6 Pantry Items You Should Check on Today

#5 Quinoa

While we’re going to take a closer look at quinoa, this goes for all whole grains, as they all have different fat contents, and this drastically affects their shelf life. Grains like quinoa are not supposed to have a smell, or if they do, it should be a vaguely sweet one that’s quite hard to pick up on. If they smell oily or even musty, then the oils in the grains have gone rancid, and you’re better off not trying to eat these grains.

These oils we are talking about are actually part of the reason these grains are good for you, but depending on how they’re stored, they also change the shelf life and how long you can keep them in your pantry. Be careful about how hot it is inside the pantry and how much air and moisture can get to your grains!

#6 Cereal

A good rule of thumb would be to not keep the cereal in your pantry for more than three months, as you risk it going stale. However, if the box is unopened and on the shelf, you should be fine with keeping them for about a year. Yet, this is all subject to change depending on the type of cereal you’re consuming.

If you’re eating anything that has nuts or seeds in it, you run the risk of opening a box that has been in your pantry for a year and finding it to be rancid. This happens because seeds and nuts are full of oils that, with time, can go rancid. Being trapped in a container with various types of cereal as well will mean that the whole package will be at the mercy of those oils.

The silver lining is that you will be able to tell something is wrong right away from the smell or with the first bite, as the taste is bound to be unpleasant!

And while we’re on the topic of pantries, you should definitely make sure you’re always stocked up on these canned items!