Pantry: how long it lasts
Pantry foods are the ones the official sources say can live at room temperature, sometimes for years. Their pages separate the two kinds of numbers the sources use: a safety statement, such as an indefinite shelf life, and a quality date, such as a best-if-used-by time. Each number links to the USDA FoodKeeper entry or the university extension page it comes from, with the date we checked it. Where a source explains what happens as a pantry food ages, for example crystals or hardening, that note is shown with its source too, so you can judge quality changes against safety.
Foods in this category
- Peanut butterUnopened: 6-24 months in the pantry. FoodKeeper
- FlourWhite: 2 years in the freezer for best quality and 6-12 months in the pantry. Extension FoodKeeper
- ChocolateSolid, unopened: 1-2 years in the pantry. FoodKeeper
- Maple syrupUnopened, glass: indefinitely in the fridge and 4 years in the pantry. FoodKeeper
- TofuTofu: 1 week in the fridge and 5 months in the freezer for best quality. FoodKeeper
- Chicken brothStore-bought, unopened: 7 days in the fridge, 2-3 months in the freezer for best quality and until the use-by date in the pantry. FoodKeeper
- PopcornUnpopped kernels: 2-3 years in the freezer for best quality and 2 years in the pantry. Extension FoodKeeper
- Dried beansDried: 12 months in the pantry. Extension