Salting is the treating of food with salty dry edible matter. It’s related to pickling as well as pickling in particular and is one form of preserving. This process of preservation involves the use of liquid salt spray for instance, and salting racks are used to maintain the temperature of the containers. Pickling is a form of preservation, which involves the treating of meat or fish before it’s eaten.
The most familiar form of salting is pickling. You might have heard of smokers, which are machines used in the preservation process. Smoking and salting go hand in hand and are actually methods of each other. Most people associate smoking with smoked fish or meat, while salting is related mostly to brine and not smoking.
Pickling involves the soaking of the meat or fish in brine made of water, vinegar or salt. Brine is the salty solution that’s added to the water. Water is added because it’s needed to provide the meat with enough buoyancy, preventing it from floating. To make sure that the meat stays preserved, it’s also wrapped in a cloth. Meat should be allowed to soak overnight in the brine and after the first day, it should be cooked to ensure that the meat becomes tender. Although pickled food can be stored for months, it’s no good for long-term storage and should be used quickly to preserve its edible value.
Other ways of preserving food include salting and canning. Canning involves pouring water into a pan, locking in the moisture and then putting the can into the fridge to dry. Salting involves injecting water into the food before it’s placed in a can or container, which helps to release the vitamins and minerals and make the food crunchy. Although salting may sound like a very simple process, there are several factors to take into consideration to get the right results. You can ask your local garden centre for advice on how to salt properly.
How do you know when to salt? The best time for salting is in the spring – in the fall, you won’t have as much available. When you do salt, try to go light on the salt, as too much salt makes the food pungent. Salting should also be done at least a couple of days ahead of time so that bacteria don’t have a chance to develop. If you’re using an automatic salting unit, check that there are no foreign objects in the mix to prevent foreign objects from contaminating the finished product.
Food preservation doesn’t have to be expensive. There are many simple, low-cost methods you can use to make your own brine or salt solution, which you can store for future use. Many of these methods are very easy to do and only require warm water and a few ingredients. You may be surprised at how inexpensive it is to start your own home-based food preservation solution. This is a great idea for those who want to try to do their own preserving, but are on a tight budget.