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For Your Pantry: 8 Foods That Have an Extremely Long Shelf Life in an Emergency

Stocking up on groceries is hardly necessary these days. We can get almost anything our hearts desire in supermarkets and discounters almost anytime. But some situations call for emergency supplies. Which foods do you choose when you want to stock up? The most suitable are those that last as long as possible. 8 foods in particular are almost non-perishable and should be found in your stash.

Various reasons: why and when you should buy supplies

Many consider whether it really makes sense to buy supplies. There are many reasons that speak in favor of this: First of all, it is of course quite practical to have some basic groceries in stock in the house. This way you don’t have to make your way to the supermarket every day and you save time and stress at best.

The Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance also advises having a supply of food at home for unexpected emergencies. After all, environmental disasters or the like can never be ruled out: depending on where you live, you could be affected by floods, avalanches, heavy snowfall, storms or even forest fires. In such situations, for your own protection, it may not even be possible to leave the house for a few days.

In addition, it can happen at any time that you get sick and don’t feel fit enough to leave your apartment to go shopping. This can take not only one but also several days. In an emergency, you can certainly ask your neighbors or friends for help; However, if you can manage with your own supplies for a while, this is usually more practical, since contact persons do not always have time.

These 8 foods are virtually non-perishable

Emergency supplies can consist of different foods. These eight non-perishable foods should not be missing:
Rice: If the rice is kept airtight and dry, it will not spoil for years. Products such as bulgur, quinoa, couscous or buckwheat behave in a similar way.
Honey: Pure honey never goes bad by itself. The prerequisite is that it is stored cool and dry and tightly closed. If the honey crystallizes, it can be made liquid again by heating it briefly in the oven.
Sugar: Even pure sugar is non-perishable. To prevent clumping, however, it should be stored dry and airtight.
Cornstarch: If you seal the cornstarch airtight, it won’t expire either. So you can use them forever to thicken sauces, soups or the like.
White wine vinegar: Distilled white wine vinegar is also one of the non-perishable foods. If it is tightly closed and stored in a cool and dark place, you can use it for years to make dressings, sauces, etc.
Maple syrup: If you like it sweet, you should definitely buy maple syrup in advance. If it is frozen, it will keep forever.
Schnapps: It is a well-known fact that high-proof alcohol does not spoil. It can also be kept indefinitely.
Salt: Salt can crumble or stick together when it comes into contact with liquid. However, if you keep it dry and airtight, it will not spoil.

Other foods that can be kept for a very long time and are therefore ideal for stocking up include pasta, long-life milk, canned fruit and vegetables, flour, baking powder, sunflower oil and olive oil, as well as cornflakes, crispbread and pre-baked rolls. This way you can put together a diverse supply of long-lasting food.

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Food

Shelf Life of Tofu: How long does it last?

Unopened, tofu has a fairly long shelf life. However, once the package is opened, it is often difficult to judge whether it is still edible. We tell you how long tofu can be kept.

Tofu is a protein-rich food made from soy that is particularly popular with vegans and vegetarians. You can use tofu in a variety of dishes and add flavor to your taste with marinades and spices.

A typical criticism of soy products like tofu is that the soybeans come from rainforest regions. However, organic tofu in particular mostly consists of European, sometimes even German, soybeans. Read more about how to eat vegan regionally at Utopia. Due to the shorter transport distances, you can save CO2 emissions and thus reduce your ecological footprint. Tip: You can also make tofu yourself.

We recommend that you buy organic tofu for other reasons as well. Organic seals such as Bioland, Demeter or Naturland stand for certain standards in cultivation and production, for example they do not allow chemical-synthetic pesticides.

The most important numbers on the shelf life of tofu

Tofu is mostly vacuum packed. This makes it particularly durable. The best before date (MHD) tells you how long the tofu will last. However, if stored properly, tofu can be kept for a long time. A long-term test by the environmental protection organization Greenpeace showed that tofu can still be eaten up to six months after the best-before date.

Once opened, tofu can be kept in the refrigerator for two to three days. You can extend the shelf life of tofu by storing it properly:

Always keep unopened tofu refrigerated. An exception are varieties that were freeze-dried during production and can therefore also be stored at room temperature. As a guide, if the tofu was already refrigerated when you bought it, you should keep it in the fridge as well.
Place opened tofu in an airtight container (such as a box or jar) and place in the refrigerator. It is best if you add some water. The tofu should be at least half covered.
If you freeze tofu, you can extend its shelf life by up to six months – regardless of whether it is still unopened or opened.

Shelf life of tofu: how do you know that tofu is still good?

A first indication of the shelf life of tofu is the best before date. However, as mentioned, unopened tofu lasts far beyond that.

Are you unsure whether your tofu is still edible? If these factors apply, you shouldn’t eat the tofu anymore:

Appearance: greasy, eventually mold
Odor and taste: sour or bitter
In particular, the smell of spoiled tofu can become very strong.

If the pack is still closed, the following also indicates that tofu is no longer edible:

Pack is bloated
The brine that tofu is in is creamy or crumbly

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Cooking Tips

Macerating: This is How You Can Extend the Shelf Life of Fruit

Maceration means “soaking in liquid”. You can read in this article how this works and for which foods it makes sense to macerate.

Maceration is a term from the kitchen. It was borrowed from the French “macérer” – “to soak/soak something” and goes back to the Latin “machrare” – “to soak”. It sounds fancy, but chances are you’ve already macerated while cooking or baking.

Why is maceration useful?

Preservation: Maceration makes fresh food last longer. Another side effect is that fruit does not turn brown.
Flavoring: You can add another flavor note to macerated foods.
Change consistency: Depending on the type of food being macerated, the consistency can remain the same, become softer or juicier.

You need this

Maceration is very easy. You need two components; it is up to you how much and what combinations it will be. Maceration is usually understood as meaning when fruit is marinated in alcohol with a little sugar, but there are many variations.

Ingredient One: Foods You Want to Macerate:

Fruit like strawberries or apricots
vegetables like onions
Pastry like biscuit
When macerating, you put the food in or sprinkle it over it in order to then process it further. For example, you dip ladyfingers in coffee to use for (vegan) tiramisu; or you macerate fruit in sugar to make jam. You can also macerate meat.

Ingredient Two: Liquid

Depending on the flavor you want and the purpose, you have different liquids to choose from in which to put the food:

Alcoholic beverages such as liqueur or sparkling wine
Oils such as olive oil or garlic oil (tip: make your own garlic oil)
Vinegar like balsamic
Juices (fruit or vegetable) such as orange juice or tomato juice
Broths like vegetable broth (tip: make your own vegetable broth)
Fairtrade coffee or tea such as black tea
Note: We recommend buying organic food. Then you can be sure that they are free of chemical-synthetic pesticides and come from environmentally friendly cultivation. If you use seasonal and regional fruit and vegetables, you can save CO2 emissions due to the shorter transport routes. Our seasonal calendar shows you when which fruit and vegetables are in season in Germany.

Maceration tips

Use a liquid of your choice for maceration. You can add extra flavor with spices. For example, when macerating fruit, add some cinnamon to the liquid. Herbs, on the other hand, often go well with savory pickles. You can try different flavors. How about a dash of lemon juice and some sugar in a fruit-juice maceration?

It is crucial that the flavors of the liquid harmonize well with those of the food. For example, drinks such as rum, wine or fruit juice go well with fruit, coffee or sweet liqueurs go well with baked goods and spice-oil mixtures, vinegar or broth go with vegetables.

Basically, you should macerate food cold (or at least lukewarm). Pre-heating only makes sense in some cases, for example to boil off residual alcohol or to obtain roasted aromas.

To macerate, simply place the food in the liquid and let it steep for a bit. How long that is varies. For example, soaking strawberries in sugar for 15 minutes may be enough. Others you leave for 24 hours, such as a punch. For pastries such as cake bases, it is sufficient to drizzle or dip them briefly. The aroma usually intensifies with a longer soaking time.

Incidentally, macerating works in a similar way to marinating. However, a marinade contains many spices, and marinated foods are often boiled, simmered, or fried afterwards. Food is often macerated longer than marinated. As a rule, the food’s own liquid and aroma are included in the maceration liquid, which is usually not the case with marinating. Therefore you can continue to use the maceration liquid.

It is not possible to generalize how long a food can be preserved through maceration. That depends on the liquid used and the preparation method. For example, olive oil preserves for up to six months and canola oil for up to a year, while sugar alone doesn’t really extend shelf life. However, if you further process fruit pickled in sugar by heating it to make jam or compote, the food can even last for several years. Also alcohol preserved for several months (for example Rumtopf). However, it is always important that the macerated food does not come into contact with dirt and bacteria and that you store it in a cool and dark place – otherwise the product will spoil.

Recipes: Macerate strawberries with balsamic vinegar

Ingredients:

500 g strawberries
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar or agave syrup
some leaves of fresh mint

Directions:

Wash the strawberries and pat them dry.
Cut the strawberries into small pieces – preferably in halves or quarters, depending on their size. Then place the strawberries in a sealable container.
Pour in the vinegar and sprinkle over the sugar (or agave nectar or other sweetener). You can either add the mint at the end when serving or add it to the bowl in small pieces.
Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Get the strawberries out of the fridge in time so that they return to (almost) room temperature.
You can eat balsamic strawberries just like that, serve as an appetizer or dessert. You can also combine the macerated strawberries as a sweet and sour ingredient or side dish, for example in a salad or in a bowl.

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Food

Baking Soda Expired? That’s How Long the Most Important Baking Ingredients Really Have a Shelf Life

Expired baking soda is nothing to worry about because, like some other baking ingredients, you can use it past its sell-by date.

Baking powder expired: what to do?

If your baking powder has expired – according to the best-before date – you can still use it. After all, this date is only a recommendation. As long as food has a shelf life, you should use it. In this way you save garbage and counteract food waste.

Unsealed, dry foods such as baking powder can be kept almost indefinitely. So you can still use it months after the expiry date. However, once you open the packaging of the baking soda, its effects wear off after about a month.

For food of any kind, you can trust your senses. Take a close look at the respective product, smell it or try it. If nothing strikes you as odd, you can eat it. Anything that’s moldy goes in the trash.

Other baking ingredients: This is how long they can be kept

You can use your expired baking powder even after the best-before date has passed. The same applies to other baking ingredients. An overview:

Dry baking ingredients: Flour, baking powder, (vanilla) sugar and other dry baking ingredients can have a much longer shelf life than the best before date. However, one can distinguish again at this point:
Sugar can’t go bad. This is also the reason why it is often used to preserve foods such as jam.
In the case of flour and baking powder, on the other hand, the shelf life depends on the humidity as well as storage and packaging. Also, whole grains spoil faster because of their fat content.
Fresh baking ingredients: Fresh animal foods, such as eggs, are very delicate. Therefore, you should consume or process them as soon as possible. After the best before date has passed, it is advisable to heat the egg through. One method of finding out whether your raw egg is still good is an egg test: you put the egg in a glass of water. If the egg stays on the surface of the water, it is spoiled. You should also consume butter and milk in a timely manner. Tip: Animal baking ingredients often have a shorter shelf life than their plant-based alternatives. So feel free to use vegan margarine, aquafaba as an egg white substitute, and plant drinks as a milk substitute so that you can bake something with it for longer.


Nuts and Almonds: Whole nuts keep longer than grated ones. It is always advisable to smell the nuts and almonds and taste them if necessary. That way you can tell if they’re still good or not.
Chocolate and couverture: Dry and dark storage is important so that both chocolate and couverture last as long as possible. If you open the pack, it can be kept for another ten months, or up to 15 months for dark chocolate.
Spices: Spices should be treated in the same way as nuts and almonds, because whole spices such as cloves, cinnamon sticks or star anise have a longer shelf life than ground spices. Once you open the package of ground spices, you should use them within 6 months. Unopened, they will keep for about three years.

Tip: You can also freeze most fresh baking ingredients, vegan or not, to extend their shelf life.

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Food

Eggs and Their Shelf Life: You Should Know That

The shelf life of eggs depends on various factors. Here’s how long to store eggs and how to preserve them.

Raw Eggs: This is their shelf life

Eggs can be kept unrefrigerated for about 20 days from the laying date. Their shell protects them from germs. If you want to store them longer, you have to keep them in the fridge.

If you want to know how long the eggs you have bought will keep, you can always use the best before date printed on the egg code on the egg carton. According to the Federal Center for Nutrition, the best before date is 28 days after the laying date. The egg cartons usually also state when you should start refrigerating the eggs.

If the best-before date has passed, you don’t have to throw the eggs away right away. Instead, you can easily find out if the eggs are still good with the egg test. To be on the safe side, the AFCN recommends always cooking the eggs at at least 70 degrees if the best-before date has already passed. This kills any salmonella and other pathogens.

In order for eggs to last as long as possible, you should always store them in a clean and dry environment. If you find eggs with damaged shells in your egg carton, you should use them the same day and cook them well. You should also cook eggs that have feces or feathers on them as quickly as possible and store them separately from the other eggs.

Food that contains raw eggs should always be kept in the refrigerator and consumed within a day.
You can store raw egg yolks and egg whites in the refrigerator in a clean, sealed container for 2-3 days.
By the way: Where your eggs come from usually has no influence on their shelf life. In any case, you should pay attention to this. It is best to buy organic eggs that, in addition to the EU organic seal, also carry the seal of an organic association such as Naturland. This is how you support species-appropriate animal husbandry. In the meantime, you can also find eggs in many shops from farms where the male chicks are not shredded, but also reared.

Extend the shelf life of eggs: This is how you can preserve eggs

There are several ways you can extend the shelf life of your eggs past the best before date:

Freezing: You can freeze the yolk and egg white separately in airtight containers. According to AFCN, egg yolk keeps in the freezer at minus 18 degrees for six to ten months, egg white even for up to 12 months.
Hard-boiling: Hard-boiled eggs will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks. In order to keep them as long as possible, you should not put off the eggs after cooking. Rinsing the eggs in cold water while they are still hot can cause fine cracks to form in the shell, allowing bacteria and germs to get into the eggs. That’s why the consumer advice center recommends refrigerating quenched eggs and using them within two weeks. If you haven’t quenched the eggs, they will keep for at least four weeks in the refrigerator. By the way: coloring for Easter does not affect the shelf life of eggs.
Pickling: For centuries, people have been preserving eggs by pickling hard-boiled eggs with their shells in brine. Since brine is also known as brine, eggs preserved in this way are called brine eggs. Brine eggs can be kept for about two weeks, but become saltier over time.

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