Gf Flours Question

[lisa922]

I was wondering if I can store my gluten-free Flours in my cabinet or if they must be either refrigerated or kept in the freezer? I have been really bad about buying a whole bunch and then I have hardly used them. Most are unopened and still in the cabinet. I have some potato starch and rice flour that I opened in November and they're just in the cabinet, too. I just didn't know if they would go "bad" or not. I have some unopened Almond Meal that I threw in the freezer recently...it had a sell by date of sometime in Dec. Do you know how long this stuff is good for once it is past the sell by date? I guess I was all excited and thought I'd come home and start baking all this stuff, but since I'm the only Celiac, every time I made something, I was pigging out on the whole thing, and my waistline can't afford that! Thanks for any advice.

Lisa

[tarnalberry]

It depends on the fat content of the flour in question. Nut flours and flax meal pretty much have to be stored in the freezer; they have a high fat content and go rancid quickly. The higher fat gluten-free grain flours can last for a while in a cool, dark pantry (on the order of a year in good conditions), but they too have fats that can go bad. The lower fat gluten-free grain flours (white rice, potato) can last longer in a cool, dark pantry (though I wouldn't go past two years), but all the grains run the risk of weevils the longer they are stored, as some "bug matter" is allowable in grain flours.

[lisa922]

Thanks for the info, Tiffany! I hate those pesky weevils...I remember them in regular flour when I was a kid. Blech!

Lisa

[Guest Viola]

Thanks for that information Tiffany. It has always been a question in my mind as well ... how long the stuff is safe, as most doesn't have a use before date on it.

[plantime]

Then I guess my flours are fairly safe in their non-see through sealed canisters in a dark, cool cupboard for just a couple of months! Thanks for the info!

[cdford]

Any "real foods", i.e. freshly milled foods, need to be stored for very short periods of time or refrigerated. Most of the storebought potato, rice, and bean flours will last months on the shelf. I would be more careful about whole grain flours of any kind on the shelf for extended periods. Make sure all of them are sealed tightly to keep out light, air, and bugs.