Grains and bread

Rice, pasta, flour and bread, dry and cooked. Each guide says how long it keeps in the pantry, fridge and freezer, what it looks like as it spoils, and what to use instead.

Bowls of raw white rice, raw whole-grain rice and freshly cooked rice on a beech board.

How to store rice

Dry white rice keeps for years, brown rice for about six months, and cooked rice for three or four days. Cupboard, fridge, freezer, weevils and the overnight rule.

Four fresh bagels, plain, sesame, poppy seed and everything, on a wooden cutting board.

How to store bagels

Fresh bagels keep 1 to 2 days on the counter and about 3 months in the freezer. Why the fridge makes them stale, and how to freeze and reheat them.

Two kinds of bread: a crusty sourdough loaf and a soft sandwich loaf, each with a slice cut, on a wooden cutting board.

How to store bread

Homemade bread keeps 3 to 5 days wrapped on the counter and about 3 months frozen. How to store soft, crusty and sourdough loaves, and why the fridge stales them.