Old Fashioned Term for Going to the Movies
Cornmeal is one of the best staples to keep stored. However, there is a lot of confusion well-nigh cornmeal shelf life and whether information technology's okay to store it long-term.
Here I will embrace everything you demand to know virtually shelf life, which types of cornmeal last longest, storage methods, and more.
Cornmeal Shelf Life
Cornmeal will more often than not last half-dozen to 12 months when stored at room temperature in its original packaging. In an air-tight container stored in a cool, dark, and dry identify, cornmeal can last even longer than this.
When stored with oxygen absorbers in Mylar bags, cornmeal can concluding over 10 years. However, the shelf life ultimately depends on a lot of factors like the blazon of cornmeal and storage conditions.
Which Type of Cornmeal Lasts Longest?
By definition, cornmeal is just dried corn kernels that have been ground up. Cornmeal is so broken downward into types based on its fineness and whether information technology has been bolted or not. Equally a general rule, bolted cornflour will terminal the longest.
Bolted vs. Unbolted Cornmeal
Bolted cornmeal: (aka degerminated cornmeal) ways the ground corn kernels went through a sieve. The sieve removes pieces of the hull and germ, both of which contain oils.
Unbolted cornmeal: (also called water-ground, stone-basis, or old-fashioned) will yet comprise hull and germ.
About all commercially sold corn flour today is bolted.
When nutrition is your primary concern, unbolted cornmeal is healthier. Just the oils in unbolted cornmeal will crusade it to become rancid fairly quickly.
Going rancid doesn't happen overnight: the cornmeal will gradually get-go tasting bitter and dried. It might nevertheless be safe to eat after 6 months merely won't exist pleasant to eat.
Grind Fineness
When a grain is finely ground, more than of its surface is exposed to oxygen and will start to become bad faster. Thus, you lot'd expect whole corn kernels to last the longest, followed by grits, polenta, and cornflour.
Notwithstanding, this isn't always true with cornmeal. The reason is that coarsely-basis cornmeal usually nevertheless contains oil-rich pieces of the germ and hull. Even though it has less surface surface area, grits will still become bad faster than corn flour considering of the extra oils.
Acme Tip: When in doubt, await at the nutrition label of the cornmeal. The lower the fat content, the longer the cornmeal will final.
Best Ways to Store Cornmeal
Freezer
Shelf Life: Indefinitely
The all-time way to shop cornmeal is in the freezer. It volition last indefinitely this way. Nonetheless, be cautious when removing cornmeal from the freezer: wet will start to course in the handbag. The pockets of moisture can crusade the cornmeal to get moldy very quickly.
Air-Tight Containers
Shelf Life: one-2 years
Storing cornmeal in air-tight containers such equally bricklayer jars or good plastic containers volition help increase shelf life. The container will forestall oxygenation and too aid keep pests out (moths particularly love cornmeal).
Cornmeal can even last several years like this so long as the temperature and humidity are low. Be sure to proceed the containers away from sources of heat like water heaters or stoves.
Annotation that pest eggs are sometimes already in the cornmeal when y'all buy it. When they hatch in a few weeks or months, you'll run into their larvae itch around inside the container. Larn more virtually how to forbid pantry pests.
Oxygen Absorbers
Shelf Life: 5-10+ years
The oxygen absorbers are little packets of iron that grab onto oxygen molecules. When you up an OA in a sealed, air-tight container, information technology creates an oxygen-free storage environment. The food will concluding longer considering oxidization can't occur. Mold, leaner, and pests also won't exist able to survive without oxygen, so the cornmeal stays safe to eat.
Y'all can use oxygen absorbers in bricklayer jars or even some food-grade buckets. All the same, Mylar bags are generally considered to be nearly reliable for long-term food storage.
Read more about how to pack food in Mylar bags and how to use oxygen absorbers here.
Warning: Cornmeal, Botulism and Oxygen Absorbers
Most bacteria cannot survive without oxygen. Botulism is an exception. It survives in oxygen-gratuitous environments. All the same, it does crave wet to survive, which is why it'southward safety to utilise oxygen absorbers for dry foods merely non wet foods.
I mention this considering corn kernels and cornmeal are often very moist. When stored in an air-tight container with oxygen absorbers, it could crusade botulism.
A few Primal Survivor readers have even written saying that they saw signs of botulism in their bags of whole corn kernels (though non cornmeal): the bags were puffy and bulging.
Botulism requires a moisture level of 35% to grow. Because it is such a big bargain though, you generally shouldn't store anything with more than than 10% wet in an oxygen-free surround.
Typical wet levels of cornmeal are around 14%. Corn flour tends to have less wet at around viii-10%.
To play it rubber when packaging corn kernels or cornmeal with oxygen absorbers, merely packet information technology on low-humidity days. You might even desire to dry out it out a bit in the oven first (and and then let information technology come to room temperature before packing).
Related: How to store cornstarch
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