Kitchen supplies, Long term food storage, Food storage times
Stocking kitchen supplies must be done in an organized and orderly fashion in order to get the best quality for the least money. Take time to visit all the local stores. Thinking of what you want in your kitchen pantry, assess the range of quality of goods and services that each store offers and compare their prices. Even if you decide to buy most of your food for your pantry storage from a supermarket, try to find and acquaint yourself with a local butcher, fisherman and a fresh produce source.
In purchasing your kitchen supplies, a storeowner or manager can give you good advice on what is currently a best value. Because they are actually stocking a “large kitchen pantry” they will have a lot of good knowledge. If you are a regular customer, they are more likely to offer you good advice on the long term food storage of products. Be sure to tell the one in charge when you get good products that you have enjoyed. This way when you receive something bad, they will more readily accept the complaint.
Remember when buying your kitchen supplies that more money is spent on food than any other part of the housekeeping budget. Aim at getting the best possible value keeping within your budget without cutting down on food value.
Among your kitchen supplies, meat is usually the biggest item on the bill. As a first class protein, it plays an important role in your diet. It is better to buy more of a cheaper cut than less of a prime cut. Fish is a wonderful source of food value and adds a variety to the diet. However, unless you can find a supplier like a fisherman, it can be much more expensive. This is something you might want to consider if you are living on a budget.
Knowing how to store your kitchen supplies to prevent unnecessary waste can help keep the bills down. You need to know which items can profitably be bought in bulk and which ones cannot. You also need to know which foods keep and for how long.
It is recommended to store flour, corn flour, oatmeal, rice, tapioca, lentils, beans and pasta for no longer than 8-10 months. I have stored these pantry supplies for a year and longer with no problems. This is how I do it. As soon as I purchase these items, I place them in a plastic bag and put them in the freezer for at least 2 weeks. I then remove them from the freezer and store them in food storage containers in the pantry. With this process, anything that might be alive (as it is quite often) will no longer be and will save from any waste.
Rotating food is very essential in keeping your pantry supplies in top quality condition, thus preventing financial losses. I try to use up all items in the pantry within 1 year. This includes all canned fruits, vegetables, meats, jams, jellies, etc. Items in the freezer should be rotated within 6 months; Fish I like to use within 1 to 2 months.
The following is a list of uncooked perishable pantry supplies kept in the refrigerator and the storage times on them.
For more valuable information about storing kitchen supplies look below.
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