August Food storage: Oils and fats
This is from Elder Busche. He said, "Frequently I am asked, “What were the most valuable items in the days of starvation in Germany? .........As for what we needed, the food item we relied on most was vegetable oil. With a bottle of vegetable oil, one could acquire nearly every other desirable item. It had such value that with a quart of vegetable oil one could probably trade for three bushels of apples or three hundred pounds of potatoes. Vegetable oil has a high calorie content, is easy to transport, and in cooking can give a tasty flavor to all kinds of food items that one would not normally consider as food—wild flowers, wild plants, and roots from shrubs and trees. For me and my family, a high-quality vegetable oil has the highest priority in our food storage, both in times of daily use and for emergency usage. When vegetable oil is well-packed and stored appropriately, it has a long storage life without the necessity of refrigeration. We found ours to be in very good condition after twenty years of storage, but circumstances may vary in different countries and with different supplies." --Link to Ensign article.
Here are a few general rules to help you determine how long to store fats:
- Avoid exposure to heat, light and oxygen.
The more exposure to these three factors, the sooner racidity can set
in. To lengthen the life of your fats and oils, buy them in darkened,
airtight containers (vacuum sealed is preferable) and refrigerate after
opening. Regardless of the packaging, store at the coolest
temperature you can provide.
- Rotate your fats and oils. It is important that you not buy more that you can use and rotate over several months. Manufacturers do add preservatives, which will help to extend the shelf life. Be sure and check expiration dates when purchasing at the grocery store - fresher is better for a longer shelf life.
- Buy fats and oils in smaller containers. Properly packaged, unopened cooking oils have a shelf life of approximately one year - some times longer if they have been specially treated, and depending on the conditions mentioned above. Be aware that specialty oils such as flax seed and sesame have an even shorter shelf life, so be sure to refrigerate after opening. They may become cloudy or solid but are still usable and will return to their normal state at room temperature. Opened bottles can begin to turn rancid in a matter of weeks to a couple of months, often long before they smell rancid.
- Buy lighter colored oils. Darker colored oils are more flavorful than the lighter colored oils, but the lighter oils have a longer shelf life.
- Use solid shortening for longer shelf life. The fat with the longest shelf life (store-bought) is Crisco™. Crisco is hydrogenated shortening and includes preservatives, which accounts for its longer shelf life. It's impossible to know for sure, but any brand of hydrogenated shortening with preservatives, unopened and kept in a cool environment, should last 8 to 10 years.
- Coconut Oil. As it turns out, coconut oil
is a great option for cooking due to its high smoking point (350°F
for unrefined and 450°F for refined). This means that you can sauté
and bake with coconut oil and not worry about it turning into a
trans-fat. Plus, coconut oil is very stable. It has more than a
two-year shelf life and won’t become rancid, even in warm temperatures.
Also, there appears to be strong evidence that coconuts are an anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory food. Plus, the research behind its heart and weight benefits seems well founded. (Source: www.naturalhealthsherpa.com/coconut-oil-metabolism-booster/5295)
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