Food that keeps without a fridge: what to buy for an emergency
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You don't need special survival food: buy what you already eat, in these formats, and rotate it. The calculator gives you the quantities for your home.
Work out what your home needs (works offline)Before you buy
- Truly fridge-free
- Check the label: it has to say "store in a cool, dry place". If it says "keep refrigerated" (packaged sliced meats, soft cheeses, cooked sausages), it's no good for a pantry without power.
- Best before isn't use by
- Canned food, rice, pasta, legumes, oil, cookies or honey carry a best-before date: after it they lose quality, but they're still safe if the pack is intact and they look, smell and taste fine. A use-by date (very perishable foods) must be respected.
- Small portions and easy-open lids
- Without a fridge, whatever you open has to be eaten the same day. Packs of small cans are better than one big one, and with easy-open lids (still keep a manual can opener).
- Eat what you store
- Buy what you already eat, put the new stock at the back and use what's at the front. That way nothing goes out of date and your supplies renew themselves.
- Damaged cans go in the trash
- Throw out any can that's bulging, rusty, leaking or badly dented at the seam, and any canned food that spurts or smells bad when opened.
🐟 Canned fish and meat
| Light tuna in olive oil | Format: Pack of 3 cans of 80 g, easy-open · Keeps: 3–5 years · Eaten without cooking · Contains: pescado The oil in the can is food too: use it with bread or legumes. |
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| Tuna in water | Format: Pack of 3 cans of 80 g · Keeps: 3–5 years · Eaten without cooking · Contains: pescado Fewer calories than in oil: combine it with oil or nuts. |
| Sardines in olive oil | Format: 120 g can, easy-open · Keeps: 3–5 years · Eaten without cooking · Contains: pescado With edible bones: they provide calcium. |
| Mackerel in olive oil | Format: 120 g can · Keeps: 3–5 years · Eaten without cooking · Contains: pescado |
| Pickled mussels | Format: 110 g can · Keeps: 3–4 years · Eaten without cooking · Contains: moluscos |
| Cockles or clams in brine | Format: 110 g can · Keeps: 3–4 years · Eaten without cooking · Contains: moluscos |
| Canned salmon or albacore | Format: 160 g can · Keeps: 3–4 years · Eaten without cooking · Contains: pescado |
| Canned chicken or turkey | Format: 200 g can · Keeps: 2–3 years · Eaten without cooking For people who don't eat fish. Check that the label doesn't ask for refrigeration before opening. |
| Liver or tuna pâté | Format: Small 80–100 g cans · Keeps: 2–3 years · Eaten without cooking Lots of energy for little weight; with breadsticks or toast it's a meal. |
| Canned meatballs or stewed meat | Format: 400–450 g can · Keeps: 2–3 years · Eaten without cooking It can be eaten cold; warm it in the can in the sun or in a water bath if you have a stove. |
🥓 Cured sausage and cheese
| Whole cured chorizo, in a ring or stick | Format: 200–250 g piece, unsliced · Keeps: 3–6 months · Eaten without cooking Only whole and labeled "store in a cool, dry place". Once cut, eat it within a few days. |
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| Whole cured salchichón or fuet | Format: 150–250 g piece · Keeps: 2–4 months · Eaten without cooking Fuet is thinner and dries out faster: rotate it more often. |
| Cured pork loin or cecina, in a piece | Format: 200–400 g piece · Keeps: 3–6 months · Eaten without cooking Lots of protein and little weight. In a piece, never sliced and packaged. |
| Serrano ham, a small block or piece | Format: 250–500 g vacuum-packed block · Keeps: 6–12 months · Eaten without cooking Check that the pack doesn't ask for refrigeration; many cured blocks don't need it while sealed. |
| Cured cheese in olive oil | Format: 250–400 g glass jar · Keeps: 12–24 months · Eaten without cooking · Contains: leche Cheese out of the oil is perishable: the jar keeps in the pantry. |
| Aged or very well-cured cheese, a whole wedge | Format: 250 g wedge · Keeps: As per the label · Eaten without cooking · Contains: leche Many packaged wedges ask for refrigeration: only buy it if the label doesn't require it. |
🫘 Legumes and ready meals
| Cooked chickpeas | Format: 400 g glass jar · Keeps: 2–3 years · Eaten without cooking Already cooked: eat them cold, rinsed with a little water. |
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| Cooked lentils | Format: 400 g glass jar · Keeps: 2–3 years · Eaten without cooking |
| Cooked white or red beans | Format: 400 g glass jar · Keeps: 2–3 years · Eaten without cooking Never buy dried beans to eat without cooking: raw, they're toxic. |
| Canned fabada, cocido or lentils with chorizo | Format: 420–440 g can (1–2 servings) · Keeps: 2–3 years · Eaten without cooking A complete meal in a can. Better hot, but it can be eaten lukewarm. |
| Dried lentils or chickpeas | Format: 1 kg pack · Keeps: 1–2 years · Needs cooking Very cheap and light, but only if you have a stove and water to spare for soaking and cooking. |
🍞 Bread, cereal and starches
| Breadsticks, regañás or crispbread | Format: 250 g bag · Keeps: 6–12 months · Eaten without cooking · Contains: gluten The substitute for bread when there's no bakery. |
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| Rice or corn cakes | Format: 130 g pack · Keeps: 9–12 months · Eaten without cooking Gluten-free in many brands: check the label if anyone has celiac disease. |
| Maria or digestive cookies | Format: 800 g pack in portions · Keeps: 9–12 months · Eaten without cooking · Contains: gluten Better in individual packs: they don't go soft once opened. |
| Rolled oats | Format: 500 g pack · Keeps: 12 months · Eaten without cooking · Contains: gluten They soften in cold water or milk in 30–60 minutes. |
| Couscous | Format: 500 g pack · Keeps: 1–2 years · Eaten without cooking · Contains: gluten It rehydrates with water: hot in 5 minutes or cold in 30–60. |
| White rice | Format: 1 kg pack · Keeps: 1–2 years · Needs cooking Microwavable precooked rice cups can be eaten without cooking; regular rice can't. |
| Dry pasta | Format: 500 g pack · Keeps: 2–3 years · Needs cooking · Contains: gluten |
| Instant mashed potato flakes | Format: 4-serving pack · Keeps: 12 months · Needs cooking It only needs hot water; light enough for the bag. |
🫒 Oil, nuts and spreads
| Olive oil | Format: 1 L bottle (better in a can or an opaque bottle) · Keeps: 12–18 months · Eaten without cooking The easiest way to add calories: one tablespoon (10 ml) is about 90 kcal. |
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| Plain or roasted nuts | Format: 200 g bag (almonds, walnuts, peanuts) · Keeps: 6–12 months · Eaten without cooking · Contains: tree nuts or peanuts Lots of energy in little space. They go rancid in the heat: rotate them often. |
| Peanut or almond butter | Format: 350 g jar · Keeps: 12 months · Eaten without cooking · Contains: peanuts or tree nuts |
| Shelled sunflower seeds or other seeds | Format: 200 g bag · Keeps: 6–12 months · Eaten without cooking |
🥛 Milk and drinks
| UHT milk (or UHT plant-based drink) | Format: 1 L carton · Keeps: 6–9 months · Eaten without cooking · Contains: leche Once opened it needs a fridge: without power, small 200 ml cartons are better. |
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| Powdered milk | Format: 400–800 g tin · Keeps: 12–24 months · Eaten without cooking · Contains: leche It takes up little space and doesn't need a fridge even once opened; mix it with safe drinking water. |
| Condensed milk in a tube or can | Format: 170 g tube or 370 g can · Keeps: 12–18 months · Eaten without cooking · Contains: leche Quick energy for children, and a morale boost. |
| Instant cocoa and instant coffee | Format: 400 g / 200 g jar · Keeps: 1–2 years · Eaten without cooking They dissolve in cold water. Coffee is morale too. |
🍑 Fruit and vegetables
| Crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce | Format: 400 g carton or can · Keeps: 1–2 years · Eaten without cooking |
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| Roasted or piquillo peppers | Format: 250–400 g can or jar · Keeps: 2–3 years · Eaten without cooking |
| Mixed vegetables, green beans or asparagus in a jar | Format: 400 g glass jar · Keeps: 2–3 years · Eaten without cooking |
| Sweet corn | Format: Pack of 3 small cans · Keeps: 2–3 years · Eaten without cooking |
| Peaches or pineapple in juice or syrup | Format: 400–800 g can · Keeps: 2–3 years · Eaten without cooking The liquid also hydrates. |
| Dried fruit: raisins, apricots, dates, prunes | Format: 200–250 g bag · Keeps: 6–12 months · Eaten without cooking |
| Fruit purée in a pouch | Format: 90–100 g pouches · Keeps: 9–12 months · Eaten without cooking Made for children, but useful for everyone. |
🍫 Sweets, salt and extras
| Dark chocolate | Format: 100–150 g bar · Keeps: 12–24 months · Eaten without cooking · Contains: may contain milk and nuts Lots of energy and it lifts your mood. |
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| Honey | Format: 500 g jar · Keeps: Practically indefinite · Eaten without cooking Don't give it to babies under 1 year old. |
| Sugar and salt | Format: 1 kg pack · Keeps: Indefinite if kept dry · Eaten without cooking |
| Cereal or energy bars | Format: Box of 6 to 12 · Keeps: 6–12 months · Eaten without cooking · Contains: gluten, nuts (depending on the brand) |
| Dried soups in packets | Format: 4-serving packet · Keeps: 1–2 years · Needs cooking They warm you up and comfort you, but they need hot water. |
| Your pet's dry food (the one it already eats) | Format: Sealed 1–3 kg bag, or cans of wet food · Keeps: whatever the bag says · Eaten without cooking Don't switch brands suddenly: it upsets their stomach. Once opened, close it tightly or move it to an airtight container. |
| Spices, paprika, oregano and vinegar | Format: Small jars · Keeps: 1–3 years · Eaten without cooking Eating the same thing for days gets you down: flavor matters too. |
💧 Water
| Mineral water in jugs | Format: 5 L jug · Keeps: whatever the label says · Eaten without cooking Store it in the dark, away from heat and chemicals: plastic lets odors through. |
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| Mineral water in bottles | Format: Pack of 6 bottles of 1.5 L (9 L) · Keeps: whatever the label says · Eaten without cooking Easier to move and to carry in the bag than jugs. |