Helpful Ways To Store Leftovers Without a Refrigerator

When you want to stay under budget and get your money’s worth of the food you make, preservation is your go-to option for preventing waste. But if you don’t have a refrigerator, you’ll need to rely on different methods. Fortunately, there are other ways to store and preserve food without a refrigerator. Read on to learn more about these useful preservation methods so you can enjoy your leftovers without a refrigerator.

Vacuum Sealing

Vacuum sealing is a practice of food preservation that removes any air inside a plastic package containing food. Sealing the package after removing all air will prevent contaminants from entering, keeping the food safe. Plus, the lack of oxygen will help you store leftovers without a refrigerator by inhibiting mold and bacteria growth.

You will need an electric vacuum sealing machine and compatible bag materials to properly vacuum seal food. But once you have a process in place to help you keep your food looking edible and fresh, the equipment you need won’t be a bother.

Canning

Kitchen canistersFor decades, people have used canning to store their food, and you can use this process to store leftovers without a refrigerator. Canning submerges food in water inside a tin or aluminum can. The can should contain mostly food, with the water filling the remaining space to keep the food preserved. Then, you must vacuum seal the canned food, so air can’t get into the container and cause spoilage from oxygen exposure. Keep in mind that canning doesn’t work for all foods, such as cheese and butter. But this method is great for leftover fruits, vegetables, and meats.

Using Airtight Containers in Cold Places

Containers are reliable tools in food storage, and with the right ones, you will have an easier time preserving food despite not having a refrigerator. Plastic containers for leftovers are one of the most popular materials and one of the most common ways we use polymers in everyday life. A plastic container with a silicone top will close off the container from outside elements and provide adequate temperature control. Ultimately, an airtight container will keep food fresh by preventing oxygen from spoiling the food.

Use airtight containers the next time you have leftovers, and store these containers in a cool, dry place away from sunlight. A basement is an ideal place for this since the coolest air stays in the lower levels of a home.

Food storage without a refrigerator presents challenges, but the above methods will help you keep your food fresh. Preserve your food to make it last longer, and don’t let the absence of a refrigerator stop you from eating yesterday’s dinner for today’s meal.

8 Comments

  • Tamra Phelps

    I hate how veggies go bad so quickly even in the crisper. I need to learn some of the old skills to preserve food.

  • gloria patterson

    A lot of good information here that I never would have though about.

    I watch so many strange old facebook post. Farms animals, planting, canning, chickens etc etc. AM I going do any of that no!! But for some reason I sit and watch them plant a garden I live a apartment. Or they show there canning…………………….. Never in my life have I canned.

    I worked with a woman ago that canned a lot of beef and chicken. She would go home tired and kids hungry. Throw pasta in boiling water, drain hope and can or beef or chicken dump it in and 5 minutes later dinner is ready and good………………………. I received left over many times.

  • Tamra Phelps

    I remember watching my grandmothers can veggies, fruits, etc., every year. The stuff lasted all Winter long.

  • heather

    This was is super helpful and I learned a lot that I didn’t know before. How in the world did people ever survive without refrigerators.

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