How Long Basic Foods Last, Part 2

We Always Need to Purge

In a previous post, I talked about how long Fruits and Vegetables last and how most of us have 5 categories related to food in our kitchen:  The last 3 are what I’ll cover today.

Grains

• Crackers:  best quality 6-9 months unopened.  Retain their freshness only 1 month after opening.
• Pasta: unopened can last 1-2 years beyond the ‘best by’ date.  Cooked they will last 3-5 days in the refrigerator in an air tight container or sealable bags.  NOT with a food clip or rubber band.  Neither of these things keep them fresh for very long.
• Cereal:  unopened can last 6-8 months past the date on the box.  Opened for best quality 4-6 months.  If you use a plastic chip clip, cereal will only last a week so use an airtight container and that will make it last up to 6 months, it will also deter pests like ants and protects from humidity.  The bags tear easy and badly so putting cereal in containers solve that problem as well.
• Bread: 3 ways to store bread:  Room Temperature, Refrigerator & Freezer. Bread has a short shelf life of 5-7 days store- bought or 3-4 days homemade (without preservatives). It is more likely to spoil if stored in warm, moist environments.  To prevent mold, it should be kept sealed at room temperature or colder.  It also gets stale quite quickly.  Protect bread from moisture & air. The Refrigerator dries out the bread and makes it stale faster.  If kept in its original package and untouched it stays moist only a few days longer. If you store bread in freezer:  Make sure you pre-slice the bread, keep in its original bag ASIS or if left over, place in freezer bags and remove air before sealing it.  For best quality only keep up to 3 months in the freezer.  You must use the bread right after defrosting it.
  Gluten Free bread is more susceptible to mold due to its higher moisture content and limited use of preservatives.  This is why it’s usually sold frozen instead of room temperature. Always throw away the bread no matter what days you think it is if it is moldy, has a strange taste or smells.

Baking Items

• Flour: Traditional flour is wheat based. Most stay fresh 6-8 months at room temperature. Specific shelf life depends on: 1) type of flour 2) it’s ingredients 3) how you store it. White all- purpose flour generally stays fresh longer than whole wheat flour due to the ways in which each is processed. GF varieties such as coconut and almond are more vulnerable to mold due to its high moisture content, therefore, they should always be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. All flour should be kept in an air tight container or sealed bag, in a cool dry place to preserve its freshness.  You can increase its life by 1 year in the refrigerator and 2 years in the freezer.  *let the flour reach room temperature before using it.  This will prevent lumping. The best way to determine whether the flour is safe is to smell it.  Fresh flour has a neutral odor and bad flour smells of – it can be stale, musty or almost sour.  It may also look discolored.  Get rid of it, no matter what the date.
• Sugar: Granulated, brown, confection or powdered sugars won’t spoil or expire.  If kept in an airtight container sugar can last many years.  Make sure any moisture or bugs can’t reach it.
• Baking Powder:  unopened lasts up to 18 months as it loses its potency.  Opened use within 6 months (date the can when you open it with sharpie)
• Baking Soda: last up to 3 years unopened only 6 months opened.  Fresher is always best when baking for best results.  Not very expensive so I tend to buy new when I bake large amounts of cookies.
• Yeast:  last 1 year sealed. If unsealed, toss since its probably dead.
• Olive Oil: can go rancid after just 3-4 months if opened. If sealed up to 1 year. Rancid oil smells like rotten eggs.
• Cooking oils such as Vegetable and Canola are being kept too long.  Good oil will last about a year after opening but lower-quality oil will only last a few months.  Unopened oil can last up to 2 years.

Canned, Bottled, Boxed, or Bagged Goods

• Coffee Beans:  have one of the shortest shelf lives of all pantry staples.  They only stay fresh for 1-2 weeks.  If put in the refrigerator that will extend its life to only 1 month.
• Canned foods:  many are only good for 1-2 years especially in humid parts of the world.  Its color and texture may change after that time and you may notice a decrease in quality as the flavor may not be optimal.  Read it before you eat it since there may also be a decrease in nutritional value once a food passes the best by date.
• Mustard/Mayo/Ketchup:  sealed they are kept for 1 year.  They must be refrigerated to stay fresh so don’t over buy.  Mustard open in the pantry only lasts 1 month in the refrigerator 1 year.  Opened Ketchup 6 months in the refrigerator only 1 month in the pantry.  Mayo opened 3 months in the refrigerator is not left out in pantry once opened.
• Honey:  should not be stored in the refrigerator.  It’s best to keep open bottles in your pantry where they’ll last up to one year.
• BBQ Sauce in the pantry opened only last about a month.  In the refrigerator should last for 6-9 months.
• Jams & Jellies:  they’re best kept in the refrigerator for up to 6 months after opening.
• Salad Dressings:   go bad after about 3 months after it’s opened
• Maple Syrup:  unopened in the pantry 2 years.  After opened needs to be refrigerated – check your bottle.  You may be pairing mold spores on your pancakes.

You can download a helpful chart by clicking the link below:

I hope you gleaned some new information today.  Please add a comment of yes I learned something new or no I did not.  Thanks for watching-see you next week!