4 Ways to Extend the Shelf Life of Food in Your Kitchen

Want longer lasting foodstuffs in your pantry? These five tips can help you extend the shelf life of food in your kitchen so you can keep your family fed, for longer.

All food has an expiration date, it’s true. Yet some food stuffs can last for years – decades even – if we keep them correctly. Storing your food is one of the ways we can prolong shelf life and stay well-fed. Here are 4 of the best ways to store food so that your larder is always stocked aplenty.

The 4 Ways to Store food to Make it Last Longer

If you want to disaster prep, prepare for winter, or stock up on food that will last a while, then try the following food storage methods.

1 – Mylar Bags

Using mylar bags for food storage is the top way to make fresh food last longer. Mylar materials were the product of Nasa research. They needed effective ways to store food for freshness out in space. They made mylar blankets, too. This material works by expelling the oxygen and storing your food in an airtight, odor resistant, waterproof package. When used correctly, your mylar bags could store dried food up to 30 years, cans for a decade, and wet food for up to 12 months.

2 – Vacuum Packing

As we all know, using the wrong packaging materials can make your food spoil before it’s time. Although Mylar and vacuum sealing are similar, there is a significant difference. Mylar bags used with oxygen absorbers will remove air from inside the food, as well as around it. Vacuum sealing is slightly less effective because it only removes air around the food. As the food degrades, it still releases carbon and spoils. Nevertheless, you can extend the life of open wet food for up to 2 full weeks when you vac-pack. Look out for things like fresh fish though. These go off far sooner than other wet foods.

3 – The Tin Can

Canning is a tried and tested method of preserving food, used down through the generations. Foods that you can first and place in mylar bags with oxygen removing blocks can last for three decades. The tin can first hit the market in 1860 after invention by an Englishman named Peter Durand 50 years beforehand. The tin can’s sole purpose is to extend the shelf life of your food. The length of time a can of food lasts depends on what is in the tin. High acid foods last a few months while low acid foods can last up to five years.

4 – The Glass Mason Jar

The glass mason jar first saw invention in 1858. The name comes from the inventor, John Landis Mason. The mason jar features a rubber seal and a grip-lock top. When closed, no air can get into or out of the jar. This prevents the air molecules degrading the foods. Glass jars work to store dry foods or liquids. Jams can last all year if you use a masonry jar. They are proving useful in the world of no-waste grocery shopping.

Making your food last longer means making your shopping budget go farther. These top tips should help you make a good start.