Stocked Pantry Cuts Food Costs

Pantry Storage Guidelines

Storage Time: 6 Months or Less

Baking powder (opened) - 6 months
Baking soda (opened) - 6 months
Breakfast cereals, ready-to-eat (opened) - 2-3 months
Crackers - 6 months
Flour, cake - 6 months
Juice, canned citrus - 6 months
Marshmallows - 3 months
Mayonnaise (unopened in original packaging) - 4 months
Milk, nonfat dry - 6 months
Molasses (opened) - 6 months
Pancake mix - 6 months
Rice, mixes - 6 months
Shortening (opened) - 6 months
Soft drinks (unopened in original packaging) - 3 months
Stuffing mix or croutons - 6 months
Sugar, brown - 4 months

Storage Time: 6 to 12 Months

Breakfast cereals, ready-to-eat (unopened) - 6-12 months
Breakfast cereals, hot (oatmeal, farina) - 12 months
Brownie mix - 12 months
Cake mix - 12 months
Canned fruit - 12 months
Canned vegetables - 12 months
Catsup, chili sauce, barbecue sauce - 12 months
Chocolate chips, semisweet- 12 months
Coconut, grated (unopened in original packaging) - 12 months
Coffee, instant (unopened in original packaging) - 12 months
Cornmeal, regular or self-rising - 12 months
Flour, whole wheat (opened in refrigerator) - 6-8 months
Grits, instant - 8 months
Grits, regular - 10 months
Herbs and spices, dried - 6-12 months
Honey - 12 months
Jelly, jam and preserves (unopened in original packaging) - 12 months
Juice, canned noncitrus - 12 months
Milk, condensed - 12 months
Milk, sweetened condensed - 12 months
Molasses, unopened - 12 months
Nuts, unshelled - 8 months
Oils (canola oil, corn oil, vegetable oil) (opened) - 6-8 months
Oil, olive - 9 months
Olives - 12 months
Peanut butter - 6-9 months
Pickles (unopened) - 12 months
Rice, brown - 12 months
Salad dressing (unopened in original packaging) - 10 months
Sauces, condiments and relishes (unopened) - 12 months
Shortening (unopened) - 8 months
Syrup - 12 months

Storage Time: 12 to 24 Months

Baking powder (unopened) - 18 months
Baking soda (unopened) - 2 years
Beans and peas, dried - 18 months
Biscuit mix - 12-18 months
Chocolate, unsweetened - 18 months
Coffee, ground - 2 years
Cornstarch - 18 months
Flour, white - 10-15 months
Gelatin - 12-18 months
Infant formula - 12-18 months
Meat and poultry, canned - 12-18 months
Oils (canola oil, corn oil, vegetable oil) - 18 months
Pasta, dried - 2 years
Popcorn, unpopped kernels - 1-2 years
Potatoes, instant - 18 months
Pudding mixes - 12-18 months
Rice, white - 2 years
Sugar, granulated - 2 years
Sugar, powdered - 18 months
Tea, bags - 18 months
Tea, instant - 3 years
Tea, loose - 2 years
Tomato sauce or paste - 12-18 months

Storage Time: Indefinitely

Cocoa
Salt
Vinegar (balsamic, cider, rice, red wine, white, white wine)