The Best Ways to Store Non-Perishable Foods

Author | March 23, 2026 | Food Consciousness, Hacks | No Comments

You Can Store some Foods Indefinitely

Given the current situation, more and more people are considering to store foods, stocking up as emergency supplies. Many anticipate a power outage, while others fear a food shortage. You certainly shouldn’t be afraid—but it’s still a good idea to take steps to prepare for a crisis and keep some food on hand.

The Best Ways to Store Non-Perishable Foods

You can store foods in your pantry that remain edible long after their best-by dates. Here is what they are and what you should keep in mind.

Vinegar

Pure white wine vinegar has a higher acidity than other types of vinegar. It prevents bacteria from growing. However, this does not apply to vinegars that contain additives, such as balsamic vinegar. These contain grape must, which can ferment if stored for a long time. It is best to store vinegar in a cool, dark place, tightly sealed.

Dried legumes

These products contain no water and therefore provide no breeding ground for bacteria. If you store legumes such as lentils, peas, or beans in a cool, dry place, you can eat them for a very long time.

Canned Food

To supply his troops at the front with non-perishable food, French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte offered a cash prize for inventions that would make this possible. It marked the birth of the can, which was patented in 1810. Canned food, when sealed and stored in a dry place, can be kept indefinitely. Important: Always discard swollen cans, as they pose a risk of life-threatening poisoning.

Flour

If stored in a cool, dry, airtight place protected from pests, white flour can last a very long time. If any of the above conditions are not met, food moths and other pests can infest the flour, making it musty and inedible. Whole-grain flour, due to its higher fat content, is prone to becoming rancid over time and is therefore not suitable for long-term storage.

Pasta and Rice

With dried durum wheat pasta, you can safely go well past the best-by date. The key is to store it in a cool, dry place. Whole-grain pasta, on the other hand, has a higher fat content and can develop a rancid taste over time. The same applies to rice: White rice and wild rice can theoretically be stored indefinitely. Store them in an airtight container in a cool, dark place, ideally in the unopened original packaging. Brown rice, or whole-grain rice, however, can spoil due to its higher fat content.

Salt and Sugar

When stored in a dry, tightly sealed place, pure salt retains its properties indefinitely. It’s no coincidence that we can use salt to preserve other foods. Important: This long shelf life does not apply to iodized, flavored, or herb-infused salt. It’s best to store sugar in a cool, dry, and dark place; this prevents bacteria and mold from growing, allowing you to enjoy its sweetness indefinitely.

Water

Unopened bottled mineral water in glass bottles has a very long shelf life because it is bottled under sterile conditions. While this is also true of mineral water in plastic bottles, over time, it loses its carbonation and its taste changes.

Methods for preserving food

When it comes to preserving food, the first things that come to mind are storing it in the refrigerator or freezer, or keeping it away from light in the pantry. But there are so many more ways to stock up on supplies.

Even though traditional methods like salting, smoking, pickling, or drying have fallen somewhat out of favor, we can still use these old-fashioned techniques at home today.

Drying

Drying, also known as dehydrating, is one of the oldest and simplest methods of preserving food. During the drying process, most of the food’s moisture is removed, preventing spoilage. Without sufficient moisture, the microorganisms and enzymes responsible for food spoilage lack the conditions necessary to thrive.

These foods are particularly well-suited for drying:

Fruit, Vegetables, Herbs, Mushrooms, Grains

Drying is a good option for preserving food if you have a warm, dry, and sunny spot available, such as a balcony, attic, or a room with a tiled stove.

Preparation:

Wash or clean the food you want to dry thoroughly.

Then cut them into strips or slices. You can tie herbs into bundles.

Spread the food out on a rack and cover it with a thin cloth. You can also hang the goods on strings.

The drying time depends on the specific item. Fruit and vegetables are fully dried when they feel leathery, are pliable, and no liquid seeps out. Herbs should crumble easily between your fingers. Tip: Blanching vegetables beforehand shortens the drying time.

You can store fully dried food in storage containers or jars with screw-on lids. When stored in a dark, dry place, they will keep for up to a year or longer.

Dehydrating

Dehydrating is the same as drying

If you don’t have a warm place available, you can buy a dehydrator. Like most methods for extending the shelf life of food, dehydrating is very healthy.

Dehydrating can also be done in the oven. A temperature between 40 and 50 degrees is usually sufficient, which most ovens achieve simply by turning on the interior light. Dehydrating works best with convection. You should also leave the oven door slightly ajar to allow moisture to escape.

Salting

Salting removes water from food and is a popular preservation method, especially for herbs, which can be preserved longer this way.

Here’s how you can preserve herbs yourself:

For 200 grams of fresh herbs, you’ll need 40 grams of salt. Wash the herbs, pat them dry, and chop them finely. They must be completely dry before further processing to prevent mold growth.

Then rinse the clean jars with hot water and let them dry.

Now you can fill the jars with the chopped or cut herbs and the salt. Press down firmly so that as few gaps as possible remain, and seal the jars.

Store the jars in a cool, dark place; they will keep for about 6 months, and up to 2 years in the refrigerator.

Pickling, Acidification

Food can also be preserved by acidifying it. In this method, food is preserved by adding vinegar. Due to the low pH, microorganisms can no longer multiply or can do so only to a limited extent, thereby extending shelf life. To ensure a long shelf life, pickling in vinegar should always be combined with other preservation methods, such as sugaring, salting, or canning.

Cucumbers, squash, and beans are ideal for pickling. Thanks to the vinegar, they will keep for at least a few months if you also store them in a cool, dark place. Pickling works very well with most fruits, herbs, and vegetables.

Preserving with Sugar

Candied fruit, jellies, marmalade, jam: Preserving with sugar is the sweet way to preserve food. It’s also very simple.

These foods are suitable for preserving with sugar: all kinds of fruit and berries, as well as some vegetables, such as rhubarb.

High concentrations of sugar bind water in food, thereby depriving bacteria and germs of the breeding ground they need to multiply. Candied fruits, therefore, keep slightly longer than fresh fruit.

The amount of sugar is crucial: when making jam, a 50% sugar concentration is sufficient. When sugaring without heating, the concentration must be at least 70% to achieve the desired preservation.

Freezing

Freezing in the freezer works similarly to refrigeration in the fridge: thanks to the low temperatures, down to -17 degrees, you can preserve food for up to 1 year.

Preserving and canning

Do you want to preserve seasonal fruits, vegetables, or ready-to-eat meals for longer? Then, canning is a great preservation method to achieve a shelf life of several years.

When canning, the food is placed in clean jars, which are then sealed and heated. Heating creates excess pressure inside the jar, and as it cools, a vacuum forms. This protects the contents from bacteria.

Here’s how to preserve your favorite foods:

Wash the fruit, remove the seeds or pits, and cut it into small pieces.

Place the fruit—either raw or precooked—into a clean jar. Be sure to leave at least 1 cm between the top and the rim.

Then place the tightly sealed jars into a large pot, arranging them so they don’t touch each other if possible.

Fill the pot with water until the jars are 3/4 covered.

If you heat the food for about 10 minutes at approximately 60 to 90 degrees Celsius, it will kill bacteria while preserving nutrients (pasteurization). However, the preserves will not keep as long.

If you heat the jars for about 45 minutes to over 100 degrees Celsius, it will kill any microorganisms that could spoil the food. While the products lose some nutrients and vitamins during processing, they have a very long shelf life.

Pickling

Pickling is a method of preserving food in a liquid, typically alcohol, oil, or brine. This process deprives microorganisms of oxygen, allowing the food to remain edible for several weeks and, in some cases, up to a year. The following methods are available:

Preserving in Alcohol

High-proof spirits such as rum, cognac, arrack, brandy, or vodka are ideal for preserving, as alcohol inhibits the growth of microorganisms.

One of the most popular recipes is the rum pot. The sugar it contains also reduces the amount of free water, which further deprives microorganisms of their breeding ground. Almost all types of fruit are suitable for the rum pot, except gooseberries, cranberries, blueberries, and grapes.

Fruit preserved in alcohol has a shelf life of about 1 year; after that, the fruit becomes hard, and the liquid thickens.

Preserving in Oil

Vegetables such as bell peppers, eggplants, mushrooms, and artichokes—as well as feta cheese—are ideal for preserving in oil. Spices and herbs of your choice will give your preserved batch that special something.

Foods don’t keep quite as long in oil as they do in vinegar, brine, or alcohol because oil isn’t as effective a preservative. It’s therefore worth cooking or sautéing the vegetables beforehand when using this preservation method.

Pickling in Brine

Vegetables pickled in brine will keep for several weeks to a month. Examples are mixed pickle. This preservation method can also be combined with others, such as canning vegetables in brine.

Brine consists of a mixture of water, coarse-grained salt, and, if desired, a splash of vinegar or lemon juice. Add herbs and spices of your choice to your homemade brine, such as dill, tarragon, pepper, mustard seeds, ginger, or cinnamon.

Vacuum Sealing

Vacuum sealing extends the shelf life of food by keeping it in an airtight package. This method of preservation retains important nutrients.

Vacuum sealing allows food to be preserved for several days or weeks. A vacuum sealer is ideal for this type of storage.

You can vacuum seal almost any fresh product you find in your kitchen, from vegetables to liquids like sauces.

Lactic Acid Fermentation

Lactic acid fermentation is a traditional method of preserving food. And Lactic acid bacteria convert carbohydrates in food into lactic acid and CO2. This process creates the sour taste. Acidity also prevents the growth of unwanted bacteria and other microorganisms. Lactic acid fermentation preserves all nutrients, making it a healthy preservation method.

Sauerkraut, sour beans, pickles, kimchi, and all kinds of cabbage you can be preserve well using this method. These healthy foods remain edible for several months.

How to Properly Sterilize Jars

No matter how you plan to preserve or pickle your food, you should sterilize the jars beforehand.

Here’s how:

Boil the jars in a water bath for 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can sterilize them in the oven. To do this, place the jars in a preheated oven at 140 degrees for about 10 minutes.

You can sterilize the lids and rubber rings in a water bath with a splash of vinegar to kill any germs. Before use, rinse them with cold water and dry them with a clean cloth.

To enjoy your preserved fruits and vegetables for as long as possible, store the deliciously filled jars tightly sealed in a dark, dry place.

How to Tell If Food Is Still Good

Look: Inspect the packaging of the expired food. It must be dry; otherwise, microorganisms may have multiplied, posing a health risk. Also, make sure there are no food moths or other small insects in the package. If condensation has formed, proceed with caution, as moisture causes food to spoil faster. If this isn’t the case, and the food still looks fresh and isn’t discolored or moldy, continue to step 2.

Smell: Open the package and smell the contents. Do you detect a musty, fermented, or even rotten odor? If the answer is yes, it’s best to avoid it. If your nose doesn’t detect anything unusual, you can go for the next step.

Taste: Does the food still look fresh and smell the way it should? Great. Now you can try a little bit of it. Does it taste normal? Then you can eat it. Does it taste strange? Then you’d better throw it away.

and How to preserve and properly store vegetables without canning

How To Freeze Fresh Herbs And Store Them For Later

What About Frozen Or Canned Fruits And Vegetables, Are They Healthy?

Preserving Food: A Time-Tested Tradition Worth Reviving