Friday, December 9, 2011

Shelf Life

Ever go to make a sandwich and notice your slice has a little mold? Do you throw the whole loaf out or pick out the slices that look "safe"? Chances are, the bread has reached its shelf life.  Although eating moldy bread can make ya sick, Im sure youve been guilty of saving the "good" slices, lol!

I stumbled upon these shelf life tips I thought I'd share:

General Shelf Lives For Common Items: 
 Flour unopened: up to 12 months. Opened: 6-8 months. 
 Sugar unopened: 2 years. Sugars do not spoil but eventually may change flavor. 
 Brown sugar unopened: 4 months. 
 Confectioners sugar unopened: 18 months. 
 Solid shortening unopened: 8 months. Opened: 3 months. 
 Cocoa unopened: indefinitely. Opened: 1 year. 
 Whole spices: 2-4 years. Whether or not opened. 
 Ground spices: 2-3 years. Whether or not opened. 
 Paprika, red pepper and chili powder: 2 years 
 Baking soda unopened: 18 months. Opened: 6 months. 
 Baking powder unopened: 6 months. Opened: 3 months. 
 Cornstarch: 18 months. Whether or not opened. 
 Dry pasta made without eggs unopened: 2 years. Opened: 1 year. 
 Dry egg noodles unopened: 2 years. Opened: 1-2 months. 
 Salad dressing unopened: 10-12 months. Opened: 3 months if refrigerated. 
 Honey: 1 year. Whether or not opened. 
 Ground, canned coffee unopened: 2 years. Opened: 2 weeks, if refrigerated. 
 Jams, jellies and preserves unopened: 1 year. Opened: 6 months if refrigerated. 
 Peanut butter unopened: 6-9 months. Opened: 2-3 months. 

1 comment:

  1. Thanks, this is good info to have. I used to save the "good" slices or worse, cut off the moldy part! However, I stopped doing that because all of the other slices will still have a moldy smell.

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