What uncooked foods stay the longest. ie, rice, legumes?

[Lord Xar]

If i was to store foods ie, rice, legunes etc..

What stays the longest? Would a sack of rice keep good for a long period of time, how long?

You know what I mean. What is a stockable food that can be opened/cooked after a bit of time?

[klamath]

White rice will last a long time. Brown rice still has the germ which contains a lot of oil that will get rancid after a while.
Legumes will last a long time but the taste and texture degrade.
I have eaten a lot of both.
The same goes for flour. Wheat flour still has the germ in it and it will go rancid while white flour will not.
I hope that helps.

[heartless]

instant noodles

[thuja]

you can freeze your rice. i buy a lot of lentils, and they store well.

[PatriotOne]

I would suggest a person store a variety of dried legumes and dried goods to ensure nutritional variety. Also, purchasing a vacuum packaging system (brand name Foodsaver from Costco is an excellent one) to vaucuum pack their dried goods would extend the shelf life considerably. Removes the air and keeps any moisture out. It also keeps the contents sterile in case a person needs to bury their cache or store it in less than sterile conditions.

[thuja]

anyone know about root cellars?

[Dr.3D]

Also, use a mylar bag inside of the plastic pail with an oxygen absorber in the rice or elbow macaroni filling the bag. You then use a flat iron and iron the bag shut then place the cover on the pail. This will make these items last a long long time, as the oxygen absorber leaves nothing but nitrogen inside of the bag.

You may find these items on the web... I have but don't feel like looking for them again.

[Meatwasp]

If the weevils get in them, pan them out with a gold pan. lol

[manny229]

If the weevils get in them, pan them out with a gold pan. lol

Weevils are good source of protein! So yes, pan them out... then fry them up!

[Meatwasp]

lol if you can't beat em eat em.

[madengr]

White rice keeps a long time but it has no nutritional value. Leave white and brown rice out and see which gets eaten by weevils; the weevils know what is good. Same goes for white vs. wheat flour.

Now I think storing Uncle Ben's rice would be a compromise. The germ is removed but the vitamins are retained.

You can also toss a piece of dry ice into the bag or pail of rice. It will sublimate, pushing out the oxygen, then you can seal it.

I can't eat white rice anymore after years of eating Korean sweat, brown rice (it's not sweat, just called that).

White flour actually used to be deadly (huge increase in heart disease 100 years ago) until the manufacturers began fortifying it with thiamine.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/tradition-heritage/enriching-white-flour.html

[LibertiORDeth]

White rice keeps a long time but it has no nutritional value. Leave white and brown rice out and see which gets eaten by weevils; the weevils know what is good. Same goes for white vs. wheat flour.

Now I think storing Uncle Ben's rice would be a compromise. The germ is removed but the vitamins are retained.

You can also toss a piece of dry ice into the bag or pail of rice. It will sublimate, pushing out the oxygen, then you can seal it.

I can't eat white rice anymore after years of eating Korean sweat, brown rice (it's not sweat, just called that).

White flour actually used to be deadly (huge increase in heart disease 100 years ago) until the manufacturers began fortifying it with thiamine.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/tradition-heritage/enriching-white-flour.html

I like white better though :'(

[madengr]

Try it for a week or two, then go back to white rice. You may change your mind. My wife did it and she can't eat white rice either. There are still some exceptions though; Gotta have basmati rice with Indian food. :-)

[Dr.3D]

White rice doesn't have any flavor.... the brown rice has a nutty flavor. I like rice with flavor.

[mtmedlin]

No egg pasta last for nearly ever.

[thuja]

try coconut oil on your rice, it tastes great. get the good, natural organic coconut oil that is solid in the jar. it seems to store for ages. it's very healthy to eat.

[bbartlog]

This is a topic that's been done to death on various survivalist boards, so an online search will probably tell you more than asking here. Serious Mormons are also enjoined by their religion to keep a years' supply of food on hand, so there are some Mormon-oriented sites that might help you.
Anyway, some short info: hard red wheat keeps a long time (20 years if stored under good conditions). Honey keeps forever (well, thousands of years anyway...). Temperature and moisture are critical factors - store something at 80F and it will not keep long, store it at 50 or 60F (like in a good root cellar) and it will keep much, much longer. If you are serious about storing food, you need to rotate your stores by eating the oldest - which will also help you figure out what things you might be missing.

[dsentell]

Canned foods keep for a couple of years also. Buy what you normally use, use it and replace. Be sure to rotate your inventory.

I also keep a couple of cases of MREs, a case of MRE entrees, and a few cases of Mountain Home freeze dried foods. You can often get a pretty good deal on these on eBay. Reasonable prices on Mountain Home foods can also be found at:

http://www.ldpcampingfoods.com/

[RadiantBlueLight]

Prudent Food Storage FAQ 3.50 (http://survivalprimer.com/Homestead/Food_Storage_FAQ_3_5.htm)

I'm getting a list together for a food stash and this covers everything.

[dsentell]

Prudent Food Storage FAQ 3.50 (http://survivalprimer.com/Homestead/Food_Storage_FAQ_3_5.htm)

I'm getting a list together for a food stash and this covers everything.

Wow and thanks Radiant. Quite an informative booklet!

[buffalokid777]

Also, use a mylar bag inside of the plastic pail with an oxygen absorber in the rice or elbow macaroni filling the bag. You then use a flat iron and iron the bag shut then place the cover on the pail. This will make these items last a long long time, as the oxygen absorber leaves nothing but nitrogen inside of the bag.

You may find these items on the web... I have but don't feel like looking for them again.

That's the way superpails are......nitrogen packed in mylar.....many staples keep along time packed this way.....


I would say the things that will keep the longest packed properly are

Honey
Wheat
Rice
Pasta
Legumes
Sugar
Salt
Dried Beans
Oats
Split Peas

[thuja]

i just got pail of lentils. maybe they are packed this way by the company?

[VIDEODROME]

How about Oatmeal?

[Dr.3D]

i just got pail of lentils. maybe they are packed this way by the company?

Does the pail have any kind expiration or best if used by date on it?

[thuja]

Does the pail have any kind expiration or best if used by date on it?

no, just the ingredients, (lentils), and a warning that children can fall into the bucket.

[youngbuck]

Also, use a mylar bag inside of the plastic pail with an oxygen absorber in the rice or elbow macaroni filling the bag. You then use a flat iron and iron the bag shut then place the cover on the pail. This will make these items last a long long time, as the oxygen absorber leaves nothing but nitrogen inside of the bag.

You may find these items on the web... I have but don't feel like looking for them again.

That is the best way to store grains long-term. If done properly (and it's not that hard with the mylar bags, O2 absorbers, and plastic pail sealed (maybe sealed w/ silicone or something) grains can have a 12-15 years shelf life.

[loupeznik]

Did someone already say Twinkies? I think they last the longest.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46062-2005Apr12.html

[Dr.3D]

no, just the ingredients, (lentils), and a warning that children can fall into the bucket.

You might contact the manufacturer and ask what the shelf life of that item is.

I wouldn't trust the packaging until I was told how it was packed.

Here (https://www.usaemergencysupply.com/information_center/food_storage_faq/mylar_bags.htm) is some information about mylar bags.

Here (https://www.usaemergencysupply.com/emergency_supplies/oxygen_absorbers.htm)is some information about oxygen absorbers.

And here (https://www.usaemergencysupply.com/emergency_supplies/food_storage_equipment.htm#Food%20Storage%20-%20Mylar/Poly%20Bags) is a web site that has these supplies.

[thuja]

You might contact the manufacturer and ask what the shelf life of that item is.

I wouldn't trust the packaging until I was told how it was packed.

Here (https://www.usaemergencysupply.com/information_center/food_storage_faq/mylar_bags.htm) is some information about mylar bags.

Here (https://www.usaemergencysupply.com/emergency_supplies/oxygen_absorbers.htm)is some information about oxygen absorbers.

And here (https://www.usaemergencysupply.com/emergency_supplies/food_storage_equipment.htm#Food%20Storage%20-%20Mylar/Poly%20Bags) is a web site that has these supplies.

thanks!this is very useful.

[amy31416]

You may also want to consider ghee over butter, it has a very lengthy shelf life.