11 month test – canned crackers

My wife made some no-bean chili the other night. Stuff is fantastic but I must have saltine crackers to go with it. She said we were out……EXCEPT those ones in the jars sitting in the cabinet.

She was referring to several jars of crackers that I had canned back in November of 2013. Would they still be crisp and taste good after 9 month? My wife said I was crazy for eating crackers that old.

I unscrewed the ring and pulled up on the tightly held lid – and air rushed in making that “thwish!!” sound. Of course I called my 15 year old son over as my test subject. Knowing Jonathan will eat anything I shoved a cracker in his mouth and watched for his reaction.

He survived.

I tried one myself and found it to be just like new out of the box. Crisp and tasted great.

canned crackers open

ย Just so you know I got the idea for dry canning crackers from this video on YouTube.

I know – this is expensive but the reality is it is a method for storing what is essentially bread for the long term. I have a few other jars and will test them some time in the future. I also just bought some jars on sale so I may try canning some more.

Rourke


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17 thoughts on “11 month test – canned crackers”

  1. Maybe you could try crackers with more fat, like RITZ or Cheese-Its. They would have more calories per cracker and hopefully some extra nutrition value. Saltines are like french bread…. Flour, water and a little salt….. good in chili though… ๐Ÿ™‚

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  2. Good for you Rourke. We have eaten crackers ( wheat thins, triscuits) that were 2 years old.They were stored in a plastic bag in a metal container -delicious- like new. However Rourke- I tested them-smile and served them to my family w/o their knowing-no complaints !!! Unfortunately they were preserved with BHT so they
    probably will outlast me !!! -but in an emergency when I cannot get organic these will suffice. Arlene

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  3. The fact that Saltines are so simple is the reason they stayed fresh. Like Hardtack, there is very little for any bacteria to eat. The more fats and such that are added, the harder it is to preserve them. You would have to ‘can’ them, like other foods, with heat high enough to kill anything that could use them as a food supply (or use radiation packing).

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  4. I will have to try this method.

    Has anyone stored rice or anything else in five gallon buckets with the metal bags and oxygen absorbers? I have everything except for the rice, but have never tried it. Any hints or tricks to share?

    I have dehydrated & stored alot of fruits and veggie’s and have been happy with the results.

    Jibbs

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  5. What??? Not going to share the chili recipe? Oh gee! Thanks a heap.
    (Always, always on the lookout for better chili recipes!(long-time chili junkie and have NO intention of going into chili rehab.)(ever)

    My wife cans everything. I put the crackers in the Food Saver vacuum sealer. Works great.They just never last 11 months, always get eaten too fast.

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    • I’ll see if my wife will give up the recipe TPSnodgrass. I think the Food Saver bags are a great idea as long as oxygen absorbors are still used for long term storage.

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  6. Haven’t tried 11 month old crackers, but I did have the wife make biscuits using flour that I stored 15+ years ago…….as good as it gets! The flour was dry and clean, no weevils, the biscuits came out light and fluffy, and the real test, no one got sick! We kept the extras around and I munched on them for 3-4 days, they didn’t develop mold or bad taste! I have lots more flour, so I’m good for awhile. For what it’s worth: The flour was white bleached flour, not self rising. It was stored in the following manner: A 5 gallon food grade plastic bucket was washed and dried, wiped inside and out, lid and seal, with a water bleach solution. A white plastic trash bag, unscented, is placed in the bucket and a piece of dry ice dropped in or a tube from a nitrogen tank is inserted. The flour is added to the top, and the bag is sealed. When the bag billows, it means the CO2 or the nitrogen has filled the container. I seal the bag, cap the bucket, mark and date and it’s good for 15 years at least!

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