In order to store baking products correctly, you need to do a little research. From the variety of sites I’ve viewed, I’ve learned the following:
When you bring flour, cornmeal, and baking mix home, it’s best to freeze them for two weeks. Pest larvae can be present and cause infestation in your pantry, so the freezing process will kill off any unseen hitchhikers. In the thirty-plus years that I’ve been the boss of my own kitchen, that’s never happened – until recently. I had two bags of flour in my kitchen that brought a party of bugs home with them. (So gross.)
The best course of action is to freeze it for two weeks, then transfer over into the fridge for a day or two. This will allow the moisture from condensation to dissipate. Then you can transfer the package to your kitchen pantry.
If you are planning to store dried foods, like baking goods, long term, you have a variety of options: freezer, mylar bags, mason jars, vacuum sealing, etc.
Flour and cornmeal can be stored in the freezer indefinitely, but you need a contingency plan in case you lose power. For most of my dried, non-fat foods, I’m using mylar bags with oxygen absorbers.
Most of the information below comes from PrimalSurvivor.com. There are hundreds of reputable preppier sites out there to do your own research. This just happens to be a site I’ve used several times.
Flour
How to Store Flour for the Long Term
From the Primal Survivor site:
“In its original paper bag, flour won’t last more than 6 months. If you move it to an air-tight container, it can last 6 – 10 months. For long-term storage(over 3 months), the best method is Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers.”
From what I’ve read on a variety of sites, the consensus is that flour in mylar will last 5-10 +. I don’t think I’ll need to store it for that long since I’m planning to be caught up long before that, but I do see how mylar is a means of protecting my investment since moisture will ruin flour.
Cornmeal
Cornmeal is different because it has a higher moisture content. The risk of botulism is greater in foods with more moisture, even in mylar bags. For this reason, I’ve decided to place cornmeal in my freezer. If I’m faced with a longterm power outage, I will place them in mylar bags and see how it goes. Please view the article below and do some additional research before making a decision.
How to Store Cornmeal Long-Term and Does Cornmeal Go Bad?
Baking/Pancake Mix
Baking mixes are different since they are a combination of several ingredients. I recommend you read the following article.