How To Properly Store Pulses

If you want to cook more with pulses, arguably the healthiest and most inexpensive food in the world, you’ll be happy to note they’re also easy to store.

You can be ready for almost anything when you have pulses on hand for cooking and for snacks too. Imagine taking your famous chili out of the freezer when last-minute guests show up, popping some cornbread in the oven, and then before you know it, you have a hearty meal.

Canned Pulses

If you buy canned pulses, you need to store them in a cool, dry, dark place to ensure that they remain fresh. Try to buy the cans that don’t have the plastic liner. When you purchase canned goods, always check the use by dates to get the most extended life possible from them.

Most canned pulses will last for years when stored properly, whether store bought or homemade. Make sure your pantry doesn’t get too hot or too cold. It should be a nice cool place that doesn’t freeze, but not a place that gets hot in the summer.

Food Storage Container Plastic Kitchen Refrigerator Noodle Box Multigrain, Pulses Storage Tank Transparent Sealed Cans

Dry Pulses

Transfer your dry pulses to an airtight container that you can close. For example, glass canning jars work great to store dried beans, peas, and lentils without any issues. Don’t wash them before you put them away, or you’ll end up with mold. Use up the old ones before putting more in the jar.

You can store dried pulses for up to a year. They’re not bad after a year either; it’s just that you may have to cook them longer to make them get soft. If you ever buy dried pulses and they won’t cook, it’s due to how old they are.

Cooked

Once you’ve cooked your pulses, you can store them in the freezer to take out when you want a fast meal. Just store in an airtight container, then thaw in the fridge overnight. You can also dump a frozen block of pulses right out in a pot and slowly heat them up to eat or use in recipes.

You can keep cooked pulses that have nothing else with them for about six months in the freezer. If it’s a soup, curry, or other types of recipe, three months is the limit. Just make sure they’re in airtight and sealed containers, and they’ll last longer.

Salads with pulses can be stored up to three days in the refrigerator if they’re kept in a sealed, airtight container. Home-cooked or canned or prepared soups, salads, and curries made with pulses can be stored in the fridge up to five days if you cover them with the cooking liquid or water.

As you can see, storing and cooking with pulses is not tricky. They’re so forgiving that you’ll be happy to cook with them. They are literally the most affordable and nutritious and most self-stable item you can buy for your home cooking needs.