What is Non-Perishable Food?

If you thought that non-perishable food means that the food never perishes (like the name implies), turns out you're wrong. Non-perishable food still has an expiration date printed on the package, it's just a much further out one than most of the food in your fridge and cupboard. For example, well-packaged grains like pasta and granola bars will last about a year, while many canned goods last around 2 years. 

Well, that's lame. Turns out you can't just buy a month's supply of food and leave it in your cupboards for decades. This is where rotation comes into play. (Cue music: the parody song I write someday to Fiddler on the Roof's "Tradition", titled "Rotation" #getexcited.) So don't go buying things you'll never eat for food storage because that is exactly what will happen--you'll never eat it and have to throw it away. However, if you purchase and keep food storage that is part of your normal diet, you can eat and replace it once it gets ready to expire in a year or two. This will require a bit of organization and planning, but we're big kids and we can handle it. 

Here are some other helpful hints about food storage:

• Don't eat food from cans that are dented, swollen, or corroded, even if it looks fine. When in doubt, throw it out!
• Keep room-temperature grains like oatmeal, pasta, and cereal in TWO gallon-sized Ziploc bags. This especially helps during the September-October moth season in Boston. 
• Avoid salty items in your food storage. High-sodium soups, saltine crackers, and beef jerky will require you to have some extra water on hand. If there is a water storage, you will thank yourself.

Question: which food storage items are your favorites and why?