Saturday, March 14, 2015

Shelf Stable Meals Can Be Both Convenient And Tasty

By Lena Stephenson


Occasionally it happens that there is no access to a refrigerator, but a supply of simple to use food is needed. Shelf stable meals are made from foods that would ordinarily have to be refrigerated, but have been processed in such a way that they can be safely kept at a regular room temperature. Storage in a special sealed container is required however.

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.

Most pre-prepared kits made from shelf stable food items have a very long storage life. As a result, they are ideal for use as emergency food supplies. These meals can be purchased and stored ready for emergency situations when food may not be readily available or easy to prepare.

If used correctly, pre-prepared meals that do not need to be refrigerated can be very handy and even prevent starvation in an emergency. An example of this would be if people have to take shelter due to a flood, heavy snowfall, tornado activity or a hurricane. Under these conditions, food that does not have to be refrigerated and has a long shelf life, is a ideally suited to serve as emergency rations.

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.

Meals that can be stored and room temperature are very useful for older people. A lot of residents in nursing or retirement homes do not have easy access to a kitchen or other food preparation area. Even if the facilities are available, elderly people often do not feel like cooking and preparing food every day.

Food kits can be used simply for convenience, not only in the specialized applications described before. Keeping a few packed away in a grocery cupboard or pantry can be a good backup plan in case the power goes out, or the store has closed and there isn't much food at home to cook. A couple of ready meals can be taken out and microwaved, or even eaten cold in the case of a power outage.

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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