Preserving Freshness of Essential Kitchen Ingredients

Moving your olive oil, vinegar and spices off the kitchen counter is only the first step.

• OLIVE OIL-  unopened- 1 year; opened-3 months.  Move olive oil from counter top to a dark pantry or cupboard.  Strong sunlight will oxidize the chlorophyll in the oil, producing stale flavor.
• CANOLA, CORN PEANUT, VEGETABLE OIL - store in pantry; replace 6 months after opening
• SESAME, WALNUT OIL - store in refrigerator; replace 6 month after opening
• VINEGAR -  store in pantry;  long lasting
• SPICES & DRIED HERBS - whole: 2 years; Ground or dried: 1 year.  Don't store spices & herbs on the counter close to the stove.  Heat, light and moisture shorten their shelf life.  If the aroma and color of a spice have faded, time to re-stock.
• SOY SAUCE - store in pantry; shelf life: 1 year
• MAPLE SYRUP - 2 years unopened; 1 year opened.  Store unopened maple syrup in the pantry but move the opened syrup to the refrigerator because of its high moisture level and lack of preservatives, maple syrup is susceptible to the growth of yeast, mold & bacteria.
• GRANULATED SUGAR, HONEY & MOLASSES - Long-lasting. Store in pantry
• BROWN SUGAR - store in tightly sealed container.  When brown sugar comes in contact with air, moisture evaporates and sugar turns hard rock.  Quick fix: place hardened brown sugar in a bowl with a slice of bread, cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 10-20 seconds..
• BAKING POWDER & BAKING SODA -  6 months in pantry,   replace after 6 months
• INSTANT OR ACTIVE DRY YEAST - 4 months in freezer.  Don't keep yeast in the pantry - put in freezer to slow down deterioration.  And because yeast is a living organism, the expiration date on the package should be observed.
• ALL PURPOSE FLOUR - store in pantry for 1 year;  transfer from paper bag container into airtight container to protect from humidity.
• WHEAT FLOUR & CORNMEAL - store in freezer for 1 year,  enclosed in zip-lock bags.  They contain natural oils that will go rancid in as little as 3 months.
• CHOCOLATE(dark & unsweetened) - 2 years in pantry.  Do wrap open bars of chocolate tightly in plastic and store in a cool pantry.  If chocolate is exposed to rapid changes in humidity or temperature, sugar or fat may soften and migrate, discoloring the surface.  This cosmetic condition called bloom, doesn't affect the flavor.
• CHOCOLATE(Milk & White) - store for 6 months, tightly wrapped in plastic
•  VANILLA - Long lasting;  keep in tightly sealed container away from light & heat. Vanilla's high alcohol content makes it extremely shelf stable.
• ITEMS THAT STAY FRESHER IN FREEZER:  bay leaves, nuts and seeds, flours with heavy germ content such as whole wheat & corn meal, yeast.
• BUTTER - can pick up off-flavors and turn rancid if kept in refrigerator longer than 1 month.  You may store butter in the freezer up to 4 months in zip-lock bags and thaw sticks as needed.
• EGGS - Keep them in the carton which holds in moisture and protects against odor absorption.  Legally, eggs may already be up to 2 months old by the end of the "sell by" date, so it is best to check for freshness yourself.  If an egg has an unpleasant odor, discard it. Store eggs in refrigerator for 3 to 4 weeks.