So this weekend I depleted a number of my can food preps. By depleted, I mean threw out!
1. Some stuff was like 5 years old. I don't think it would have been bad, but old enough the girlfriend wasn't gonna eat it.
2. More importantly, some of the cans were looking skeeby. Corosion had set in. Not sure why this would happen on a can stored on a shelf, but it did. I decided that I'd rather not deal with compromised containers.
I actually had a can of Sauerkraut (which I'd think would last forever) that basically rusted through. A number of cans of tomato also were in poor shape. It seems that high acid foods do not do so well...
I'm updating my stock holdings/rotation scheme including buying less, using more, and rotating for donations prior to expiration.
Canned Food
Re: Canned Food
Normal for high acid ( like tomato ) cans to leak after a good number of years... that's why I don't store them. ( hate to clean up a mess which like you I learned ).
But many long term canned items only have a max dated life of 4-5 yrs anyway with most being 2yrs or less
Two things I found out that work well for me...
1) I date all cans with a sharpie ( so I can easily read the date as opposed to reading fine print ) from the dated life
2) made a auto rotating shelf where you put in top and take from bottom ( for standard size cans ) of things I use/store so you always pull the oldest.
But many long term canned items only have a max dated life of 4-5 yrs anyway with most being 2yrs or less
Two things I found out that work well for me...
1) I date all cans with a sharpie ( so I can easily read the date as opposed to reading fine print ) from the dated life
2) made a auto rotating shelf where you put in top and take from bottom ( for standard size cans ) of things I use/store so you always pull the oldest.
You can't fix stupid !
Re: Canned Food
Yes, date everything and rotate your preps. It really sucks to throw unused food away.
It took me a while to figure out how much my wife and I eat and to not have to much extra canned goods. I have it figured out to 8 cans of about 15 different items, takes about 2 1/2 to 3 years to go through but rotating your stock religiously to reduce waste.
It took me a while to figure out how much my wife and I eat and to not have to much extra canned goods. I have it figured out to 8 cans of about 15 different items, takes about 2 1/2 to 3 years to go through but rotating your stock religiously to reduce waste.
Re: Canned Food
Yes. I lost some cases of mixed canned foods because of some cans going bad. Dating and rotating stock has been realistically out of the question except for bread flour over the years. The canned stuff in the garage is regarded as an insurance policy. Some does go bad. Some never has gone bad.
Re: Canned Food
I found that I no longer stock cans of food that we don't eat regularly ... ran into similar where food long expired and it was chucked.
And as to dating, the self rotate shelf make the best thing to use re same.
Based on this design, side removed for view; ( easy build , mine is 3x taller )
And as to dating, the self rotate shelf make the best thing to use re same.
Based on this design, side removed for view; ( easy build , mine is 3x taller )
You can't fix stupid !
Re: Canned Food
I like it! Great idea
I went scouting for can storage ideas...
https://www.skilledsurvival.com/can-storage-rack/
A man cannot call himself peaceful if he is not capable of violence. If he's not capable of violence he isn't peaceful, he is harmless. There is a distinct difference.
Fate whispers to the warrior "You cannot weather this storm". The warrior replies, "I am the storm".
Fate whispers to the warrior "You cannot weather this storm". The warrior replies, "I am the storm".
Re: Canned Food
What I did because I did not want to have to rely upon myself to rotate goods and what went right and what went wrong.
1. the garage was done with industrial grade racks on rollers.
2. canned stews with canned stews; canned fish with canned fish, canned sardines with the same; unfortunately mixed veggies and fruit cans together at first.
3. understanding from research that canned foods left in a cool storage area without light exposure were good indefinitely (and ignoring the warnings about canned tomatoes), the meats/grains are good.
4. the acidity of tomatoes got through the cans.
5. the food items were put into snapware large storage containers which are for all practical purposes no longer on the market, having been pushed out by cheaper brands that will not tell you that you cannot stack their plastic containers.
6. the 5 pound bags of flour were marked. contrary to the literature which only addresses the shelf life of opened bags ( a few months), the sealed bags are good for 1 to 2 years.
7. I had noticed that stepmother #2 kept opened containers of food stuffs in the heated house and the pantry. Mistake. Even my house had the shelving about the oven and the kitchen top. So, I went to Big Lots and the Dollar Store and bought cheap, sealable see through plastic containers from the PRC. I put those containers in the cool garage.
8. Bonus observation. all plastic containers are not the same. the 2 liter soft drink bottles are definitely of a limited shelf life. however, because vinegar is slightly acidic, the empty one gallon containers are ideal for storing tap water forever. I label them with the free shipping labels from Fedx "tap water".
1. the garage was done with industrial grade racks on rollers.
2. canned stews with canned stews; canned fish with canned fish, canned sardines with the same; unfortunately mixed veggies and fruit cans together at first.
3. understanding from research that canned foods left in a cool storage area without light exposure were good indefinitely (and ignoring the warnings about canned tomatoes), the meats/grains are good.
4. the acidity of tomatoes got through the cans.
5. the food items were put into snapware large storage containers which are for all practical purposes no longer on the market, having been pushed out by cheaper brands that will not tell you that you cannot stack their plastic containers.
6. the 5 pound bags of flour were marked. contrary to the literature which only addresses the shelf life of opened bags ( a few months), the sealed bags are good for 1 to 2 years.
7. I had noticed that stepmother #2 kept opened containers of food stuffs in the heated house and the pantry. Mistake. Even my house had the shelving about the oven and the kitchen top. So, I went to Big Lots and the Dollar Store and bought cheap, sealable see through plastic containers from the PRC. I put those containers in the cool garage.
8. Bonus observation. all plastic containers are not the same. the 2 liter soft drink bottles are definitely of a limited shelf life. however, because vinegar is slightly acidic, the empty one gallon containers are ideal for storing tap water forever. I label them with the free shipping labels from Fedx "tap water".
Re: Canned Food
Yeah - the "use by" date is a legal and sales thing. HAs nothing to do with safety. Taste might be meh and nutrition slightly degraded - but a 10 year can is not a thing. My cans do reside in a garage in Florida, so temp can easily go to the 90's for extended periods (like months)
Re: Canned Food
A man cannot call himself peaceful if he is not capable of violence. If he's not capable of violence he isn't peaceful, he is harmless. There is a distinct difference.
Fate whispers to the warrior "You cannot weather this storm". The warrior replies, "I am the storm".
Fate whispers to the warrior "You cannot weather this storm". The warrior replies, "I am the storm".
Re: Canned Food
We keep can food that we eat and we also buy survival food with longer storage life. Using the combination allows us to have more food on hand with rotation on the food that has a shorter shelf life and reserves of food that will outlast me.