Pantry Staples

Pantry staples are the dry, long-keeping foods a kitchen cooks from, such as pasta, rice and other grains, dried beans, flour, baking goods and breakfast cereals, all safe to store at room temperature.

How to choose Pantry Staples

  • Whole grain or refined. Whole grains keep less time than refined ones: brown rice about 1 year against 1 to 2 years for white. Kansas State advises keeping whole wheat flour in the refrigerator or freezer.
  • Container. Coarse grains, cereals, dried fruit and nuts are what pantry moths go for. Decant opened bags into hard plastic or metal containers with tight lids.
  • Dates. Apart from infant formula, federal rules do not require dates on food, though some state egg laws do. A sell-by date tells the store how long to display a package, and a use-by date marks the last day of peak quality.

About Pantry Staples

The pantry is the cupboard of foods that can be stored safely at room temperature, a group the USDA describes as stable on the shelf. Most get there by drying, as with pasta, grains and beans, or by heating and sealing, as with canned goods.

Where you keep them matters. Store them below 85°F, and avoid the spots above or beside the stove, under the sink and in damp basements or garages.

Use the oldest packages first and check for dented or torn ones. Dried pasta and white rice keep 1 to 2 years, while whole grains keep less time, so buy those in smaller amounts.

At a glance

Main types
Pasta, grains, beans, flour, baking goods, cereals
Unopened
Cool, dry cupboard below 85°F
Once opened
Hard plastic or metal containers with tight lids
Label terms
Best-by, use-by, sell-by

Pantry Staples questions

Does food go bad after the best-by date?

Usually not right away. The USDA treats a best-by date as a mark of peak flavor and quality, not of safety. A dry or canned food that has been stored properly should still be safe after the date, until it shows spoilage such as an off smell, flavor or texture.

How do I get rid of pantry moths?

Find the source first: fine webbing inside a bag is the surest sign, and items that have sat longest are the usual culprits. Throw out or use up infested food, or kill the insects by freezing items for at least two or three days or heating them at 120 to 140°F for 20 minutes. Store the rest in sealed hard plastic or metal containers.

Why does pasta take longer to cook at high altitude?

Water boils at 212°F at sea level, and the boiling point drops just under 1°F for every 500 feet you climb. At a mile up, water boils near 202°F, so anything cooked in boiling water, from pasta to beans and rice, cooks more slowly. Most cookbooks count anywhere above 3,000 feet as high altitude.

Sources: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service; Colorado State University Extension; Kansas State University Research and Extension.

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