When we plan on clearing out expired foods,
we usually go straight to the fridge. Rarely do we think to look into
the pantry - a common mistake. In reality, many pantry items are just as
likely to go bad after a few months as the stuff you keep in the
fridge. From fresh produce to packaged goods, several pantry supplies
lose their taste or become unusable over time. Therefore, buying such
items in bulk is just a waste of your money. Read on for a list of 18
such items.
1. Brown rice
If you recently made the switch to brown rice, you may not know that it
expires much faster than white rice. I learned this the hard way. Having
bought several packages on a deal, I noticed a faint musty smell once I
opened package number two. Little did I know that brown rice expires
just 6 months after the packaging date.
The same goes for other whole-grain rice varieties (such as wild rice,
red rice, or black rice), all because the natural oils in the rice bran
go rancid pretty soon. If you want to extend the shelf life of an
unopened package of whole-grain rice, put it in the freezer. It should
hold up for around a year.
What about white rice? Since rice bran is removed during the milling
process, white rice can be kept in your pantry pretty much indefinitely
according to the USA Rice Federation. Just make sure to keep it sealed
away from moisture and pests.
2. Cereal
Not in the mood for cereal every morning? Then we’d say that it’s best
not to purchase it in bulk, as an opened box of cereal is guaranteed to
go stale in 3 months maximum, even if you decant it into an airtight
container. That said, an unopened batch of cereal will retain its taste
and crunch for up to 1 year. This is for simple cereals like corn
flakes; the shelf life of cereal varieties that contain nuts and other
add-ins will be less than that.
Note that eating old cereal won’t make you sick, so it’s technically
still safe to eat. But who would want to begin their day with a bowl of
stale cereal?
3. Nuts and seeds
Nuts and seeds won’t spoil in your backpack, that’s why they are
everyone’s favorite travel snack. But make no mistake, the fact that a
bag of almonds or pumpkin seeds can last in your bag for a few days
doesn’t mean that they will last in the pantry for years. As a rule of
thumb, shelled nuts and seeds retain quality for 4-6 months. Unshelled
nuts usually stay fresh for 2-3 extra months.
After that, the natural oils that are present in abundance in all nuts
and seeds will go bad, and you will notice a rancid smell, oily stains,
or discoloration on the surface of the nuts. If you’d like to store nuts
for a bit longer, pop them in a resealable bag and freeze them for up
to a year.
4. Potatoes
Potatoes don’t have a set expiration date. A fresh bag of potatoes can
be safely consumed anywhere from several weeks to 2-3 months, depending
on the storage conditions. Ideally, potatoes should be stored in a dark,
dry place at 45-55°F (8-13°C). But if your pantry is warmer, you’ll
likely need to use up your potatoes in a few weeks.
You know potatoes have gone bad when they develop soft brown spots or
smell terrible. Dry or wrinkled-looking potatoes that feel soft to the
touch, green spots, or sprouting are also an indication that a potato is
past its prime.
5. Nut butters
Where do you store peanut butter: in the fridge or in the pantry? Like
nuts, opened jars of nut butters like peanut butter or almond butter
will expire in around 3 months at room temperature. Due to their high
oil content, nut butters are prone to rancidity and oil separation.
Refrigerating opened jars of peanut butter will extend their life and
prevent oil separation for another 3-6 months. But even an unopened jar
of nut butter will not last for more than a year in your pantry, so
buying several jars is probably not a great idea.
6. Baking powder
Ever wonder why the cake you made didn’t rise, even though it usually
turns out fluffy and soft? Expired baking powder could be the culprit.
Unlike baking soda, baking powder has a set expiration date. Depending
on the humidity in your kitchen, it will lose its leavening powers in
just 6-12 months. Here’s a quick test that will help you tell if a
packet of baking powder is still fresh. Add 1 teaspoon of baking powder
to hot water. If it starts to fizz, it’s still fresh.
Turns out the baking powder is expired? No worries, here's an article
that will show you how to swap out the baking powder in different
recipes - Ran Out of Baking Powder? 8 Easy Substitutes in next post
7. Oatmeal 
Oatmeal
If you usually buy oatmeal in bulk, try not to buy more than you will be
able to use up in 4-6 months. Like whole-grain rice, oatmeal can go
rancid over time. This is less common in quick oats since those are more
highly processed, but steel-cut oats tend to go bad in a matter of
months.
Freezing unopened bags of oatmeal can help you double its shelf life.
Just don’t forget to label the date on the package. This way, you’ll
know when it’s time to use it up.
8. Brown sugar
Like some of the other food items on this
list, brown sugar won’t necessarily expire over time. An opened bag of
brown sugar usually dries up and hardens after around 4 months of
storage or less. Luckily, keeping the brown sugar in a resealable bag or
container will help you keep it soft for a few more months.
If you do have a packet of brown sugar that turned into a rock-hard
block, worry not. Read my next post, it will teach you to soften brown
sugar in minutes - Save Your Money! 3 Easy Ways to Soften Hard Brown
Sugar.
9. Garlic
Under prime storage conditions, an intact
head of garlic will stay good for half a year, but an unpeeled garlic
clove separated from the bulb will not last beyond 2-3 weeks. Not sure
if your garlic is still good to use? Fresh and flavorful garlic clove
has a light cream color and a glossy exterior. It is also firm and
plump-looking.
If the garlic clove is soft, matte, and closer to yellow than white,
it’s well past its prime. Any discoloration, such as brown or gray
spots, is a sign of decay. Such garlic should be discarded immediately.
Sprouted garlic, on the other hand, is usually fine to use. All you need
to do is cut the clove in half and remove the green sprouted core. Make
sure to use up sprouted garlic as quickly as you can because sprouting
reduces flavor.
10. Certain cooking oils
Cooking oils are more delicate than they
seem, especially unrefined varieties like virgin olive oil, avocado oil,
grapeseed oil, or even sesame oil. After opening, these oils should be
stored for no more than a year, and you ought to keep them in a dark,
dry, and cool environment.
Olive oil, in particular, can start tasting and smelling just 6 months
after opening. If you don’t use it often, it’s best to buy a small
bottle - just enough to use up in 1-2 months. That being said, it’s a
myth that refrigerating oil will make it last longer, so don’t crowd the
fridge door with extra bottles.
Need a few ideas on how to reuse old cooking oil? While deep frying, I make sure that I don't use too much oil, as reheating oil isn't good for health. The little oil left after frying, I use it to temper my veges, sambar, for frying veges like potatoes, brinjal, ladies finger, yam, colacassia etc.
11. Beer
Beer is best stored in the fridge, period.
Otherwise, it will start oxidizing quicker and may develop unpleasant
flavors in 3-4 months. “Non-refrigerated storage accelerates aging and
development of off-flavors. Refrigerated storage is best for all beers
at all times,” states Craftbeer.com. If you don’t have space for beer in
your fridge and prefer to keep it in the pantry, buy enough to use up
within a month or two.
12. Graham crackers
Graham crackers are always great to have on
hand. You can use them for a cheesecake crust or make s’mores with the
grandkids. However, we’d advise against buying them in bulk unless you
use them in baking quite often. Even a sealed batch of graham crackers
will only last you 9 months.
After that, they become stale. An opened package should be used up as
quickly as possible. If you have leftover crackers from a recipe, store
them in an airtight container. Otherwise, they will get stale in a
matter of days.
13. Tea and coffee
Both coffee and tea will lose flavor after a
few weeks, provided that you don’t store them in an airtight container.
So it’s best to seal them well and use them up as quickly as you can.
In addition, “tea bags can lose valuable antioxidants as they sit on the
shelf over time,” stated a registered dietitian.
After around a year of storage, tea and coffee will also start tasting
stale, so make sure to only buy enough for around a year.
14. Quinoa
Quinoa is considered to be a healthy whole
grain, so many people buy it these days. Like brown rice, quinoa has a
higher moisture content than processed grains or pasta, so it tends to
expire much faster. If you keep quinoa in a sealed package in a dry and
cold environment, it is said to last for 2-3 years from the packing
date.
However, once you open the package, its longevity will go down
dramatically, especially if you keep it in a warm or moist environment.
How do you know that quinoa has gone bad? It will have a slightly oily
or musty scent, which means that the natural oils present in the grain
have gone rancid.
15. Canned goods
Canned foods may last a lifetime, but
certain varieties will no longer taste good after just 1-2 years. That’s
because acidic foods may start to break down the tin a little, which
will give its contents a metallic taste. This taste doesn’t make the
canned food unsafe to consume, it just tastes a bit off.
Pickles and canned tomatoes are more likely to do this, so keep a close
eye on which tins you bought first and use them up within half a year or
so. Low-acid foods, on the other hand, like canned corn or green beans
will stay fresh and tasty for as long as 5 years.
16. Turmeric and some other spices
Much like garlic or baking powder, certain
spices will start losing their flavor after the 1-year mark. Turmeric,
paprika, cinnamon, and nutmeg are all examples of such spices, so make
sure to buy them in small batches. If you notice that turmeric has lost
its smell, you’ll need to use more of it in a recipe or buy a new bottle
of the spice altogether.
Eating old turmeric and other spices, in general, isn’t bad for your
health. If you want to purchase spices in bulk, we recommend buying
whole spices, such as whole black pepper and cinnamon, as these last for
a longer time than ground spices.
17. Flour
Exactly like rice, white flour lasts almost
three times as long as whole-grain flour. Whole-grain flour retains its
freshness for no more than 3 months, whereas white flour will keep
fresh for 6-9 months. If you bought flour in bulk and don’t intend to
use it up in the next half a year or so, seal it in a freezer bag and
put it in the fridge or freezer. Refrigeration will prevent whole-grain
flour from becoming rancid for up to 8 months, almost tripling its shelf
life.
18. Breadcrumbs
The last mention on this list is one you
likely never thought of as a perishable good. But breadcrumbs too expire
in around 6 months. How do you know that the breadcrumbs in your pantry
are no longer good to use? Stale or rancid smells are, of course, one
red flag. But be careful because old breadcrumbs, especially those
stored in humid or overly warm conditions, may even develop mold or show
insect activity.