Best storage for flour, sugar, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by coljes I want something that will prevent spoilage for 10-20 years, if that's feasible.

It's feasible for some things, not for others. And the only way it's feasible is sealed in an impervious container in a zero-oxygen atmosphere. That means sealed canning jars or heat-sealed metalized mylar bags with an oxygen absorber inside for most people since metal-can sealers are expensive. The mylar will need to be protected from damage by storing inside cans, buckets, or heavy-duty totes after sealing.

No "keeper" container will do it for the kind of storage you are asking about. No vacuum sealer will do it either.

Here's a table of the storage times you can expect for different dry foods at 70º F in mylar with oxygen absorbers and how to adjust those estimated times for higher or lower storage temps:
https://www.usaemergencysupply.com/i...e-of-dry-foods
Powdered eggs are actually only good for a year, though, and even egg crystals only store 5 to 7. Shortening powder will keep the listed 15 years, but butter powder will likely only be good for 5. Also, beans won't go bad, but stored raw they may turn impossible to soften when cooked after 5 to 10 years in storage. And brown rice can be stored for 5 to 10 years, but only if it is parboiled brown rice (5 to 7) or minute brown rice (7 to 10). Other than those quibbles, the storage times given there are fairly good estimates for storage at room temp in the average home.

Sugar will last forever as long as it is kept dry and protected from vermin. Flour, on the other hand, has a relatively short shelf life even if refined, and a very short one if whole-grain. Baking mixes also will not store because the baking powder in them dies in a couple of years. The only practical longterm storage there is to store the intact whole grains plus a grinder to turn them into flour as needed and to store baking soda and cream of tartar or another acid to make your own baking powder.

For canned foods, any kind of canned milk, tomatoes/tomato products, or acid fruits won't store well for more than 2 years. Other fruits and vegetables, assuming good storage conditions, will last well at least a couple of years longer, and plain canned beans and meats more than 5.

Most oils will only last a year on the shelf, if that. A few exceptions like macadamia and camelina will last 1-1/2 to 2 in nitrogen-flushed brown glass/metal. (Any oil in plastic is well on the way to rancid when you buy it; don't bother trying to store it.) Olive oil in tins will last 2 to 3 years on the shelf if it's the genuine cold-pressed, unrefined EVOO article. Most nuts in metal cans will only last 1 to 2 years. In anything else, their life is measured in months. For longer storage of oils/oily foods, the freezer is your friend. For fats/saturated oils solid at room temp, you can expect a shelf life of 2 years or longer depending on how saturated the fat is. Tallow will last the longest of the animal fats, clarified butter/ghee will last a year, and commercially canned butter will last 10.

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Welcome to the board! It sounds like you're a total noob to food storage, so you have a lot to learn and are going to want to spend a little time reading the pinned threads at the top and doing some searching.

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Best storage for flour, sugar, etc.