How long will nuts keep in freezer?

17 years ago

I found an unopened bag of pecan halves in the freezer. The "use by" date is 1/06. I suppose I could taste it but I would like to know normally what would be the maximum amount of time that nuts could be kept in the freezer without it starting to taste bad.

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mustangs81

17 years ago

Thanks for the link. After reviewing the freezer list and looking in my freezers, it's frightening.

I have been making a job aid for shelf life job aid for pantry items. I can add this to my project.

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Comments (11)

coconut_nj
17 years ago
You really are going to have to smell/taste them. Usually smelling is enough for me. I make pecan pies for quite a few people at Christmas and this year I found a couple bags of pecans in the bottom of the freezer. Most of them were from 2006 but two different baggies of bags. In one baggie those bags were not good. Smelled old and tasted not great. The other bags smelled and tasted like they were new and I used them successfully. I know many won't keep them that long, but I find 2 to 3 years is generally fine. It probably depends on how fresh the nuts were to begin with and how they were handled/stored.
grainlady_ks
17 years ago
All the USDA charts I have say 9-12 months for frozen nuts. There's a link to one below. I'd say double that if they were vacuum sealed in a FoodSaver bag, because that removes the damaging oxygen.

Freezing only slows down food degredation - it doesn't prevent it. In this case, you still have oxidated nut oils that would concern me (the oils become a free radical), and possible texture changes from such long storage.

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Freezer Storage Chart
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annie1992
17 years ago
I agree, packaged carefully they'll last much longer than 9-12 months, but they won't last indefinitely.

I had some slivered almonds in my freezer from two years ago and when I opened a bag, they tasted "old". The oils in nuts will become rancid and even if it's not a safety issue, they won't taste good. I'm possibly the most frugal person you'll ever meet and I tossed them, I didn't try to "save" them for any use.

Annie
cloudy_christine
17 years ago
I think if they are frozen in glass jars they'll last much, much longer. If only in a bag they can pick up freezer taste. The Foodsaver bags would probably be fine though.
marlingardener
17 years ago
Gee, I don't know how long nuts will keep in the freezer--all my relatives won't fit in the freezer!
I keep pecans for a year with no detriment to flavor or texture, but I wouldn't want to keep them much longer than that.
When I freeze nuts I put the nut meats in a zipper bag, then put the bags in a large glass jar in the freezer. Double protection may help the nuts stay fresh longer.
annie1971
17 years ago
Yeah, I have a couple of nuts I'd like to put into a freezer!
Anyway, when packaging nuts for freezing, I vacuum seal them and they last for a very long time.
coconut_nj
17 years ago
I haven't had a vacuum sealer in a long time so I did bag the nuts then put several bags in a freezer ziplock, removing as much air as possible, then bag again. Maybe that's why the one batch seemed to be in such good shape. Who knows.. maybe they were swimmin in free radicals.
bryansda
17 years ago
While doing my Christmas baking, I found pecans in the freezer and didn't know how long they had been there. I tasted them and they seemed find, just a little bland. I toasted them in the oven and the favor came back only better. I had never bother toasting nuts before, but will from now on the favor was so good. My advice would be, if they don't taste or smell rancid give them a toasting and then see if you want to use them.
stevendalestewart
7 years ago
We have 12 trees and this was a great year. I freeze my halves 4 cups to a Food Saver bag. I vacuum seal the bag and seal both ends twice.
lascatx
7 years ago
For a number of years I have bought pecans in a fundraiser and frozen them once a year. At times, some will carry over one year to the next and possibly up to the two year mark or a bit beyond. I know they have been good that long in sealed packages. I think you have to try to know -- so I would warm them up (all or a sample) to room temp. Smell them and if they don't smell rancid, then taste. If they haven't gone rancid, Have not picked up off flavors in the freezer and are not freezer burned, they should be okay to eat. If they seem a bit meh, try toasting them. Many recipes specify toasted nuts and in most it would be fine to use either.