jeudi 12 mars 2015

Shelf Stable Meals Can Be Both Convenient And Tasty

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.

Because they can be stored at room temperature, which is also referred to as ambient temperature, this kind of food is also sometimes called ambient food. Due to them not requiring refrigeration, there are many ways in which ambient foods can be used. The reasons for using this type of food range from emergency situations to simple 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 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.

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.

Although in the past some of these meals were known to be quite boring did not always taste very good, advances in food technology mean that this type of food has come a long way. Obviously there are still sub-standard, tasteless meals being produced by some manufacturers. However, there are also several companies out there that produce high-quality, tasty meals that are convenient and useful.




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