Grains

Popcorn is a quintessential part of a movie night for many people. But what if you’ve bought a few too many packages of ready-to-eat popcorn? Now, a month or two later, they still sit in storage. Can popcorn go bad?

Or maybe you’ve stocked up on dry kernels that were on sale. And now that you think about it, your supplies will last you at least a year or more. Will those kernels last that long and pop when prepared?

When it comes to buying popcorn, you can buy kernels, popped popcorn, or microwaveable packets. Dry kernels and ready-to-eat popcorn have drastically different shelf lives, and the microwaveable packs are somewhere in between. If you’re not well versed in how they differ, it’s easy to end up with stale or meh tasting popcorn.

This article here is to help you avoid that. But before we get into the nitty-gritty, let’s clarify which type is which.

Dry kernels are un-popped kernels that you need to pop before serving. In most cases, you do it on the stove by adding the kernels into a saucepan with hot oil. The ready-to-eat popcorn is already popped; all you need to do is to open the package and enjoy. Last but not least, microwaveable packets are basically dry kernels covered with fat. Since the package has all the ingredients it needs, you only need to warm it up in a microwave.

Knowing that, let’s start by talking about spoiled popcorn.

Can Popcorn Go Bad? How To Tell If Popcorn Has Gone Bad?

If you follow proper storage practices, neither type of popcorn will spoil in a way most foods do for a long time. And by long I mean months or even years past the date on the label. However, that doesn’t mean that the popcorn will stay at peak quality forever, far from it.

Popped popcorn gradually becomes stale. Unless there’s moisture involved, it won’t grow mold or anything, but over time the flavor degrades. And at a certain point, you will find that popcorn dry and tasteless, and that’s when you should discard it.

When it comes to microwaveable packets, you see how things turned out after microwaving them. If the popcorn looks gross, smells off (e.g., because the fat has gone rancid), or there’s something wrong with its taste, throw it out. Do the same if there’s anything in the package that isn’t supposed to be there. Who knows what got there before it was sealed.

Dry kernels keep well for a long time, but eventually they dry out. The moisture inside them is the reason why they pop ([SGP]), so if most of it is gone, they don’t pop. If less than like 3/4 of the kernels pop, you can try putting some moisture back into the kernels. You do that by adding them and one teaspoon of water per 1 pound of popcorn into a glass jar ([SGP]). Shake that jar a few times a day for three days, and then try making popcorn with those kernels. The results should be noticeably better.

How Long Does Popcorn Last?

When it comes to shelf life, these are quite different for each type.

Popped popcorn has the shortest one, usually 2 ([LP]) to 3 months from production date for an unopened package. The popcorn should be okay for another couple of weeks or so past the best-by date, but sooner or later you will find it stale.

Once you open the package or make popcorn yourself, it should be okay for a week, maybe two weeks. Provided that you always keep it sealed, of course. As usual, to experience the best quality, you should finish the whole package in one sitting.

Microwaveable packets have a shelf life of about 3 to 4 months. The fat in the package won’t retain quality forever, hence the relatively short period. Of course, even if it’s a month or two after the date on the label, it’s still worth preparing that package. Worst case scenario is that something is off and you discard the whole thing. But in many cases, the popped popcorn will be perfectly fine.

When it comes to dry kernels, even though they have an indefinite shelf life ([SGP]), they eventually dry out. They should turn out just fine until the best-by date on the label, and probably for a couple of months past it too. But even if the kernels are old, it makes sense to give them a try. And if only some of them pop, try the re-hydrating trick I described earlier.

How To Store Popcorn?

No matter the type of popcorn you have on hands, the storage guidelines are quite similar. When it comes to temperature, room temperature (or slightly below) is perfect ([LP]). Don’t refrigerate or freeze popcorn or the kernels. The only exception here is microwaveable packets. If the label says you should refrigerate the package, do it.

Neither dry kernels nor prepared popcorn (or opened commercially popped one) likes air or excess moisture, so keep them in an airtight container ([SGP][LP]) away from sources of heat and sunlight. A cabinet in the pantry or kitchen works perfectly well for that.

In a Nutshell

• Popcorn in most cases doesn’t go off or spoil. But it doesn’t last forever either. Popped kernels go stale, un-popped ones dry out, and the fat in microwaveable popcorn goes rancid.
• Unopened ready-to-eat popcorn lasts 2 to 3 months, and between a week or two after opening or making popcorn yourself. Microwaveable packets last a couple of months. Dry kernels usually have a shelf life of a year or two, but can last much longer.
• Unless the label says otherwise, store all kinds of popcorn at room temperature. Once the package is opened, or popcorn prepared, keep it in an airtight container, away from heat and any moisture.

References

• [SGP] Steinke’s Gourmet Popcorn: FAQ
• [LP] Let’s Popcorn: Frequently Asked Questions

Brown rice has been a staple food around the world for millennia, and if you look in the pantry of most home cooks, you’re bound to find a giant bag. But how long will that rice stay good for in your pantry? Can brown rice go bad, and is it worth buying the five pound sack?

Can Brown Rice Go Bad?

It will probably surprise you to learn that while most varieties of rice can be stored indefinitely, uncooked brown rice only has a shelf life of six to eight months in the pantry. This is because of the higher oil content in the bran (the outer shell), which has been polished off on white rice. Storing uncooked brown rice in the refrigerator will slightly increase the shelf life of the rice to around a year, and keeping the rice in the freezer will increase the shelf life to about a year and a half.

Cooked brown rice, like most cooked foods, has a drastically shorter shelf life, and will only last for about five days in the refrigerator, when stored in an airtight container.

Image used under Creative Commons from Rob & Dani

Signs of Spoilage

Determining whether your brown rice has gone bad can be as simple as smelling the rice. Fresh brown rice won’t have much of a smell at all, but rancid brown rice will have a strong unpleasant odor. Should you miss this key sign, and accidentally consume the rancid rice, you’re likely to experience some digestive discomfort and some pretty unpleasant tasting rice.

Another way that brown rice and other grains can spoil is with insect infestations. Insects can contaminate brown rice once the bag is opened and sitting in your pantry, and will eat the rice as well as lay their eggs. Meal moths and weevils are two of the main concerns with grains. If you see insects in your grains, this is a clear sign that they’re infested. Other signs include holes that have been bored through the grains of rice, a dusty appearance to the grains, or little eggs and larvae mixed in with the rice. At this point, the grains should not be consumed and are best suited for the compost pile.

Improperly stored brown rice that is exposed to high amounts of moisture may start to grow mold. Keeping the rice in a tightly sealed container, and in a cold environment should prevent this, but rice that has any signs of mold growth should be discarded.

Cooked rice that has gone bad will start to harden as it loses moisture, and can grow mold. If there are any signs of mold growth, the rice should not be consumed.

Tips For Storing Brown Rice

If you choose to store your brown rice in the pantry, be sure to keep the rice sealed at all times, to keep out insects and moisture.There is anecdotal evidence that keeping dried bay leaves and cloves of garlic in a sealed container of uncooked rice will keep the insects away. Another method to keep the brown rice fresh would be to store it in a tightly sealed container with an oxygen absorber (if you can find them!). This will essentially suffocate any eggs, insects or mold, and will reduce the likelihood of spoilage. This method will not prevent the oil in the rice bran from going rancid, though.

Finally, storing uncooked brown rice in the freezer should increase the shelf life for up to two years. This should also prevent any insects or mold from growing. The rice will not need to be thawed because of the incredibly low moisture content, and can simply be cooked normally, directly out of the freezer. Cooked brown rice may also be stored in the freezer in a tightly sealed container for up to six months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and heat with either butter, or a sauce to add in moisture that was lost.

Oatmeal cereals are one of the most popular breakfast choices, especially for kids. Because of that, quite a few people ask themselves whether or not oatmeal can go bad and how to tell if it’s already bad. You wouldn’t like to serve bad oatmeal for breakfast, would you? If you’re among the people searching for those answers, you’re in the perfect place. Read along!

Storing oatmeal

Storing oatmeal in the cupboard in the kitchen is perfectly fine, as long as the area is dry (it usually is). You can of course to choose to keep it in the pantry and that’s fine as well. Probably the best choice is keep it in the pantry until you decide to open the package and keep the opened package in the cupboard, so you can get eat easily when preparing breakfast for your kids. Make sure the package is sealed pretty tightly when not in use, so oatmeal won’t pick up any odors or, what’s worse, moisture. Some people decide to transfer oatmeal after opening the package into a plastic lidded container and that’s definitely a good idea. Either way, keep oatmeal away from water and odors, and it will be fine for a long time.

(credit: nate steiner)

Shelf life of oatmeal

Most manufacturers suggest that oatmeal should be consumed within a year of so after the production date. Of course each package has a ‘best by’ or ‘use by’ date on it, but it’s only an estimate of how long the oatmeal should of its top quality. If you’ll store oatmeal properly (and most of us do), it will be safe to consume for at least a few years. Just make sure water (os steam) can’t reach it.

The important thing to remember here is that the quality of oatmeal will slowly deteriorate over time. Its texture and color might change slightly, so can its flavor. All in all, after a few years of storing oatmeal, you might be unsatisfied with its quality and decide to throw it away. That’s of course a matter of personal preference.

How to tell if oatmeal is bad

As mentioned earlier, if stored properly, oatmeal will be safe to eat for years. But how one can tell if it’s bad? If water can somehow find its way into the package/container with oatmeal and will spoil it, there are few signs you should look for. First one is obvious – mold. If oatmeal will go bad, it’ll probably start to grow mold and that’s usually easy to spot, especially if it starts to grow on top of the oatmeal. The second sure-sign of spoilage is smell. If it smells off, oatmeal is surely bad and should be discarded. If you’re not really sure if it’s fine of spoiled, throw it away.

Summary
As you already know, oatmeal can go bad, if water/steam/any form of moisture can find its way into the package, but if it will stay dry, it will be fine for a couple of years. So, just make sure oatmeal is stored properly and it will surely stay fine until you’ll use the whole package.

Can rice go bad? is a pretty tricky question to answer. As a matter of fact, this popular food can actually go bad. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t store uncooked rice for a very long time. In this article we will cover the following things: storing rice (both cooked and uncooked), their shelf life and how to tell if rice is spoiled. Sounds interesting? If so, read along!

How to store rice

You probably already know everything that will be mentioned in this section, but it should be covered for those few people who might not know it. Uncooked rice should be stored in a pretty cool place where water can’t reach it. Therefore, the pantry is the perfect choice, but if you don’t plan to store rice for a very long period of time (a couple of years), storing it in the kitchen will work out well too. If you want to make sure it will be fine for a few years, you might consider repackaging it into a sealed airtight container. This way you can be sure that any contaminants won’t be able to get to it.

(credit: Indie Bands With a Mission)

When it comes to cooked rice, if you won’t use it right away, the best thing you can do is to put it into the fridge. You can even freeze it if you really need to, but I wouldn’t use it in other than cooked dishes.

Shelf life of rice

Uncooked rice, when stored properly (so water or other contaminants can’t reach it) will pretty much keep indefinitely. Storing it properly isn’t difficult by any means, so in almost all cases you can keep uncooked rice for years. Of course if water, bugs or contaminants can find their way into the package, you’ll have to discard it.

When it comes to cooked rice, it will stay fine for a few days in the fridge and even up to half a year in the freezer (it won’t go bad in the freezer, but the longer you keep it there, the worse its quality will be).

How to tell if rice is spoiled

When it comes to uncooked rice, it’s usually easy to spot that it’s bad. If you can see bugs or signs of mold, discard it. When the rice isn’t perfectly dry, it means moisture found its way into the package and discarding the package seems to be the right thing to do. Funny or “off” odor is a sign of spoilage as well.

Changed texture, mold and off odor as a sure-signs that cooked rice is spoiled. If you’ll notice any one of these, discard the rice. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Summary

As you know by now, rice can go bad. It’s very unlikely that that would happen to uncooked rice, but it’s definitely possible if one doesn’t store it properly. Cooked rice goes bad within a couple of days if stored in the fridge, but you can freeze it to keep it for longer if you need.

The question of whether flour ever goes bad or not is one that every aspiring baker asks at least once in their lifetime. And it’s a tricky one. I mean, unless you get your flour directly from a mill, it comes with a date on the label, right? But at the same time, the powder usually doesn’t change at all for months or even years past that date. So it’s perfectly reasonable to seek more info about going bad of flour.

Or maybe you’ve read somewhere that you should store your flour in the fridge, or even in the freezer. But your family has stored it the pantry or kitchen for as long as you can remember, and it was quite alright. Will switching to freezing or refrigeration make your baked goods better? Or move the flavor needle at all?

Even though flour seems to be a “simple” powder, there are quite a lot of questions about it out there. And besides the ones I already raised, there are tons of questions about different types of flour, and if they are any special or not. This article aims to cover most of these question in a (fairly) concise manner. But before we begin, I wanted to let you know that below I won’t cover nut flours, such as coconut flour and almond flour. They’re a different beast and deserve their own articles.

Can Flour Go Bad? How To Tell If Flour Has Gone Bad?

Flour sure can go bad in a way it’s unsafe to eat. All it takes is to allow some water in the package, or anywhere near, and there will be large clumps and possibly mold within a few days. If you see either, throw the product out. Flour also attracts pantry bugs, so if you find any living ones or corpses in the package, it’s time for it to go. That’s about it when it comes to standard ways of going off that apply to pretty much all kinds of flour.

Besides that, whole-grain flour can go rancid. Whole grain means the powder contains all three parts of the grain: the endosperm, bran, and germ ([WIKI2]). Bran and germ contain some fat, and as you probably know, fat is prone to rancidification. So if your whole grain flour has started to stink or has taken on a rancid-like smell, get rid of it. You almost certainly won’t get sick from eating baked goods made with stale whole grain flour, but it won’t taste as good as it usually does. Plus they can carry some of that smell. In case you were wondering, refined grains used in most flours use only the endosperm, so they are fat-free, and thus not in risk. If your not-whole-grain flour smells off, it probably picked up the smell from another product.

Last but not least, let’s talk about self-rising (or self-raising) flour. It’s simply flour with chemical leavening agents ([WIKI1]). And leavening agents, such as baking powder, don’t retain potency forever. So if you store your self-raising flour for a couple of years, don’t be surprised that the baked goods don’t rise as well as they used to. Technically, that flour isn’t spoiled or harmful by any means, but it has lost one of its essential qualities. It’s up to you if you decide to keep it and use like “normal” flour or toss it out.

How Long Does Flour Last?

Experts say flour generally lasts about six to eight months at room temperature ([FC]). That’s not that long, right? But you already know that it won’t go bad or anything past that period. It also comes with a best-by date on the label, which informs you how long, at the very least, the product should be at its best quality. And it’s usually a similar period of about six to nine months. Does that mean the quality of flour starts to deteriorate quickly after that period?

Well, I don’t have any scientific research or credible sources besides years of my and my mom’s experience, but I’d say no. I’ve used flour that’s anywhere between a month to over a year “old” with great success. Granted, I’m not the greatest baker out there and cook mostly for myself and my family, but I never had the experience of anyone saying “hey, you must have used old flour!”. Neither did I ever notice that the cakes, pancakes, or muffins tasted somewhat off because of the flour. I’m quite sure you feel the same. So I’m going out on a limb here and say that you can easily use out-of-date powder, even if it’s over a year past that date. With some caveats, of course.

First, whole-grain flour. As you already know, it can go rancid. So if you’re about to use one that’s half a year past its date to bake a cake for an important occasion, think twice. Even if it smells okay (that is, hardly at all), use it for some stress-free weekend baking that’s okay if it doesn’t turn out perfect.

Second, self-rising flour. If it’s very old (like a year past the date), and you didn’t use it lately, it’s difficult to say if it’s still potent. To check that, try using it in a recipe where the potency of the leavening agent isn’t that important, e.g., in pancakes. If those pancakes turn out somewhat flat, that’s usually not that big of a deal. But that will give you some knowledge about how well that flour raises and if you need to add some baking powder to make things work or not.

Knowing all that, let’s talk a bit about storage of flour and all that jazz about refrigerating and freezing it.

How To Store Flour?

Let’s start with the basics. No matter if it’s gluten-free, whole-grain, bread, all-purpose, or any other flour, you need to protect it from water and bugs. The easiest way to do that is to make sure it’s always sealed tightly. In most cases, the flour comes in a paper bag, and if it sits in a place that’s safe from moisture and bugs, it’s good enough to use long term. Just roll down the top after each use, and that’s it.

If you want to up your flour-storage game, transfer the powder into an airtight container. You can buy a fancy-looking dedicated one, or reuse a container that you got with another food product, e.g., cornstarch. Such container keeps the moisture and bugs away. Generally, airtight canisters and containers are recommended for flour storage ([FC]). But truth be told, I never used one and never had any issues with water or insects, so it largely depends on how safe from these your storage spot is.

When it comes to long term storage, that is storing flour past the date on the label, many places recommend refrigerating, or even freezing the powder ([FC]). And such measures will definitely help retain better quality over time. But honestly, have you ever seen anyone who refrigerates or freezes flour? Me neither. For most of us, fridge and freezer space come at a premium, and we don’t want to waste it on storing powder that keeps well at room temperature. So I’d say it’s not worth it to chill the flour in the fridge or freezer. But if you want to test it out, be my guess. Just make sure you transfer the powder in an airtight container that’s moistureproof so the product won’t absorb any moisture from the environment.

In a Nutshell

• Even though flour is said to last about 6 to 8 months in good quality, it usually keeps well for much longer
• Observe the quality of whole-grain and self-rising flour closely, the former can go rancid, the latter lose the potency
• Keep flour away from moisture and pantry bugs, transfer to an airtight container if needed
• While many sources recommend refrigeration or freezing for long-term flour storage, it’s probably not really worth it

References

• [FC] Flour.com: FAQ
• [WIKI1] Wikipedia: Flour
• [WIKI2] Wikipedia: Whole grain