Author: Veronica Booth
Edited By: Wendy Michaels
It’s frustrating to throw away produce and other perishable food, so many of us rely on long-lasting pantry staples. These keep our kitchens stocked and help us reduce food waste, but how long do those cupboard essentials truly last?
Whether you’re a thrifty home cook, a proactive doomsday prepper, or just someone cleaning out their kitchen, it’s helpful to know the shelf lives of your favorite pantry items. You might be surprised by which items will be good for years and which ones might already be expired.
Canola Oil
Canola oil is a popular and versatile variety of vegetable oil that lasts up to one year, whether you open it or not.
It’s not the longest-lasting oil, so there may be better options for your nuclear bunker.
Sugars
Granulated white sugar, powdered sugar, brown sugar, and other types of sugar can last indefinitely. Properly stored sugar will never spoil, but it can start to lose its potency.
Sugar that is several years old may not be as sweet or soft, but you can still use it safely.
Pasta
Dry pasta is a busy person’s greatest weapon against weekday hunger.
Whether you like to stock up on spaghetti, farfalle, orzo, egg noodles, or any other type of pasta, it’s good for two years unopened and up to a year after opening.
Hot Sauce
Hot sauce is a brilliant cheat to make your food flavorful, especially if you lack seasoning and sauces. Most hot sauces are good for two years when unopened.
Once opened, they last six months at room temperature or up to two years in the fridge (so keep them in the fridge).
Dried Herbs
Dried herbs are unlikely to spoil when stored properly. So when we say they go bad, we mean they lose all their flavor.
Most dried herbs stored in cool, dry places will be good for up to two years, but after that, they become bland and useless.
Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs are often made of stale bread, so you may never think about them spoiling. Sadly, they can go bad, but they usually last at least a year when unopened.
Once you open your breadcrumbs, try to use them within six months.
Canned Beans
We don’t want to say we’re paranoid doomsday preppers, but we do like to keep our canned bean supply stocked in case of an apocalypse. Lucky for us, canned beans can last as long as five years.
They only last a few days in the fridge once opened, so eat them sooner rather than later!
Vinegar
Vinegar feels like something that could never go bad, and that’s almost true. An unopened bottle of most types of vinegar (apple cider, red wine, rice wine, distilled white, balsamic, etc.) will outlive you.
Once you open a bottle, it will last around two years.
Flour
Home cooks know how important a sack of flour is. This versatile pantry staple can help in everything from gooey mac and cheese to fresh bread to chocolate chip cookies. Luckily, flour is super shelf-stable.
An unopened bag is good for about a year, and an open bag lasts six to eight months.
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise often wrongfully gets blamed for food poisoning. This versatile condiment doesn’t spoil as easily as some people think.
Unopened and stored in the fridge, it can last up to six months, and once it is opened, it is usually good for two months.
Maple Syrup
How long your maple syrup will last depends on the type you buy. Pure maple syrup should be refrigerated, while pancake syrup can be stored at room temperature.
Both can last forever, but pure syrup can grow mold, which can be removed to make the syrup safe to eat.
Ketchup
Whether you’re a ketchup fanatic or an occasional user, you probably have a bottle in your kitchen.
The unopened bottle in your pantry will be good for around a year, and the opened bottle in your fridge will be safe for about six months.
Mustard
Mustard has a longer shelf life than its bestie ketchup. Certain mustards may have slightly different shelf lives, but most will last two years unopened and one year opened.
Dijon and honey mustard often last a little longer.
Olive Oil
They sell olive oil in massive bottles, but it only lasts about three to four months after it’s opened. A sealed bottle can last up to a year.
So, if you don’t use olive oil regularly, consider getting the smaller bottle to avoid nasty spoilage.
Oats
Oats seem like a pantry staple that will last forever, but their shelf life might surprise you. Unopened oat containers only last about eight months, and opened containers will lose quality after four months.
However, they can take longer to become unsafe to consume.
Canned Poultry
Canned chicken and turkey might not be the dreamiest ingredient, but it is affordable and reliable. When properly stored, a can of poultry meat will last as long as five years!
Once opened, make sure to finish the meat within a few days.
Salad Dressing
Salad dressings can use a vast range of ingredients, from avocados to pomegranate seeds to tahini. So, the exact expiration varies, but most are good for a year when unopened.
After you open a bottle, try to use it within two or three months.
Baking Soda
Can baking soda even go bad? Unfortunately, yes. An opened box of baking soda only lasts about six months, while sealed boxes are good for about three years.
Baking soda loses its potency over time but isn’t necessarily dangerous once it expires.
Rice
The different rice varieties have their own shelf lives, but many can last forever when stored properly. White rice can last indefinitely, but whole-grain rice only lasts about six months.
All rice can lose flavor over time, but we recommend white rice for your survival bunker.
Cereal
With so many kinds of cereal, it’s hard to give precise expiry timelines.
On average, unopened cereal is still yummy after a year, and opened boxes and bags can hold their flavor and texture for around three months.
Baking Powder
Baking powder has a slightly shorter shelf life than its cousin, baking soda. You can use baking powder for up to six months after opening it, but you can store sealed baking powder containers for around 18 months.
The lesson here is that baking soda is more resilient.
Grits
Grits come in different varieties, like stone-ground, instant, hominy, and a few more. More traditional types last around two years, while the instant and quick-cooking kinds can be good for over five years.
Most opened containers last about a year.
Olives
Olives are a long-lasting pantry staple. They’re safe to eat for 12 to 18 months after being opened, and sealed jars will be safe to consume for as long as two years.
The olive variety does not matter much, so the same shelf life applies to green, black, purple, and any other types.
Quinoa
Quinoa might not be as mainstream as rice or oats, but this grain has an impressive shelf life.
This pantry staple is safe to eat for six months after you open it, but an unopened package will retain its original flavor and texture for as long as three years.
Pickles
Many people think pickles last forever, but they sadly do not. Most jarred pickles are safe to eat for about two months after being opened. Sealed jars should be consumed within a year.
Outside these time frames, pickles lose their flavor but may still be safe to eat.
Horseradish
The shelf life of horseradish depends on the type, as horseradish sauce expires sooner than fresh horseradish root. Sauces last about a year unopened, while opened bottles are good for a month or two.
Prepared horseradish can be kept for one or two years unopened and up to six months opened and stored in the fridge.
Worcestershire Sauce
Worcestershire sauce is an excellent food hack for savvy cooks. Whether opened or unopened, a bottle of Worcestershire can last around three years before the flavor weakens.
It does not need to be refrigerated, but doing so can slightly increase the shelf life.
Jams and Jellies
Jams and jellies are sweetened preserves, and the sugar helps them last longer than other preserves, such as pickles. Most jams and jellies will last up to a year after opening and around 18 months when unopened.
Sugar-free or reduced sugar varieties will spoil faster.
Avocado Oil
Avocado oil is a decent option for doomsday preppers, as an unopened bottle can last at least two years when stored properly. Opened avocado oil is good for about six months.
Compared to other cooking oils, avocado oil is one of the most stable.
Peanut Butter
Most of us have never seen moldy peanut butter, and that’s because it has an enduring shelf life. A closed jar can last at least two years, and opened jars are still yummy for up to six months.
As long as your PB looks, smells, and tastes fine, it’s probably safe. Rancid peanut butter is very obvious and disgusting.
Coconut Oil
We recommend a few bottles of coconut oil when stocking your apocalypse shelter. This sweet oil is good for at least three years, whether opened or unopened.
The resilient nature of coconut oil makes it one of the most reliable pantry staples.
Broths and Stocks
Boxed or canned broths and stocks are safe when unopened for one to two years. Opened broths and stocks are only safe to consume for a few days, so use them quickly.
Nuts
Some nuts last longer than others, but most are good for six to 12 months in the fridge and about one or two months at room temperature.
It doesn’t matter if they’re unopened or opened, but store them in an airtight container to preserve flavor and texture.
Flavor Extracts
Baking-averse people may keep vanilla extract in their cabinet for years. Unfortunately, this isn’t ideal, as most flavor extracts only last about a year, but many are only good for six months.
Pure flavor extracts can last years and even taste better with age. Some extracts will evaporate or lose flavor over time.
Canned Fish and Seafood
Canned seafood is a useful and filling pantry staple, whether you have tuna, shrimp, lobster, salmon, crab, or sardines. Most canned kinds of seafood can last between two and five years when unopened and stored well.
Once opened, canned seafood only lasts three or four days.
Crackers
There are endless varieties of crackers, and all have different shelf lives. The most familiar crackers, like saltines and Ritz, will last between eight months and a year if unopened.
Opened packages of crackers often go stale after a month or so, but airtight containers can make them last longer.
Nut Oil
Nut oils, such as peanut, pine, sesame, almond, and pecan, don’t have the best shelf life. Most nut oils only last a year unopened and eight months or less once opened.
Fridge storage helps, but compared to other oils, nut oils are short-lived.
Dried Fruits
Sadly, dried fruits don’t last as long as people think. Unopened packages of dried fruit, like raisins, craisins, banana chips, dates, and dried apricots, are only good for about six months.
Opened packages should be consumed within a month.
Cornmeal
Cornmeal is another pantry staple that feels like it should never go bad, but that isn’t the case. Sealed cornmeal packages are good for one to two years, while opened cornmeal should be used within six months.
You can extend its life by keeping it in the fridge or freezer.
Canned Fruit
Canned fruits, like peaches, cherries, pears, and pineapple, last as long as two or three years. Once opened, the fruit is safe to eat for about a week.
Most canned fruit sits in a sugary syrup, helping it last longer than some canned veggies, but high acidity can shorten shelf life. Tomatoes get their own category because they’re a little different.
Chips
Chips are not nearly as resilient as crackers. There are so many kinds of chips, but we’ll focus on potato chips. They last up to three months when closed and one to two weeks when opened.
Other types of vegetable chips only last a few weeks unopened. Unfortunately, chips become stale very quickly.
Nutritional Yeast
With veganism on the rise, nutritional yeast is becoming a more common pantry staple, replacing various animal byproducts.
This handy ingredient has an excellent shelf life, lasting as long as three years when stored in a cool, dry, dark location.
Bouillon Cubes and Powders
As much as we love traditional broths and stocks, bouillon cubes and powders beat them when it comes to shelf life. Bouillon cubes and powders last about two years in your pantry.
You may be able to safely use them a bit longer, but their flavor potency lessens over time.
Canned Vegetables
The shelf life of your canned vegetables depends on the vegetable. Some last two to four years unopened, but others go bad after 12 to 18 months. The sugar and acid content impact the shelf life.
We included beans as their own category because their shelf life differs from most vegetables.
Cornstarch
Cornstarch can be a useful substitute for flour and other ingredients, but its shelf-life puts flour to shame!
Cornstarch can last forever if kept dry and cool, so it’s a more valuable ingredient than flour when the world ends.
Dried Spices
Like dried herbs, dried spices can last years when stored safely. They also don’t typically spoil; they just lose their flavor and become useless.
It’s recommended to discard your old spices after two or three years, but that gives you plenty of time to use them.
Canned Tomatoes
While tomatoes are one of the most popular canned goods, they’re not the most shelf-stable. They typically only last 12 to 18 months when unopened due to their high acid content.
Compared to beans, which last five years, canned tomatoes are fast to expire.
Honey
Like sugar, honey can last forever if you store it properly. After a year or two, honey tends to lose its flavor and the texture changes, possibly crystallizing, clouding, or solidifying.
You can heat honey to fix the texture, but the flavor may still be lacking.
Pre-Made Mixes
Pre-made mixes like cake, cookies, cornbread, pizza dough, and bread have a decent shelf life, staying good for nearly two years.
Most expire after 12 or 18 months, but they should still be safe to use for another five or six months.
Barbecue Sauce
Barbecue sauce has a high sugar content, helping it stay good for longer. Most barbecue sauces are safe for six to 12 months open in the fridge or unopened in the pantry.
It doesn’t matter much when you open it, but it often lasts several months beyond the expiry date.
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This post was previously published on Wealth of Geeks.
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