Shelf-Life Lookup
Search any staple to see how long it keeps and the storage method that gets you there. Ranges are best-quality figures from USDA, extension, and long-term storage tables.
| Food | Keeps | Method |
|---|---|---|
| White rice | 25-30 years | Mylar + oxygen absorber, cool and dark |
| Brown rice | 0.5-1 years | Sealed; the oils go rancid, so store far less than white rice |
| Rolled oats | 20-30 years | Mylar + oxygen absorber |
| Wheat berries (hard) | 25-30 years | Mylar + oxygen absorber; grind as needed |
| White flour | 1-2 years | Airtight, cool; whole-wheat flour keeps far less |
| Cornmeal / dent corn (whole) | 10-25 years | Whole dry corn in Mylar; ground meal keeps far less |
| Pasta (dry) | 8-25 years | Mylar + oxygen absorber |
| Dry beans | 8-25 years | Mylar + oxygen absorber; older beans cook softer but stay edible |
| Lentils / split peas | 8-20 years | Mylar + oxygen absorber |
| Peanut butter | 1-2 years | Sealed, cool; high fat limits life |
| Cooking oil | 1-2 years | Cool and dark; do NOT use oxygen absorbers on oils |
| Shortening (canned) | 2-8 years | Sealed, cool |
| White sugar | Indefinite (kept dry) | Indefinite kept bone dry; do NOT use oxygen absorbers (they harden it) |
| Honey | Indefinite (kept dry) | Indefinite sealed; crystallizes but is still good, just warm it |
| Salt | Indefinite (kept dry) | Indefinite kept dry |
| Powdered milk | 10-20 years | Mylar + oxygen absorber, cool |
| Powdered eggs | 5-10 years | Mylar + oxygen absorber, cool |
| Canned vegetables | 2-5 years | Cool pantry; safe past date if the can is undamaged |
| Canned meat / fish | 2-5 years | Cool pantry; discard bulging or leaking cans |
| Home-canned goods | 1-1.5 years | Best quality within a year; follow tested NCHFP recipes for safety |
| Freeze-dried food | 15-25 years | Sealed with oxygen absorber; ~25 years, eat within weeks once opened |
| Dehydrated vegetables | 1-10 years | Fully dry, Mylar + oxygen absorber |
| Dehydrated fruit | 0.5-2 years | Fully dry, sealed; higher sugar and moisture shorten life |
| Jerky (home) | 1-2 months | Cool and sealed; refrigerate or freeze for longer |
| Baking soda | Indefinite (kept dry) | Indefinite for storage use kept dry; loses leavening power over time |
| Instant coffee | 2-20 years | Sealed, cool; quality fades but keeps for years |
| Bouillon | 2-5 years | Sealed, cool and dry |
| Popcorn (dry kernels) | 8-25 years | Mylar + oxygen absorber |
Best-quality ranges from USDA, extension, and LDS long-term storage tables, kept cool, dark, and sealed. This is storage guidance, not a safety guarantee. When in doubt, throw it out.
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The gear behind each method
Shelf life depends on the method. Here is the gear guide for each one in the table.
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