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Tip Friday Lifespan of Pantry Products

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Lifespan of Pantry Products

It’s Tip Friday on Marilyn’s Treats. And todays tip is Life Span of Pantry Products

 

Life Span of Pantry Products

 

If your pantry is anything like mine, there are more than a couple of staples lurking in the back that haven’t seen the light of day in months. And if you’re like me, you agonize over questions like, “Can I still use the half-empty can of baking powder I bought three years ago?” or “Why the heck is my apple cider vinegar cloudy?” Why did my cupcakes rise and spill all over the oven? Most times an ingredient is still safe to use, but it’s always a good rule of thumb to make sure of that before cooking. Here’s a useful guide for when you should and shouldn’t toss out an ingredient.

Flour:

The lifespan of flour depends on what kind we’re talking about. Refined flour (white flour) will last a up to two years if stored in a cool, dry place. After that? It can take on a sour smell. Another thing to remember: Keep refined flour in an airtight container, otherwise an insect called the flour weevil may find its way in. The female flour weevil loves to lay its eggs under mountains of refined flour, which hatch into rather unappealing bits of added protein. If you find any, toss your flour out. One of my readers Swimbakelily, used old flour to make these cupcakes. She was kind enough to allow me to use her photo.

Lifespan of Pantry Products Example

Whole wheat flour brings its own challenges. Unlike refined flour, it’s best stored in the refrigerator, or even the freezer. Even then, it’ll only stay good for a few months. Once it begins to smell like burnt rubber or pencil erasers, toss it out. On the plus side? The flour weevil can’t digest whole wheat, so it steers clear.

Sugar:

If stored adequately, even old sacks of sugar are probably still good. “Sugar, properly stored (tightly closed and in a dry place), has an indefinite shelf life because it does not support microbial growth,” explains Domino Sugar’s FAQ page. Don’t worry about hardened brown sugar, either as it results from the evaporation of its natural moisture and is still safe to eat. But softening that sugar is revealed in a future Tip Friday. Still, sugars can attract bugs if improperly stored. If you find a creepy crawly in your sugar, it’s time to throw it out and restock.

Olive Oil:

Have a fancy bottle of extra-virgin olive oil stashed away for a special occasion? Don’t save it a moment longer. Unlike fine wine, olive oil doesn’t get better with age. Over time, it oxidizes and goes rancid. Rancid olive oil will still look the same as good stuff, but its funky taste and smell will be unmistakable. Properly stored away from heat and light in a dark glass bottle, extra-virgin olive oil will stay good for up to a year and a half. Just make sure to actually use it. And don’t remove it from the bottle and put in a different container. That dark glass is used for a purpose.

Corn Meal:

Most corn meal sold in the United States is refined. That means that the hull and germ, which are more susceptible to rancidity, are removed so that corn meal can last a good long time on the shelf. If stored in a cool, dark place in an airtight container (or better yet, the fridge), it’ll stay good for about a year. You’ll know when it’s gone bad when it starts smelling a bit like rotting trash or sprouts unsightly spots of mold.

Corn Starch:

Corn starch producer Argo says that as long as cornstarch is kept dry and stored in an airtight container, it’ll practically last forever. That said, if it looks like it’s turned to paste, liquid has found its way into the container and it may be rancid. Throw it out!

Baking Powder and Soda:

Both ingredients are chemical leaveners, which means that they bubble in reaction to high temperatures and certain ingredients, producing perfectly fluffy pancakes and wonderfully airy chocolate cake. Baking powder will remain potent between six months and a year, while baking soda is good for up to two years. If you’re not sure if your baking soda or powder is still chemically active, Food52 has a nifty trick: “All you have to do is drop a little bit of the baking soda or baking powder into hot water (and vinegar if testing baking soda) and look for a bubbling reaction. If there’s fizzing, it’s still good to use!”

Vinegar:

Cloudy vinegar got you guessing how fresh it is? Don’t worry about it. According to the Vinegar Institute, a vinegar trade association, “color changes or the development of a haze or sediment” is “only an aesthetic change.” All kinds of vinegar such as apple, white wine, balsamic, and so on last pretty much forever.

Chocolate:

It’s truly a shame when good chocolate goes to waste. Thankfully for most of us that will never happen. Two things to look for: “Fat bloom,” which is when cocoa butter begins to separate and rises to the chocolate’s surface, and “sugar bloom,” when the sugar crystallizes after exposure to humidity or being moved quickly from cold to hot temperatures. Fat bloom results in white, chalky chocolate, while sugar bloom gives the chocolate a grainy texture. Neither makes the chocolate dangerous to eat, just unappetizing, so toss it out and start fresh!

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  3. Marilyn, thanks for sharing the shelf life of these ingredients. I like storing my flour and sugars in the freezer, hopefully safe from the bugs in there. I wasn’t aware that olive oil would go bad so soon or that the bottle’s color was like that for a reason. Also I’m really glad you shared about how to test baking soda and powder, every time I use mine I wonder if it’s going to work. It’s usually not that old either, just always worried about its potency, and whether it has any. Thanks again for this wealth of information!

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  6. You are truly the “Tip Queen” Marilyn. This is a great post just filled with information that we need for our pantry products. Hope you are having a great weekend and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

    Reply

  7. I wish I had known this months ago! I used old wheat flour (stored in pantry), and…Holy Mackarel! It gave off the most TERRIBLE flavor! NOW I know to store it in the refrigerator for longer life. Thanks for this! #smallvictoriessundaylinkup

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    • It is amazing how bad expired items can make a recipe go wrong! I think my worst was using key lime pudding fom my grandmas pantry after she died. I baked that graham cravker pie for three hours and it was still soup. Burnt soup!

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    • If you keep out the moistire then go for it. Don’t push it all the way to the back and allow some space around them. The object is to keep them from starting to frost! You are nailing it!

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  12. This is great advice! Pinning to my Handy Tips board, thank you 🙂 We just started a new link party over at grandmashousediy.com called the “To Grandma’s House We Go” party that you might be interested in, thanks!

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  14. Good tips! Crisco will also go rancid after a while, especially if it is too warm. Years ago I made cookies with some my mother-in-law had, and boy were they disgusting! Thanks for sharing.

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    • I am happy you found this useful! Dealing with expired products is so frustrating to me! I hate surprises when I am baking. Make sure you laugh a lot this week. It is great cardio!

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    • That is o true Charlotte. My problems are hen I put things in containers and using spices! Remember to laugh this week. It’s great cardio! When I use you affilite to go into Amazon, choose my stuff and log in, do you still get your commission?

      Reply

      • I would think so Marilyn. If I understand correctly Amazon affiliate cookies last 24 hours. I would hope signing in shouldn’t affect them. Thanks for asking, it’s a good question, as a new blogger I am still learning. Did you find a dehydrator you like? Enjoy your weekend, ours has been crazy with a yard sale, running a 5K with my son, and then he had a soccer game in 90* weather!

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