Chapter 22 · Pantry and cooking without power

22.5 The heat in your home or apartment

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The USDA says that canned goods keep best below 85 °F (29 °C) and that above 100 °F (38 °C) they are damaged. Utah State University Extension cites the USDA: for every 10.8 °F (6 °C) that the temperature rises, the shelf life of stored food is cut in half; the ideal range is steady, between 40 and 60 °F (4 and 16 °C). A home with air conditioning is warmer than that, and in a summer blackout the interior gets even hotter.

The USDA gives this example with military rations (MREs), designed to last:

The heat in your home or apartment
Storage temperature	Shelf life of an MRE (USDA)
60 °F (16 °C)	7 years
70 °F (21 °C)	4½ years
80 °F (27 °C)	4 years
90 °F (32 °C)	2½ years
100 °F (38 °C)	1½ years
120 °F (49 °C)	1 month

Where yes and where no

Yes: interior closets, under beds, high bedroom shelves (inside the air conditioning and off the floor in case water gets in; see figure 2.3).
No: exterior patio closet, garage, car trunk, on top of the refrigerator, next to the oven, the dryer, or the water heater.
No: directly on the floor or against exterior walls that get afternoon sun.
Yes: airtight containers (against moisture, ants, and cockroaches) and out of direct light.
Adjustment: in very hot areas, rotate faster than table 22.3 says. Nuts, oil, peanut butter, and bars are the first to go rancid.