# Long Term Storage of Corn Flakes and Rolled Corn



## Tacitus (Dec 30, 2012)

What do you folks think about long term storage of corn flakes?

Maybe in a bag, with oxygen absorbers, and sealed. How long do you think they would stay "fresh"?

I'm thinking about storing more corn. I have some corn meal. But we don't really use the stuff. So, it is mostly store and forget type stuff. 

But not so with cereals. We might eat that. So, I could just buy and rotate, because I think they last a long time anyway. But I was thinking about putting some into storage.

I started looking for "rolled corn" like rolled oats, rolled wheat, etc. But it looks to me like rolled corn is for feed for animals, not humans.


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## Bobbb (Jan 7, 2012)

I've eaten 3 year old Corn Flakes from Kelloggs from an unopened box. I don't recall there being anything funky about that cereal.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

For long term storage you want popcorn. You will need a grinder. Corn meal will not keep as long as unground corn.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I'd think that the corn flakes sealed in a bag with O2 absorbers would get crunched down when a vacuum is pulled in the bag. Dont know for sure but it may be worth checking out.

Before I seal up and store corn I recently started putting a small piece of dry ice in the bottom of the liner and let it expel the O2 as it evaporates, then I seal the bag and bucket.



Caribou said:


> For long term storage you want popcorn. You will need a grinder. Corn meal will not keep as long as unground corn.


Curiosity, why do you prefer popcorn to regular dent corn?


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

I'm not really sure. I was reading up on the subject a while back and decided that popcorn was the way to go. I've forgotten the particulars but I'm sure someone will chime in. One advantage is that you have a whole grain snack. Yea, that's it, it's healthy! Okay, I like popcorn. At one time popcorn was considered a breakfast cereal.

On your dry ice I suggest that you put three or four inches of product in the bottom of the mylar bag before adding the dry ice. The extreme cold of the dry ice can deteriorate the mylar. They use compressed CO2 to inflate life rafts on commercial maritime vessels. By law these must be tested every so often. Each time these are tested it weakens the material and takes five years off the life expectancy of the raft.


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## IlliniWarrior (Nov 30, 2010)

for long term food storage ... I'm not talking a couple of years ... that's not LTS ..... you want unprocessed grain .... whole kernel corn, wheat, oats ect ect ..... when you start processing it, you cut the storage longevity .... if the process involves oil or fats you cut storage even more ....

concerning the LTS of popcorn kernels ..... when popcorn is processed the moisture content is kept high .... the maintained moisture is what gives the "pop" .... you need to do addition drying for LTS .... either a regular oven or a food dehydrator ..... too much moisture in any grain storage can risk dangerous mold conditions ....


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Caribou said:


> On your dry ice I suggest that you put three or four inches of product in the bottom of the mylar bag before adding the dry ice. The extreme cold of the dry ice can deteriorate the mylar.


Yea, I found that out the hard way, glad you brought it up! You may want to make sure you have good ventilation when you have a block of dry ice in your house also!


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## Tacitus (Dec 30, 2012)

Caribou said:


> For long term storage you want popcorn.


Yeah, but then I will have to buy a grinder (at least to crack it), right? Otherwise how do I prepare it for eating...just pop it?

I've seen cheap grinders (under $100), but I've read you get what you pay for.

I've seen some in the $300-400 range, and I haven't decided to commit to that yet. (I would want one that had a hand crank attachment. Maybe I should just get a mortar and pestle.)

So, I was looking for some corn that would store well, but that I wouldn't have to grind. I've seen rolled oats, and recently dicovered rolled wheat and rolled barley...so why not rolled corn? Haven't seen it yet.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

Tacitus said:


> Yeah, but then I will have to buy a grinder (at least to crack it), right? Otherwise how do I prepare it for eating...just pop it?
> 
> I've seen cheap grinders (under $100), but I've read you get what you pay for.
> 
> ...


Yes, unfortunate as it may seem to store wheat or corn you need a grinder. You will also need an auger for each grain size. A longer handle will make life easier. By the time you get the options you want I would expect to pay closer to $500.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Grinding the corn isn't a requirement if you just want its nutrition and calorie content in your stores.

You can make Hominy from it, the soak in lime or lye makes more of the Bvitamins accessable to your body and is a more nutritious way to prepare it. Its not hard to make and once it is made, you can run it through a food processor, blender or a cheap hand grinder and make cornbread or tortillas out of the resulting paste. You can even use it to make Grits which are pretty good made that way.



Tacitus said:


> Yeah, but then I will have to buy a grinder (at least to crack it), right? Otherwise how do I prepare it for eating...just pop it?
> 
> I've seen cheap grinders (under $100), but I've read you get what you pay for.
> 
> ...


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

A way to prepare wheat without a grain mill is to soak it in water until soft then run it through the same food processor, blender or cheap grinder and then dry the pieces. It makes a good breakfast cereal, filler in meat dishes or as an addition to bread dough made from prepared flour.

Just because you havent gone through the expense(sometimes considerable) of obtaining a grain mill doesn't mean you have to exclude hard grains from your stores.



Caribou said:


> Yes, unfortunate as it may seem to store wheat or corn you need a grinder. You will also need an auger for each grain size. A longer handle will make life easier. By the time you get the options you want I would expect to pay closer to $500.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Caribou said:


> Yes, unfortunate as it may seem to store wheat or corn you need a grinder. You will also need an auger for each grain size. A longer handle will make life easier. By the time you get the options you want I would expect to pay closer to $500.


You can get a good grain mill for $500 but you can get general purpose mills that work well for less. I have a Wonder Mill Jr. Delux and I've ground everything from dried peppers and dehydrated eggs to corn and it works well. It was about $250 with extra stones and mounting hardware when I bought it, I think the price has gone up a little(but not a lot) since I bought it.

A note on the power drill attachment, I tried it and it slung corn all over the kitchen.

http://www.pleasanthillgrain.com/wonder_junior_grain_mill_hand_grinder_wondermill_wheat_flour.aspx


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

Tacitus said:


> What do you folks think about long term storage of corn flakes?
> 
> Maybe in a bag, with oxygen absorbers, and sealed. How long do you think they would stay "fresh"?
> 
> ...


Long term food storage info here, also try to make your own corn flakes.
http://www.family-survival-planning.com/long-term-food-shelf-life.html


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