Pantry Check!
Wait… the title of this post almost looks like Panty Check… doesn’t it? Awkward.
I’m going to ask you a question and I want you to be honest with me.
If you turned over your little container of baking powder and read the expiration date, might it say “Best If Used By January 2005″?
It’s ok. You can tell me. I have no judgements.
I ask because I found such a container in my pantry just yesterday. 2005!? Geeeez.
Aaahh… aged baking powder. As lovely as a fine wine… right? Wrong. Nope. Silly. No way.
Fresh baking powder and fresh baking soda is pretty essential to baking. All that magical lift needs to be fresh. It’s no joke. Expired leavening ingredients can ruin your baked goods and leaving you scratching your head in wonder.
Because I found such ancient baking powder in my pantry I thought now might be a good time to boss you around.
Wait… how does that work out?
Let’s go through our pantries and freshen things up! Mostly because I said so…. and it’s a good idea.
How long have you had that bag of all-purpose flour? Do you keep it in a well sealed container or sealed up in the fridge? Keep little critters out by double sealing the flour or keeping it critter proof in the fridge. In the fridge, all-purpose flour will last for about two years. In an airtight container at room temperature, your flour will keep for a solid year. Yay!
How is your brown sugar livin’? Crusty brown sugar is such a bummer. Keep it sealed in an airtight container to make sure it stays soft and moist . Some people throw a slice of bread in with their brown sugar. It’s supposed to become stale before the sugar does. Pro tip.
I love my cast iron skillet. It can handle everything from scrambled eggs to a tarte tatin. I bet it could also whack someone on the head in case of emergency.
Yea… I think about these things.
Do you have a cast iron skillet? Season that sucker!
What going on with your oil? Have you given it a good sniff lately? If you store you oils on or very near your stove, there is a chance that they’ve passed their prime. Rancid. Ick. Give them a big sniff and if you smell anything just the slightest bit off or stale, just replace it!
My nut oils… because I’m the kind of girl with nut oils… I keep in the fridge.
Your nuts. How old are those things? Keep your nuts in an airtight container, at room temperature, out of direct sunlight for up to three months.
Ok? Thanks.
I don’t have a problem with stale vanilla extract… it’s just that I can’t seem to keep enough of the stuff on hand. Good heavens. You’d think I drink it in the middle of the night or something.
Now I just make my own vanilla extract. You should too… but maybe that just me being bossy again.
So!
Will you check your pantry?
If nothing else… just give that 13 year old baking powder a one way ticket to garbage town.
Amen.
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Thanks to blogs like yours, I have the opposite problem! I keep going through my pantry items to the point where I have to check my sugar, flour, baking powder, etc. to make sure I have enough of everything before I attempt a recipe. Hehe. And wouldn’t you know it, I just organized my pantry last weekend! Moved all my bulk bin purchased nuts and grains to tupperwares. :) It’s a good message, for sure!
I’ve started to store nuts in the freezer because they typically come in big bags and I only need a handful for salads/pastas/baked goods. So far, so good.
Just a few months ago I saw the expiration date on our Baking Powder from a year or two ago, I chucked it after I bought a new one a few days later.
For flour I keep it in an airtight container in my kitchen, but right after I buy it I put it in the freezer for 3 days to kill any weevil/eggs that came in the bag. (There is an allowable number of bugs that can be in the flour and still be sold – disgusting=yes, but true.) After it is frozen just store in an airtight container and it should be fine.
know what’s funny cool? on saturday, i burnt a hundred years of gunk (literally. they belonged to my great-grandmother. kinda bittersweet, ya know? anyway…) off two of my iron skillets and the only reason i even got online just now was to make sure i remember how to re-season them properly…and of course i had to check your blog cuz it’s what i do. what can i say? you are my guilty pleasure. :
oh, and i bought new soda and powder within the last two weeks. see that wavelength? yeah, we’re on it….
Yesterday we made Seared Tuna with crushed black pepper served over an arugala salad with sliced fennel bulb. Even though our whole peppercorns were only 6 months old, my husband said he couldn’t smell them. He tossed them and bought new bottle. What a difference the fresh peppercorns made! The freshness ad taste of the meal was enhanced 1000%!
OK, now for the dirt on some really old spices. I visited my mom’s house a few weeks ago and cooked while I was there. She’s 85 years old. She had some old cans of McCormick spices that were priced at 19 cents! She refused to let me throw them out. When I went into the grocery store and purchased fresh basil and fresh rosemary to cook dinner, she couldn’t believe how much better the food tasted.
Lesson learned–Fresh spices are best; less than 3 month old spices are a good second choice. Dump the old spices even it they do have a slight smell left in them. You’ll be glad that you did!
If baking soda is something that you don’t use often, try making homemade pancakes with blueberries this summer. I make them weekly and my baking soda never gets old!
Cute post :) I actually just checked my baking soda and powder this weekend and had to buy new baking powder!
Oh goodness – I’m afraid to look!!! Thank you for this though – I am dying to know what the date is.
OMG. I just ran downstairs to the kitchen to check, and yep, my baking powder is totally from 2007. Ick!!!!!!! No wonder my strawberry bread was a bust. And I have never thought to keep flour in the fridge – thanks Joy!
Thanks for the kick in the butt (or panty, ha! Sorry.) to go check these things out. Funny how easy it is to let time sneak up on you and your pantry. I thought I was the worst baker EVER until I realized my baking powder AND baking soda expired 3 years ago. Thanks again!
I literally just tried to make zucchini bread over the weekend, had it turn out horrible, and turned over the baking powder to see “best if used by June 2005.” I agree, having fresh ingredients and storing them properly is so important, I’m going to replace my old stuff so I never have to serve embarrassing bread again!
#1- Best investment of my life? Tupperware modular mates- I even keep my can of baking powder and box of baking soda in an oval one together… &Tupperware freezer mates- being a single gal- I individually bag chicken, beef, salmon, etc in ziploc baggies and then put all the chicken in one, pork in another, seafood, etc- MUCH less freezer burn… #2- I am totally making my own extract and giving it as gifts for the holiday this year… #3 most recent find in the oil family: butternut squash oil is just super yummy bliss for the tummy…. (yeah, I know, mouth really, but that didn’t rhyme…)
I am so glad there are people like you all out there who understand the happiness and fulfillment that comes from a well equipped kitchen. I’m not alone!!!! ;) My friends just don’t get it.
Thanks for the tips Boss Lady! Rancid oil is N*A*S*T*Y!! I expect bigger and better things from my kitchen post clean-up!
*love*
Freeze your nuts! Really, store your nuts in the freezer and they’ll keep for a year or more. I should know…I work for the Walnut Board.
What amazing tips! I think I will print this post out and slip it in my favorite cookbook to reference every so often.
“ruin your baked goods and leaving you scratching your head in wonder” is exactly what I did before i found out my Baking Powder went south 6 months prior, humf!
I think I have the food expiration date story to top all the comments so far… a couple years ago there was a can of vegetable shortening in my mother’s kitchen cabinet dated 1977. That was surely pre-date-labeling as it was written in black grease pencil. She really did not like to cook…
I have suffered through two failures recently, which I am attributing to my baking powder BUT it doesn’t expire till 2011!
I bought more last weekend and will be cooking with it on Thursday night – once it’s opened, I’ll be putting the whole thing in another, sealed, container to keep it fresh.
Fluffy and light chocolate muffins, here I come!
My pantry is always full of old ingredients. It’s bad. Often, my flour will smell of rosemary or spice. Curry seems to get into everything. Good inspiration for some housecleaning!
I have too many problems keeping my pantry stocked for anything to go out of date. I seem to go through flour, baking powder, oil, sugar and vanilla bean paste like it’s going out of fashion. Having said that though, given I’ve been stuck at home recently I was bored enough to do a cleanout of the pantry and found some mixed fruit in a tupperware container at the back that had been there who knows how long. Needless to say it went straight in the bin.
Oh my, pantry clean outs. I did that not too long ago and pitched a whole armload of items. Spices we’d had since 2004 (really? 2004!?). Baking powder. Baking soda. I’ve been baking more and more over the last couple years so I no longer have problems with most of the baking essentials (flour? sugar? butter? eggs? I can barely keep them stocked!) But cooking spices? Those seem to hang around forever and ever.
I think my bottle of almond oil has in fact gone rancid, but I don’ have the heart to throw it out! And I will also confess that I have thought about how my cast iron pans would make good weapons in case of an emergency.
thanks for the tip, I was thinking about flour yesterday and I will keep my flour in the fridge, especially all those other flours beside all purpose. Did you know you can make your own baking powder out of cream of tartar? I have to do it cus in Italy, where I live, there is no baking powder, or brown sugar or molasses, sour cream, buttermilk…it’s tough…
Funny…I just cleaned out a bunch of old spices and herbs that dated back (some at least 10 years)..think the get stuck in the back of the cabinet and I just buy more. Flour I use up pretty quickly… baking soda and powder…I actually buy in smaller quantities… there were some whack oils and yes, small bags with bits of nuts that were pretty darn old.
Hey Joy ! how are you doing !? … just passing by and wanted to tell you how awesome your blog is ! not only for the recipes but cause there’s so much sharing ! jajajjajaj….. yeah, personal sharing !!! I love it ! I am from south america so we always get personal !
Also I wanted to let you know that you and the joy of baking, were the first ones to inspire me ! a couple of years ago I was living in Toronto, totally depressed, not for the location but because I didn’t know what to do with my life, so I had plenty of spare time…. going on the internet and there you were !
Now, I am living in Buenos Aires and on my second week of pastry chef program, until December. Then I am going back to Chile and opening a cafe/bakery/catering business !!! I am super excited and you will be very welcome to come !!!!!
So thanks !, you inspire me lady !!!
:)
panchi.
I recently cleaned out my grandmothers pantry cupboard. I am not kidding when I say there were things in there with expiration dates from the 70′s.
ha, I don’t have this problem much (except for my nuts, but I’ve been really good about using those up this year). I go through about 20lbs of flour a month, at least, now that I bake bread regularly.
We did our big pantry clean-out after New Year’s, when we realized we had mice (ew!!) that liked the spice drawer. Fortunately they only seemed to go there and in the cat’s food bowl- to mock the cat, I think.
I’m going to direct my mother to this page. She is absolutely the very worst at emptying her pantry of old stuff. A few months ago she made soup from 4 year old chestnut puree. It didn’t kill anyone but it tasted of cardboard.
Here’s to panty checks everywhere! I just did some baking with some b. powder that was circa 2008. Had no idea so much time had past and felt bad for all the recipients of my baked goods in the last two years. I’m sure they could tell I was using expired baking powder and no one told me. No one.
for me, the one thing that could be bad is the oil. bummer. although i’ve known this, i really should move the dang things away from the stove, but it’s so convenient!!
thanks for the reminder ;)
My secret? Wide-mouth Ball canning jars! I use the quart sized ones for stocking stuff like dried fruits, coconut, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, etc. Pint sized ones are for smaller bags of dried fruits, nuts, etc. I also have two giant wire bail jars for flour and two smaller ones for sugar. I need more giant ones for flour, though! You can also get your hands on half gallon (two quart) and gallon sized canning jars at some hardware stores and local grocery stores. And y’know what? They’re less expensive than those glass food storage things they sell at Target.
And when you run out of walnuts? Use that pint jar to put jam or yogurt in! :)
Okay, you just crossed the groovy cool line into “I think I’m worshiping you cool” with the homemade vanilla extract.
Great post…thanks for the reminder to check my pantry items.
Spices going bad – a terrible waste – not to mention expensive! So, I go to a local food co-op where I can buy very small quantities of spices. Plus, they seem much fresher than the supermarket stuff. I never have to throw any away now. I also store all my dry goods in the freezer, except what is in the counter canisters. I am lucky to have a freezer big enough to hide a body, though! Great post! Thanks for the reminder.
While you’re going about making your own vanilla extract, why not make your own baking powder, too? Recipe at http://bit.ly/9MqlGZ
These are definitely things I don’t think of nearly often enough. For some reason, it had never occurred to me that baking powders/sodas can expire. Thanks for the post!
Great post! Thanks for sharing your pantry tips! Have a great day.
Thanks for the timely tips. I’m about to remodel my kitchen and was *debating* whether or not to purge my spices and start fresh…I think it’s time for a fresh start! Best!
I’ve gotten into the habit of using a marker to put the date that I open them on containers and boxes. This encourages me to use things when I see that they’re getting on…and prevents me from using something that got lost for too long.
I once moved into a new house and inherited a few condiments in the fridge. One was one of those old school green canisters of powdered parmesan cheese. Not usually my parmesan of choice, but having just moved I did use it once or twice on spaghetti. Upon flipping over the canister, I found that it expired in 1971. Yes, you read that correctly -1971. I had just eaten something that expired well before I was born. And the scary thing? It didn’t taste different than a new canister. So go get thee a nice wedge of parmiggiano reggiano, and grate it up!
I read your post and thought “Heh heh, expired baking powder – maybe OTHER people let that happen, but not your’s truly!” Low and behold: April 2007. D’oh! Meanwhile, I’m busy CRACKING UP at the post of the woman above me, Anna @Tallgrass Kitchen. 1971!!! She should get a prize for that.
Thanks for the reminder! Walnut oil from 2006 has been tossed! Just redid my canned goods and spices. How boring is my world?
I am not trying to brag or anything, but, there is no way possible for my baking ingredients to expire because I go through them so fast! I bake like a crazy woman…flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla extract, brown sugar, butter, oil……I am replacing this stuff every couple weeks. By the way…I saw your post about making vanilla extract and I am totally making it!!! I was telling my husband I wish I could buy it by the gallon because i go through it so much. I think making it for myself should definately solve my problem. I am so excited! Love your blog!!
I can SO relate!! Just ran into that little glitch a couple of weeks ago. The poopy thing is it was AFTER I had made the cookies. My husband’s FAVORITE cookies. For the first time ever. Doh.
See…?
http://simply-bloom.blogspot.com/2010/07/note-to-self-check-expiration-dates.html
The bottom of my baking powder can says 1998. That doesn’t mean it’s past the use-by date, though! I love the Clabber Girl baking powder cans, but, my grocery store brand is much cheaper and seems to work as well. So, I buy the cheap stuff and decant into my, now, vintage tin! Old baking powder is the pits. It makes food taste funny.
I never heard of putting flour in the fridge… but I can’t do that anyways becuase my fridge is completely full. :S But thanks for the other tips!
Question about the nuts. Can you keep them longer in the freezer? That’s where mine are right now! I mean, am I going to poison the family if we toss some walnuts on our ice cream that have been in the freezer for 6 months? Yikes!!!
I am a purger, baking supplies, refirgerator, medicine cabinet, anything with an expiration date! But this is good advice for those who don’t. Now my spices are another story. I just don’t know how long I’ve had them and when they go bad?! Maybe I’ll start writing the date I buy them on the bottom.
Is it okay to wrapped up my flour in a bag with rubber band? Will it effect something?
Joy! I just checked my baking powder and it expired in 2003! Yikes! Time to get a new one. Thanks for the reminder!
Probably shouldn’t share but… I couldn’t figure out why my banana breads weren’t rising, or cakes I were making weren’t turning out. Checked my baking powder and YIKES, it expired in 2003!!!!!!
Man, after 3 failed attempts at a pineapple upsidedown cake, I finally found the culprit in my outdated BP. Ahhh the shame. It tasted yummy but was as heavy as a brick and could have easily been used as a weapon on an intruder if called upon!
I have only recently landed on your site, but I feel like I have found a fun new blog to add to my little list of must reads!