How To Make Homemade Sauces Last For Weeks
Do you find that your homemade sauces tend to go bad within a few days, and you must rush to finish them quickly? Most store-made sauces use artificial preservatives and synthetic flavouring to enhance the life of the sauce. Besides these artificial preservatives, these sauces are also made using intensive techniques to prolong their shelf life. If you are looking for a simpler and more natural way to make your homemade sauces last longer, you should follow the below process given by experts. These professionals make homemade jams and sauces and know the proper technique to preserve your condiments naturally.
The Art Of Culturing
The best way you can enhance the life of your sauce and add to its nutritional value is by culturing or fermentation.
- Fermentation has been used throughout the ages to preserve various foods like fish, meat, vegetables, chicken products, and more.
- This process was used before fire and cooking were discovered, as it helped preserve food naturally.
- In this process, the natural bacteria convert the sugars in your sauces into alcohol or lactic acid that protects and prolongs the life of the food.
- You can ferment or culture any product, such as dairy, into yoghurt and cheese, vegetables into pickles and fruits into chutney.
Benefits Of Fermentation
- It helps preserve the life of the food naturally so that you are not eating spoiled food.
- Fermented food and products help you digest food better because it releases and breaks down nutrients, making it easier to eat and digest.
- Fermented foods improve your immunity by providing you with microbes that help protect you from allergies and autoimmune conditions.
- Lastly, fermented foods provide a healthy balance of bacteria that can stay in our gut and prevent obesity.
Now that you know the benefits of culturing or fermentation, you should know how to use this process to preserve your homemade jams and sauce.
How To Culture Your Sauces
The best way to culture your sauces is by using whey that is made from yoghurt. This whey release bacteria that convert the sugars in your sauces into lactic acid and preserve it for as long as three months. Here is a step-by-step process to culture your sauces using whey:
Arrange Your Products
- One strainer
- One medium-sized bowl
- One clean dish towel or napkin
- One tub of organic and plain yoghurt
- I glass jar
Make The Whey
- To make the whey, line your strainer with the dish towel and then place it over your bowl.
- Next, pour the yoghurt into the strainer and let it sit at room temperature for eight hours.
- A yellowish liquid will drip from the yoghurt into the bowl, which the whey.
- You should then preserve this whey in a glass jar in your fridge.
Add The Whey To Your Sauces
- Now add four tablespoons of this whey to your homemade sauces.
- Keep this mixture in a glass bottle or jar, and remember to leave an inch between the top of the lid and the sauce.
- Next, seal your glass jar and let it rest for two days in summer and four days in winter at room temperature.
- During this time, the bacteria in the whey will break down the sugars and convert them into alcohol or lactic acid and preserve them for a long time.
- Lastly, follow food safety tips to store and keep your sauces safe and wash your hands during and after the process to stay healthy.
Important tip
Ensure you do not put this sauce into the fridge, as it will spoil the culturing process.
Conclusion
The above tips will help you preserve your homemade jams and sauces for a long time to enjoy some delicious meals and delicacies with your family. This will help you use these sauces whenever you need them, and you won’t have to worry about their shelf life expiring.