I use a little Tender Quick in water to soak fruit and vegetables for app trays and it keeps the food looking good for hours. I use asorbic acid(vitimin C) in my pesto to keep it green and fresh in the fridge for months.

Is there anything easily available that would work well for other types of food. Baked beans, cheese spread, potato salad, mac salad, etc. that would extend the shelf life of these items beyond just a few days? I'm just thinking it would be good to get two weekends of use out of some things to make prep more efficient, if I can do it without hurting quality or taking chances on food safety, but I'm not looking to start up a commercial canning operation.

Here is some reading: Preservatives

FF