# Shelf life of gluten-free flour ingredients?



## suzyq

My daughter, 13, has celiac disease and must eat gluten free. I'm trying to figure out how to store ingredients for making flour as opposed to pre-ground flour. We're fairly new to celiac disease, so we haven't used any bean flours yet. Many flours are made with rice flour as the main ingredient. Brown rice would be healthier but wouldn't store as long as white rice. I haven't researched making rice flour from rice, but I assume it can be done. The other usual ingredients in flours are starches - tapioca, flour, corn. Does anyone know the shelf-life of the starches?


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## The_Blob

these numbers are for STP (standard temperature & pressure) in non-airtight containers (a *literal* 'shelf life'), and can be greatly extended if kept cooler & stored in proper containers

•Corn meal - 2 years 
•Grits - 1 year
•Corn starch - 2 years
•White flour - 1 1/2 years
•Whole wheat flour - 1 year
•Non-fat dry milk - unopened 6 months, opened 3 months
•Dried pasta - 2 years
•Egg noodles - 9 months
•White rice - 2 years
•Brown rice - 1 year
•Flavored or herb rice - 6 months
•Dried beans - 2 years
•Dried peas and lentils - 1 year
•Yeast - use-by date or freeze indefinitely


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## Emerald

Ok, I have made white rice flour from rice and a hand cranked mill and while I had to go thru twice- it turned out great.
I have used a couple of different bean flours like chickpea and black eyed pea flour and the stuff made with them is really nice.
I have been looking into making my own bean flours and there are two different schools of thought about it online- some just crack and grind uncooked beans(like the big industrial places do) and others cook, dry back to hard and then grind them. Until I get up the gumption to try it, I really can't tell ya which is best.
But like all flours-Moisture is not your friend! Keeping them super dry is key to keeping the shelf stable.
Also corn meals and Masa meal is like a bullseye for pantry moths so I do vac-pack mine into the large mason jars and freeze for about 1 week before removing them to the pantry.
I've also ground oatmeal(just plain ol' fashioned oatmeal) for adding to my breads and it grinds down to flour like a dream and makes wonderful additions to your gluten free baked goods.
But my favorite flour for gluten free is the coconut flour-my daughters sister in Law just found out a couple years ago that she has Celiac and we have been helping her experiment with different things. Use the coconut flour with zucchini and nuts and nice sweet spices and you will end up with a cake that is mouth watering, If I can I try to get the recipe from her.


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## suzyq

Thank you. White rice can be ground into flour fairly easily then; so it can do double duty. Corn flour is ground from cornmeal, which should be storable for the long term. The starches I assume should last a long enough time with proper storage.

Now if brown rice doesn't store well long-term, I assume that brown rice based pastas probably don't store well either. Guess we'd better find a different type of pasta; I only know of corn-based or quinoa pastas.

I've never heard of coconut flour. I assume it tastes like coconut?

I'd like to store as much naturally gluten-free food as possible; I certainly don't want to have to cook separate meals, especially in emergency situations.


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## Tirediron

We are gluten intolerant, and so will a lot more people be, in the future because of the modifications made to wheat mostly. 

We use Tinkyada rice based pasta, I just grabbed a bag from the drawer 
Best before is Aug 2013, don't know how long it has been in the drawer, we rotate so not a real long time . but it looks like it should be good for at least 2 maybe 3 years (this is organic brown rice past, spaghetti style)
If your daughter is celiac then some of the others in you family will most likley be intollerant. the pasta is good.
my wife makes cakes etc with rice flour and they are GOOD , just dry out quick so it is best to only make what will get eaten right away.


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## weedygarden

*corn meal versus corn*

I have had bugs and moths in corn meal. Why not store corn and then grind it as needed? I read recently that most of the yellow field or dent corn is GMO, but popcorn, white and blue corns are not GMO. Blue corn has a higher protein content than yellow corn.

There are many options for flour besides wheat and other grains with gluten. As with anything, it takes time, experience and experimenting to find out what you can do with them. If you haven't done any cooking with them, start. It seems that combining a variety of flours adds to the flavor and texture. The one challenge in cooking with gluten free flours is to get the right texture.

Sorghum flour is a popular one. It is made with a small grain, sometimes called milo. It is mostly raised in the northern plains states--South Dakota and Nebraska for sure. Milo could be stored for future grinding.

Garbanzo beans can be ground into flour.

Rice is a common gluten free flour. All types of rice are used.

My daughter, a celiac, has used almond flour with great success.

If I was a prepper with gluten challenges, I would have a grain grinder dedicated to gluten free grains. I am not gluten free, just my daughter. We often question whether something has gluten or not. Since she has been living gf for a few years, gluten exposure can make her very sick with digestion issues keeping her close to the bathroom, vomiting and migraines. It is a serious problem for her. I have worked on getting gf preps together, but I do find it much more challenging than buying a few hundred pounds of wheat.


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## lotsoflead

usually the shelf life of anything processed unless stored in a freezer is less than a yr if stored in a dry,cool,dark, place.


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## Meerkat

Great info,never thought of buying blue corn,wonder where its sold?I think storing the corn is better than the meal also.But its so hard to find real non GMO corn now,we just dont eat much cornbread anymore.

Maybe we will try growing it.Blue cornbread,what an idea.


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## weedygarden

*food to make with corn*



Meerkat said:


> Great info,never thought of buying blue corn,wonder where its sold?I think storing the corn is better than the meal also.But its so hard to find real non GMO corn now,we just dont eat much cornbread anymore.
> 
> Maybe we will try growing it.Blue cornbread,what an idea.


Yes, imagine blue corn bread!

But, have you tried posole? It is corn that has been treated with lye(?). It is either the same as or similar to hominy. Posole can be made with pork or chicken and onions, green chile's, garlic and seasonings to make a stew.

What about making your own corn tortillas? People in Latin American countries make their own tortillas everyday. Again, the corn is treated with some chemical (originally wood ash, I think).

Here is one place to purchase blue corn: GoldenOrganics.net

I wonder why more people don't talk about or store corn in their preps? I do read about cornmeal in people's preps. Corn could be grown if you needed to have more.

Corn, like wheat, is more versatile in the whole grain form.


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## Centraltn

Dent corn is the kind of corn ya need to store. Always leave it as whole dried coorn until you are ready to make something out of the cornmeal or corn flour cause it looses the food value VERY fast once ground


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## Oxalis

SusieQ, we have to eat gluten-free too. Hard grains store longer than soft grains, so that's the place to start.

https://www.usaemergencysupply.com/information_center/storage_life_of_foods.htm#link6

As you can see, corn, millet, and buckwheat are hard grains. Quinoa and oats are soft grains so their shelf lives are shorter.

If you plan to grow a garden, then learning how to plant gluten-free grains will help. As another person said, get a separate grinder for gluten-free grains and grind in another part of the house as dust from grinding gluten can settle on surfaces and contaminate them.

White rice is notoriously low on nutrients, especially over time, so utilizing other gluten-free grains is important.

If there is a private messaging function here, feel free to contact me if you like. I have baked delicious gluten-free cakes using dried beans.


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