The ultimate shelf life guide

A few weeks ago we wrote a blog about expiry dates, Don’t throw out that food, and discussed whether an expired date really meant you needed to throw out an item. Since then we’ve discovered a useful site called Still Tasty: Your Ultimate Shelf Life Guide. Simply type in a food or beverage name, and the site will tell you how long you can keep that item in both the refrigerator and freezer, and it throws in some additional tips about storage as well. 

In addition, they have a number of interesting articles. We were struck by one, 9 Foods that Can Outlast You that lists items that can last years in your pantry:

• honey
• rice (but not brown rice)
• sugar
• hard liquor
• maple syrup (they don’t mention it, but we once tested frozen maple syrup – you should keep it in the freezer for long storage – and it actually never freezes so is immediately useful)
• pure vanilla extract
• distilled white vinegar
• cornstarch and salt

The site is free and does not require any registration. In addition, they have an app for $1.99. And with recent studies showing that a remarkable amount of food is wasted (a recent study estimates that between 30% and 50% of all the food produced around the world is thrown out) keeping from throwing out good food is not only economical, but planet-friendly.