Whether it’s the dreaded time of the month where you have to clean out the fridge, or you just happened upon some food you had previously forgotten about, the question has likely entered your head, “Can I still eat it?”
This comprehensive guide will answer that question and more, with the expiration dates of numerous staple foods. Increase your pantry storage and keep yourself and your family healthy by figuring out how long food keeps in the pantry!
Table of Contents
What Foods Keep the Longest?
Stocking your pantry with foods that last has many advantages, from serving unexpected guests to weathering power outages to having some food to fall back on when you feel too lazy to take a trip to the grocery store.
Some foods are just less perishable than others, like high acid canned goods, sugars, and alcohol-based extracts, which all can last for years if they remain unopened. Other foods, like dried fruit, pasta, and low acid canned goods can last more than six months.
How Can I Ensure Food Lasts Longer?
You don’t just have to buy long-lasting food to make sure your fridge and pantry are always stocked. You can also strive to store your food in an ideal climate so that it lasts a longer amount of time.
To extend your food’s life, store it at room temperature or slightly cooler in a dry, dark location. One of the easiest ways to extend how long food lasts is to relocate it to the fridge or freezer, where it will stay good for much longer.
High temperatures or high moisture environments will shorten how long foods last, leading to them molding over and going bad more quickly.
Below are some additional tips for making sure that your food lasts so you can throw less out, helping your wallet and the planet:
- Avoid buying foods in bulk unless you know you are going to use them.
- Vacuum seal dried foods to extend their storage period.
- Use your oldest food first, rotating your pantry goods regularly.
- Refrigerate foods after you open them to extend their shelf life.
- Read the package for storage instructions.
- Throw away any food containers that show signs of damage, bugs, or mold.
- When in doubt, throw it out! Don’t risk your health.
Canning and Pickling Shelf Life
As a gardener, one of the issues I come across frequently is how do I keep the produce I harvest fresh? After all, as much as I love cucumbers, I don’t want to eat a dozen in a week, and they’ll go bad if I try to store them for longer.
That’s where canning and pickling come in. By canning and pickling produce you can preserve it indefinitely, for years of use. Pickling is a preservation process that involves soaking food in a liquid solution that inhibits bacteria growth. This allows food to safely be stored for years. Not to mention, it creates a salty-sour taste that is incredibly delicious.
What Do Expiration Dates Mean?
Expiration dates can be seriously misleading.
For the most part, they are used by manufacturers for liability protection, so they tend to be extremely conservative. Once products have passed their expiration date, manufacturers are no longer required to replace that product if it goes bad.
Because of this, you can often eat foods after their expiration dates. While they may not be “peak quality” they will still be totally safe to eat, especially if they are still packaged.
Below are descriptions of some of the “dates” you may see on food:
- Pull By Date: when to stop selling the product by
- Expiration Date: when the product may go bad
- Best If Used By Date: when the quality of the product may lessen
- Pack Date: when a product was packaged
To help you further navigate how to tell if food is safe to eat, below is a list of some of the most common household foods with when they are good by if they are unopened, and when they are good by if they are opened.
Shelf Life of Baking Ingredients |
||
|---|---|---|
| Name
Baking Powder |
Unopened
6 months |
Opened
3 months |
Shelf Life of Condiments
Barbeque Sauce
Unopened: 12 months
Opened: 1 month in pantry, 4 months in the refrigerator
Ketchup, Cocktail Sauce, or Chili Sauce
Unopened: 1 year
Opened: 1 month in the pantry, 6 months in the refrigerator
Chutney
Unopened: 1 year
Opened: 1-2 months in the refrigerator
Chopped Garlic
Unopened: 18 months
Opened: Use-by date after refrigerated
Horseradish
Unopened: 1 year
Opened: 3-4 months in the refrigerator
Gravy mix (dry)
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: Use entire packet
Gravy mix (wet)
Unopened: 2-5 years
Opened: 1 month in the refrigerator
Herbs (dried)
Unopened: 1-2 years
Opened: 1 year
Honey
Unopened: 1 year
Opened: 1 year
Jam, jelly, marmalade
Unopened: 1 year
Opened: 6 months in the refrigerator
Maple Syrup
Unopened: 1 year
Opened: 1 year in the refrigerator
Mayonnaise
Unopened: 2-3 months
Opened: 3 months in the refrigerator
Mustard
Unopened: 1 year
Opened: 1-2 months in the pantry, 1 year in the refrigerator
Olives
Unopened: 2-18 months
Opened: 2 weeks in the refrigerator
Pickles
Unopened: 1 year
Opened: 2-3 months in the refrigerator
Relish
Unopened: 1 year
Opened: 6 months
Salad Dressings
Unopened: 1 year
Opened: 3 months in the refrigerator
Salsa
Unopened: 1 year
Opened: 1 month in the refrigerator
Salt
Unopened: Forever
Opened: Forever
Worcestershire sauce
Unopened: 1 year
Opened: 1 year
Shelf Life of Food Staples
Bread
Unopened: 1-2 weeks
Opened: 1 week
Canned Goods with Low Acidity or Sugar (soups, pasta, peas, potatoes, and spinach)
Unopened: 2+ years
Opened: 3-4 days in the refrigerator
Canned Goods with High Acidity or Sugar (juice, fruit, pickles)
Unopened: 2+ years
Opened: 5-7 days in the refrigerator
Cereal (ready-to-eat)
Unopened: 6-12 months
Opened: 3 months
Cereal (cook-before-eat)
Unopened: 6-12 months
Opened: 6-12 months
Chocolate
Unopened: 12-24 months
Opened: 1 year
Chocolate syrup
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 6 months in the refrigerator
Coffee (whole beans from bulk bin)
Unopened: 2-4 weeks in air tight container
Opened: 3-4 months when vacuum packed and frozen
Coffee (ground, in a can)
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 2 weeks in the refrigerator
Coffee (instant)
Unopened: 1 year
Opened: 2-3 months in the refrigerator
Coffee Creamer, Powder
Unopened: 6 months
Opened: 6 months
Dried Beans
Unopened: 1 year
Opened: 1 year
Lentils (dried)
Unopened: 1 year
Opened: 1 year
Pasta – Dried Without Eggs
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 1 year
Pasta – Egg Noodles
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 1-2 months
Peanut Butter
Unopened: 9 months
Opened: 3 months
Peas – Dried Split
Unopened: 1 year
Opened: 1 year
Popcorn – Kernels in Jar
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 1 year
Popcorn – Microwavable Bags
Unopened: 1 year
Opened: 1-2 days popped
Potato Chips
Unopened: 2 months
Opened: 1-2 weeks
Potatoes – Instant
Unopened: 6-12 months
Opened: 6-12 months
Pudding mix
Unopened: 1 year
Opened: 3-4 months
Rice – White
Unopened: 1-2 years
Opened: 1 year
Rice – Brown
Unopened: 1 year
Opened: 6 months
Rice – Flavored Mixes
Unopened: 6 months
Opened: Use entire amount
Rice – Cream Flavored Mixes
Unopened: 1 year
Opened: Use entire amount
Shelf Life of Cooking Ingredients
Bread Crumbs
Unopened: 6 months
Opened: 6 months
Dried Mushrooms
Unopened: 6 months
Opened: 3 months
Oil (olive or vegetable)
Unopened: 6 months
Opened: 4-7 months
Oil Sprays
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 1 year
Spices – Whole
Unopened: 2-4 years if vacuum sealed
Opened: 1 year
Spices – Ground
Unopened: 1 year
Opened: 6 months
Sun Dried Tomatoes
Unopened: 9–12 months
Opened: 6 months
Vinegar
Unopened: 5 years
Opened: 3 years
Shelf Life of Packaged Goods
Packaged Cookies
Unopened: 2 months
Opened: 1 month
Crackers
Unopened: 8 months
Opened: 1 month
Diet powder mixes
Unopened: 6 months
Opened: 3 months
Nuts (jars or cans)
Unopened: 1 year
Opened: 3 weeks
Shortening, Solid (eg. Crisco)
Unopened: 8 months
Opened: 3-5 months
Bottled Soda
Unopened: 3-5 months
Opened: 2-3 days in the refrigerator
Canned Soda
Unopened: 9-12 months
Opened: 2-3 days in the refrigerator
Soup Mix
Unopened: 12 months
Opened: Use entire amount
Shelf Life of Miscellaneous Foods
Baby Food
Unopened: 2 months
Opened: 1-2 days in the refrigerator
Candy
Unopened: 1 year
Opened: Depends on the brand
Dried Fruits
Unopened: 6 months
Opened: 6 months in the refrigerator
Evaporated Milk
Unopened: 1 year
Opened: 4-5 days in the refrigerator
Juice Boxes
Unopened: 6 months
Opened: 8-12 days in the refrigerator
Marshmallows
Unopened: 2-4 months
Opened: 1 month
Tapioca
Unopened: 1 year
Opened: 1 year
Tea Bags
Unopened: Freshest before 18 months
Opened: Freshest before 1 year
Loose Tea
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 1 year
Instant Tea
Unopened: 3 years
Opened: 1 year
Toaster Pastries – Fruit Filled
Unopened: 6 months
Opened: 1 week if packet is unsealed
Toaster Pastries – Non-Fruit Filled
Unopened: 9 months
Opened: 1-2 weeks if packet is unsealed
Pantry Food Storage Sorted
Depending on what food you were looking up, you may be ecstatic to know that it’s still good or let down to know that it’s long gone. Either way, you get to stay healthy!
Hopefully, you found exactly what you were looking for in this guide. If you did, be sure to share our article and infographic to help other people clean out their pantries and fridge!
Next, build your emergency food supply list with items that will keep for the longest possible time.
