Due to changes in the family group we prepped for back when Obama was first selected some of our stores lasted much, much longer than you would normally plan for.
But it turned out to be a good thing in a way because we learned some things about what happens to stored food and other items over long periods of time.
Most people here probably already know most of what I learned but I thought I would share a few things with the group.
1. All plastic containers seems to be permeable and liquids evaporate even though the container factory seals remain intact. We have seen this with bottled water, vegetable oil, condiments like ketchup and mustard and even kerosene in plastic jugs purchased at ACE hardware.
When evaporation occurs the container will usually start to squeeze in as it if is being compressed.
Even so, in our experience, the contents are not spoiled by the loss of liquid.
2. In general, most canned food in old style “tin cans” (really steel cans) keeps almost indefinitely and much better than newer style “pop top” cans.
By old style I mean cans with steel tops and bottoms that require a can opener to open.
3. The first item we had go bad was pineapple in pop-top cans. Some went bad within a year.
4. Some canned tomato products will fail. We have had some canned tomato products go bad while other cans bought at the same time and place remain good for a much longer time.
After a while (years) even tomato products that did not go bad may develop a bit of an off flavor but as long as the can isn’t leaking or bulging the contents remained edible.
5. Canned cranberry sauce doesn’t last as long as other products like canned corn, beans, peas, etc. Cranberry sauce in old style “tin cans” lasted longer than some we had in newer style cans that seemed to be aluminum.
6. In general, food in glass jars seem to last far, far beyond the manufacturer’s” Best By” dates. The weak point is the lid but rarely have we seen a failure.
7. The color and texture of products in jars and cans may change when stored for a long time but in our experience if the container remains intact without bulging and the food passes a visual and smell test it is still edible. One example is pickles - we found that sometimes pickles near the top of a jar become soft but the flavor doesn’t seem to be affected.
We have started to invert the pickle jars on a rotational basis but it is too soon to tell if it makes a difference or creates a problem with the lids.
8. Pasta seems to last forever if kept dry even if it isn’t vacuum sealed. Old pasta takes much longer to cook than fresh pasta but once it is cooked there doesn’t seem to be any noticeable difference between the two.
9. Most dry goods, like cereals, seem to keep well for years if kept dry - even if not vacuumed sealed. The exception is that anything containing, or prepared with, oil or shortening will gradually turn rancid.
As an example, flour seems to last just about indefinitely if kept dry and bug free. But a prepared mix like Bisquick will turn rancid in a fairly short time.
10. We have had home canned fruits, vegetables, relishes, etc. remain sealed and edible for over 10 years.
Good post. I would add — be leery of rusted cans as well. A tiny bit of surface rust is probably ok. We don’t have enough storage and tend to keep more than we have proper room for. We’ve thrown away a few things that either froze or spent a good amount of time at high ambient temps like the high 90s. Texture gets real bad in both cases.
Acidic foods, like pineapple and tomatoes, and really any fruits, can wreak havoc on cans.
They eat away at the coating on the inside of the canning. It’s called detinning.
I make my own homemade cranberry sauce and in canning jars, it lasts about forever.
I have bought a bunch of 1/2 gallon canning jars and vacuum seal them with our vacuum sealer attachments. The less air, the better. I store my pasta, nuts, spices, that way and am even trying chocolate.
Good to know about white flour because mine is close to its expiration date and while I know they are meaningless in many cases, something in paper is not sealed at all, so I wasn’t sure.
speaking of spoilage, I had two cans of tomato powder go bad....they were commercially prepared #10 cans ...the company did refund me....
looking back, the cans were kept on the top shelf in an elongate pantry area we have downstairs....we run a wood stove down there and even though the pantry was in a room with a door, I think the heat got to them....
so, I'll keep cans like that on the opposite wall in the pantry, farther away from the wood stove....