Does cornmeal ever go bad?

I have cornmeal that is two years old and it still looks good... but is it safe to use for cooking? How do you tell if it's gone bad?



No bugs? Does it smell stale?





I used to bake bread, and sometimes I'd try to use older flour, and the result was lower grade bread. It just didn't taste as good.





I'd toss it. Don't you have a recipe for cornbread? I cook that, at least once every 3-4 weeks. Everytime I cook chili.





TX Mom




It will go rancid; it's made of corn which has oil in it and will go bad eventually. If it's been sealed and kept cool, it will last a long time, but check the smell, and look for weevils. Best rule of thumb: when it doubt, throw it out. For $1.79, it's not worth risking a bad meal and illness.




Steel-ground cornmeal can be stored almost indefinitely in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. The fat in the germ of stone-ground cornmeal makes it more perishable. It should be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to four months.




Only if it's been exposed to moisture, in which case it will clump. What you have is probably still good but it may have lost some flavour over that time if it wasn't tightly sealed.




Cornmeal will last for a long time if stored properly,if it smells or tastes bad, pitch it.