In WWII here in Britain there was a no hoarding rule, so many people hid away excess foods. in the 1990's - 50+ years later - a hoard was discovered in a house that a hidden pantry that had been bricked up. The tinned - sorry, "canned" - corned beef was just fine, as were the canned fish.
neilgriffiths
1967 in Vietnam I was 22yrs old and was eating hot dogs out of a green can marked 1945 enough said.
jaystaudohar
My son was an engineer for a company that cans SPAM. It's good for at least 15 years past the
peppysdotcom
I've been doing food storage for almost 30 years. In my experience the foods that keep the best in cans surprisingly, is any type of regular meat. Canned Chicken, Salmon (I have perfectly good cans of Salmon on the shelf that were bought 17-18 years ago), Tuna, Ham, Roast Beef and Corned Beef but don't get anything with sauces on it, especially tomato sauce unless you cycle it out frequently. Most meats in my experience will keep at least 15 or more years, if kept in moderate or better conditions (cool and dry, just like ammo). The canned fruit that keeps by far the best is canned Pineapple packed in it's own juice. I ate some canned Pineapple the other day that was 17-18 years old, although it should be cycled out normally about every 10-12 years max. Also, another important point is try to avoid cans with a "pop tops". They definitely go bad quicker (I believe a can builds pressure up long before the contents go bad). I probably have lost way more cans to this feature alone than any other factor. The fruit that is the worst for storage is Peaches packed in light or heavy syrup. I suspect any fruit that is packed that way is not safe long term. It just seems to eat through the cans faster. Tomatoes are also a bad item to store long term, whether they are diced, crushed, whole, paste or sauce. Most commonly eaten veggies seem to store well in cans. The best are probably Green Beans, Whole Kernel Corn, Sweet Peas and Spinach (I don't think I have lost any of these veggies unless the can was leaked on by something else). Veggies that store ok are some cans of Beans, Whole Potatoes and Sliced Carrots. I have lost more of these over the years, than the others I listed so put them where they can be checked regularly.
When I started out doing food storage, there was not near as much information out there on this subject as there is now. Most of the so called experts back then, did not recommend long term storage of canned goods. Most recommended things like freeze dried food, dry goods, MRE's things like that, with canned goods to be used for short term, frequently rotated storage. But all of those things cost a lot of money and don't go very far if you have lots of people to feed. So I decided fairly early on to go predominately with canned goods and dry goods. Over the years, much of it due to changing family and friend dynamics (many friends and family have died, some have moved away, etc), I have lost a number of cans of food. At my peak of readiness, I probably could have fed my family of five and at least five or six others for 4-5 years with very little supplementation. I have probably had about 400-600 cans of various things that I have had to toss, but considering the magnitude of what I have stored over the 30 years, that is nothing. I used to store cans of "Chunky" soup and at one time had well over 500 cans of just that one item alone. It is nice to have a meal in a can, but since I discovered how long meats will keep it is better to have meat to fix with other stuff to make it stretch further. I still have some "Chunky" soup stored but nothing like I had, I find that it does keep very well, and the best kind is "Sirloin Burger". The biggest danger with any food storage plan, is it is very difficult to store enough food and still be able to keep track of what you have and then rotate it out in a timely fashion. What tends to happen is if you lose a can due to leakage, the likely hood is that you will lose 4-5 or more cans before you catch it. Believe me I know what I am talking about, and if somebody tells you that is just carelessness, I would tell them (A) you don't have very much food stored or (B) you have someone who's "job" it is, to just monitor your food storage. I will say that several hundred of the cans I lost were cans of Evaporated Milk. I also had powdered milk stored which has been fine. The evaporated milk stored ok but if you do store it, the cans should be rotated out and turned over (bottom up) every three months or so.
Anyway, don't get discouraged (it is a huge undertaking storing food for your family, but it must be done), if a catastrophe hits your best bet is to stay put (most of the time) and the more you have stored the longer you'll be able to stay put. Buy inexpensive stuff until you have a good bit stored. Feed store Wheat and Corn, Beans and Rice. Canned Meats (Whatever your taste) Powdered Milk (not cheap anymore). Buy where you get the most value for your money. Freeze Dried, MRE's, etc. that's all great but you will get far more for the money with the other stuff.
cormacmacart
My wife was going through the cabinets. Started throwing out unopened containers of tea, coffee, peanut butter, can meat. She said the expiration date had passed. I grabbed the stuff away from her and said that is a sell by date made up by the government. Its still good. Plus coffee and tea are good trading items
edl
About 15 years ago I found a box of instant oatmeal in my house that was so old that I don't think it even had a bar code on it. Not only were there no microwave instructions but I think the stove top directions were written in middle-English. I ate it and as you may have guessed, I didn't die at all.
cliffh
When I was in the Marine Corps In 1970 we were eating c rations from 1942 and it was fine !
ernestreichardt
A good tip for single preppers on a budget looking to stock up and rotate their stock. I have 365 cans of meat (spam, corned beef hash, or salmon), 1 year supply of grains (oats, rice, or beans), plenty of fats (PB, veggie oil, coconut oil), 365 cans of fruits and vegetables, and lastly 365 cans of whole meals like chili, soups, raviolis etc. They are easy to pick up a couple of times, they can be your main source of food for a year, they are everyday items I use and rotate out, and they are easy to pack
thestraycat
When they put Best Before Date on salt
You know something's not right.
nspctor
I've written this is on several of these videos. I'm nearly 70 and grew up without "use by” information on any products. When you opened a can or a package of food, you had no idea of how old it was, but if it looked, smelt and tasted ok, you ate it. I still go by this and never worry about dates.
vickikay
I would also like to add that bay leaves are great to keep in your pantry, these keep weevils and other pests away from you dried foods
changemd
Instant coffee is a great flavoring substitute! If you need to stretch (or concentrate) a broth or batter, try a pinch. My favorite hack is to add left over coffee to a batch of beans. It brings up the flavor without adding the coffee taste. Try it wherever a caramelized flavor is needed, a richness is needed, or just a "bit more" would help. Also, great to use as an air freshener.
sailingaway
Chicken broth is awesome for reconstituting rice, beans, noodles, etc and if you are short on water you can drink it because it has electrolytes too. You can't have enough chicken broth. (God bless Puerto Rico.)
maxwellbernstein
While stationed in Germany, I was on assignment to rotate out a depot near Vilsek and it was unbelievable all the things the military had stored during the cold war. Through all the medical equipment and supplies was more food than a bank got so dimes, I mean tons. Since these supplies were stored for emergency use to feed a country there was just about everything imaginable (Chicken, hams, Hamburger, Beef, Fish, every kind of canned vegetable and even bread) Now here's the crazy part, we open some...you guessed it, still good. It was such ashame destroying all that perfectly good food, but did eat as much lobster and steak as possible.
michaelangel
Just started prepping today. Better late than never
JoshForet
The "best by" date can mean that the food might change in texture past a certain date, though it will still be OK to eat. Like honey can crystallize over time. Salt and sugar might get chunky. Canned vegies can soften, but will still be safe to eat. It can also refer to a decline in nutritive value as the food gets older. And iodized salt can eventually lose the potency of the iodine.
dodieodie
I have a little cubby hole underneath my basement steps, im gonna put my emergency food and equipment under there sealed up and in plastic tubs, then cut plywood to cover the hole, paint it to match the area best I can and screw it over the hole. I'll know it's there in an emergency but looters and thieves probably wont discover it if im not home and get ransacked. Could also double as a safe space.
kindredspiritzz
Don’t forget Crisco, salt, pepper, dry milk, chicken broth, dry juice mixes and
benjaminmann
My mom died in 2008 I still have her can of instant coffee. I hate coffee but my 28 year old daughter loves it. Thanks Mom. Any way we ran out of coffee for the coffee maker n my daughter found the old Folgers instant. Mind you it had been opened in 2007 a year before my died of cancer. My daughter drank it n I asked her was she crazy she said it was good just like grandma's. The look on her face when I told her it was Mom's was priceless. The coffee is still in the cabinet n my crazy daughter has decided that 5 times a year she is using it until it's gone. On March 31 my dad's birthday, April 1 my Mom's birthday, June 6 my parents wedding anniversary and on October 8 anniversary of Mom's death n Dec 8 anniversary of dad's passing. The jar is the big one and still over 3/4 full so I figure she has 10 years worth of memories with it. The fact it's been open n still good freaks me out.
rebeccamiller
Damn man leaving California was the smartest thing you did
