Preserving food without refrigeration

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At home

Order of consumption: first what is in the refrigerator (the first 4 hours), then the freezer (whatever is thawing), and last cans and the pantry.
Cook everything that has thawed at once if you can do it safely outdoors (see chapter 4), and eat it soon. Cooked food does not keep without cold either.
Prefer small portions: open cans that will be finished in one meal.
Practice good hygiene: wash or sanitize hands and utensils; diarrhea in an emergency is serious.

In the field (traditional methods from FM 21-76)
Method	How it works	Notes
Drying in the sun or wind	Cut thin strips (meat, fish, fruit) and dry them hung in the sun and air	Protect from flies. It should end up brittle. In humid weather it is unreliable.
Smoking	Thin strips over smoke from a slow fire, away from the flame, for many hours	Do not use resinous or unknown woods. Home smoking does not guarantee long-term safety.
Salting	Cover with salt or brine	Requires a lot of salt and increases thirst. Rinse before eating if you have water.
Keeping alive	Fish in a net in the water, for example	As fresh as possible.

Golden rule: without refrigeration, fresh meat and fish must be cooked and eaten the same day.