How To Store Pancake Mix

How to store pancake mix is a complete home guide from a former restaurant manager. Keep reading to learn expert tips on containers, locations, temps, humidity, & pests protection. This is listed in our Food Guides, Breakfast, Breads, & Bakery categories.

Pancake Mix Storage Locations

Rethink about where to store pancake mix. Sometimes you don’t have a big selection and are limited on space. Regardless, deciding where you put this dry food is extremely important for a lot of reasons. Keep reading to help you decide if your current location is still okay.

Storage Accessibility: Convenience vs Protected

If you’re in a shared living arrangement or have young children, you might have to address keeping this dry food item less visible or less accessible to you. But, the good thing is, you probably don’t make pancakes or waffles every day so, it might be okay on a higher shelf.

Choose a Room

While you might assume it, not everyone can use the kitchen where to store pancake mix. So, other rooms are okay sometimes. People who are cramped for space might put this in the garage or stored away on a spare shelf in a closet.

Rooms Usually Selected for Dry Food Storage

• Kitchen
• Pantry
• Basement (if not humid and is temperature controlled)
• Closet (on a shelf, not on floor)

Rooms to Generally Avoid for Dry Food Storage

• Garage (during hot seasons)
• Outdoor sheds or outdoor storage boxes
• Bathrooms
• Bedrooms
• Attic (during warm or hot seasons)
• Basement (if humid)

Select a Common Food Storage Area

So, store the pancake mix storage container on a shelf and never directly on the floor. It’s often selected to use a cabinet or pantry shelf. Consider where to store pancake mix along with other dry, packaged, or canned foods.

Avoid Storing Under or Next To Cleaners or Chemicals

In commercial foods, we always avoided putting food containers underneath cleaning or chemical products, in case of spillage of the toxic product travelling downward onto the food box. Even in grocery stores, clerks are typically trained to not place detergents or cleaners in the same bag as food products. So, that’s a good practice at home too. For example, where to store pancake mix won’t be on the same shelf or under a shelf you have your detergents, rinse aids, or cleaning items.

Pancake Mix Storage Containers

Pancake mix storage containers can vary in size, shape, and material. Be sure and always use a food grade storage container or bag. So, I often use food grade plastic (or glass) food containers or jars with a lid or good cover. Sometimes, I’ve also used a gallon-sized food storage plastic bag.

Does Container Need to be Air Tight?

It’s desired but not required. Also, air tight doesn’t mean vacuum sealed pancake mix storage container. Regardless, it should be stored with a very good covering. However, there are outstanding benefits if you can get airtight containers such as less oxygen (longer shelf life) and better pests protection. Here’s a good article on an air tight container product line but also has has some really great tips on storage: “TightVacs and Food Storage Info & Benefits“.

Is the Store Bought Box Okay for Storing Dry Pancake Mix?

While it’s okay for awhile, it becomes a concern to monitor it after opening. Not everyone has funding or time to pour opened food boxes into something more protective. Plus, you lose the box instructions. In my case, I make my own homemade pancake mix from scratch so, it goes directly into a food grade pancake mix storage container immediately. And, it saves money and stays fresher too.

Protecting Dry Pancake Mix From Insects and Pests

When I was in college, I did some pest exterminating in Texas and learned a lot about protecting foods from bugs and critters in homes, restaurants, grocery stores, & food warehouses. So, the common pests here are probably going to be ants, flour bugs, mites, fleas, palmetto bugs, roaches, and mice. I reviewed several articles and this is an outstanding one with lots of great prevention advice from the University of Minnesota: “Pantry Pests“.

Temperature and Humidity Controls for Dry Grains

Normally, dry foods warehouses are temperature and humidity controlled, good for extended storage before distribution to grocery and convenience stores. So, when you get dry grain foods home, you’ll want to continue that practice.

Temperature Controls for Pancake Mix Storage

Maintain a good room temperature so avoid storage near or above an oven, stovetop, and microwave. Also, avoid long term storing in a fridge or freezer.

Some recommendations are to store a pancake mix in the freezer for a few days to kill any possible unknown bugs. However, I discourage anyone from ever storing pancake mix in a fridge or freezer because it adds moisture. And moisture adds to the possible growth of molds, fungi, and penicillin. In other words, this type of storage adds humidity to a dry food, which is undesired.

Managing Humidity for Pancake Mix Storage

This is a dry grain food so, the key is to maintain dryness and avoid excessive humidity. Some areas where you live might be high humidity and are unavoidable but, doing what you can to manage it is the right approach. So, avoid putting this in a cabinet right over a dishwasher or clothes washer or dryer. Avoid placement either under or above a sink helps also.

You know already to avoid placing in cabinets over a stovetop or oven due to high temperatures. But, this is also due to moisture from boiling water or other cooking sources.

Shelf Life of Pancake Mix Storage

Reasonably, the maximum shelf life extension you can have with these good practices is about 3 times. That’s to compare with someone else who experiences excessive temperatures, humidity, and air exposure (oxygen). Store bought boxes unopened might have a posted quality maximum shelf life of 2 years. When opened, it reduces to about 1 year. Usually, these are quality related dates.

However, the ingredients’ shelf life is a key factor also. So, the shortest expiration date of any ingredient is the life expectancy of the entire pancake mix shelf life. With that said, if you have good home food storage practices, you’ll have this down as a second nature. Then, the only conscious thing to feasibly manage will be the individual ingredients’ shortest expiration dates when making your pancake mix.

Health Considerations of Pancake Mix Storage

The key here is to avoid storage conditions that might induce a growth of mold, fungi, or other undesirables. Also, undesired are pests, and some might be too small to readily notice. So, temperature and humidity are 2 key measures to manage to help to reduce these menacing factors. Here’s a reminder article of someone who ingested a mix that had mold and penicillin.

Conclusion of How To Store Pancake Mix

Now you’ve learned about the list of best practices for how to store pancake mix in the home. You’ve seen how selecting a room and location are based on easier management of temperature, humidity, and pests. And you’ve learned how this can maintain the quality and extend the shelf life of your pancake mix. Also, here’s a good article on “How To Make & Store Homemade Pancake Mix“.

Related Posts

• Pancake Mix from Scratch (dry mix and storing)
• Old Fashioned Buttermilk Pancakes (mix, batter, & cooking method)
• Breakfast category
• Stovetop Recipes category