Food Pantry Guide: How Long Will Your Staples Last

[cparkly]

I just found this great guide and wanted to share.

[Bri'sgirl]

That's a great find! Thanks for posting.

[velochic]

Nah, I don't agree with that chart, necessarily. I use ingredients much longer than that and they're fine. Fresh as new. Then again my pantry is in my basement which stays 60*F year round, it's rather dark down there, and I've properly stored things. For example, white rice, if stored properly lasts indefinitely. So do beans, sugars, and other condiments. We rotate through a large pantry (about 9 months - 1 year depending on the ingredient) and there have been times I've used things 1 year past its "best by" date, and it's tasted perfectly fine. I know that other people would shudder to think of doing that, but what happens is it loses its flavor or goes stale rather than really "going bad". If it has mold or smells off, of course, it's not good. But most scratch ingredients can stay fresh for much longer than that chart, by my experience. YMMV.

Personally, I would defer to A.T. Hagan's Bible on proper pantry storage. I know Alan (not personally, virtually) and he keeps about a 3 year rotation. Believe it or not, he's a level-headed prepper and not actually a tin foil wacko.

[cparkly]

Originally Posted by velochic

Personally, I would defer to A.T. Hagan's Bible on proper pantry storage.

Excellent resource! Thank you for redirecting me.

[mamadelbosque]

Yeah, that first chart seems *WAY* conservative... Most things I've seen say that white flour/white rice/white sugar, properly stored lasts forever. Ditto for baking soda/baking powder (Lets be honest here - what exactly could 'go bad' with baking soda/baking powder??).. I have a pretty decent stock pile of a lot of 'basics' in my basement (rice, beans, lentils, wheat, pasta, spices, etc). It makes shopping super easy and I am truelly rarely 'out' of anything basic...

[inkedmamajama]

ooh, i really need that-thanks!

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by mamadelbosque

Most things I've seen say that white flour/white rice/white sugar, properly stored lasts forever. Ditto for baking soda/baking powder (Lets be honest here - what exactly could 'go bad' with baking soda/baking powder??)..

Flour starts losing nutritional value the moment it's ground. Baking soda/powder can lose potency over time... there's a test for it, but I don't recall what it is. But basically if it's old enough your bread won't rise.

[mamadelbosque]

whole wheat flour, yes... but theres not much nutritional value *IN* white flour to be lost - thats the point, same for white rice. You've taken away the part of it that can go bad, so it just can't.

[velochic]

Originally Posted by mamadelbosque

whole wheat flour, yes... but theres not much nutritional value *IN* white flour to be lost - thats the point, same for white rice. You've taken away the part of it that can go bad, so it just can't.

I agree. We eat white rice and some white flour, but it's really a filler and is not considered into fulfilling any nutritional needs. In fact, when I use them, I purposely make up for them. Still, if you are wanting to stretch a meal or put something back for just-in-case, they definitely last much longer than most people would think.

[Bri'sgirl]

Originally Posted by velochic

Personally, I would defer to A.T. Hagan's Bible on proper pantry storage. I know Alan (not personally, virtually) and he keeps about a 3 year rotation. Believe it or not, he's a level-headed prepper and not actually a tin foil wacko.

Oh, yeah! I forgot about Alan. He's definitely a great source of storage info. I, too, know him virtually through other msg boards.