What You May Not Know About Food Storage
I’ve been thinking about discussing with my readers what you may not know about food storage. You may know the many factors that go into an adequate food storage plan, or maybe you’re not up to speed. Either way, someone may be able to use this information to help them in their journey. You may think the items I’m discussing today have a long-term shelf-life. It’s just the opposite; these foods have a very short shelf-life.
It’s frustrating to me when people think that adding flour to a Mylar bag with some oxygen absorbers will extend the shelf life to 30 years. Here’s the deal: Please don’t make food storage harder than it is. Even Thrive Life, a reputable commercial food storage company, states the shelf life of their #10 cans of white flour is five years unopened and one year if opened.
Please be aware of the short-term food storage items I have listed below. I don’t want you to purchase a large inventory and then see the stored items spoil or go to waste. There are many more I could write about, but let’s start with these. Keep in mind that these are suggested time frames. If you smell an unfamiliar, strange, or unique odor you don’t recognize as you open or use the product, please discard it. When in doubt, throw it out. Let’s stay well and follow smart food safety steps to avoid the chance of food poisoning.
About Food Storage
Oils
Oils actually have a very short shelf life. I want you to think about where you buy your oil, the bright lights in the store, and how long it has been sitting there on the shelf. Remember, we need to store our oils and most other food storage items in a dark, cool location whenever possible in an effort to extend the products’ shelf life.
I follow oil expiration dates very closely. Have you ever tasted olive oil, or any other human consumable oil, that is rancid? I have. We had dinner at someone’s house, and they made a vinegar and oil salad dressing. Well, it was rancid; I can’t even describe the flavor. Let’s say, I had to push the vegetables around on the plate; I couldn’t eat the salad.
It tastes stale and old—that’s the best way I can describe it. When in doubt, throw it out. If you just bought the bottle, take it back to the store and ask for a refund. Here are my thoughts on the shelf-life of oils:
Olive Oil: most are 18-24 months
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 12-18 months
Canola Oil: 12 months
Coconut Oil: up to two years
I quote MasterClass, “Virgin or extra-virgin coconut oil, also called unrefined coconut oil, is made from fresh coconut meat, or copra. It has a shelf life of up to five years.”
Avocado Oil: lasts about eight months after being opened and stored in your refrigerator. Yes, it will solidify, but the flavor and quality remain the same. Just bring it to room temperature before you use it, and then return it to the refrigerator.
Shortening: Unopened packages will be good for eight months. Then, once opened, three months.
Canned Tuna
Mark and I don’t stock a lot of tuna because the canned tuna goes mushy after about a year. By mushy, I mean you can no longer distinguish the water from the tuna meat. That’s the only way I can describe it. You’re better off buying canned chicken, roast beef, corn beef, or Spam. So, one year is my suggested target for using your canned tuna products.
Breakfast Cereals
If you see a lady in Walmart pushing a shopping cart overflowing with cold breakfast cereal, it may be me. Yes, people stare at me; they probably think I have 12 kids. No, it’s for Mark and the grandkids if they stop by. I go twice a year and stock up on large bags of cereal—lots of bags. Then, when we open a bag, we transfer it into my Rubbermaid 8-quart commercial containers. The rest is stored on a shelf in the pantry.
Cereal has a short shelf life. Cold breakfast cereal has a shelf-life of one year unopened. Once the bag or box is opened, it changes to four to six months. These containers are Rubbermaid Commercial 8-Quart Containers that have lasted me at least ten or more years, or whenever I first started buying them. I love them!
Mark has a system for using breakfast cereal. He rotates what he eats every day, although he eats a banana with each variety of cereal. We don’t store seven different kinds of cereal, but he tracks that rotation. He seems pretty healthy, so maybe there’s something worthwhile to his approach.
Mayonnaise and Miracle Whip
Mayonnaise: An open jar of mayo stored in the refrigerator should be used within two months. Unopened, it lasts 6-8 months.
Miracle Whip: If stored properly in the refrigerator, an open jar will last 1-2 months past the expiration date. Unopened in the pantry, it is good for only one week past the expiration date/best-by date.
Ketchup: Because of its acidic nature, ketchup will keep unopened on your pantry shelf for about one year. If it’s open and stored properly in your refrigerator, it will be best if used within 3-6 months.
Mustard: 2-3 years unopened. If stored properly in the refrigerator when opened, plan on one year.
Baking Mixes
Cake Mixes: unopened for 6-12 months. You can use them for up to 2 years after the best-by date, but they may not have the quality or leavening you would want or expect.
Brownie Mixes: last 12-18 months on the pantry shelf. To extend their shelf life, store them in the freezer.
Pancake Mixes: last 6-12 months on your pantry shelf unopened. If opened, they last one month. They’re best stored in your freezer in an airtight container.
Nuts
Nuts contain a lot of oil, so they go rancid very quickly. Please place all nuts in airtight containers in your freezer. If nuts have gone bad, you will smell a distinct paint smell. They may smell rancid even before they get to the paint smell phase.
Crackers/Graham Crackers
Saltines: last nine months unopened and two weeks if opened. I worry when I see people putting them in mason jars, using their FoodSaver, and then opening them five years later.
Graham Crackers: 1-2 months once the packages are opened. If unopened, the shelf-life is 6-9 months, or the best if used by date.
Flour
White bread or all-purpose flour is suitable for 12-18 months. Be sure to check the best-by date on the packages you purchase. I always make bread, cinnamon rolls, bagels, and dinner rolls, so I MUST have fresh flour, or the result after baking will not be what I like.
Brown Sugar
This is one thing I never buy from a store anymore, I make my brown sugar. In case you missed this post, How to Make Brown Sugar
But purchased brown sugar lasts indefinitely, although it may go hard as a rock. Please try these jars; my brown sugar never goes hard. Airtight Glass Jars
Peanut Butter
Oh my gosh, have you ever opened a jar of peanut butter and smelled how rancid it was? The nuts and the oil make it go rancid so quickly. I had to start buying smaller jars of peanut butter. I barely learned we could freeze peanut butter; who would have known?
Peanut Butter: I’m talking today about products like JIF or Skippy-type peanut butter. It will last 6-24 months, depending on the brand. Please check for the best-by dates on the container. If the jars are opened, they will last 2-3 months. If you want to extend the shelf life after opening it, place the jar in the refrigerator for 3-4 months.
Final Word
I hope you enjoyed my post today. Here is what you may not know about food storage. I intended to show you some things we can’t stock safely for five years or whatever extended period you are shooting for. If you have ketchup that is five years old, that’s your choice. I’m showing you the SAFE timelines for these short-term foods. Please stay out of the ER. It’s not worth the price of a jar of mayo. May God Bless this world, Linda
All of these foods that may not be “up to par” may well become harder to get soon. I am keeping some things that i will not eat, to provide food for animals.
examples: rice is easily turned into dog or chicken food, by adding veggie scraps, and a little extra to,(maybe scratch grain,) for chickens. Add a little chicken or wild meats to rice, for dogs… Flour can be used to bake cornbread with corn/or cornmeal. and some of that oil or mayo..This can buy time until the grass is up and your chickens can run in their area or you can sprout fodder for them.
Hi Denise, great comment, another option for those with animals and chickens. Love it! Linda
I once ran out of mayo/salad dressing for potato salad when my much older sis was here. We live 7miles from the nearest gas station convenience store. She just went to my cupboard and frig. Grabbed some eggs, other stuff, my hand mixer, and Made mayonnaise. She said it needed refrigeration if we didn’t use it all. I could understand this as it had eggs in it. I’m not sure I’d want to chance mayo or salad dressing Not kept in the frig after opening.
Hi Wendy, I have never made mayo, I love hearing your sister made some. Linda
home made mayo is the best. Easy to make, but it really needs refrigeration. And, when you make it, there aren’t any of “those” chemicals. I don’t use seed oils and I think most of the store bought brands have them in the ingredients.
My bread has to be refrigerated here in the south. No preservatives in it. Goes bad quickly.
I had some left over heavy cream. It isn’t cost effective, but really easy to make butter. Electric mixer. When it goes from whip cream to butter it is fast and sprays buttermilk around if you don’t have the bowl covered. REAL buttermilk!
I figure if there is a shortage of butter, there might be cream. Handy to know how easy it is to make. A hand mixer would be ok, too, but as long as I have power…
Hi CAddison, I have never made homemade mayo but the only thing I use it for is Ranch Salad Dressing. I eat my sandwiches plain. I remember when I was very young I was using a hand stand mixer and the whipping cream became butter, my mom said, “well you just made the best butter ever”! LOL! Homemade bread is the best! I make mine in one pound loaves because like you said it does not have preservatives it will go bad faster. Linda
Wendy, when old mayo is baked in bread for animals, any bacteria would be destroyed in the baking process, they are animals they eat much worse stuff if allowed to free range. You are right, ..however,I did NOT address eating ..”less than pristine” food at all in my comment- just ways they can be USED for animal feed…
YOU SHOULD be aware: flour/rice in other countries is sifted to remove bugs- that are hatched because they have nothing else.. rice is washed to remove larvae that have hatched.., same reason. It does not kill those, but they may get hatching larvae and worms… if foods not fully cooked.
… Be careful what you throw away, you may be required to have “an air sandwich’ if you waste too many things..
This is a very good reason to make sure WE buy things in appropriate sizes and rotate everything continually. i would not use(rancid mayo–your example.) it if left out of refrigerator and it’s temp went up… it does make fantastic bread for chickens or a supplement for dog feed. Have a good evening and do what you need to do for your family.
Hi Linda! Another great post! Some of this I knew, some was news to me. Thank you so much. I appreciate all you do for us.
Hi Deborah, you are so sweet my friend, thank you for your kind words. Linda
I totally agree .This is why I keep stock and rotate through the short term food storage. Yeast also last longer if kept in the freezer .
Hi Nicole, thank you, my friend! Rotate is the name of the game. I love that the yeast keeps so well in the freezer. Linda
Thanks for all the helpful information. Could you please share what the best way to store flour long term please.
Hi Jessica, unless you place your flour in the freezer it will only last 12-18 months. I buy 200 pounds of flour every year, I cannot store it in the freeze.r I must use it and I do. Unless you want to buy commercially processed flour for instance from Thrive Life (long-term is 5 years). I bake and I must have fresh white flour. My bread never fails, literally. Only store what you will use in a year or store whole wheat and get a grinder. I hope this helps. Linda
Denise, Our dogs don’t mind if they get fried bread made with old flour and old oil.
Hi Linda T. great idea, Linda
I learned this lesson the hard way. There was a man in the town near we live that would go back east every year and buy pie filling at a fantastic price. Well for a while I did not make pies and a lot of the cans ended up rusting and we had to throw it out. Now he has a fit if I can get 1 or 2 free with a store coupon these days
Hi Jackie, oh, that is sad. I love to buy one get one free! Or just FREE! I love having a few cans of pie filling. I’m so sorry to hear this, my friend!! Linda
I too am sorry he feels this way but a person just can’t be throwing out food. That being said, I’ve had apple and cherry pie filling in cans for a long time. I wonder if the cans he got for so cheap were iffy to begin with? You just keep on with your coupon deals, especially if no problems with the cans.
Hi Wendy, good idea on the coupons. Linda
Wendy:
The cans were too gone too use what was inside. They were probably long out of date. I am changing where I keep what I have in cans to a spare room in my house instead of the garage. Then I know they won’t go bad.
Your husband, Mark, and my Tom are brothers from other mothers. Between his Raisin Bran, Rice Krispies and oatmeal he is good for breakfast and a bedtime snack…..and even dinner, if his stomach is acting up.
The biggest shelf in my pantry is cereal. I am more a maple sugar and walnut granola girl.
Stay safe and healthy everyone
Hi Chris, oh my gosh, I love hearing this!! It’s so true!!! I love granola! Linda
We are packing for a camping trip and hubby has to get one of the packs of single serving cereals so he can have lots of varieties. Me, I just want a bag of Pecan Cranberry Granola. I was raised in a family that allowed only one box of cereal to be opened at a time, so it took me a long time to get used to the multiple boxes opened at once.
Hi Topaz, oh I was raised the same way!!! One box, finish it and we all got to choose the next one! Oh the memories! LOL! Have fun camping. Linda
Love these tips! Most I knew but making notes in my binder including from others comments (chicken food). Thanks all!
Hi Marilynne, thank you, glad you can use the tips!! Linda
Hi Linda,
I have to share this with you. Many, many years ago, when my sis-in-law was still living, we had a discussion about what food items needed to be refrigerated and which did not.
She was from the south (Alabama) and insisted that she NEVER put her mayo in the fridge. She stated that is it was never introduced to the cold, it didn’t need it. Well, since then, I’ve never refridgerated my Mayo either. AND guess what, It keep just fine. However, My house is kept on the cool side so that may contribute to its well being.
Keep well and stay safe.
Suzanne
Hi Suzanne, oh my gosh, this is so interesting. I think I will have to stick to keeping mine refrigerated, I do not keep my house cool. I had to Google mayo and refrigeration!! You and sis-in-law may be right!!! I had never heard this, thank you!! Linda https://www.today.com/food/should-you-keep-mayo-pantry-or-fridge-t100370
very interesting! I was always told that warm mayo could cause food borne illness, guess they were all wrong. Since I am allergic to soy (I am going to go read my tuna cans after reading these posts), I have been eating Hellmans Canola Oil mayo and it used to be sold as “low cholesterol” and then I couldn’t find it anywhere for a couple months. Now it has reappeared under the label “Plant-based Mayo” and sometime Vegan Mayo. Since it doesn’t include eggs, I wonder if that makes a difference? If I use the vegan mayo to make macaroni salad or potato salad, would that be good for several hours at room temperature?
Hi Topaz, there is no way I could eat warm mayo of any kind. I do not believe it would be safe. Please call the manufacturer to confirm. Linda
I giggled at a memory of crackers that went stale on me. I had gone to a food distribution site where one of the items was a case of restaurant pkgs of crackers. Score! You know, the little 2 crackers/pkg. The best use by date was 6 mos away. It took my family almost a year to get to the bottom fourth of the box. Then, I noticed each and every pkg tasted blah. Eek, I had to actually buy a box of crackers. My giggle came from remembering me patiently opening each pkg, putting the crackers in a bucket for my chickens. The ‘girls’ didn’t care if they were stale, lol.
Lately I’ve noticed that even the top name brand crackers don’t taste all that good. I have no clue why. Oh, and the wheat saltines? (I’m not talking about snack crackers.) They seem real stale even when fresh.
I may end up making my own saltines, sigh. Pretty simple but a pain in behind, at least to me. My old cookbook from the 1940’s has the recipe. Yep, did this once…and until now, thanked Zesta every time I made soup.
Weird but I’ve found the snack crackers last longer than a new box of saltines. Probably the preservatives used for the flavoring but I like the convenience of Not making my own. Wondering if any one else has noticed the flavor change of saltines?
Hi Wendy, oh my gosh the small packages, I love them! I can almost visualize you opening all those packets!! Gosh, I haven’t bought Saltines in years, now I want to see if they taste stale. I didn’t know they made wheat ones, boy I’m out of the loop. LOL! Linda
I accidentally bought the Zesta wheat crackers, lol. I was used to buying my Aldis store brand crackers which were great. Then Not. When I saw the name brand box, I just put it in my cart. Heck, I didn’t bother really looking at the box til I put some in my soup. Ugh. Thought I could eat them with cheese slices. Nope. They are Not the same taste as Wheat Thins, lol. So, I looked for regular Zesta saltines. None at Any of my grocery stores. Wtheck? I got a store brand kind of white saltines but haven’t opened yet. Maybe some people will love this kind of saltine but not me. I did notice another thing: the wheat crackers have a far shorter best use by date than did the white cracker box.
A question for you: I remember you once saying you like the oyster crackers…have you noticed any flavor difference recently? I rarely buy these but would if it means I don’t have to make my own crackers.
Hi Wendy, oh I love oyster crackers but I haven’t bought them for months. I will have to buy some and test them. I love Wheat Thins and Chicken n’ biscuit ones. I rarely buy crackers these days except when I make dips. Oh, wait, I buy Ritz crackers more than any other cracker. Linda
Yes saltines in NW Florida seem to be rather bland & quickly lose their crunch this year. I’ve had better luck with the Crunchmaster brand of whole grain snack crackers.
I also keep a few boxes of Matzah, both salted & unsalted for my butter, crackers & cheese cravings. Jewish hardtack lasts well past the best buy date & even opened in a very humid climate keeps several months. I just store the open box in a gallon Ziploc bag.
Hi BDN, oh how I love hearing you have butter and cheese on cracker cravings!!! I need to check out the Crunchmaster brand. Great idea! Linda
I have a way of stopping any sugar going hard just put a small piece of bread in the jar with it, it works. This is what my grandma told me and in the early 1900’s she was a cook in a big house.
Hi Chris in the Uk, YES, that works great as well! Linda
Linda,
I think I have said this before, but we have had unopened peanut butter in the freezer for 18 months or more with no change in taste. For added protection, I take the unopened jars and vacuum seal them in a freezer bag with my Foodsaver before placing in the freezer. Works for us!
HI Harry, you were the one who told me, I’m going to do what you do when we get into the house. Best idea ever! Linda
Yep, we are eating on one right now that has a Best By date of November 20, 2023. It was in the freezer since March 2023. Tastes like we just brought it home from the store. I will say to folks, try it with one or two jars. We did that back when we started hoarding peanut butter in the freezer. LOL!!
Hi Harry, we both love the word hoarding! LOL! I’m just glad you mentioned it because I cannot eat rancid peanut butter. Mine will be going in the freezer. Best tip ever! We freezer butter so why not peanut butter, why didn’t I think of that? LOL! Linda
I was thrilled to read about brown sugar and how to make it. I’ve noticed there are shortages of the stuff for the last couple of years. Particularly dark brown. Not a problem now.
As to Tuna! Take a look at the tuna cans. On the front it says “100% tuna.” Well, the fish in the can is just that. Then turn the can around and read “ingredients.” It will say “tuna, soy.” Yup that’s right. Under the food laws, that means it can be 49% soy and still qualify because 51% is tuna.
I only buy the packets now because they are all tuna (per the label if you trust that!). those foil packets keep pretty well. Not more pricey when you think what the cost is for that soy in the cans!
I love your site and emails. Just topped off my hurricane prep (as if I really had to!!!) yesterday. Great sales right now. I live on an island with a bridge. The road washed out in Ian and we were rather trapped out here. Most of us had what we needed. The newbee’s had massive damage and no food.
We did live on an island 14 miles off shore for a year. That’s when I learned that Parmalot milk goes bad and when it does….well, I know what decomp smells like. Comparable. That was when we switched to powdered milk. 25 years later, that’s what we use. We also had no bug spraying – sub tropics. We also still have the military grade bug suits- face covering and mittens- because we still live in the sub tropics on the other coast- and after storms there’s no bug spraying.
Hi CAddison, thanks for the heads up on the brown sugar shortage. Wow, I need to go check out the tuna cans, wow! That’s a new one to me, thank you for sharing. It sounds like a beautiful place where you live! Yeah I’m fussy about my Instant milk, my kids grew up on powdered milk. Those military grade suits sound awesome! Linda
Addison,
Buy Natural Catch Tuna. https://naturalcatchtuna.com/ It is sections of filets, lightly smoked and packed in only extra virgin olive oil. It is a little pricey, but once you buy from them a time or two, they will send you discounts via email. That is all we eat and cannot think of eating Starkist mush again.
Hi Harry, you are so right about THIS TUNA, there is no other brand to compare to it. Great reminder, Linda
I just ordered some of the Tuna. They had a nice “come on” with a good discount if I upped my order, so I did!
I started on this journey when we got home Mar 1, 2020 from a deep winter camping trip in Michigan’s UP. Nobody wants to travel with us. Until 2022, we spent 6-9 months each year living off the grid camping or sailing in the Bahamas. If you don’t take it with you, you don’t have it. We aged out of that lifestyle, but it was good prep for what was to come with Covid. I mentioned before all the hurricanes I’ve been in and actually worked out in more than 1 Cat 5. Now we live in a Cat 6 (they just added that category) house.
If you can’t do for yourself, there is nobody to DO for you.
I always had food left over from the sailboat’s pantry. When Covid hit, I just started upping that. Now, I’m a full blown prepper. Keep it quiet, though. VERY quiet. Have a loaf of bread in the machine for my neighbor. I give her bread. She gives me eggs.
I just get regular powdered milk in the 1 qt packets. They are cost effective because there’s no danger of water or moisture intrusion into the packets. Will last years.
I do treat myself to raw milk about once a month. Wow is that stuff delicious. Keeps the blood sugar even longer, too.
So, keep it up! You have a pretty good fan base! And thanks to Harry in Texas. I have business in Nacogdoches!
Hi CAddison, I’m very blessed to have such great followers. Plus I call this our forum so we can ask or suggest ideas with one another. Just think of all the things you learned living off the grid and sailing in the Bahamas! What a wonderful life, my sweet friend.Life is good when you have skills, supplies, food, water, and knowledge. Love this, Linda
Thanks for that tip. “pricey?” Not when you are actually getting what you pay for. And quality has its price.
I’ve found some nice sources for grass fed and finished beef. They are trying to sneak stuff in at so many places. I was so disappointed to find out that “Good Ranchers” brags about finishing their grass fed beef off with grain. So, the last bit of food those creatures get in their system is exactly what we are paying a premium to avoid. It’s right there on their website. Florida has always been a major cattle producer. Topped Texas some…and with the fires, maybe again. There are some great producers here who ship direct.
I also found a raw milk dairy that sells at a local store (Farmer Joe’s). It’s labeled as “animal feed,” but that’s just so they can sell it. Delicious stuff. Those producers have to keep their dairies cleaner because the milk isn’t going through ultra processing.
I’ll get in some of that tuna. Again, thanks.
Hope you like the tuna. We will not buy any other. We also like the sardines. Have not tried the mackerel yet. You are so right about the beef. Too many producers stretch the truth until it screams. I have actually spoken to one of the owners of Good Ranchers, but that was before I found out that they were finishing on grain. We have a local meat market about 50 miles away that deals directly with local ranchers who furnish them with grass fed and finished beef. We just recently found out about it and plan to take a quick trip over there this week to check it out.
Hi Harry, Once we get into our house I will be ordering more of the tuna brand you love, I love it as well! I will check out the meat farmers as well. Stay safe, Linda
Can’t get better than grass fed Texas beef….but Florida’s is pretty good, too! I live in S Florida. There is a lot of agriculture nearby.
Good Ranchers actually brags about the grain finishing. Guess they think we are chumps. Glenn Beck advertises for them. Most people probably don’t know about grain finishing. I also do not want mRNA in my beef- or anything for that matter.
Hi CAddison, I will be looking for some good beef in a couple months. Great tips, Linda
Hi CAddison, quality does have its price. it’s interesting some of the states control or prohibit the sale of raw milk but we can buy raw sushi, raw tuna, shrimp and others I can’t think of others at the moment. I was shocked at a Farmer’s Market here in South Jordan, Utah that some booths that were selling their “Home Canned” foods. They looked beautiful but botulism is hard to detect until you have to go to the ER. That should be illegal in my humble opinion. We have a lot of rebel canners out there, they can do their thing and I will follow the USDA rules. It’s a personal thing, I don’t want to get sick or die from food not processed properly. Okay I will get off my soap box. Happy Memorial Day as we honor all those who have served and still are. May God bless all of them. Linda