Seaweed is a nutrient dense meals wealthy in fiber, protein, and nutritional vitamins like vitamin Ok and folic acid (vitamin B9). It may be purchased recent, dried, and seasoned. All of which have completely different shelf lives.
A batch of recent seaweed will final for 3-4 days within the fridge, whereas dried, packed seaweed will final for years with out going unhealthy. Though dried seaweed doesn’t rot, develop mould or flip unhealthy, if saved improperly, will result in sooner taste and nutrient loss. Seasoned seaweed then again will solely final 1 12 months or much less previous its expiry date.
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Table of Contents
Totally different Seaweed Preparations and their Shelf Life
Contemporary Seaweed
Shelf Life: Finest-before date (3 to 4 days)
Contemporary seaweed will be purchased within the fish market and is usually utilized in salads, or as added substances in soups and casseroles. These varieties can typically final for 3 to 4 days within the fridge earlier than their texture modifications and grow to be comfortable and mushy. An indication that it has gone unhealthy.
Plain, Dried Seaweed
Shelf Life: Finest earlier than date + 2 to three years.
Plain, dried seaweed like kombu(kelp), nori, wakame, dulce, and extra typically is available in sealed plastic baggage. This type of seaweed preparation lasts for as much as 2 to three years previous their expiry date, of their unopened packaging, if saved in a cool, dry place, away from direct daylight. Typically, plain dried seaweed doesn’t go unhealthy and solely go stale.
Dried and Seasoned Seaweed
Shelf Life: Finest-before date + 1 12 months or much less.
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A variation of the dried seaweed is the seasoned nori (sheet and shredded) which is usually utilized in Korean dishes. The sheets are seasoned with sesame oil and salt. Likewise, the shredded nori additionally is available in a wide range of flavors on high of being seasoned with sesame oil or sesame seeds.
The added sesame oil reduces the shelf lifetime of all these seaweed. Unopened bottles of sesame oil flip rancid 1 12 months after their expiration date. Seasoned seaweed are sometimes roasted with sesame oil, a course of that contributes to the sooner degradation of the oil. As such, seasoned seaweed could final lower than 1 12 months after its best-before date earlier than off-flavors develop.
Methods to Lengthen Shelf Life
Freezing
That is by far the simplest means of extending the shelf lifetime of most meals. Freezing enormously hinders the biochemical processes that contribute to taste and nutrient degradation. Moreover, it prevents the expansion of microorganisms that additionally performs a task in sooner meals spoilage.
Contemporary seaweed will be frozen for as much as 6 to 12 months. Earlier than freezing, it must be washed and completely dried. It may be vacuum sealed, saved in a moisture-proof freezer bag, or saved in an hermetic container.
Any type of dried seaweed will be frozen and can final for greater than 3 years frozen earlier than going stale. If planning to freeze an unopened packet, it ought to nonetheless be wrapped or saved in an air-tight container or moisture-proof bag. Its unique packaging is probably not freezer-proof and might degrade and let moisture in. Leftover seaweed from opened packets will be vacuum sealed earlier than freezing or transferred to an air-tight container or freezer protected baggage.
Vacuum packing giant nori sheets is perhaps tough and can lead to ripping or crumpling. As such, it’s finest to retailer them in an air-tight freezer-safe bag, or different inflexible air-tight containers.
Refrigerating
Sadly, even when refrigerated, recent seaweed doesn’t final lengthy. However, opened packs of dried seaweed each seasoned and unseasoned will hold for as much as 1 12 months previous their expiration date so long as they’re saved in an air-tight container.
Different varieties of dried seaweed like kombu could not have an issue with just a little moisture. However, a dried nori sheet strictly wants a low or zero moisture storage atmosphere because it shortly absorbs water within the air. Resulting from this, nearly all of the air have to be faraway from any nori sheet container earlier than it’s sealed.
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Using air-tight containers is very emphasised for nori sheets on account of their skinny, delicate construction. The humid freezer and fridge atmosphere will soften and make the person sheets stick collectively, making it nearly inconceivable to separate afterward.
Drying (For Contemporary Seaweed)
Freshly harvested seaweed will be dried beneath the solar or with a dehydrator. Doing so immensely extends its shelf life from a couple of days to years. Retailer purchased seaweed will be dried however shouldn’t be suggested.
It’s finest to course of the seaweed the identical day it was harvested/foraged. To dry seaweed beneath the solar:
- Rinse freshly harvested seaweed, ensuring to take away all sand, snail, small crabs, and extra.
- After rinsing, the seaweed will be held on a clothesline or garments drying rack set on a sunny location. It will also be dried on a spread-out tarpaulin or baking tray so long as the seaweed are partially dried.
- At evening, it’s finest to cowl the drying seaweed with a tarpaulin or any type of cowl in case a sudden rain happens. Likewise, it must be lined, or introduced inside when raining.
- In sunny climate, it would take 3 to five days to fully dry seaweed.
Non-Refrigerated: Chilly and Darkish Pantry
If each refrigeration and freezing are usually not an possibility, an unopened bundle of dried seaweed is finest saved in a cool, dry, and darkish pantry. Opened packs, then again, can nonetheless be saved with out refrigeration so long as it’s positioned in an hermetic, moisture-proof container.
Vacuum Sealing
One other approach to lengthen the lifetime of opened seaweed packs is by vacuum sealing them. This removes nearly all of the air and moisture contained in the plastic bag which may degrade the seaweed. Moreover, vacuum packs are moisture and waterproof and are nice containers for prolonged storage.
Air Tight Resealable Containers + Silica Gel Packets
If vacuum sealing shouldn’t be an possibility, then opened packs of seaweed will be transferred to an hermetic container. Most store-bought dried seaweed, specifically seasoned nori sheets, comprises a small silica gel packet. It’s a non-toxic substance that’s used to soak up moisture. When resealing opened packs of nori sheets, it is perhaps useful to exchange the packet of food-grade silica gel with a brand new one.
How to Salvage Moist Nori Sheets
Nori sheets or laver seaweed are infamous for quickly absorbing ambient moisture. The excellent news is that moist nori sheet will be dried by shortly roasting it on high of a burner flame till it turns into crisp once more. Afterward, it may be saved in an hermetic container, or instantly used.
Last Ideas
Seaweed is nice for including additional taste which might elevate the style of most dishes. When SHTF, it’s necessary to have good-tasting meals to alleviate stress, and including seaweed to dishes would possibly simply do the trick.
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