Posted: 3/2/2009 10:31:10 AM EDT
| Can sugar , salt , pepper etc be stored for long periods? What about coffee? |
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Dry salt will last forever. WHOLE spices will last a long time, but the quality/taste will eventually degrade. Ground spices usually lose their umph after 6 months or so. They'll still be tasty, just not as tasty as when they were fresh. I would think that sugar would last awhile under ideal conditions. I know honey does. Whole bean coffee is good for a very long time in the freezer, a year or more anyways. |
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Salt and sugar can be stored forever, just keep moisture away from it. Do not use O2 absorbers either. Salt and sugar are basic molecules and are extremely stable. Throw them into a bag or bucket and seal em up.
Coffee on the other hand should be stored in mylar with an O2 absorber. If kept away from light, heat, moisture and oxygen the coffee beans should stay fresh for years. There is no need for freezing as long as you pack it up in mylar. |
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Coffee will keep for a lot longer (several years at least) if stored as green (unroasted) beans. Roast and grind as needed...
It's getting easier to find green coffee beans and roasting equipment these days, due to the rise of coffee snobs in search of the ultimate gourmet coffee with which to one-up their friends. Unfortunately, a lot of what is available is extremely expensive gourmet coffee sold in small lots. You may be able to find good prices on green coffee if there's a local coffee roaster in your area. Some will sell in bulk at reasonable prices. |
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I just ordered another 200 pounds of the Colombian Supremo. $3.95 a pound shipped is not bad. You lose about 12-15% of weight to roasting, but it's still a hell of lot better price than those 11 oz. bags at the grocery store.
I store the green beans in mylar/bucket with o2 absorbers and have no issues with freshness. Green beans will last about two years in the burlap bag before they start to stale. Green bean dealer |
I know my Grandmother stored sugar for years for canning. And supposedly kept it under the bed during the War when it was rationed and just took it out once in a while and beat the lumps out of it  . If you think about it, you may not fill a sugar bowl on the table more than a couple of times a year - just keep it dry.
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