We often tend to be casual about grocery shopping, and rest boxes of foods in the shopping cart without looking at them twice. How often do we seriously consider reading each label of packaged foods to see how long until they expire? Well, no need of feeling guilty; here are some foods that won’t need that kind of attention from you:1
1. Honey
Honey is one of those foods which can never ever go bad. It may change color and become crystallized, but it’s still safe to put a clean spoon in the jar and scoop some out to eat. Just place the open jar in warm water until the crystals dissolve. Also, keep your honey jar far away from the sunlight. Store it in a cool and dry place to be able to eat it anytime of the year.
2. Rice
Even if there is a whirl of dust and dirt on the box or bag of rice, but the rice inside is good as new for consumption. When it comes to white or polished rice, you can store them for as long as you want, but brown rice can go rancid. The reason is their higher oil content, which makes them last only for a few weeks. You can always buy brown rice in smaller quantities and skip the chance.
3. White Vinegar
Got a jar of white vinegar at home, and don’t know what to do with it yet? Well, you may as well forget about it until a moment arrives when you can actually use it in your foods. If white vinegar was a person, it’d be an immortal one. It never goes bad, can be used in cooking, and can be added to your household cleaning kit. You can buy a gallon of white vinegar and never regret in your life.
4. Real Vanilla Extract
Since it’s made from alcohol, red vanilla extract stays fresh and flavorful as long as you keep them in stock. The best and purest form of red vanilla extract can never go bad, which is a great trick to check the quality of it. You might want to buy the expensive vanilla which comes with no expiration date. They are very rich in flavor too.
5. Salt
Have you ever come across an incident where salt went bad? Like honey, salt is another food ingredient which can never go bad, unless you pour some water or oil on it. Remember to keep it away from excess heat, store it in an air-locked jar to keep it fresh for years to come.
6. Cornstarch
You can even use the decades old box of cornstarch your grandma used once and forgot about it. As long as it’s stored in an air-tight jar, you will never have to throw cornstarch away. If you keep it in a open box, it might form lumps over the time. But that’s a normal thing.
7. Sugar
Sugar never gets spoiled as it doesn’t support bacterial growth. Just make sure you keep it in an airtight container and keep bugs and moisture out. Also, make sure that you never forget to close the lid tightly to not attract a line of ants in your house.
8. Hard Liquor
No need to rush to finish that expensive whisky of yours. Keep your hard liquor in dark cool place to preserve them from longer than necessary. As long as you don’t forget to close the bottles well after pouring your drink, and mix anything inside it, they are good for decades to come.
9. Dried Beans
Dried beans take longer to soften when cooked, but they stay fresh and in a good-to-eat condition for a long time. They don’t have any moisture in them to let bacteria and fungus grow on them. Also, they never lose their nutritional value. Keep them in a dry place.
10. Instant Coffee
Bought some expensive instant coffee? All you need to do is put it in the freezer. Keep them in the freezer forever, whether sealed or not to keep them for long. Don’t worry about the lumps, it’s just fine.
11. Maple Syrup
Just like coffee, you can store your maple syrup in the freezer to preserve it’s taste and quality until the bottle gets over, no matter how many months it takes for you to finish one. You will never eat pancakes without this good stuff again.
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