Food Storage: Pantry

HOW L ONG W ILL YOUR STAPLES LAST?

The longevity of various foods depends on their perishability. Some, like sugars, alcoholbased extracts, and high acid canned goods, will keep for years unopened. Other foods like bread or cookies can get stale in a few days.

Tipsfor preservingstaples

To preserve foods for the longest period, store in a cool, dry, dark location. Make sure food packaging is secure when you purchase it. If you buy staples in bulk, buy only as much as you expect you'll use fairly quickly. That will ensure that your staples are always fresh and will give predictable performance in your cooking and baking projects. Vacuum seal dry foods if you buy in bulk to extend the storage period. Use the oldest stock first and rotate your pantry goods regularly. Refrigerate foods that have been opened. Condiments like ketchup and mustard last longer in the fridge than on the shelf. READ the package. If it says to "refrigerate after opening", make sure it gets into the fridge. Pitch any containers that show signs of bugs, or cans and jars that have bulging lids or show any signs of leakage. The rule of thumb here is "When in doubt, throw it out!"

Whatdo thosedatesmean?
Manufacturers offer "use by" dates as a guideline to peak quality. It's also a liability protection. Once the food has passed that date, the manufacturer is no longer bound to replace product that has gone bad. The federal government requires labeling only on infant formula and some baby food. States regulate dates too so there is not much uniformity between states as to what "sell by" or "pull by" dates should be. Both tell the grocer the last day the item may be offered

for sale, but has nothing to do with home storage or use. In some states, as long as food has not lost its quality it may be pulled and offered for sale at a reduced rate. Another date is "best if used by" and again this is an estimate of how long the quality should stand up over time. Expiration dates indicate the when a product should used by. After that date, more caution should be exercised. Pack dates tell you when food was packaged but give no indication of how long it will be good. The following tables offer simple guidelines to the life expectancy of various foods. That said, many foods are perfectly safe to eat past the expiration dates as long as the packaging remains intact. You may notice some degradation in quality and that should be expected, but the foods should still be safe to eat. Items like cake or quick bread mixes may not rise and fats may develop rancid "off" flavors.

BakingIngredients

Type of food
Baking powder Baking soda Quick bread or cake mixes Cocoa and cocoa mixes Cornmeal Cornstarch Flour (white) Flour (whole wheat)

Unopened
6 months 2 years 15 months Indefinitely 12 months 18 months 1 year 1 month

Opened
3 months 6 months Use-by date 1 year Refrigerate after opening (1 year) 18 months 6-8 months Refrigerate after opening (6-8 months) Refrigerate after opening (1 week) 3 months Reseal in four months Reseal in four months

Frosting (canned) Frosting mixes Gelatin (unflavored) Gelatin (flavored)

10 months 12 months 3 years 18 months

Molasses Sugar brown or granulated white Sugar confectioners Sugar substitutes Vanilla Yeast dry packets

1 year Forever 18 months 2 years 5 years Use-by date

6 months Forever 18 months 2 years 1 year Refrigerate open packets

Condiments

Type of food
Barbeque Sauce

Unopened
12 months

Opened
1 month (refrigerated: 4 months) 1 month (refrigerated: 6 months) Refrigerate after opening (1-2 months) Refrigerate; good until use-by date Refrigerate after opening (3-4 months) Use entire packet Refrigerate after opening (1 month) 1 year 1 year Refrigerate after opening (6 months) Refrigerate after opening (1 year) Refrigerate after opening (3 months)

Catsup, cocktail sauce or chili sauce

1 year

Chutney

1 year

Chopped Garlic Horseradish

18 months 1 year

Gravy mix (dry) Gravy mix (wet) Herbs (dried) Honey Jam, jelly, marmalade Maple Syrup Mayonnaise

2 years 2-5 years 1-2 years 1 year 1 year 1 year 2-3 months

Mustard

1 year

1-2 months (refrigerated: 1 year) Refrigerate after opening (2 weeks) Refrigerate after opening (2-3 months) 6 months Refrigerate after opening (3 months) 1 month Forever 1 year

Olives Pickles

12-18 months 1 year

Relish Salad dressings Salsa Salt Worcestershire sauce

1 year 1 year 1 year Forever 1 year

FoodStaples

Type of food
Bread (store at room temperature in a bread box) Canned goods such as soups, pasta, peas, potatoes, and spinach (low acidity or sugar) Canned goods such as juice, fruit, pickles (high acidity or sugar) Cereal (ready-to-eat) Cereal (cook-before-eat) Chocolate Chocolate syrup Coffee (whole beans from bulk bin) Coffee (ground, in can) Coffee (instant)

Unopened
1-2 weeks 2+ years 2+ years 6-12 months 6-12 months 12-24 months 2 years 2-4 weeks in air tight container 2 years 1 year

Opened
1 week Refrigerate after opening (3-4 days) Refrigerate after opening (5-7 days) 3 months 6-12 months 1 year Refrigerate after opening (6 months) Vacuum pack and freeze (3-4 months) Refrigerate after opening (2 weeks) Refrigerate after opening (2-3 months)

Coffee Creamer, Powder Dried Beans Lentils (dried) Pasta Dried w/out eggs Pasta Egg Noodles Peanut Butter Peas Dried split Popcorn Kernels in jar Popcorn Microwavable Bags Potato Chips Potatoes Instant Pudding mix Rice White Rice Brown Rice Flavored Mixes Rice Cream Flavored Mixes

6 months 1 year 1 year 2 years 2 years 9 months 1 year 2 years 1 year 2 months 6-12 months 1 year 1-2 years 1 year 6 months 1 year

6 months 1 year 1 year 1 year 1-2 months 3 months 1 year 1 year 1-2 days popped 1-2 weeks 6-12 months 3-4 months 1 year 6 months Use entire amount Use entire amount

CookingIngredients

Type of food
Bread Crumbs Dried Mushrooms Oil (olive or vegetable) Oil Sprays Spices Whole Spices ground Sun dried tomatoes Vinegar

Unopened
6 months 6 months 6 months 2 years 2-4 years if vacuum sealed 1 year 912 months 5 years

Opened
6 months 3 months 4-7 months 1 year 1 year Six months 6 months 3 years

PackagedGoods

Type of food
Cookies (packaged) Crackers Diet powder mixes Nuts (jars or cans) Shortening, Solid (eg. Crisco) Soda (Bottles) Soda (Cans) Soup Mix

Unopened
2 months 8 months 6 months 1 year 8 months 3-5 months 9-12 months 12 months

Opened
1 month 1 month 3 months 3 weeks 3-5 months Refrigerate after opening (2-3 days) N/A Use entire amount

Miscellaneous

Type of food
Baby Food Candy Dried Fruits Evaporated milk (canned) Juice boxes Marshmallows Tapioca Tea Bags Tea Loose Tea Instant Toaster pastries fruit filled Toaster pastries non fruit filled

Unopened
Two months 1 year 6 months 1 year 6 months 2-4 months 1 year Freshest before 18 months 2 years 3 years 6 months 9 months

Opened
Refrigerate after opening (1-2 days) N/A Refrigerate after opening (6 months) Refrigerate after opening (4-5 days) Refrigerate after opening (8-12 days) 1 month 1 year Freshest before 1 year 1 year 1 year 1 week if packet is unsealed 1-2 weeks if packet

is unsealed