Maximizing the Shelf Life of Unopened Turkey Broth

Although it’s tempting to believe that “shelf-stable” is code for “good to use forever,” the truth is that even preserved goods may no longer be safe to eat—or taste as good as they should—after a certain point. How to tell they’ve reached that point, though, can be a little tricky. There’s no standardized food dating system, and though a best-buy or sell-by date on the container can sometimes be a helpful reference point, it won’t always tell you exactly when it’s time to throw something out.

“[The date] can help the consumer know the time limit to purchase the product or use by for its peak quality,” Mary Anne Amalaradjou, PhD, an associate professor of food microbiology at the University of Connecticut, tells SELF. After that date passes, she says, an unopened product should still be safe to consume if stored and handled properly—it just might not taste as good as it did within the date’s time frame. Once you open the package, it’s a different story: The life span of many ingredients falls drastically, sometimes to just a few days.

Fortunately, there are a few ways to keep tabs on the food in your pantry, from visual indicators to basic use-by guidelines from experts. That’s important, since often “you cannot see, taste, or smell pathogens—the germs that make us sick,” Wade Syers, MS, extension specialist for food safety at Michigan State University, tells SELF.

Keep reading to find out how long your favorite pantry stables last, so you can ensure you never accidentally eat something that should have been tossed—or end up throwing something out when it’s still good.

How long do different pantry staples last?

The life span of different pantry items varies greatly and depends on a number of factors, including how a food was preserved, its chemical structure and makeup, and whether it’s opened or unopened. Though some products can become dangerous to eat after a certain point, others will simply lose quality.Canned goods

The shelf life of canned goods varies depending on whether we’re talking about low-acid foods, like meat, poultry, fish, beans, and other vegetables, or high-acid foods, like tomatoes or pineapples, Syers says. That’s because high acid causes cans to corrode more quickly, which can diminish the food’s flavor and texture and increase its risk of developing pathogens.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the expected life span of some of the most common types of food according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA):

• Beans: 2 to 5 years unopened; 3 to 4 days refrigerated after opening
• Poultry: 2 to 5 years unopened; 3 to 4 days refrigerated after opening
• Fish: 2 to 5 years unopened; 3 to 4 days refrigerated after opening
• Low-acid vegetables (like corn): 2 to 5 years unopened; 3 to 4 days refrigerated after opening
• High-acid ingredients (like tomatoes): 12 to 18 months unopened; 5 to 7 days refrigerated after opening

Grains and wheat products

Ingredients made from flour, like pasta, couscous, and cereal, as well as other grains like oats, barley, and quinoa, can last up to 12 months in your pantry unopened, Syers says. By contrast, bread—while technically a wheat-based dried good—will typically become stale or moldy within two to four days stored at room temperature and 7 to 14 days when refrigerated.

Once you open those products, though, there are a few things to keep in mind: Pastas and other flour-based dried products will diminish in flavor and texture the longer they’re exposed to air—and can even attract unwanted pests like pantry moths and rodents if left in their original containers at room temperature, Syers says.

Here are some basic use-by guidelines for the most common wheat-based pantry products from FoodSafety.gov:

• Breadcrumbs: 12 months unopened; up to 6 months after opening
• Cereal: 12 months unopened; 2 to 3 months after opening
• Pasta: 2 years unopened; up to 1 year after opening
• Flour: 12 months unopened; 6 to 8 months after opening
• Crackers: 8 months unopened; 1 month after opening
• Oats: 8 months unopened; 4 months after opening
• Quinoa: 2 to 3 years unopened; up to 6 months after opening

Dried and freeze-dried fruit

Dried fruits have a life span of six months unopened and just one month after opening. A trace amount of remaining moisture in products like these is the reason for their relatively short life span, Syers says. However, research shows that freeze-dried fruit, as long as it remains unactivated by liquid, can retain both its flavor and nutrient profile for a year or more—and possibly longer when stored at moderate temperatures, limited humidity, and in an airtight container. Condiments

Although you may have mustard and ketchup taking up shelf space in your fridge, Dr. Amalaradjou says they don’t have to. “Because of [their] natural acidity, ketchup and mustard are shelf-stable.” However, she adds that even though they won’t technically go bad at room temperature, refrigerating after opening will maintain the quality of these ingredients longer.

Although those condiments have long life spans, others—especially those that contain ingredients like eggs and cream, like mayonnaise and ranch dressing—have shorter lives:

• Ketchup: 1 year unopened; 6 months refrigerated after opening
• Mustard: 2 years unopened; 1 year refrigerated after opening
• Hot sauce: up to 2 years unopened; 6 months opened and stored at room temperature; 1 to 2 years refrigerated after opening
• Vinegar: nearly indefinite unopened; 2 years stored at room temperature after opening
• Mayonnaise: 3 to 6 months unopened; 2 months refrigerated after opening
• Salad dressing: 10 to 12 months unopened; 1 to 3 months refrigerated after opening

Sugar and sweeteners

Syers says that you have a lot of leeway when it comes to the life span of sweeteners like sugar. Sugar can be safely consumed indefinitely, but it won’t taste as good (or function as well in your baking) after two years. Similarly, brown sugar, honey, and agave are all safe to eat virtually forever, but you will notice changes in taste and texture the older they get.Pickled foods

Shelf-stable pickles should be eaten within one year from the date of purchase for the best quality and will last one to three months in the refrigerator after opening, according to Syers. He adds that other pickled foods and ingredients preserved in brine, like olives, peppers, or giardiniera, have similar life spans as well. Sweetened preserves

Thanks to the high amount of sugar that they contain, sweetened preserves like jelly, jam, and marmalade have an impressive shelf life of 6 to 18 months when unopened and 6 to 12 months if refrigerated after opening. Reduced-sugar varieties, though, may develop mold more quickly than their sweeter counterparts. Broths and stocks

“For quality, chicken or vegetable broth should be used by the date on the package and three to four days in the refrigerator if opened,” Syers explains. Dry bouillon cubes or powder will last quite a bit longer because the lack of moisture prevents pathogens from forming. He says that ingredients like this will last one year unopened and one year after opening before the flavor starts to diminish. Baking powder and soda

Baking powder and soda can keep for a while, but hang on to them too long and you may notice some issues with baking, Syers says. If you keep them longer than the time frames listed below, your cakes and cookies may not rise as much—but, despite their diminished quality, they’re unlikely to cause any food safety problems, Syers adds.Most Popular

• Baking soda: 2 to 3 years unopened; 6 months after opening
• Baking powder: up to 18 months unopened; 6 months after opening

Spices and herbs

Dried spices and herbs have an exceptionally long shelf life, Syers says. You can expect the former to last anywhere from two to three years and the latter one to two years. “[Though] it is possible for herbs and spices to be contaminated with pathogens, those that are properly stored in the pantry will not usually pose a greater food safety risk as time passes,” he explains. And if you notice that your favorite spice isn’t giving the same amount of flavor that it usually does, that may be a sign that it’s time to shop for a replacement. Oils

Neutral-tasting oils like canola and vegetable oils are highly processed and therefore have a longer life span, whereas potent oils like olive, sesame, or flaxseed contain more organic compounds that can oxidize and go rancid more quickly, Syers says. They are unlikely to harbor hazardous pathogens (except in cases of cross-contamination), but after the time frames below, they won’t taste as great.

• Coconut oil: up to 3 years unopened or after opening
• Olive oil: 6 to 12 months unopened; 3 months stored at room temperature; 4 months if refrigerated
• Canola oil: up to 1 year from the date of purchase unopened or after opening
• Avocado oil: up to 2 years unopened; 6 months after opening
• Nut oils: 6 to 12 months unopened; 3 to 8 months after opening; 6 to 8 months after opening if refrigerated

Nuts, seeds, and nut butters

Much like oils, nuts and seeds have a lot of active compounds that cause them to become rancid more quickly than other shelf-stable dried ingredients, whether they’re stored at room temperature or refrigerated, Dr. Amalaradjou says.

• Almonds: 4 months unopened or opened; 8 months if refrigerated
• Cashews: 2 to 4 weeks unopened or opened; 6 months if refrigerated
• Pistachios: 3 weeks unopened or opened; 12 months if refrigerated
• Walnuts: 2 to 4 weeks unopened or opened; 9 to 12 months if refrigerated
• Chia seeds: 18 months unopened or opened
• Peanut butter: up to 24 months unopened; 2 to 3 months after opening

How do you know when your shelf-stable pantry items should be tossed?

As we mentioned above, the above dates are suggestions for best quality. But the dates don’t tell the entire story, which is why looking for visual and olfactory indicators of spoilage can be helpful too. Here are some cues to look for. Mold has formed.

Syers says that visible mold is always a nonstarter on foods that should be shelf-stable, whether you’ve had it in your pantry for months or only recently bought it. When in doubt, throw it out! The texture has changed or isn’t quite right.

If you’re not sure if a food is good to eat, a change in texture or color is another indicator that it belongs in the bin. Opened pasta that has formed white spots, for example, may signal that it has been overly exposed to light or become stale, Dr. Amalaradjou says. Though that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s no longer safe to consume, she says it probably won’t taste very good. Dried fruit, on the other hand, may become unusually wrinkly or shrunken, Syers says.Most Popular

If the texture or color seems off, don’t try to taste it to make sure it’s bad, Syers says. Use visual cues or put your nose to the test….There’s a certain odor.

If an ingredient doesn’t smell right, it probably isn’t. If you get a big whiff of sulfur after opening up a canned ingredient or you notice that a jar of nuts smells tangy and sour rather than earthy and sweet, you’re better off tossing it, Dr. Amalaradjou says. The cans have large dents, rusting, or bulges.

Dented, rusted, and bulging cans are a sign that it was damaged at some point and that its contents are more susceptible to developing pathogens as a result, Syers says. One of the most serious worries with canned food is botulism, a toxin produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, which can cause nerve damage and even be deadly. Along with bulging or dents, signs that canned food may have botulism spores also include a hissing sound coming from the cans or food spurting or exploding when it’s opened, Syers says. If you notice any of these signs, absolutely do not eat (or even taste) the food.

Ask the Test Kitchen: How Long Will Meat Last in the Fridge?