Did You Know These Foods Come With No Expiry Date?

Did you know honey comes with no shelf-life?

Rice (left), honey (centre) and beans (right) come without expiry date. 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could just stock up on some food items without worrying about the expiry date? It would be such a relief to have some emergency stock should I run out of food at home (happens to a lot of us!).

There are foods that don’t come with an expiry date. Yes, no shelf-life worries and potential emergency situation averted!

So, without much ado, fill up your pantry shelves with these emergency staples:

1. Honey

Honey has no shelf-life. (Photo: iStock)

Worried that the bottle of honey you bought you-don’t-remember-when is expired? Relax! It isn’t. In fact, honey is one of those food items that comes without any shelf-life. Credit it to the handiwork of bees or its processing, honey can last for several hundred years. It may change appearance, colour and texture but doesn’t rot.

Honey is made purely out of sugar collected by bees from flowers in liquid form. This is why non-adulterated or raw honey never rots as sugar in itself is a preservative.

Ankita Gupta Sehgal, Dietitian, Nutrition Matters, Delhi

So instead of throwing away your honey, why not make honey chilly potatoes for dinner?

Also Read: 5 Under 100 Calorie Snacks for Your Mid-Day Hunger Pangs

2. Rice

Rice can be stored for a long time. (Photo: iStock)

White rice, if stored properly in airtight containers, can last for years. You have to protect it from pesky bugs that love to gorge on it. According to Ankita Gupta Sehgal, Dietitian, Nutrition Matters, Delhi,

Rice – Basmati, Jasmine or plain – has a high start value and just keeps getting better with age. As long as you store the grain in dry jars in cool places away from moisture, you can use it for as long as you want. 

3. Dried Beans

Dried beans can go on for a long time without getting spoilt. (Photo: iStock)

You can store dried beans for as long as 30 years! Researchers at Brigham Young University have made this revelation. According to their research, pinto beans stored for 30 years were found safe for consumption.

After 30 years of storage all samples were considered acceptable for use in an emergency situation by at least eighty percent of consumer panelists. Also, protein digestibility was found to remain stable over time. 

<i>Rajma </i>or <i>lobhia</i> (variants of dried beans) can easily be stored in your pantry for long without rotting. They however, get hard over time. Here is a simple cooking tip –Add 1/2 tbsp of baking soda while cooking dried bean (stored for over a year) to soften it.&nbsp;

Ankita Gupta Sehgal, Dietitian, Nutrition Matters, Delhi

Also Read: 5 Stress-Busting Foods You Must Include in Your Diet

4. Coffee

Can we even think of life without coffee? (Photo: iStock)

You know what’s more painful than getting out of cosy winter blankets in the morning? Running out of coffee. But here’s the thing. Apparently you can store coffee for long periods of time (think 6 months, 1 year or even 20) without worrying about its expiry. Reasons?

Coffee beans are highly caffeinated naturally. Hence, even in the absence of any artificial preservative, they last for long. This also holds true for grounded coffee powder and instant coffee mixes. In fact, instant coffee mix already contains natural preservative sugar, is free of moisture and hence, boosts of an even longer shelf-life.&nbsp;

Ankita Gupta Sehgal, Dietitian, Nutrition Matters, Delhi

All you need to do is store your coffee in a cool, dry environment. That’s not much to ask for, is it?

5. Sugar

Sugar has no expiry date. (Photo: iStock)

It’s all about storage. The better you store, the longer your sugar will last. Did you know sugar doesn’t get spoiled readily because it inhibits the growth of bacteria?

Being a preservative in itself, sugar doesn’t require anything else to keep it going for ages. Store it in cool, dry places and keep it away from kids and ants.&nbsp;

Ankita Gupta Sehgal, Dietitian, Nutrition Matters, Delhi

The only task before you is to take care of moisture and store sugar in airtight containers. This not only ensures sugar is safe but also prevents it from getting hardened.

Also Read: No Matter How Hungry, Don’t Have These Foods on an Empty Stomach!