Now every second person tries to buy long-term storage products to the maximum, to warm up a cart full of cereals and freezes in case of quarantine. But here it is worth clarifying how much food can lie on the shelves.
March 19 2020
Condensed milk undergoes a special treatment, during which microorganisms die. But you should not expect that this product will be stored for years. Condensed milk has a shelf life of 12 months. And only what is in cans, strictly at temperatures from 0 ° C to + 10 ° C. Sugar crystals form in the food in frost or hot places.
Canned fish buying ten years in advance is not worth it. 24 months is the maximum shelf life. Cod liver and salmon do not deteriorate the longest – up to 2,5 years, sprats, sardines – two years. The ideal storage temperature is from 0 to + 5˚С. The fact that canned food is spoiled is clearly indicated by an unpleasant smell, flabby consistency of fish, wateriness. When buying canned food for future use, pay attention to the packaging: it should not be wrinkled, let alone rusty.
Tushenku can be stored in cans for up to four years, but only if the container is airtight. It is not difficult to make sure that the container does not allow air to pass through. Dip the jar into a bucket of water and lightly press down on it. Air bubbles appeared – the packaging cannot be stored. There should be no traces of rust on the can. From contact with air, the metal will oxidize, this will lead to spoilage of the meat.
By the way, the stew made at the first cannery in Russia was good for food even after a century. The Scientific Research Institute of Storage Problems of Rosrezerv still keeps a can of cabbage soup with meat and porridge, produced in 1900. The product is still quite edible.
Cereals, pasta, sugar and salt It is not difficult to store, but among these products there are those that deteriorate quickly.
Millet contains a lot of fat, which oxidizes on contact with oxygen. Therefore, after six months, the cereal becomes bitter and tasteless. Semolina – also not a long-liver, its shelf life is only 10 months. Not worth keeping in reserve oat flakes… They are stored for no more than four months.
But there is grocery that can stand the test of time.
Buckwheat, polished rice and pearl barley stored for up to 18 months. To extend the shelf life to two years, heat the food in a skillet or oven and roll it up in glass jars. You can put a pod of hot pepper in a container with rice, it will protect the cereal from both bugs and mustiness. For the same purpose, you can add bay leaves to buckwheat stocks. By the way, healthy brown rice can be stored from six months to 8 months, no more.
Peas stored for up to 24 months. The best container is a glass jar. Put a pinch of salt in it and only then add the peas. This procedure will protect the product from bugs.
Pasta do not deteriorate up to four years, but only in sealed packaging. Please note that it is better to lay durum wheat products in the backlog. Ordinary pasta will be stored for no more than a year, and it is better to pour them into glass jars.
Sugar in a dry, dark place will not lose its properties up to eight years. Please note that granulated sugar quickly absorbs odors, and therefore should be kept away from foods with strong aromas.
Salt never deteriorates, but so that it does not turn into stone, it is necessary to protect it from moisture. Put a few grains of rice in the package, this will protect the eternal product from dampness.
flour can be stored for up to eight months at room temperature.
It is easy to understand that the cereal has deteriorated. Rub a handful of the product into your palms. If a rancid smell develops, the stock has not stood the test of time.
Smoked sausageprepared in accordance with GOST, can wait 120 days at temperatures from +12 to + 15˚С. True, this does not apply to slicing, it can only be stored in the refrigerator, without breaking the package. To prevent the stick of raw smoked sausage from becoming too hard over time, it can be greased with vegetable oil.
Meat it can be kept in the freezer for six months. True, there are some subtleties. Before placing a piece in stock, wash it and cut it into portions. It is necessary to act in this order. The fact is that when we cut unwashed meat into pieces, we transfer all the dirt to the cut. This leads to microbial contamination of the product. Do not send meat in a large piece to the refrigerator, because every time you have to completely defrost it to cut off a portion. And you can’t do that.
But whole chicken or meat cut into steaks can be stored for up to a year. Fatty fish can be frozen for 4 months, lean fish for 8 months.
Remember that meat, fish and poultry cannot be re-frozen. And before you send them for storage, you need to pack them properly to prevent moisture loss. Otherwise, steaks, fillets and chicken will freeze out – they will become dry and tough.
Vegetable oil can be stored for up to 18 months, provided it is securely packed and tucked away in a cool place out of direct sunlight. But the opened bottle must be used up in a maximum of 2 months. Butter stored in the freezer for up to four months.
Tea and coffee stored from one to three years. To extend the shelf life of your coffee, buy it in whole beans and keep it in an airtight container. If you bought ground coffee, remember that it can be stored for no more than 18 months, it is advisable to pour the powder into a special bag with a valve.
Honey can stand on the shelf for several years. But its taste changes with age. As for the beneficial properties, they are not eternal, vitamins and trace elements in a product packed in a sealed glass container are stored for no more than a year, in an unsealed jar – up to eight months. By the way, honey doesn’t like heat. At storage temperatures over + 20˚C, the antimicrobial properties of the product disappear.
bitter chocolate can be kept in reserve for no more than 10 months. Raisins and nuts added to the bar will shorten the shelf life to three months. It makes no sense to buy white chocolate for future use, it is the fattest, and therefore spoils in a month. Do not store filled chocolates on the shelves. After two weeks, their taste changes. Please note that chocolate cannot be refrigerated. In such conditions, a white bloom appears on its surface. The optimum storage temperature is from +16 to + 20˚С.
If the chocolate bar is covered with a white coating, do not rush to throw it away. You can use the sweetness as a base for your cake cream.