Storing Food Right

By Hklbrries

Christopher Kimball is the founder of America's Test Kitchen, home to 'Cook's Illustrated' and 'Cook's Country' magazines and the company's growing book publishing program. He is also the host of the hit public TV shows 'America's Test Kitchen' and 'Cook's Country.' He lives in Boston and Vermont with his wife and four children.

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Buying food in large quantities can save you money, but not if the food goes bad. So what's the best way to store common kitchen staples and how long will they really last? 'Cook's Illustrated' offers these tips:

Butter:

When stored in the refrigerator, butter (even when wrapped) can pick up odors and turn rancid within a few weeks. Keep butter in the freezer and transfer it, one stick at a time, to the fridge.

Chocolate:

Never put chocolate in the fridge or freezer. Wrap opened bars of chocolate tightly in plastic and store in a cool pantry. Milk and white chocolates will keep for up to six months; semisweet, bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate are fine for one year.

Coffee:

Ground coffee belongs in the freezer. If you have an extra 10 minutes, measure frozen ground coffee into the filter and let it warm to room temperature. It will make better-tasting coffee tan super-cold grounds.

Eggs:

Do not store eggs in the egg tray in your refrigerator. The paper carton protects eggs from picking up odors. Keep the eggs on a shelf in the fridge, not on the door. Keeping eggs in their carton also lets you track their expiration or sell-by date.

Flour:

Humidity is the biggest enemy for flour. Transfer flour to an airtight container. Make sure to use a container that's wide enough to dip a dry measure into.

The natural oils in whole-wheat flour and cornmeal go rancid after just a few months. If you go through whole-grain flours slowly, slip packages into large zipper-lock bags and store them in the freezer.

Nuts:

Keep all nuts in the freezer; they'll stay fresh for at least 1 year.

Oils:

Avoid light and heat. Even when stored in a cool pantry, flavorful oils (like olive and toasted sesame) will become rancid after several months. Keep toasted sesame oil in the fridge. Keep olive oil in the pantry; don't buy more than you can use in a few months.

Don't keep neutral-tasting oils, such as canola and vegetable, for longer than 6 months. If in doubt, heat a little oil in a skillet. If the oil has an off smell, throw out the bottle. also, over-the-hill oils become viscous with time and sticky under the cap.

Spices and dried herbs:

Whole spices will last about twice as long as ground spices. The flavor of ground spices will go downhill after a year, as will the flavor of dried herbs. Write the purchase date on stick-on dots to track the age of spices and herbs. To maximize the flavor from any dried herb, push the herb through a mesh siever (or crush the herb between your fingers) to release flavorful oils.

Sweeteners:

Granulated sugar will keep indefinitely if stored in an airtight container. Brown sugar can become rock-hard after a few months. An air-tight container slows down moisture loss, but once brown sugar gets hard, use this trick to revive it: Place the hardened sugar in a bowl, add a slice of sandwich bread, cover the bowl and microwave for 10 to 20 seconds.

Honey and molasses will last indefinitely. Keep honey out of the fridge, where it will crystallize. The biggest issue over time with these sweeteners is that the lids become stuck in place. Dip a paper towel in vegetable oil and wipe the threads of the jar with the oil. This keeps the lid from sticking.

Once opened, keep maple syrup in the fridge for up to 1 year. Unopened bottles are fine in the pantry for a few years.

Ingredients

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Details

Adapted from cooksillustrated.com

Preparation

Step 1

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