Preserved

Why preserve? Because preserving makes food taste great, is cheaper than shop-bought versions and ultimately because it is addictive - once you begin, you will soon discover a reluctance to return to inferior, mass produced food. This book is a panoramic introduction to a world that will consume and seduce you. Full of practical information, it covers all the main techniques of food preservation with accessible instructions and a light-hearted manner. Johnny and Nick show you how to dry meat and herbs, salt fish and cure ham. They teach you how to build a smokehouse and then smoke your own salmon, how to make sausages, pickle eggs and infuse oils, preserve with sugar, bottle fruit in alcohol and can your own produce. This volume also reflects the international nature of these techniques, exploring the biltong of South Africa, Asian kim chee and the herbes de Provence as well as British classics such as kippers, marmalade and sloe gin. Accompanying the techniques are over 100 recipes that will help you to bring out the best of your preserved food - what to do with your damson jam, home-made chorizo or smoked oysters? There are also entertaining tales about the history of preserving, including the story of the American World War II pilots who made ice cream by tying cartons of the mixture to the tails of their planes. Preserving is like an alchemy. It is about transforming food. Creating individual food that you will enjoy not only because it tastes so good, but because you have crafted it, tailored it to your own palate and then waited for it. But above all, preserving is fun.