OK, short post on food storage temperatures.
Most
all the foods we store are affected by the temperature they are stored
at. The only exception is sugar, and to some extent salt.. You can store most types of sugar in
the garage or attic and forget about them and it doesn't need to be
rotated. Everything else requires more attention to the temperature.
The
food storage staples most sensitive to higher temperatures are oil, dry
milk, and beans. These items need to be kept as cool as possible. When
you are storing a lot of food in your house, there are naturally likely
to be some places cooler than others, like basements and crawl spaces,
unheated rooms, or rooms that don't get much sun exposure. If your
coolest space for food storage is limited, make sure to put these
sensitive foods in there first.
Most
of the commercially packaged common long-term storage foods, like
wheat, rice, beans, and pasta have a stated shelf-life of 25-30 years
when stored in a cool, dry place. This is true whether they are packed
in #10 cans or food-grade buckets and Mylar. A "cool" place means
about 70-75°F.
The
following chart shows the relationship between temperature and shelf
life for common long term food storage staples, based on a ten-year
shelf life at 70 degrees.
Shelf Life of Common Long Term Storage
Foods Relative to Temperature
|
|
Temperature in °F
|
Years
|
40
|
40
|
50
|
30
|
60
|
20
|
70
|
10
|
80
|
5
|
90
|
2.5
|
100
|
1.25
|
While
there are several websites that reference a chart with the above
numbers, the original source could not be located. However, the ratio
is a commonly accepted one in the food storage world. Basically, for
every 10 degrees over 70°F, the shelf life is halved;
for every 10 degrees below 70°F, the storage life doubles.
It's
not unusual to read of people storing their food in the garage without
issue. What's important to remember, however, is that some garages are a
lot cooler than others. And some people, especially older folks who
don't have as many taste buds as younger people, may not detect off
flavors as well. So if you hear a 75-year-old man say he and his wife
drank powdered milk that had been stored in their garage for 30 years,
you might want to keep these things in mind. Take care when storing
your food. You and your family are the ones who will be eating it.
References:
http://tribwatch.com/artStorageLife.htm
10.9.20
No comments:
Post a Comment