Best Tips for Storing Food Long-Term Without Spoiling?

[MeadowWhisperer]

Looking to build my pantry up for at least a year, but worried about things going rancid or attracting pests. What’s been most reliable for you—mylar, vacuum sealing, or just oxygen absorbers with buckets? Any foods you’ve found surprisingly durable (or not worth the hassle)?

 

[OrbitJazz21]

Oats and dry beans in mylar with O2 absorbers last ages for me, but flour seems to go off quicker than I’d like. Anyone ever try storing nuts long-term?

 

[ChrysanthiDream]

Nuts are pretty tricky for long-term storage because of their high oil content—they go rancid much faster than grains or beans. I’ve had the best luck freezing them if I’ve got the space, but otherwise vacuum sealing in small batches helps a bit, though still not for years on end. Walnuts especially seem to turn quicker. Has anyone tried using oxygen absorbers with nuts and actually gotten decent results?

 

[AquaFern1028]

Looking to build my pantry up for at least a year, but worried about things going rancid or attracting pests. What’s been most reliable for you—mylar, vacuum sealing, or just oxygen absorbers with buckets? Any foods you’ve found surprisingly durable (or not worth the hassle)?

I’ve had the most consistent results with mylar bags and oxygen absorbers, especially when I pair them with food-safe buckets for things like rice, beans, and wheat berries. Vacuum sealing works nicely for keeping pests out short-term, but mylar just holds up better over the long haul, especially against humidity. Pasta and oats seem to last forever this way, but I agree with OrbitJazz21—flour can still pick up a stale taste or odd smell after a while, even in good packaging. I usually store whole grains instead and grind as needed (a little more work, but worth it for freshness).

As for surprisingly durable options, white rice keeps incredibly well—I've opened some after six years and it cooked up just fine. Granulated sugar and salt never really go bad as long as they're kept dry, so I just use sturdy containers for those. Powdered milk is a bit persnickety, though, and I don't bother with it for more than a year or so. MeadowWhisperer, have you tried vacuum sealing with desiccant packs? That’s helped cut down on moisture

 

[GarnetDusk]

Any foods you’ve found surprisingly durable (or not worth the hassle)?

Surprisingly, lentils have held up better than I expected—years in mylar and still taste right, but powdered eggs just aren’t worth the trouble for me, always end up with an odd smell no matter how I pack them.

 

[TeaTimeTalisman]

Any foods you’ve found surprisingly durable (or not worth the hassle)? Surprisingly, lentils have held up better than I expected—years in mylar and still taste right, but powdered eggs just aren’t worth the trouble for me, always end up with an odd smell no matter how I pack them.

Lentils really are a powerhouse for storage—mine from 2017 are still sprouting and cooking up fine, so I second you there. Powdered eggs though, I’ve never been able to get past that sulfur smell either, no matter the brand or method. Same story with powdered milk for me—seems to pick up off-flavors much faster than whole grains or beans. I end up relying on home-canned eggs (water-glassed or pickled) instead when possible. Has anyone actually found a powdered egg that tastes normal after a year or two?

 

[BlueSkyWanderer]

Oats and dry beans in mylar with O2 absorbers last ages for me, but flour seems to go off quicker than I’d like. Anyone ever try storing nuts long-term?

Nuts are a tough one, honestly. Even with mylar and O2 absorbers, I've only managed to keep almonds and pecans tasting fresh for maybe 9 months before they started getting that stale, off flavor—probably the oil breaking down, like ChrysanthiDream mentioned. For flour, I switched to storing whole wheat berries and grinding them as needed, and