involving:
- drying
- vacuuming
- putting under salt, alcohol, ethyl, oil
- canning
- smoking
- marinating
- chemicals
- preservatives

I'll really appreciate it if you could share your experience and tips :)

I know a way. It definitely requires more effort for meats than for veggies, and the overall energy consumption might rival that of the very best fridges available, but if you're committed you'll find a way.

The secret to preserving meat for long periods of time (months, even years in some cases), while not altering the its flavour or nutrients, is to keep the animal alive until you're ready to consume it. Same goes for plant-based foodstuffs.

Troll.

I know a way. It definitely requires more effort for meats than for veggies, and the overall energy consumption might rival that of the very best fridges available, but if you're committed you'll find a way.

The secret to preserving meat for long periods of time (months, even years in some cases), while not altering the its flavour or nutrients, is to keep the animal alive until you're ready to consume it. Same goes for plant-based foodstuffs.

Troll.

your method does not work especially well for certain meats, such as lamb.

First - not to discourage trying, but if there was an easy way to keep food fresh, don't you think that a food industry that will irradiate food wouldn't have tried it already? Second, most of our food (i.e. "processed" food) is done so in a way to make it more "shelf stable" with as little cost and with as little change to the food profile as possible.

Some preserving processes (i.e. freezing) have some counter intuitive results. Most frozen peas are better nutritionally and flavor wise than fresh peas except in the harvest weeks. Dried beef (hmmmm - jerkey) has a higher calorie to weight ratio than raw beef (hmmmm - steak tartar).

The best way I have found to have fresh raw foods is to go to these new places you might have heard about; they are called "Target" and "Wal-Mart", and buy fresh raw food when I need it. If I buy it that day and eat it when I get home, there is no need for me to use a refrigerator.