Blog - At What Temperature Should I Store Freeze-Dried Food? (2024)

Because developing a healthy, stable pantry is so important, perhaps to our survival, it is a very serious endeavor!!! It certainly is a learning experience and interesting...not quite so much fun as if it were not so important.Thank you.

Thank you for the information. I support the individual in California as Florida is also hot most of the year. If the AC goes out ,most likely, in an emergency, then our storage is at a risk. Keeping a house under 75 degrees is also expensive.

The instructions for creating a proper storage and temperature controlled facility is more important than knowing the correct storage temperature. Thank You

Look around your home for innovative ways to store. Closets,and under the beds are two places. I will bet you can think of others. This is important. Also keep in mind where you put your stuff. You need to rotate. Also canned goods, etc actually look good on open shelves in your kitchen.

I second the idea of having a chart that would show the length of anticipated storage usefulness at various temps. Furthermore, how would temps affect freeze dried vs. dehydrated?

If you do not need your garage for you vehicles, why not make a room to use for a pantry? Use 2x6" lumber and insulate the walls, including the exterior walls. Run a 220 circuit and install a PTAC (packaged thermal air-conditioning) unit in the exterior wall. Then you can keep your food at 60 degrees. Alternately, add a pantry to your home, using 2x6's and a PTAC unit. I added the pantry to my house (I should have made it larger) and it stays at 60 degrees even when the outside temperature is over 100 degrees.

I second the issue of storage in less than optimal conditions. While I store my supplies indoor, we live in the Southwest Desert and one power outage of say an hour and there goes the 75 degree room! Without a basem*nt...how better to store my supplies?

So..if we were to experience an EMP (electro magnectic pulse)attack...and we lose all our electricity (which is likely)...how long will the product last under those circ*mstances without air conditioning?Thank You.

Here in western WA, the garage IS the coolest place. With no A/C in the house, my garage stays much cooler than the rest of the house because it's the lowest point in the house, with a cool concrete floor and air flow, but very little in the way of windows.We are getting ready to move to upstate NY and I'm hoping to have a basem*nt for my storage needs!! What a luxury!

Why all the talk about building a cool area in the garage... just move the crap in your closet that temp doesn't matter out to garage and use the house closet/pantry/whbatever for the food - far cheaper

About temperatures. For many years we had our storage in a small outside metal building. It was insulated to the max and the outside walls were stocked with paper supplies as were the upper shelves. it had a concrete floor. This is in New Mexico and it is very hot most of the summer. I never lost a thing due to spoilage or freezing. Insulate properly. We did put a 60 watt light bulb inside for those rare times when the temperature was way below freezing.

I live in southern California, so my main "enemy" is earthquakes. Where is the best place for accessibility to my supplies should there be building damage to my home? I currently keep my emergency supplies divided between a closet near my front door, and in my garage, in large wheeled trash cans for quick evacuation. It does get very hot in the garage during the summer, but I don't want to have all my food inside the house if my house should collapse. Any suggestion?

I'm with Jack. Clean out your closet, underneath your bed, or your laundry room. If you absolutely feel you must store your food in a climate controlled environment, instead of going to the expense of digging holes, building air conditioned pantries, etc. why not just buy a very large chest freezer and put it in your garage. You can buy an external control thermostat (check cheese making supply companies, about $30.00) and put the freezer at whatever temperature you like. $10.00 a month should cover the additional electric use...much cheaper than trying to air condition a room. If the power goes off, so what. It's insulated and everything inside will stay cold for several hours. Turn it off in winter. I, too, live in California...northern, where it can reach and exceed 110* in the summer. Good luck.

I live in Southern California, too. I put all my freeze dried food on the floor in a closet, and put a magnetic cover over the heater vent in that bedroom, and keep the door closed. I chose the bedroom that gets the least sunlight. But if temperatures reach into the 90's or even 100's this summer, I don't know if the closet will go above 75 or not. I'll have to put a thermometer in there to see.

I'm in Phoenix. We have like, ZERO humidity. So...I'm wondering if keeping our food storage at ~ 75-78 at no humidity would be "equivalent" to keeping it at 65-70 at regular humidity? Thoughts? Thanks

I am fortunate to live in the midwest and have a basem*nt. Our FD supplies, as well as all our canned goods, etc. are kept downstairs in large metal cabinets. The cabinets are kept off the cement floor by using wooden firing strips, sort of like the strips you see on wooden ammunition cases so air can flow around the cabinets. The basem*nt is always cool (sometimes cold) and the food is not exposed to light. Has worked well so far.As to everyone in warm climates,I have seen root cellars in the SW and West while visiting old settlements. Probably the best way to store for those in warmer climates.

Like Tom, I live in the midwest also. Fortunately NORTH. I doubt many will bug out to this area because of the cold weather. I keep all food preps in my basem*nt. It rarely ever gets over 60 down there even with the wood furnace on. To those in warmer climates, I strongly suggest you try and figure out something that doesn't require electric or a noisy generator to attract attention to yourselves. Myself and many others are thinking we are in for a time of extended power outages from hackers or an EMP, not to mention natural disasters. I'm prepping to go totally off grid and live as my grandparents. Spent years setting up for it and am pretty sure it'll pay off one day.