Various people keep a small stock of dry food in their pantry or kitchen cabinets. Although dry food is simply effortless to store – and, under the proper conditions, can last on a shelf for months or even years – it is moreover easy for dry goods to expire and go bad. If that occurs, you risk bad quality food and foodborne illness. This is exactly why it is significant to use these dry food storage tips to keep your stock clean, fresh, and nutritious for as long as possible.
Rotate Your Items
Dry storage areas typically store baking supplies, grains, dried beans, cereals, and canned goods. One terrific thing in connection with these kinds of food is that they keep for a while, making it possible to purchase them before the time you need to use them. Nonetheless, if you keep a stock of dry food in your pantry, kitchen, or storage room, it’s necessary to check and rotate your items often. As you obtain new inventory, put them behind the older ones to be certain that you utilize your latest stock. Ensure to write the expiration date on all containers and discard expired items. Rotating your dry food is one of the effective ways to abstain from getting sick from spoiled dry foods!
Cooler is Better
Although dry food can last a long time in the correct conditions, it can moreover spoil quickly under the wrong conditions. This is all the more true if you try to keep your dry foods someplace that is not temperature controlled or that is too hot, even just part of the year. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the ideal temperature to store dry food is between 50 degrees and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything colder or warmer than that, and your dry goods will spoil considerably faster than they should.
Drier is Better
Besides cooler temperatures, keeping dry food dry is substantially vital. In humid climates, this can be a particular hassle. Humidity can ravage dry food and the packaging it comes in. Cardboard and even some cans will decay if there is too much moisture in the air. Boxes, particularly, can turn into a breeding ground for mold and bacteria when wet.
In humid climates, storing dry food in airtight glass containers is better than keeping things in bags and boxes. But on the other hand, if that isn’t feasible, and unless you live in a dry climate like that found in the southwestern U.S., you will have to take advantage of a dehumidifier or air conditioner to save your dry food stores during the more humid parts of the year.
Keep it Centered
When selecting where to keep your dry food storage, it’s relevant to keep in mind that temperatures and humidity levels can vary, even inside the same room. By way of example, temperatures differ around the outside edges of a room, near windows and doors, and up high. Exterior surfaces are prone to have condensation risks and act as an invitation to bugs or rodents.
Although you store your dry food inside your house, it’s good to put it someplace centrally located and, as much as possible, up off the floor. Abstain from spaces that have direct sunlight or laying whatever against an exterior wall. If you utilize a basement or cellar for storage, don’t shelve food along any unfinished exterior cement walls. This will aid your dry food to stay dry, clean, and ready to use whenever they need to occur.
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