FOOD

 I would like to get some suggestions on how to store, crackers and cookies for long term.  Right now they are in the boxes and bags that they came in.  Should i just leave them in there?  Thanks guys for your help .

Hi Everybody.  I'm new, but not really.  I've been reading over my husband's shoulder since he joined (Hi Bruss!) and he said that if I'm going to be silly, do it under my own login, not his.    Okay, Honey, whatever.

All this stocking up of foodstuffs got me thinking - what would I be willing to eat if we went through all of our stores?  Bruss will eat anything that doesn't eat him first, provided there's hot sauce.  Me, I'm more of a "picky eater".  

I've had a link bookmarked for a while, just for entertainment's sake, and I'd like to share it with you all in the vein of adding a bit of levity to a serious subject.  So here it is: Steve, Don't Eat It! 

*WARNING* This is not for easily nauseated or squeamish! 

Bon Appetit!

Z~

 

Hi, Zanna. Welcome aboard. Now you can see for yourself all the sweet things your man says about you.

siameselade wrote: Anyone heard of freezing eggs?  I think you poke a pin hole in the egg and then put  them into freezer.   I haven't tried it yet but I will and let you know.

Powdered eggs might be an easier proposition, and won't require refrigeration.

I freeze the scramble eggs, uncooked , we do a lot of camping so I prepare them with ham, cheese, salt , pepper etc..

my plans are to freeze them scramble in small bags .

You can also put an egg into yhe ice-cube container, freeze them and then baggie them. That way you can control your quantity. However, you do have to consider what to do if electricity goes. Personally, I have ordered a #10 can for baking, I will hardboil a couple of dozen for egg or tuna-salad, things like that and maybe two dozen fresh. When Electricity goes, I will hardboil them as well, maybe make us a nice, big, fat omelet with the works.

Made a run to Costco today with my sister-in-law, which was great. She is starting to take this a little more seriously. She is also in better shape than most, she always and forever buys in quantity and has the room to store it, so she won't need all that much to add. but I got a box of the mayo packages, some more batteries, a foodsaver which will get a serious workout in the next few weeks. For comfort though, I got my all-time favorites: 2 large jars of NUTELLA (chocolate & hazelnut spread) and dries Mango from the Phillipines. So good, they make your toes curl!!!!

Does anyone know if you can freeze the egg that comes in the carton?  I looked all over the little container and all I could find was "keep in refer".  I've never bought it before so can't think of the name...egg beaters or something.  Would be so easy to freeze (convenient).

OK, I understand there are plenty of brands of freeze dried/powdered whole
egges. My big question is who has tasted them as scrambled eggs and were
they good, or at least OK? I am not relying on any freezing method because
of electrical outages.

Many thanks...I just don't want to buy a big can and find they are unedible
for scrambled eggs.

Rocky

I  happen to be a fan of kipper snacks,  which  are like sardines but bigger and taste better. Out of curiosity I emailed the company  (crown prince) to ask about shelf life, and they replied -  40 years!  Seems a little farfetched to me, but if it is anything close to that, they should make a fine  food to  stash away. 

On another note, it sure is easy to worry these days. If you have not got your pants in a bundle about bird flu, try reading up on the end of oil. You'll find some similar forums at peakoil.com or a painful overview at lifeaftertheoilcrash.net. Not to mention terrorists, blackouts, hurricanes, etc.

There is definitely more than one reason to be prepared, in case you have doubters in your life.

Exciting times we live in....

Hi All, I'm pretty new here but am going to jump in with both feet.  I have been in to preparedness since 1997.  I was a moderator on Gary North's Y2K Food Storage forum for 2 years.  So, I have a bit of experience with this stuff.  Allow me to wax profound for a few moments.

First and foremost, store what you eat, eat what you store.  It makes NO sense to buy and store crap that you don't like, or have never tried to use.  It is a waste of money and time...and that's money that could be spent on things you CAN and WILL use.

Secondly, rotate, rotate, rotate.  Always.  Date everything and arrange it oldest to newest.  This way, if you are following the first rule, you will have fresh stuff all the time.

Thirdly.  Don't be afraid of expiration dates.  Manufacturers will tell you that they are there because they are required.  Food doesn't suddenly go bad on the date on the can.  The date is a guideline that tells you at which time the food may start losing its appearance or some nutrient quality.  As long as the can is not bulging, rusted, or the contents smell off, chances are the food is still edible.

Which leads me to four.  Don't hesitate to call a manufacturer to ask them how to decode their product date codes.  Most are more than willing to help you.

Five.  Never forget salt.  It lasts forever.  And in a true SHTF situation, all the salt you have may be all the salt there is...ever.  And you need it to live.  25# bags at Sam's Club for under $5.  Great insurance.

According to the manufacturer, Velveeta does NOT need refigeration, even after opening.  (Personally, I'd try to use it up in a day or 2 if I kept in on a shelf.)  Spam will store forever, unopened.  You were talking about canned butter, well Ghee is basically a clarified butter.  There are recipes for it all over the web if you are ambitious, but Ghee is available in many stores now.  Cub foods has 1 pound JARS of Ghee in the International Foods section.  AFAIK, it doenst have to be refrigerated even after opening (I believe the clarifying process skims off the milk fats...the part that goes rancid.)  Crisco will store indefinitely unopened, and is important for making doughs.  (And frying, too.)  Pasta stores a LONG time.  Years.  Just store everything in a cool, dark, dry place.

I don't want to hijack this thread, but a few comments gave me a bit of pause.  I want every one to be prepared...that keeps you off MY doorstep.  But, if you don't do it right, you might as well as save your money.

nawty

          QUESTION.........WHY CAN'T YOU STORE YOUR FLOUR, SUGAR,SALT, ETC. IN GALV. STEEL GARBAGE CANS [NEW ONES] AND DRINKING WATER AND PUT SOMETING ON THE SIDE TO RUN THE WATER OUT....I DON'T REALLY WANT TO USE PLASTIC ONES..............ANY BODY HAVE ANSWER TO THIS ONE..............SUNSET

Just a thought, Alot of people have mentioned using garbage bags to store food (or even dog/cat food) in. Alone or as liners. As far as I know, garbage bags are sprayed with pestisides (ie. poison) because the intended use is 4 garbage. Dunno 'bout you but I'm sticking to food grade containers for my preps. :>}

fritz wrote: Just a thought, Alot of people have mentioned using garbage bags to store food (or even dog/cat food) in. Alone or as liners. As far as I know, garbage bags are sprayed with pestisides (ie. poison) because the intended use is 4 garbage. Dunno 'bout you but I'm sticking to food grade containers for my preps. :>}

AFAIK, restaurant grade bags, clear plastic, have no pesticides, as they are used in close proximity to food.

nawty

I started going over by preps and I plan on ten  months of food and realized that a lot of cans food I figure 3 cans a day plus instant rice and ramian noodles, instant potatoes

Should powdered milk go through the same freeze process as rice prior to storage?

Another Mountain house group buy is happening at warrifles.com in the survival forum. Prices are posted, check them vs. anywhere and you will see why I do these group buys on Mountain House.

Warning this is a gun forum.With lots of knowledge on firearms and firearm vendors.

Didn't see this link yet - those of the Mormon faith probably have this down better than lots of us.  Here is a link to their site on prepping for one years supply of neccesities.

http://www.providentliving.org/content/list/0,11664,2003-1,0 0.html

May be some other good stuff there too, I haven't checked it out in detail, the link was sent by a friend.

 

 

http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/foods/348-960/348-960.html

Recommended Food Storage Chart

The following charts provide general recommended storage times from date of purchase for various food products stored under optimum conditions. Storage generally is not recommended under conditions where no time is listed in the chart. For maximum shelf-life, consumers should always purchase fresh food and never temperature abuse food.

Food	Pantry (Room Temperature)	Refrigerator (33°F to 40°F)	Freezer (0°F)
Bread and Cereal Products
Baked quick breads	4-5 days	1-2 weeks	2-3 months
Bread	5-7 days	1-2 weeks	3 months
Bread crumbs and croutons	6 months
Bread rolls, unbaked		2-3 weeks	1 month
Cereals, ready-to-eat	1 year 2-3 months*
Cereals, ready-to-cook	6 months
Corn meal	1 year	18 months	2 years
Doughnuts	4-5 days		3 months
Flour, cake, all-purpose	1 year		1-2 years
Flour, whole wheat		6-8 months	1-2 years
Pasta	2 years
Pies and pastries		3 days	4-6 months
Pies and pastries, baked			1-2 months
Pies and pastries, cream filled		2-3 days	3 months
Pizza		3-4 days	1-2 months
Rice, brown	6 months
Rice, white	1 year	6-7 days+	6 months+
Tacos, enchiladas, and burritos (frozen)		2 weeks	1 year
Waffles		4-5 days	1 month
Packaged Foods and Mixes
Biscuit, brownie, and muffin mixes	9 months
Cakes, prepared	2-4 days		2-3 months
Cake mixes	6-9 months
Casserole mix	9-12 months
Chili powder	6 months
Cookies, packaged	2 months		8-12 months
Crackers, pretzels	3 months
Frosting, canned	3 months
Frosting, mix	8 months
Fruit cake		2-3 months	1 year
Hot roll mix	18 months
Instant breakfast products	6 months
Pancake and piecrust mix	6 months
Pancake waffle batter		1-2 days	3 months
Toaster pastries	3 months
Sauce and gravy mixes	6 months
Soup mixes	1 year
Spices, Herbs, Condiments, Extracts
Catsup, chili, and cocktail sauce	1 year 1 month*	6 months
Herbs	6 months		1-2 years
Herb/spice blends	2 years 1 year *		1-2 years
Mustard	2 years	6-8 months*	8-12 months
Spices, ground	6 months		1-2 years
Spices, whole	1-2 years		2-3 years
Vanilla extract	2 years 1 year*
Other extracts	1 year
Other Food Staples
Bacon bits	4 months
Baking powder	18 months
Baking soda	2 years
Bouillon products	1 year
Carbonated soft drinks (12 oz. cans)	6-9 months
Carbonated soft drinks, diet (12 oz. cans)	3-4 months
Chocolate, premelted	1 year
Chocolate syrup	2 years	6 months*
Chocolate, semisweet	2 years
Chocolate, unsweetened	18 months
Cocoa mixes	8 months
Coconut, shredded	1 year 6 months*	8 months	1 year
Coffee cans	2 years 2 weeks*	2 months	6 months
Coffee, instant	6 months 2 weeks*
Coffee, vacuum-packed	1 year ^
Coffee lighteners (dry)	9 months 6 months*		1 year
Cornstarch	18 months		2 years
Gelatin	18 months
Honey, jams, jellies, and syrup	1 year	6-8 months*
Marshmallows	2-3 months
Marshmallow cream	3-4 months
Mayonnaise	2-3 months	12 months 2 months*
Molasses	2 years
Nuts, shelled	4 months	6 months
Nuts, unshelled	6 months
Nuts, salted			6-8 months
Nuts, unsalted			9-12 months
Oil, salad	3 months^ 2 months*
Parmesan grated cheese	10 months 2 months*
Pasteurized process cheese spread	3 months	3-4 weeks*	4 months
Peanut butter	6 months 2-3 months*
Popcorn	1-2 years	2 years	2-3 years
Pectin	1 year
Salad dressings, bottled	1 year^	3 months*
Soft drinks	3 months
Artificial sweetener	2 years
Sugar, brown	4 months
Sugar, confectioners	18 months
Sugar, granulated	2 years
Tea bags	18 months
Tea, instant	2 years
Vegetable oils	6 months 1-3 months*
Vegetable shortening	3 months	6-9 months
Vinegar	2 years 1 year*
Water, bottled	1-2 years
Whipped topping (dry)	1 year
Yeast, dry	Pkg. exp. date
Vegetables
Asparagus		2-3 days	8 months
Beets		2 weeks
Broccoli		3-5 days
Brussels sprouts		3-5 days
Cabbage		1 week
Carrots		2 weeks
Cauliflower		1 week
Celery		1 week
Corn (husks)		1-2 days	8 months
Cucumbers		1 week
Eggplant		1 week
Green beans		1-2 days	8 months
Green peas		3-5 days	8 months
Lettuce		1 week
Lima beans		3-5 days	8 months
Mushrooms		2 days
Onions	1 week	3-5 days
Onion rings (precooked, frozen)			1 year#
Peppers		1 week
Pickles, canned	1 year	1 month*
Frozen potatoes			8 month
Sweet potatoes	2-3 weeks
White potatoes	2-3 months
Potato chips	1 month
Radishes		2 weeks
Rhubarb		3-5 days
Rutabagas	1 week
Snap beans		1 week
Spinach		5-7 days	8 months
Squash, Summer		3-5 days
Squash, Winter	1 week
Tomatoes		1 week
Turnips		2 weeks
Commercial baby food, jars	1-2 years^	2-3 days
Canned vegetables	1 year^	1-4 days*
Canned vegetables, pickled	1 year^	1-2 months*
Dried vegetables	6 months
Frozen vegetables			8 months
Vegetable soup		3-4 days	3 months
Fruits
Apples	Until ripe	1 month
Apricots	Until ripe	5 days
Avocados	Until ripe	5 days
Bananas	Until ripe	5 days (fully ripe)
Berries	Until ripe	3 days	1 year
Canned fruit	1 year	2-4 days*
Canned fruit juices	1 year	3-4 days*
Cherries	Until ripe	3 days
Citrus fruit	Until ripe	2 weeks
Dried fruit	6 months	2-4 days+
Frozen fruit			1 year
Fruit juice concentrate		6 days	1 year
Fruit pies, baked		2-3 days	8 months
Grapes	Until ripe	5 days
Melons	Until ripe	5 days
Nectarines	Until ripe	5 days
Peaches	Until ripe	5 days	1 year
Pears	Until ripe	5 days	1 year
Pineapple	Until ripe	5-7 days	1 year
Plums	Until ripe	5 days
Dairy Products
Butter		1-2 months	9 months
Buttermilk		2 weeks
Cottage cheese		1 week	3 months
Cream cheese		2 weeks
Cream-light, heavy, half- and-half		3-4 days	1-4 months
Eggnog commercial		3-5 days	6 months
Margarine		4-5 months	12 months
Condensed, evaporated and dry milk	12-23 months^	8-20 days*
Milk		8-20 days
Ice cream and sherbet			2 months
Hard natural cheese (e.g. cheddar, swiss)		3-6 months 4 weeks*	6 months
Hard natural cheese, sliced		2 weeks
Processed cheese		1 month	6 months
Soft cheese (e.g. brie)		1 week	6 months
Pudding		1-2 days*
Snack dips		1 week*
Sour cream		2 weeks
Non-dairy whipped cream, canned		3 months
Real whipped cream, canned		3-4 weeks
Yogurt		2 weeks	1-2 months
Meats, Poultry, Eggs and Fish
Meats
Fresh beef and bison steaks		3-5 days	6-9 months
Fresh beef and bison roasts		3-5 days	9-12 months
Fresh pork chops		2-3 days	4-6 months
Fresh lamb chops		3-5 days	6-8 months
Fresh veal		1-2 days	4-6 months
Fresh ground meat (e.g. beef, bison, veal, lamb)		1 day	3-4 months
Cooked meat		2-3 days	2-3 months
Canned meat	1 year	3-4 days*	3-4 months
Ham, whole		1 week	1-2 months
Ham, canned	1 year	1 week*	3-4 months
Ham, canned "keep refrigerated"		6-9 months 1 week*	3-4 months
Shelf-stable unopened canned meat (e.g. chili, deviled ham, corn beef)	1 year	1week*
Ham, cook before eating		1 week
Ham, fully cooked		2 weeks 1 week*
Ham, dry-cured	1 year	1 month
Ham salad, store prepared or homemade		3-5 days
Bacon		2 weeks 1 week*	1 month
Corned beef, uncooked		5-7 days	1-2 months
Restructured (flaked) meat products			9-12 months
Sausage, fresh		1-2 days	1-2 months
Smoked breakfast sausage links, patties		1 week	2 months
Sausage, smoked (e.g. Mettwurst)		1 week	1-2 months
Sausage, semi-dry (e.g. Summer sausage)		2-3 weeks*	6 months
Sausage, dry smoked (e.g. Pepperoni, jerky, dry Salami)	1 year	1 month*	6 months
Frankfurters, bologna		2 weeks 3-5 days*	1-2 months
Luncheon meat		2 weeks 3-5 days*	1 month
Meat gravies		1-2 days	2-3 months
TV beef and pork dinners			18 months#
Meat based casseroles		3-4 days	4 months
Variety meats (giblets, tongue, liver, heart, etc.)		1-2 days	3-4 months
Vinegar pickled meats (e.g. pickled pigs feet)	1 year^	2 weeks*
Fish
Breaded fish			4-6 months
Canned fish	1 year	1-2 days*
Cooked fish or seafood		3-4 days	3 months
Lean fish (e.g. cod, flounder, haddock)		1-2 days	6 months
Fatty fish (e.g. bluefish, salmon, mackeral)		1-2 days	2-3 months
Dry pickled fish		3-4 weeks
Smoked fish		2 weeks	4-5 weeks
Seafood-clams, crab, lobster in shell		2 days	3 months
Seafood-oysters and scallops		1-2 days	3-4 months
Seafood-shrimp		1-2 days	1 year
Seafood-shucked clams		1-2 days	3-6 months
Tuna salad, store prepared or homemade		3-5 days
Poultry and Eggs
Chicken nuggets or patties		1-2 days
Chicken livers		1-2 days	3 months
Chicken and poultry TV dinners			6 months
Canned poultry^	1 year	1 day*
Cooked poultry		2-3 days	4-6 months
Fresh poultry		1 day	1 year
Frozen poultry parts			6-9 months
Canned poultry		1 day	3 months
Poultry pies, stews, and gravies		1-2 days	6 months
Poultry salads, store prepared or homemade		3-5 days
Poultry stuffing, cooked		3-4 days	1 month
Eggs, in shell		3-5 weeks
Eggs, hard-boiled		1 week
Eggs, pasteurized		10 days 3 days*	1 year
Egg substitute		10 days 3 days*	1 year
Egg yolks (covered in water)		2-4 days	1 year
Egg whites (For each cup of egg yolk add 1 Tbs. of sugar or salt)		2-4 days	1 year
Wild Game
Frog legs		1 day	6-9 months
Game birds		2 days	9 months
Small game (rabbit, squirrel, etc.)		2 days	9-12 months
Venison ground meat		1-2 days	2-3 months
Venison steaks and roasts		3-5 days	9-12 months

* Opened

+ Cooked

^ Refrigerate after opening

# After manufacture date

References

American Meat Institute Foundation. 1994. Yellow pages: answers to predictable questions consumers ask about meat and poultry. American Meat Institute Foundation, Washington, D.C.

Food Marketing Institute. 1999. The food keeper. Food Marketing Institute, Washington, D.C.

Freeland-Graves, J.H. and G.C. Peckham. 1996. Foundations of food preparation, 6th ed. Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

Hillers, V.N. 1993. Storing foods at home. Washington State University Cooperative Extension, Pullman, WA. Publ. EB 1205.

National Restaurant Association. 2001. Be cool-chill out! Refrigerate promptly. National Restaurant Association Education Foundation¼s International Food Safety Council, Washington, D.C.

USDA. 1997. Basics for handling food safely. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Washington, D.C.

Stormriderfla wrote: Should powdered milk go through the same freeze process as rice prior to storage?

Where did you post the freeze process for rice?  I can't find it.  Also, is there a freeze process for other foods?  Thanks so much. 

Hi All!

Debtrag is right, canned goods do not magically go bad on their expiration date.  Consistency may vary and taste can deteriorate.  If the can is BULGING throw it out.

My hub is a scientist and meds are a little different.  Some lose potency, some INCREASE in potency.  While they also do not magically go bad on their expiration date, they are only tested to the expiration date so anything after that is a gamble.  While I am quite possibly the world's cheapest person, and I hate to throw things out, I will give myself a couple of month's worth of fudge factor, but after that even I won't take that gamble. 

  itg1969, do you have to thraw the frozen vegtables before dehydration, seems like the dehydrator would have to work longer if frozen stuff used. just a thought, i like to try this roxy