Shelf life of pasta.

[Titchtonka]

I have just started prepping on a budget, looking in my cupboards at regular things we eat and checking how long the shelf life is.

We eat a massive of pasta in out house and it's an ideal thing for prepping, easy to store, easy to cook, long shelf life and very cheap.

On the bag of pasta we are currently eating the BBD says mid-2015, I will be looking around the differant supermarkets over the next few days to see which is the cheapest pasta per 100 grms and what the BBD's are like.

Is there a way to increase the shelf life of pasta? I presume it will still be good to eat long after the BBD, But for how long? 2 years? 5 years? more?

[Moony]

Provided it is keep cool and dry then your pasta should be ok to eat a couple of years after its printed BBD - however for real life extension - Oxygen causes your pasta to go off, so you need to exclude it. Seal it in a mylar bag (check eBay or various online shops) to prevent oxygen getting in (other types of bag and plastic container might seem airtight, but they are not really). Also add an oxygen absorber which is a small bag of chemical reactant (rust actually - it attracts and binds the oxygen in the air). Done properly this will extend the shelf life to something like 10 years, there's posts elsewhere on the forum about shelf life of food given this treatment.

Temperature and moisture also affect shelf life, so make sure it is as dry as possible and keep it somewhere cool, it doesn't have to be a fridge or freezer, but typically a loft is a poor place to store stuff as it can get very warm, cellars are normally the best bet.

The large plastic buckets (20litre+) you may see people store bulk food in are really for practical purposes to keep stuff neat and prevent insects / vermin getting at your food, they dont actually stop oxygen getting in and on their own wont do much to extend shelf life beyond simply leaving it in the bag it comes in and putting it on a kitchen shelf.

[Maddie_cat]

Or make your own: 300g flour plus 3 eggs. Mix n roll! Would imagine you could use powdered egg as well.

[Titchtonka]

Or make your own: 300g flour plus 3 eggs. Mix n roll! Would imagine you could use powdered egg as well.

Only one way to find out what pasta with powdered egg comes out like, Will have to try it at the weekend.

But I did see on the TV (An episode of doomsday preppers) that you can easily store fresh eggs for 6-9 months, maybe longer by sealing them with some oil and keep them in a dry cool place,

I am really funny about eating poulty, eggs and pork when they are still very fresh, But am loving the idea of keeping eggs for so long, So might give it a go shortly, Other option is to get a few chickens - Then your eggs will always be fresh

[Maddie_cat]

Only one way to find out what pasta with powdered egg comes out like, Will have to try it at the weekend.

Let me know how you get on. I now have a hankering for making some ravioli now....

Other option is to get a few chickens - Then your eggs will always be fresh

Yep, got 9 of the little darlings in the back garden but think they are going off lay with this rotten weather. Only got 3 eggs last week. As for the ducks, the call ducks have stopped laying as has my goose but got 2 eggs from my Indian Runners yesterday. Can't get much fresher than that!

How did they store the eggs? Isinglass, oil or wax?

[KalPrep]

I just put another 15kg of spaghetti into a Mylar bag and food grade container. Should store practically forever. That along with rice / dried beans and pulses covers a great deal of food requirement, easy to store too.

[Titchtonka]

I just put another 15kg of spaghetti into a Mylar bag and food grade container. Should store practically forever. That along with rice / dried beans and pulses covers a great deal of food requirement, easy to store too.

Do you leave the spaghetti in its original wrapper or take it out before placing into the mylar bags?

Scrap that, I presume you must take them out of their original wrappers in order for the Oxygen Absorbers to do their job?

[Titchtonka]

I can easily get hold of 20 litre liquid barrels, they are not designed for food, But they are brand new.

I suppose I could fill one of them up with rice, Chuck in a couple of Oxygen Absorbers then screw the lid on tight, that would keep for ages.

Or is it advisable to only use plastics that are rated for food use?

[icrcc]

For storing pasta the less air, the less oxygen, the cooler and darker storage location the better. Repacking in Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers will increase storage life, so will vacuum packing. Carefully stored pasta will last a long time, over ten years.

[KalPrep]

I just put another 15kg of spaghetti into a Mylar bag and food grade container. Should store practically forever. That along with rice / dried beans and pulses covers a great deal of food requirement, easy to store too.

Do you leave the spaghetti in its original wrapper or take it out before placing into the mylar bags?

Scrap that, I presume you must take them out of their original wrappers in order for the Oxygen Absorbers to do their job?

Leave em in, if they were sealed I just poked a hole in the top. Easier to get out when opened.