Forever foods: 10 cooking staples that can outlast you
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Forever foods
Now that the holiday season has begun, many people are making extensive grocery lists in preparation for parties, dinners and cookie swaps. But before you shop, Janice Revell, co-founder of StillTasty.com, says "Look in your pantry and your cabinets and check whether the items really do need to go. You'll be shocked by what you really don't need to throw away."
So before you throw out that years-old sugar or replace that bottle of vanilla that's been gathering dust, consult our list of "forever foods." You may be surprised how many of your kitchen staples have a shelf life of decades — even after they've been opened. (Text: Laura Moss)
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Comments
I do keep salt untill I use up the box.
Sugar will last a long time too.
I think everyone is getting a little too intense about this topic. This article is merely a handy guideline to reduce unneeded waste. Nothing replaces your common sense, if it smells funny or you're worried, pitch it. Its advice, not law. Take it or don't. I know this is personally handy for me because my baking comes and goes. So its nice to know, while I thought I'd use that whole sack of sugar in a month, that just because I didn't I have to throw it out.
And I don't think the title.... More
If these items are so essential to our/your existence, why are they still in the cupboard after so many years. My rule, if I have something in my house that I haven't used in the last 6 months, it is in the trash
I have things that have held for over 1 year in the kitchen and it was fine
Throw it away ? somewhere is a charitable orginization, or soup kitchen that would appreciate that as a donation.... takes small time, but helps many.... Judy a thought... God Bless
Why would you "donate" spices, or any thing else to a "soup kitchen" that you would not eat or use yourself? These people may not have the money to buy food, but if someone is going to prepare food for them, don't give them "bad" ingredients to use and ruin all their efforts. Don't the poor and needy deserve good and tasty food as much as you do. This was the worst suggestion I have every seen. Just shameful.
You're a credit to the USA.
Everything listed will store forever IF properly stored. Knowing how to properly store them is the key. things like flour , ect are not on the list because they will go rancid after to year or so depending on how they are stored. Knowledge about food storage is key to saving your family a lot of money. Having a long term storage can save you in hard times or when some foods aren't available. I save because I only buy what I need to replace when the item goes on sale. I pressure can our.... More
Personally, I keep flour in the fridge- and if unopened, the freezer... and opened Matzo meal likewise. An American friend told me this- and it's a great way to avoid getting weevils!
I would love to know how to can meat so that it will keep. All my attempts so far have failed. I have no problems with veggies.
In order to safely can meats it must be done in a pressure cooker. Look for Ball canning books, or the government offers free ( or almost free) booklets on the proper procedures.
The FDA and extension service recommends using a designated "pressure canner" not a "pressure cooker" for canning low acid foods. They are different, and have different functions. The Ball canning book will give more information on what kind of canner to use.
That would be a STEAM CANER, not pressure cooker, they are far different.
I would have to take exception with most of the things on this list. First, anything that takes on moisture takes on flavor, so is far from "peak" after a certain amount of time (sugars, rice, etc.). Secondly, vanilla extract & liquor contain alcohol which evaporates-not to mention the continuation (albeit @ a slower rate) of the fermentation process which can dramatically change taste as well as potability. Yes, you can "revive" crystallized sugar foods (maple syrup, honey, brown sugar) by.... More
I find it hard to believe that someone would suggest such a thing because, storage is an issue. If you don't store those forever foods in proper places and temperatures they will change in taste and texture (ex.) sugar will harden and others will take on a stale taste such as flour and cornmeal.
Actually, until the beginning of the last century, most sugar came in a hardend form called a cone. You grated what you needed. Hard sugar is a non-issue and in no way does it affect the taste. Loose sugar is a modern luxury, but not essential to culinary excellence.
Yes, sugar did come in a hard form in times passed. We truly do need to remember that our modern ideas toward what is edible and usable have been bastardized by food conglomerates out for the "mighty dollar". Those living to 100 now, did not grow up on the foods in our current "supermarkets". This is not a small piece of pertinent information. We seriously need to look closely at our intake... what we deem nutritious and safe to use/eat.
I agree with the first person that commented on your post. Shut up.
I would have to take exception to the ridiculously pretentious tone of your post. These tips are great for someone on a budget who's trying to get the most out of everything they purchase so as not to be wasteful. If you aren't aware, we're experiencing a small economic crisis. Perhaps not everyone can be so flippant about the "peak" time of their rice affecting it's taste or the potability of their liquor. And as far judging people stretch their budget by these methods by questioning their.... More
I would have to take exception to the ridiculously pretentious tone of your post. These tips are great for someone on a budget who's trying to get the most out of everything they purchase so as not to be wasteful. If you aren't aware, we're experiencing a small economic crisis. Perhaps not everyone can be so flippant about the "peak" time of their rice affecting it's taste or the potability of their liquor. And as far judging people stretch their budget by these methods by questioning their.... More
Didn't you know the lids on jars and bottles are reusable? And it sounds like you keep your flour and sugar in the bags you bought them in!
These are great tips.. i never know what to keep and what to throw away.. i really just started cooking about a year ago when my friend bought me this hilarious, politically incorrect cookbook for Xmas. I won't tell you the name of it cause some of you may freak out on me.. but if you have a good sense of humor and don't get offended easily.. google "whipped and beaten culinary works" to find it. I am gifting it to my whole list this year cause it helped me so much.. but seriously.. it's not.... More
At 20,225 days old, I am by far the oldest thing in my pantry, even older than the pantry itself!!!
I had to throw everything out day after Thanksgiving. I had pantry moths in everything and had to replace dry foods and put them into containers. I'm still getting moths. Will this every end?
try putting a few bay leaves in your starchy staples in a tightly closed container or even sealed plastic bags. your moth problems will be over.
I had this happen last year. The moths came in the dry dog food I had bought (change brands since). I removed all items, threw away all open and some closed dry foods. Washed the pantry down with soap and bleach, the strayed lightly with bug spray, waited 24 hours, then washed again with soap and bleach. No more moths, it's a weekend project.
If you don't want to use pestacides to get rid of the moths, then sprinkle the area with diatamaceous earth. Check your local feed store or look it up on line. It will kill them without harming your food or endangering your family and pets.
In the future, if you are going to keep something for a long time, then be sure to seal it in vacuum bags, zip bags, or seal a meal bags with oxygen absorber packets... check on line for them.
The packets remove all oxygen from the.... More
Those pesky moth eggs can hide in anything organic. Even cardboard and paper labels. Throw out EVERYTHING that could harbor them. I sprayed my whole cabinet down with a pesticide. Horrifying and poisonous, I know. But bleach didn't work for me. I waited a week, then scrubbed the whole thing out with lots of soap and water. When I replaced my food, it was in plastic bins. No organic containers allowed at all for a few months (even labels on cans). It was drastic, but it worked.
A Bay leaf in the jar with your staples will keep out pantry moths - it must be a dried leaf and not allowed to get damp as it will pass on the flavor of the bay to whatever it's stored with. Have been doing this for many years and not one moth have I seen.
The problem can be stopped, but you've got to be diligent. I've even found the moths (or some kind of bugs) in tea bags and Jello powder. Help yourself and just throw it out! I have been freezing my rice, grains, flour, etc. for a few days before I put them in containers in the pantry and that seems to have lessened the problem considerably.
best solution: pitch and bleach. I knew I was infested when I got up in the middle of the night and hundreds of little moths were flying around. On the bright side, it's an easier problem than roaches and mice. I have heard that you can freeze incoming grain for a period of time and it will kill larve. There are also these triangle shaped Pantry Pest sticky moth catchers that will catch any risidual flyers. It's the nasty crawlers that are the worst to detect and kill. New cabinets? .... More
Keep EVERYTHING in your fridge until your moth problem is over, then you can take things out of fridge that don't need refrigeration, but keep them in zip-locks.
Unfortunately, putting things into a container won't help as the culprit is within the grain product. Many years ago I've experienced the same thing, trying to stock dry staples for long term and lost it all. There is an expiration date on these items and whether or not we believe it necessary, it is there for a reason.
Good luck.
had moths pretty bad once. emptied the pantry completely and then scrubbed out with the 'hard stuff' (bleach solution.) only stored foodstuffs in there afterward that were purchased post-infestation and kept in sealed airtight containers. this process worked for me. vinegar might work instead of bleach but i used what i had on hand at that time.
I had to throw everything out day after Thanksgiving. I had pantry moths in everything and had to replace dry foods and put them into containers. I'm still getting moths. Will this every end?
Went through something similar myself. Bought a house, moved in, and 2 weeks later got hit with Grain Moths from Hell. I know what the Egyptian Biblical Locust Plague was like, as I had moths on every surface in my entire house.
What I thought was a bad paint job in the pantry, turned out to be the previous owners' having painted over moth pupa. Funny how the home inspector didn't see it either. What ensued is about a 2-3 mth running battle with moths. You will have to throw everything.... More
Might appear obvious, but eggs don't belong in this picture.
Many people toss out eggs from their fridge based on the "best by" date alone. You should always test your eggs in a bowl of water before tossing them out. They last a lot longer than you think. (If they float in water, they're bad.)
Beyond that, there are many ways to preserve eggs without refrigeration. You can keep fresh eggs up to 8 months, if prepared and stored properly. And no, this isn't some crazy idea. You can look at this document from Oregon State University's.... More
Salt (at least 20 years old), pudding mix, cocoa powder, food color bottles, assorted extracts, macaroni, rice.
Something tells me that Laura Moss has never actually drank scotch or rum from a bottle that was opened 15+ years ago...it's not a pleasant experience.
I don't use much salt on my food and finally finished the first container of salt I bought when I moved into this house...19 years ago.
I don't use much salt on my food and finally finished the first container of salt I bought when I moved into this house...19 years ago.
Maple syrup will start to ferment if kept in its original container - even if refrigerated. Because maple syrup is (at least the real stuff) is simply reduced liquid issuing from a sugar maple tree, it will still have enough water content to support fermentation.
Notice how sugar and salt "last forever" because bacteria won't grow....well, that means they don't support living things. Yuck.
You realize maple syrup is just a sugar syrup that has enough water in it for something to grow, right? Salt and sugar don't allow for microbes to grow because they are so dry that any microbes that get into them lose all their moisture and die. If you were to dilute the salt and/or sugar into water and let it sit for a day or two, you'd see an explosion of microbial life because salt and sugar are necessary for life.
Me. I'm the oldest thing in my pantry.
ibid (the writer being the oldest thing in his pantry)
sigh
:-)
Mine is the jar of vanilla extract my Aunt gave to me. Apparently if you toss some vanilla beans in a jar of vodka and throw it in the back of a dark closet, 20 years later you'll have vanilla extract.
I've done this for several years now. When the bottle gets low, add more vodka and one or two more vanilla beans. Also helps to pour off made extract into another bottle, so you're never using diluted extract. Also, use 100-proof vodka.
I make vanilla all the time. I keep a bottle with vodka and vanilla beans in it and top off the vodka after I use it a few times. I rarely replace the vanilla beans and it is even excellent as a splash of vanilla in coffee.
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