I've read that regular white rice has an almost indefinite shelf life. I have no idea how long ago I bought the rice I have stored in a Rubbermaid container. It looks fine, there are no visible critters in it. Not that rice is so expensive I can't chuck it and buy more, but I don't get to the store that often and was going to use it. Anybody?

I guess if you don't see anything crawling around in it or webs. I have just put the raw rice in a container and froze it. Take it out maybe a day ahead of time and use it.

Usually, though I use it pretty often. I always take it out of the package and store it in a glass jar in a cupboard away from heat. But I always take it out of it's plastic packaging. I've seen it in the grocery store with webs in it.

Here is a site concerning white rice. Bugs that you cannot see can still be in the rice. If properly stored polished white rice can last for 25 to 30 years. But then that's properly stored.

http://extension.usu.edu/foodstorage/htm/white-rice/

Flour is another one that I leave in it's package and put it in the freezer to kill any bugs that might be in there. These are bugs and such that you can't see. Just bring it out so that it can come to room temperature when you want to use it.

I keep some flour in a covered container - flour that I use really often.

Great site, thank you.
40F or below Don't think it ever gets to 40F here. I had no idea. ugh. I will need a larger fridge to keep all this stuff in the refrigerator. I wonder what an "oxygen-free container" looks like.

Always take a clue from what your food was packaged in when you bought it. Most grains need to be triple cleaned (dirt absorbs moisture and makes the grain fail) .. and allowed to breathe. In my area of Southern Idaho, I can go to the feed store and buy cheap beans, wheat, hay or potatoes .. all have to be clean and dry or they fail .. sprout, rot get moldy .. mold is an immune inhibitor. It pays to just get the more expensive cleaned product, or if you grow your own .. clean it before you store it .. changes in temperature will put moisture into the dirt on your food.

What I thought was a good deal .. wasn't, but I learned to clean it. In the fall I have a bean warehouse a half mile away .. the blowers are going all the time and a big puff of dirty air is always going up in the air. They triple clean their beans and ship them to Phoenix by the truck load and from there into Mexico.

Side Note: Peruano's .. yellows .. are the fastest growing bean in popularity among the Mexicans .. shorter soak and shorter cooking time .. better taste and of course .. more expensive. It was found not too long ago .. in an archaeological dig .. planted and grew. Very ancient.

Best foods for stabilizing your blood sugars .. oats, beans, fish and broccoli. Source "The Sugar Solution" Rodale/Harrar" Why Broccoli? It helps stabilize your Endocannabinoid System that regulates the entire human body .. tells your body to store glucose and when to burn glucose .. except .. for the muscles. They never share. They keep their fuel on hand for emergencies like .. work or out running danger. Sit on you heels and you mess up a glucose warehouse that was based on your hauling of water .. lifting it up out of a well with a pot that weighed 90 pounds .. water that weighs 7.4 pounds per gallon all day long, raising your food, walking to town or after a herd of animals .. which man no longer does .. they burn fossil fuels.

But, we won't get into that.