Food Storage Chart: How Long Staples Actually Keep
Most food storage advice is either vague or wildly optimistic. This is a working chart - how long things genuinely keep, and how to tell when they have gone past it.
Pantry (cool, dark, dry)
| Item | Keeps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| White rice | 2 years+ | Safe much longer; flavour fades |
| Brown rice | 6 months | The oils go rancid - smell it before cooking |
| White flour | 6-12 months | Longer in the freezer |
| Wholemeal flour | 3 months | Rancid quickly; buy smaller amounts |
| Dried beans and lentils | 2-3 years | Older beans take much longer to soften |
| Pasta (dried) | 2 years | No real safety issue, texture declines |
| Oats | 12 months | Watch for a stale, soapy smell |
| Sugar, salt | Indefinitely | Harden rather than spoil |
| Honey | Indefinitely | Crystallises - warm it gently to restore |
| Olive and vegetable oil | 12-18 months | Rancid oil smells like crayons |
| Whole spices | 3-4 years | Ground spices only 6-12 months |
| Dried herbs | 12 months | Safe after, but increasingly tasteless |
| Potatoes, onions | 1-3 months | Dark, cool, ventilated; keep them apart - each makes the other sprout |
Fridge
| Item | Keeps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Eggs | 3-5 weeks | Float test: fresh sinks, bad floats |
| Milk | 5-7 days opened | Freezes well, but expands - leave headroom |
| Hard cheese | 3-4 weeks | Cut mould off with 2cm margin |
| Soft cheese | 1-2 weeks | Discard if moulded - it spreads through |
| Butter | 1-3 months | Freezes for 6+ months |
| Cooked leftovers | 3-4 days | Cool fast, refrigerate within 2 hours |
| Leafy greens | 3-5 days | Damp paper towel in a bag extends it |
| Root vegetables | 2-4 weeks | Remove tops - they draw moisture |
Freezer (at -18C / 0F)
| Item | Keeps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beef, lamb | 6-12 months | Freezer burn is quality, not safety |
| Pork, poultry | 6-9 months | Wrap tightly; air is the enemy |
| Fish | 3-6 months | Oily fish shorter - 3 months |
| Blanched vegetables | 8-12 months | Blanching first preserves colour and vitamins |
| Fruit | 8-12 months | Freeze on a tray first so it does not clump |
| Bread | 3 months | Slice before freezing |
| Cooked meals | 2-3 months | Label with the date - you will not remember |
Canned and jarred
- Low-acid (beans, meat, soup): 2-5 years
- High-acid (tomatoes, fruit, pickles): 12-18 months for best quality
- Home-canned: use within a year, and follow tested processing times - this is the one area where guesswork is genuinely dangerous
Discard any can that is
- Bulging or dented on a seam
- Leaking, or sticky on the outside
- Smells wrong when opened, or fizzes
The five rules that matter more than the chart
- Cool, dark, dry. Heat and light shorten almost everything
- Airtight. Oxygen and moisture do most of the damage
- Label the date. You will not remember, and neither will the jar
- Rotate. New stock at the back, old at the front
- Buy what you eat. A full pantry of food you do not cook is just a slow loss
Signs it has actually gone off
- Rancid: a crayon, paint or soapy smell - oils and whole grains
- Mould: discard soft foods entirely; hard foods can be cut with a wide margin
- Off smells or fizzing: discard, do not taste to check
- Freezer burn: greyish dry patches - safe but unpleasant; cut them off
Common questions
How long does white rice keep?
2 years before quality drops. Brown rice is very different - the oils go rancid in about 6 months.
How long can you store flour?
White flour 6-12 months in the pantry. Wholemeal about 3 months, or freeze it.
How long do canned goods last?
2-5 years for low-acid foods, 12-18 months for high-acid. Discard bulging, leaking or seam-dented cans.
How long do eggs keep?
3-5 weeks refrigerated. The float test is the practical check: fresh eggs sink.
If you want the full picture on storing what you grow and preserving it: The Self-Sufficient Backyard.
Disclosure: the link above is an affiliate link. We may earn a commission if you buy through it, at no extra cost to you. Storage times are general guidance - use your judgement and discard anything doubtful.