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Forum -> Yom Tov / Holidays -> Pesach
Does potato starch keep from year to year?
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amother
Oak


 

Post Sat, Apr 18 2020, 4:08 pm
zaq wrote:
Of all Pesach ingredients, potato starch probably has the best track record for longevity.Eventually jam crystallizes, grape juice sours, soda goes flat, to matzah meal gets stale, spices lose their flavor, cocoa turns to dust, but IME potato starch, if stored in a tightly closed container, takes a licking and keeps on ticking. It has no flavor to lose. Of course, if you bundle your plastic bag of starch right next to your plastic jar of garlic, the starch will eventually pick up the garlic taste. Avoid this by storing one or the other, or both, in glass or metal.
I was going to save sealed cocoa for the next year, wouldn‘t you recommend to do that?
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grace413




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Apr 18 2020, 4:13 pm
If you want to use it during the year it's a perfectly good subsitute for corn starch.
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etky




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Apr 18 2020, 4:30 pm
grace413 wrote:
If you want to use it during the year it's a perfectly good subsitute for corn starch.


Yup. I use potato starch year round in all kinds of things. It's especially handy if you need to make a gluten free cake or cookies for whatever reason.
Nuts I store in the freezer year round. They keep infinitely longer that way. I also saved nuts from last year Pesach and used them this year. They were perfectly fine.
I know that opened walnut oil turns rancid relatively quickly.
However, I have an unopened (plastic) bottle with an expiration date of 3/22.
I'm wondering if that is indeed realistic or whether I should open and use it now.
Anyone have any experience with this?
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FranticFrummie




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Apr 18 2020, 5:15 pm
I baked a loaf of artisan bread for Shabbos, using the ends of bags of flour I had stored away. No time to stand in the line to get more. I had 2 cups of bread flour, 2 cups of spelt flour, and 1/3 of a bag of potato starch.

The bread came out AMAZING! I was afraid it wouldn't rise with all the spelt in it, but apparently the potato created enough stickiness that it held the gas from the yeast perfectly. The crumb was soft, fluffy, and tender, with an even texture and bubbles. The crust was just right, browned but not hard.

I think that potato starch in bread is going to be my regular "thing" now.
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etky




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Apr 18 2020, 5:28 pm
FranticFrummie wrote:
I baked a loaf of artisan bread for Shabbos, using the ends of bags of flour I had stored away. No time to stand in the line to get more. I had 2 cups of bread flour, 2 cups of spelt flour, and 1/3 of a bag of potato starch.

The bread came out AMAZING! I was afraid it wouldn't rise with all the spelt in it, but apparently the potato created enough stickiness that it held the gas from the yeast perfectly. The crumb was soft, fluffy, and tender, with an even texture and bubbles. The crust was just right, browned but not hard.

I think that potato starch in bread is going to be my regular "thing" now.


Well, potato bread IS a thing, especially with the Irish and Germans.
Years ago I used to bake a potato bread with instant mashed potato flakes in it.
So no reason some potato starch shouldn't work well too, in combination with the higher gluten flours.
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amother
Oak


 

Post Sat, Apr 18 2020, 6:27 pm
etky wrote:
Well, potato bread IS a thing, especially with the Irish and Germans.
Years ago I used to bake a potato bread with instant mashed potato flakes in it.
So no reason some potato starch shouldn't work well too, in combination with the higher gluten flours.
German potato bread is made out of regular flour and potatoes though
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Tzutzie




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Apr 18 2020, 9:33 pm
I put away sealed potato starch if it didn't get used.
But I also use it throughout the year. So whatever closed containers stayed in the storage cupboard can be used the next year.

Spices I close up tight and freeze. I use very little black and white pepper throughout the year.
In the beginning when I started making pesach alone, I would keep the spices to use year round. I did that for 4 years.... I STILL have black and white pepper in the freezer as backup from THEN! (I take out a bit at a time and keep in fridge so it keeps the flavor and sharpness).
So I started putting it away bagged in the back of the freezer. 2nd year this year and it was still as sharp as fresh!

Oil needs to be used not put away. Nuts I also use throughout the year. Same with matzo meal.
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ra_mom




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Apr 18 2020, 9:44 pm
amother [ Oak ] wrote:
I was going to save sealed cocoa for the next year, wouldn‘t you recommend to do that?

It's fine but it can clump. When I had that, I sifted the cocoa before using.
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SingALong




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Apr 18 2020, 9:46 pm
What about a sealed can of confectionary sugar? Can I use that next year?
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ra_mom




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Apr 18 2020, 9:46 pm
SingALong wrote:
What about a sealed can of confectionary sugar? Can I use that next year?

Yes it's ok. Again you may need to sift.
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zaq




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Apr 18 2020, 10:00 pm
amother [ Oak ] wrote:
I was going to save sealed cocoa for the next year, wouldn‘t you recommend to do that?


If you bought it fresh this year it’ll be fine for next Pesach if you keep it closed and in a dark, cool place. I’m thinking more of very long-term storage like several years.
I used to put spices away year after year because after all I used so little and the KLP is so much more pricey. Till one year I opened a bottle —who knows how old, had to be at least three or four years—and it smelled, literally, like dirty feet! A bottle of something else smelled like the dust I empty out of the vacuum cleaner. That’s how I learned that spices, even though they were used for food preservation in ancient times and sometimes bear traces of fragrance when unearthed in pharaonic tombs, nevertheless do not themselves last forever. Especially if ground. Whole spices last longer.

So now I mark the year of purchase on the container and keep Pesach foods in an accessible spot. If I run out of something during the year and the Pesach item is a year old or older, I’ll take it out for year-round use. If it’s from the current year but easy enough to get KLP, I’ll also take it out during the year if I run out of chometzdik.

This Pesach I opened a canister of cocoa that I bought 2years ago. It was fine but less fragrant than I thought cocoa ought to be. OTOH it was Dutch processed and I don’t know how that affects fragrance. Earlier this year I chametzdikefied a container of cocoa that was years old. It tastes ok to me though a real epicure would disagree. When cocoa is really fresh the flavor and fragrance are considerably stronger.

In short, if you’re a real feinschmecker, the kind of person who insists on only the finest Himalayan sea salt and the freshest Jamaican green peppercorns for your salad—and you can tell the difference between the taste of Himalayan sea salt and Diamond Crystal Kosher salt— don’t save your Pesach products from year to year. If you’re a bit more of a philistine, go ahead and save what you can. Just, please, not in the kitchen cabinet above your stove or fridge, where the heat and humidity will age your foods faster than baking on the beach in Florida will age your skin.
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etky




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Apr 19 2020, 2:00 am
amother [ Oak ] wrote:
German potato bread is made out of regular flour and potatoes though


Yes.
We were discussing the concept of potato as a general ingredient in bread, not any specific recipe or form of potato.
Each form of potato would require different adjustments of the other ingredients - especially liquids and flours that provide the gluten necessary for structure.
In any case, it's probably best to find a proper recipe rather than improvising, unless you are a very experienced bread baker.
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amother
Slategray


 

Post Sun, Apr 19 2020, 5:35 am
etky wrote:
Yup. I use potato starch year round in all kinds of things. It's especially handy if you need to make a gluten free cake or cookies for whatever reason.
Nuts I store in the freezer year round. They keep infinitely longer that way. I also saved nuts from last year Pesach and used them this year. They were perfectly fine.
I know that opened walnut oil turns rancid relatively quickly.
However, I have an unopened (plastic) bottle with an expiration date of 3/22.
I'm wondering if that is indeed realistic or whether I should open and use it now.
Anyone have any experience with this?


I had an unopened plastic bottle of hazelnut oil from last year and used it this pesach and it was 100% fine. IMO I would save it for next pesach but not longer. And store in a cool or even cold place away from light.
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amother
Maroon


 

Post Sun, Apr 19 2020, 5:59 am
I didn't realize that potato starch needs to be checked til this year! Awkward.... Had a gross situation of pouring pancake mixture into a frying pan and there was a live moth in the mix eugh!! Will need to buy a KLP sieve for next year..... FTR the moth was in a new bag from this year and last year's bag was fine
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etky




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Apr 19 2020, 6:50 am
amother [ Slategray ] wrote:
I had an unopened plastic bottle of hazelnut oil from last year and used it this pesach and it was 100% fine. IMO I would save it for next pesach but not longer. And store in a cool or even cold place away from light.


Thanks! I will indeed move it to a cooler location.
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zaq




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Apr 19 2020, 11:55 am
Proper storage is critical. Make sure everything is well sealed and in a cool, dark place. Put cardboard boxes of products like matzah meal and starch in ziplock bags, as bugs can easily get into the boxes. Put a bay leaf or two in the bag or even right in the starch or matzah meal if the container is open, to repel pests.
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