vendredi 13 mars 2015

Shelf Stable Meals Are A Convenient And Tasty Alternative To Refrigerated Food

By Lena Stephenson


There are times when refrigeration is not possible, but easy to prepare food is still required. Shelf stable meals consist of individual food items or complete meals that would usually have to be stored in a refrigerator, but have been processed so that can be stored at normal room temperature. This food does, however, have to be stored in a sealed container.

Due to their ability to be kept at room temperature, also called ambient temperature, these pre-prepared meals are also sometimes referred to as ambient food. Ambient foods are used in many different applications as a result of them not requiring refrigeration. The diverse ways in which these meal kits are used range from emergency conditions to purely for the sake of convenience.

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 application in which these food kits are used extensively is when military personnel are deployed in a field situation. This deployment may be on a training exercise or in a live combat or defense role. Either way, access to refrigeration is likely to be a problem so ready-made food that can be stored, transported and used without requiring refrigeration are very useful as a way to feed troops in the field.

Pre-prepared food kits that can be kept on the shelf are also very useful for the elderly. People that live in a nursing home or other type of retirement facility don't always have the use of a kitchen. Even if cooking facilities are available, older people may not necessarily feel like preparing food on a daily basis.

Aside from the specialized uses mentioned above, food that is shelf stable can also be used just for convenience. Having a few stored in the pantry or grocery cupboard can come in useful when there is a power outage or there is not much food in the house and the stores are closed. Just open a couple of the ready meals and pop them in the microwave if there is power, or just use them as is if there is not.

In the past, certain types of these meals had a reputation for a bland a and boring taste, however food preparation technology has advanced so much lately that food of this type is a lot better than before. Unfortunately, though, there are still some manufacturers out there that do not keep up with the times and produce low quality meals. On the other hand, there are other companies that make convenient meals that are also very tasty.




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