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How to store and when to toss 5 pantry staples

Check out these tips for where to store and when to toss common food items in your kitchen from culinary nutritionist Stefanie Sacks.

Jan, 2026
LearnPlant-based eatingHow to store and when to toss 5 pantry staples
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1. Herbs and Spices
2. Oils
3. Vinegars
4. Flour
5. Breads

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Have you ever opened your pantry and reached for something not knowing if it has gone bad? Culinary nutritionist Stefanie Sacks, MS, is here to help. In her book, What the Fork Are You Eating?, Sacks lays out guidelines for where to store and when to toss common food items in your kitchen. Click through to see if you’ve got some cleaning up to do in your pantry.

Adapted from What the Fork Are You Eating by Stefanie Sacks. © 2014 by Stefanie Sacks. Jeremy P. Tarcher, Penguin Group USA, a Penguin Random House Company.

Written byJordan Lawson.
Medically reviewed byGaby Vaca-Flores, RD.August, 2025

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