Packaged dry goods.....

[momof4survivor]

Can you take just about anything like a prepackaged cake mix, cookie mix, brownie mix etc. pour it into a mylar bag with an O2 absorber and basically expect it to last 25 years. Just wondering. Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I have a killer sweet tooth.

[Swampwood]

I would feel more confident in the incomplete mixes.. that you have to add oil,egg to.

Remember the Complete Pancake(?) mix turning to poison problem last yr?
But, Im like you..Not real sure.

[PanicFire]

Originally Posted by momof4survivor

Can you take just about anything like a prepackaged cake mix, cookie mix, brownie mix etc. pour it into a mylar bag with an O2 absorber and basically expect it to last 25 years. Just wondering. Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I have a killer sweet tooth.

Older mixes are not harmful in any way; however, the leavening ingredient is affected by age, and the product may not rise properly.

[edit]

Originally Posted by Swampwood

I would feel more confident in the incomplete mixes.. that you have to add oil,egg to.

Remember the Complete Pancake(?) mix turning to poison problem last yr?
But, Im like you..Not real sure.

Good to know.

[rickb223]

Originally Posted by momof4survivor

Can you take just about anything like a prepackaged cake mix, cookie mix, brownie mix etc. pour it into a mylar bag with an O2 absorber and basically expect it to last 25 years. Just wondering. Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I have a killer sweet tooth.

Not a dumb question. Dumb question is one that isn't asked.
Answer to original questions is no. Cake mix is flour.
Once ground, flour is good for about 6 months to a year.

Unground flour, aka wheat berries, yes, 25 to life.

[IceFire]

Originally Posted by momof4survivor

Can you take just about anything like a prepackaged cake mix, cookie mix, brownie mix etc. pour it into a mylar bag with an O2 absorber and basically expect it to last 25 years. Just wondering. Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I have a killer sweet tooth.

Not a dumb question at all. Short answer is...no, unless you like stale-tasting goodies. A much better method is to get either the "Mix-a-Meal" or "Make-a-Mix" cookbook, (which have recipes for you to make the mixes yourself) and then make the mixes from your long-term storage "staples" (things like shortening powder, cocoa, egg, buttermilk, butter, and milk powders, etc) as you need them. That way the stuff is always fresh. For baking "sweets", store soft white wheat and grind the flour as you need it. For breads, use hard red or white wheat, or if you want an "all purpose" flour, use equal proportions of hard and soft wheat.

[getFOODnow]

even mixes bought from reputable companies who sell them packed in #10 tins with 02absorbers only have 5-7 yr life.
its better to store your own ingredients, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, egg powder, milk poweder, etc, and make your own cake and pancakes etc.

[Planning4it]

I wondered why people bought unground wheat! I checked into wheat grinders and found a huge price range (up to $400!) and you have to decide if you want one that grinds corn or not, do you want it fine grain or baking or not and do you grind it by hand or do you think you'll have electricty... sigh... Is it any wonder we can get overwhelmed just THINKING about it? I need baby steps..

[goose3]

Originally Posted by Planning4it

I wondered why people bought unground wheat! I checked into wheat grinders and found a huge price range (up to $400!) and you have to decide if you want one that grinds corn or not, do you want it fine grain or baking or not and do you grind it by hand or do you think you'll have electricty... sigh... Is it any wonder we can get overwhelmed just THINKING about it? I need baby steps..

I went through this process not long ago, and ended up closing my eyes, taking a deep breath, and buying the Country Living Grain Mill. It's a tank, but the deciding factor besides that was that it will grind corn.

[stephpd]

From what I've been able to find you can only expect 5-7 years with Mylar and O2 absorbers. It's the seams that are the problem, allowing air to leach in over time. For longer storage #10 cans and O2 absorbers can give you a longer shelf life. (up to 10 years or more). Realize that temperature also has an effect, besides low O2, low humidity and sunlight.

Here's the main link on most of their studies;
http://ndfs.byu.edu/Research/LongTer...odStorage.aspx
http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/re...d+Food+Science

For flour it's here;
http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/it...SOBOX=1&REC=13

For cornmeal;
http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/it...SOBOX=1&REC=16

and baking powder;
http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/it...ISOBOX=1&REC=2

[MikeK]

Originally Posted by momof4survivor

Can you take just about anything like a prepackaged cake mix, cookie mix, brownie mix etc. pour it into a mylar bag with an O2 absorber and basically expect it to last 25 years. Just wondering. Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I have a killer sweet tooth.

There are several factors involved when it comes to what is in the mix. For example, if the mix contains baking powder, it will offgas in a few years and not rise. You can add your own baking powder to it to get it to rise. If the mix has some form of oil in it, and many mixes do, it might not last either. Some hydrogenated oils will last well in storage with an O2 absorbers. But some other types might not. Even the baking mixes from the long term food storage companies can't be expected to last 25 years.

But they will still last a whole lot longer in mylar with an O2 absorber than they would in the factory box.

But that's where rotation comes in. If you're rotating your foods, there is no need for any food to last 25 years. Even if you rotate it slower than you would be using it in a crisis, you can still rotate everything out in a reasonable amount of time. I managed to rotate out about a year's worth of food storage every 3-5 years.

[MikeK]

Originally Posted by getFOODnow

even mixes bought from reputable companies who sell them packed in #10 tins with 02absorbers only have 5-7 yr life.
its better to store your own ingredients, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, egg powder, milk poweder, etc, and make your own cake and pancakes etc.

Baking powder doesn't last well. But you can store the ingredients to make it on demand, and they will last a long time. It's basically just baking soda, cream of tartar, and optionally cornstarch to absorb moisture. You can skip the corn starch if you make it on demand. Double acting baking powder is the same formula, but with more baking soda added.

But I agree, the best way to store long term foods is to store seperate ingredients and cook. Cooking is a basic life skill and one that we should master. The better of a cook we are when a crisis hits, the less wasted food we'll create and the better and more satisfying our meals will be. This thing about cooking the same 2 dozen meals over and over is ridiculous in a world full of amazing cuisines.

Yet another reason for rotation. It lets you gain cooking experience with the foods you'll be storing. The more you use them, the better you get with them. Sometimes it can be a steep learning curve, so it's best to start early.

[MikeK]

Originally Posted by Planning4it

I wondered why people bought unground wheat! I checked into wheat grinders and found a huge price range (up to $400!) and you have to decide if you want one that grinds corn or not, do you want it fine grain or baking or not and do you grind it by hand or do you think you'll have electricty... sigh... Is it any wonder we can get overwhelmed just THINKING about it? I need baby steps..

Yeah, there's a lot to it. That's one of the reasons people try to take shortcuts like storing flour instead of wheat. But wheat and grains are really the better idea. Not only from a long term lifespan, but from a nutritional standpoint as well. Yeah, they require a grinder, but that's the best investment in food storage that you will ever make. And grinders don't need to cost $400 to work just fine.

[Gallo Pazzesco]

Originally Posted by momof4survivor

Can you take just about anything like a prepackaged cake mix, cookie mix, brownie mix etc. pour it into a mylar bag with an O2 absorber and basically expect it to last 25 years. Just wondering. Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I have a killer sweet tooth.

The better thing to do, if you are looking for reasons to hold onto prepackaged readily available stuff straight off the shelf .... are things like powdered cheese mixes found in most macaroni and cheese kits - which are usually very cheap, or spice kits prepackaged in hamburger helper type stuff - it'll store a really long time. Stuff like that. But if you are talking about the floury stuff only, then it's grinder city for you - not a bad thing to prepare with/for quite frankly.

[robotomos]

I'm glad i found this thread, i've just spend the last 20 mins on google trying to find some of this information.

I recently acquired 150lbs of cake mix... its already expired by one year, so i'm not sure exactly what i'll be doing with it. Until i get Mylar and o2 absorbers, i think that i'm just gonna dump the cake-mix into some foodgrade buckets, and then just electircal tape the seals.


It wouldnt be the end of the world if it turns out to be unusable (the cake-mix was baisically free). But if it can be utilized in SHTF...my family will have an additional 200,000 calories to work with.

[MikeK]

Stuff like cake mix doesn't tend to last all that long because of the fats. I'd give it a good sniff before even bothering to pack it away. If it's a year past expiration, it might be bad or well on the way to it. If so, it's not worth packing away. If it IS worth packing away, it's worth doing right. Bucket and electrical tape pretty much guarantee that it'll just keep on aging. You might as well just leave it in the bag.

[survivalistmomma]

BTW: (by the way)

The mixes in the boxes often have gasses, (argon or nitrogen,) in the inner bag that help them keep fresh. Same goes with cereal and chips. After a while these gasses will leak through the inner bag.

[robotomos]

Originally Posted by MikeK

Stuff like cake mix doesn't tend to last all that long because of the fats. I'd give it a good sniff before even bothering to pack it away. If it's a year past expiration, it might be bad or well on the way to it. If so, it's not worth packing away. If it IS worth packing away, it's worth doing right. Bucket and electrical tape pretty much guarantee that it'll just keep on aging. You might as well just leave it in the bag.

Thanks for the heads up about it possibly being bad already.

The only reason that i've decided to put it all in buckets is because this particuluar cake-mix is packaged in 25lb paper bags (similar to what flour comes in). A few of them are leaking a bit...So i figure that putting it all in buckets will help keep the bugs out.

Its a free soultion for me, becaue i have access to an unlimted supply of food grade buckts

[Boggled Mind]

Originally Posted by MikeK

Baking powder doesn't last well. But you can store the ingredients to make it on demand, and they will last a long time. It's basically just baking soda, cream of tartar, and optionally cornstarch to absorb moisture. You can skip the corn starch if you make it on demand. Double acting baking powder is the same formula, but with more baking soda added.

But I agree, the best way to store long term foods is to store seperate ingredients and cook. Cooking is a basic life skill and one that we should master. The better of a cook we are when a crisis hits, the less wasted food we'll create and the better and more satisfying our meals will be. This thing about cooking the same 2 dozen meals over and over is ridiculous in a world full of amazing cuisines.

Yet another reason for rotation. It lets you gain cooking experience with the foods you'll be storing. The more you use them, the better you get with them. Sometimes it can be a steep learning curve, so it's best to start early.

I know we as preppers / survivalists aren't supposed to say this, but I find myself thinking, "When the SHTF, I want to go to MikeK's house!"

[alaska_freedom]

Originally Posted by IceFire

Not a dumb question at all. Short answer is...no, unless you like stale-tasting goodies. A much better method is to get either the "Mix-a-Meal" or "Make-a-Mix" cookbook, (which have recipes for you to make the mixes yourself) and then make the mixes from your long-term storage "staples" (things like shortening powder, cocoa, egg, buttermilk, butter, and milk powders, etc) as you need them. That way the stuff is always fresh. For baking "sweets", store soft white wheat and grind the flour as you need it. For breads, use hard red or white wheat, or if you want an "all purpose" flour, use equal proportions of hard and soft wheat.

Get a grain grinder. It will be a life saver when SHTF. Buy lots of red wheat amd grind up to make the best cream of wheat ever. Add sugar, powder milk, salt. I always add a drop of vanilla. The family loves it. Top it off with jelly, honey, syrup or choc. dry cocoa powder. Full belly and happy kids.

[BadgeBunny]

Originally Posted by Boggled Mind

I know we as preppers / survivalists aren't supposed to say this, but I find myself thinking, "When the SHTF, I want to go to MikeK's house!"

No kidding!! I was gonna post the baking powder recipe but Mike beat me to it! (I should have known!! LOL)

So ... all I got now is nuthing ... well, except if you do have some mixes that are not rancid, but you have had a while and the humidity has been high go ahead and add some more leavening to the mix before you make it. It won't hurt anything and if the mix has gone "flat" it will keep you from having a hard cake, cookie, cornbread, pancakes, etc.