Instead of a jar rack, you can use a thin cotton or flour-sack dish towel — thicker and synthetic towels often float and get in the way.

There are many other possible possibilities: round trivets, a steamer rack or sturdy cake cooling rack, a layer of regular screw bands, stainless flatware knives and forks or bamboo chopsticks — any of these latched together if necessary with cotton string, paper clips or metallic twist ties.

There is no substitute for canning jars. If you find jars at a garage sale, make sure they are free of cracks and chips around the rim. A jar lifter is the one tool that I consider essential for safety. Some cooks make do with a pair of regular tongs wound with thick rubber bands on each paddle.

Find free tested canning recipes online at the National Center for Home Food Preservation NCHFP , including the free publication from the U.

Department of Agriculture USDA , Complete Guide to Home Canning. For more information about putting together a DIY canning kit, see Preserve food with cheap canning equipment and free recipes. Fresh pickles may be the easiest of all food preservation methods: You simply wash, trim and soak fresh vegetables in an acidic liquid in the refrigerator.

The most common acids used to pickle foods are vinegar, lemon juice and whey drained from yogurt. Always refrigerate fresh pickles and consume within one month. Recent studies have concluded that the food-poisoning bacteria Listeria monocytogenes survive and multiply in low-acid, refrigerator pickles kept for several months.

If you are in a high-risk group for food-borne illness, treat refrigerator pickles as fresh food and consume them within three days. To make safe fresh pickles, sterilize the pickling jar by boiling it for 10 minutes in water. Use only the best quality mature vegetables. Cut washed and trimmed vegetables into slices, sticks or shreds and immerse them in a seasoned acidic liquid.

Seasoning the pickling liquid is optional. You may use salt, salt substitutes, sugar, herbs and spices. Here is one recip e for making refrigerator pickles; you can use the recipe for the brine to pickle other fruits or vegetables besides cucumbers. Fermenting vegetables with salt is one of the oldest and safest food preservation methods.

You simply prepare vegetables, layer them with a measured amount of salt and allow them to ferment for one to four weeks. The salt pulls water out of the vegetables and forms brine. After fermentation is complete indicated when bubbling stops , store fermented vegetables in the refrigerator.

When you use relatively low salt concentration 2. Acid produced by the bacteria controls the growth of unfriendly spoilage organisms and creates pleasant, tangy flavors associated with fermented foods.

Sauerkraut and kimchi, made by fermenting cabbage, are two of the most common examples of salt-fermented vegetables. Many other vegetables lend themselves to this process, including shredded turnips, rutabagas and kohlrabies.

To ferment vegetables with salt: Sterilize the fermenting jar or crock by boiling in water for 10 minutes; weigh rather than measure the salt and prepared vegetables for best result 2½ to 5 percent salt to vegetables ; use only the best quality fresh vegetables; and use only pickling, canning, or kosher salt without the additives or minerals that found in table or sea salt.

Along with fermenting and pickling vegetables, drying has become one of my favorite food-preservation methods. Oven drying, using either a conventional gas or electric oven, is a good choice if you are drying for the first time, want to make beef or other meat jerkies or only want to do occasional drying.

After drying a few foods, if you want to dry larger amounts or dry foods more often, consider using a solar dryer. Solar drying utilizes a collector, which traps heat and makes it possible to dry foods in any climate.

The collector is a specially designed covered box that increases the drying temperature and maximizes air circulation. You can find do-it-yourself instructions here and in our more comprehensive article.

The general process for drying foods is to preheat your dryer. If using an oven, set to the lowest temperature setting. Ideally, you want to maintain an oven temperature between degrees Fahrenheit and F during drying, but a temperature below degrees Fahrenheit will work.

Place food on drying trays. Dry until foods are wrinkled, have shrunk considerably, are no longer sticky and have no visible moisture when squeezed or cut. Dry until pliable for snacking, or until brittle for longer storage.

Cool 30 minutes or until no longer warm. Remove food from drying trays. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. They seal and open easily. When we tested them at home, they kept herbs wrapped in a damp paper towel fresh for weeks, and we didn't have to shuffle everything around in our fridge to make room for them since they take up minimal space.

Stasher bags are freezer-, microwave-, oven- and dishwasher-safe and can even be used in boiling water for cooking sous vide!

We did notice staining during our in-Lab tomato sauce testing so keep that in mind when storing pigmented foods. The shapes in this set stand out for their versatility and it comes with 11 containers plus their lids at a great price especially when on sale!

The containers nest and their lids are slim for easy storage. Pyrex containers can be used in the oven, which makes them great for reheating leftovers or crisping small servings — just be sure to let them come to room temperature first to avoid thermal shock, per the brand.

In our dishwasher test, we ran each 4-cup round container and 3-cup rectangular container through the dishwasher five times. While the glass was naturally unscathed, we found that the lids can become slightly deformed after multiple cycles which may lead to leaking if storing liquids.

Zwilling may be known for its cutlery, but the German knife maker has expanded into food vacuum sealing.

The vacuum-seal containers are easy to use and help keep your leftovers airtight. They're also great for marinating or storing raw meat after you've opened a pack.

The vacuum sealer is compact and attaches to the lid of the container to seal it with the press of a button. This model was a top performer during our leak tests, and once sealed properly, the lid didn't budge. While this set only includes one large 2. In our tests, we found that the containers held up very nicely when run through the dishwasher, and we were impressed by how thick and durable the glass was.

These twist-and-seal food storage containers are a favorite in the Kitchen Appliances Lab and have kept food items fresh in our pantry for months. The silicone seal helps keep air out, which is ideal for storing pasta, flour and other dry goods while the rounded edges allow for easy pouring.

The whole container isn't dishwasher safe, but the top can be hand-washed. The square shape and design make stacking a breeze and range in sizes from. When testing, we noticed that the twist-to-lock top and release buttons may be tricky for some people to grab and use.

We love that the Neat Stack lunch containers are not only some of the more affordable storage containers out there, but that they can be stored in your cabinets without taking up too much space. The nesting set comes with five containers in various sizes to hold anything from ½ cups of fruit to whole meals and comes with a freezer pack that can attach to the large lids to help keep your lunch cold when traveling.

Each size container is color-coded and has engraved cup sizes for each, including 5-cup, 3-cup and ½-cup versions, great for portioning during meal prep. Several containers share the same lid size, so there's less fumbling for the right match. We did notice staining during our freezer to microwave test so keep that in mind when heating pigment-rich foods.

At the Good Housekeeping Institute, we test all kinds of kitchen gear, from air fryers to chef's knives to food storage containers. In our latest food storage container test, we tested 21 container brands to evaluate performance and ease of use. For leak testing, we filled each container with water to its maximum capacity, secured the lid, weighed the container then vigorously shoot it for one minute.

We then weighed the container again to determine how much water was lost. Then, we refilled each container with water and left them upside down for 24 hours to see how much they retained. For each dishwasher-safe container, we performed over 10 hours of washing on the highest heat and water cycle to evaluate disfiguration and record any damage that occur during each cleaning cycle.

During our freezer-to-microwave testing, we used more than 25 ounce jars of traditional pasta sauce to see how well each container performed in the freezer and then in the microwave.

We assessed staining, damage and how well they cleaned. When shopping for food storage containers, the below features are important to keep in mind to find the best performing set for your home:. Glass can often be used in the oven, while plastic cannot.

Plastic containers are also prone to staining when storing highly pigmented foods; glass is not. Though most plastic is now BPA Bisphenol A -free, it's always wise to double-check as some food container sets may include BPA parts because, according to the FDA , "current approved uses of BPA in food containers and packaging are safe.

Some simply press down to close while others have clasps on the sides. This roundup was written by Nicole Papantoniou , who runs the GH Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab and oversees all content and testing related to cooking products.

She started testing and developing cooking tools, gadgets, gear and appliances in though she's been cooking since she was 12 years old. Nicole is trained in classic culinary arts and is a professional recipe developer. A previous version of this article was written by Raena Loper , a former product reviews editor for GH.

Leave a little space between packages so air can circulate freely. Read more freezing tips here. Food dehydrators, small electrical appliances for drying foods, are available from many affordable sources. Read more about drying here. Historically, sausage is one of the oldest known forms of processed meat.

Trimmings from beef, pork, lamb, birds make delicious and nutritious meals. The many varieties of fermented foods are classified by ingredients and method of preparation such as dill pickles and sauerkraut.

The many varieties of pickled foods are classified by ingredients and method of preparation such as fruit pickles, relishes, chutneys, and pickled eggs. Jelly, jam, preserves, conserves and marmalades are fruit products that are jellied or thickened.

Most are preserved by sugar. Their individual characteristics depend on the kind of fruit used, the proportions of ingredients, and the method of cooking. Dried foods are susceptible to insect contamination and moisture reabsorption and must be properly packaged and stored.