HEALTH NOTES

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1041, 4 August 1930, Page 11

HEALTH NOTES

STORAGE OF FOOD SOME IMPORTANT RULES (Contributed by the Department of Health.) “I suppost that housewives ail through the ages have had ideas ab--; the keeping of food and there is no doubt that their labours and experience were of much use to scientist* when at last they began to look into the matter,’* states Mr. EL M. Dobb*. lecturer in the Department of Hygiene and Public Health. Battersea Polytechnic. in an article in “Better Health *, an official journal of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. London. Any woman wiih the necessary knowledge, funds and opportunity would doubtless plan for her house a separate storeroom and larder, and perhaps even a refrigerator. Und-i much simpler conditions, however, we can store quite well if we attend to h few important rules. If a storeroom or even a store cupboard is impossible, one or two shelves in a well-ventilated cupboard will serve the purpose. If perishable things are to be kept here, then it is important to have the cupboard as far away from the fire possible aud to arrange that a good current of fresh air can freely pass through it. Still better would it be t » have a meat-safe, home-made or otherwise, in which to keep meat, milk, cooked food, etc., and this could perhaps be fixed up in a good position outside the house.

A cupboard for dry stores should be light, airy, clean and dry. The stores in it should be kept in convenient vessels. tins or packets, should be suitably arranged, duly renewed and carefully supervised, the older stores being used first. No new stores should be added unless the containers are whoUv fit to receive them. The need for these conditions will become more clear if we consider what evils we have to guard against: Dirt and flies, which make our food an easy prey to disease germs: and bacteria, causing rot and decay, fungus growths, causing mould: yeasts, causing fermentation. These bacteria, fungi and yeasts are all extremely minute forms of plant life which abound everywhere and grow with incredible speed under favouring conditions. Our plan, therefore, must be to make the conditions as unfavourable as possible They are aril antagonistic to extrema heat aud cold, so that methods of heating, cooling and freezing are important in food preservation. Most of them dislike salt and vinegar if used in sufficient quantities. Bacteria dislike sugar and acidity, but not so moulds and yeasts: yeasts, in fact, need sugar for rapid growth. Thus it happened that the more acid fruits and vegetables were the first to be successfully tinned, since the methods of heating destroyed mould and fermentation, and the acid further discouraged bacteria. Again, although as a rule moulds and yeasts succumb to bacteria we find them sometimes prevailing in such things as acid fruits cooked with sugar. Besides

heating and freezing, drying is another process which tends to destroy all three forms. This helps to explain the argument that any reputable dried milk is a safer thing than fresh milk. Of the three, moulds need least moisture for their development. Indeed, we have at all times seen mouldy leather or kid. If we have mastered the chief principles of storage we cau consider the disposal of our provisions when bought. Cereals, pulses, sugars, etc.. keeps well in covered jars, bottles, canisters or even jam-jars. Flour keeps best in a bin of enamel or wood or even in a large ordinary tin with lid. Bread should be kept in a well-ventilated enamel pan, with lid. or in the older type of earthenware pan, or even in a ventilated biscuit tin. Cakes, biscuits, small pastries should be kept separately in tins. •

Butchers* meat. rabbits. and ponltry should be left in cold storac • with the butcher, etc., until wanted, unless the house has its own refrigerator. The seme applies t » fish. In the home, uncooked meats should, if possible, be hung in a muslin cage. This in cool wreathe . actually improves the meat. Bacon, ham and other salted or smoked meats and fish, keep moderately well owing to the method of curing, but even these should not be left long aucooked in summer weather Cooked meat may be laid on a clean, dry. flat dish and covered with a cage of muslin, wire or perforated metal. Gravy, broth and stock should, at least in summer, be boiled np every day.

should, if possible, be kej z just above freezing point. Butter, milk, cream and cheese also shouH be kept in a place as cool as possible . Fresh fruit should be stored In layers on shelves of wooden lath . Small soft fruit should be spread in a thin layer on a flat dish, and, unless eaten or cooked at once, should sprinkled with soft sugar. Cooke ! or tinned fruit can be reboiled as a precaution against mould and fer mentation.