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Facts About These Foods

By Bridget
15 July 2016   |   2:58 pm
When properly stored, some food items will last for years — sometimes, decades — sometimes, forever, and that’s a life fact! Even after they’ve been opened, if anything, they’ll only lose very little of their original quality as time passes. So think twice before tossing one of these items. If you've been handling it correctly,…

When properly stored, some food items will last for years — sometimes, decades — sometimes, forever, and that’s a life fact! Even after they’ve been opened, if anything, they’ll only lose very little of their original quality as time passes. So think twice before tossing one of these items. If you’ve been handling it correctly, chances are that it is just fine.

Here are some foods that could last almost forever.

  1. SUGAR

Sugar never spoils because it doesn’t support bacterial growth. The real challenge is to prevent it from becoming rock-hard.  According to United States Department of Agriculture and U.S. Foods & Drug Administration respectively, to a large extent on storage conditions—sugar when properly stored and kept free from contaminants has an indefinite shelf life.  To keep sugar from hardening; keep in a cool, dry area. Again, to prevent sugar from hardening after opening, place it in an airtight container or cover the original package in a heavy-duty plastic bag and seal tightly.

Facts About These Foods

  1. RICE

White, Wild, Arborio, Jasmine and Basmati rice all have an indefinite shelf life, when kept free from contaminants with the exception of brown rice due to its higher oil content which it won’t keep nearly as long. Keep it fresh, store in a cool, dry area. Again, once opened, place rice in a sealed airtight container or place original package in a reseal-able heavy-duty freezer bag.

Shelf life: According to Jana Darrington–a Food Safety Extension Specialist, when properly sealed and stored, polished white rice will store well for 25 to 30 years.

Facts About These Foods

  1. HONEY

Pure honey is as durable as it is delicious; it keeps safe indefinitely. Honey may change colour or crystallize over time, but that won’t make it unsafe. Amina Harris, executive director of the Honey and Pollination Centre at Robert Mondavi Institute; University of California points out an important feature of honey’s longevity: for honey to spoil–there needs to be something inside of it that can spoil. With such an inhospitable environment, organisms can’t survive long enough within the jar of honey to have the chance to spoil. Honey is also naturally extremely acidic. “It has a pH that falls between 3 and 4.5, approximately, and that acid will kill off almost anything that wants to grow there. So unlike perishable meat and vegetables, 100% pure, undiluted, supersaturated honey can withstand the test of time and will stay good indefinitely! Store in a cool area and keep tightly closed. Revive crystallized honey by placing the opened jar in warm water and stirring until dissolved.

Facts About These Foods

  1. HARD LIQUOR

The base liquors (e.g., brandy, gin, rum, tequila, vodka and whiskey) are typically the most stable distilled spirits because they do not contain sugars. These bottles can be stored for a very long time–unopened; these bottles have an indefinite shelf life. Once opened, they may begin to lose certain flavour qualities which would in turn over the years start to deteriorate. However, the shelf life of liquor (e.g., schnapps, amaretto and triple sec) is more unpredictable because these spirits contain sugar and other ingredients which can spoil. The more sugar a liqueur has, the faster it will deteriorate—(though many of these also have preservatives to combat spoilage).

Facts About These Foods

  1. SALT

From the basic table variety to fancier versions like kosher and sea, salt is a flavour enhancer that never spoils or goes stale. Regular old salt won’t expire, but once you add in other factors — like iodine — you change the equation; iodized salt will last for about five years. A better question might be – does salt expire? Salt, or sodium chloride, is an essential mineral needed by the human body (and all animals) in order to function properly. It helps maintain the fluid levels in the body, yet an excess can be harmful. The shelf life of salt, a natural ingredient found in both land and sea?—the answer is it has been there since the beginning of time. It is has been used for flavouring and food preservation for ages. So, the official answer to does salt expire or does salt go bad is… No, it does not expire! When properly stored, the shelf life of salt is indefinite.

Facts About These Foods

  1. CORNSTARCH

Basically, the only way cornstarch will go bad is if it gets wet. Cornstarch basically disappears in warm liquid as the starch molecules bond with hydrogen molecules and then absorb the water. The sauce to which cornstarch is introduced first becomes cloudy and then translucent and thick. The shelf life of cornstarch depends mostly on how the cornstarch is stored. Cornstarch is a fine powder made from the starch in corn kernels. It is used mainly as a thickening agent in sauces, gravies, pies and puddings. So, does cornstarch go bad? When stored properly, the answer is no! Keep away from contaminants. Store in cool, dry area; keep package tightly closed between uses.

Facts About These Foods

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