Dried beans, rice, pasta and oats: storing them in a small UK flat

The short answer

Dried pasta, rice, oats, lentils and beans are cheap and keep for a long time if you store them cool, dry and sealed. GOV.UK says dried foods like pasta and rice carry a best before date, which is about quality, not safety. Put opened or flimsy packs in tightly sealed containers to keep insects out. They need water and heat, so keep a no-cook week as well; a month of breakfast oats and dinner staples for two people is about 7kg, or 9 standard packs plus 1kg of lentils.

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Dried pasta, rice, oats, lentils and beans are a cheap way to build a food store. Keep them cool, dry and sealed, eat the oldest first, and remember they need water and heat. Here's how to store them well in a small flat, and how much a month for two people really is.

Do this now

Check the dates on the dry packs you already have and move the oldest to the front.
Put opened packs into containers with tight lids, especially anything in a cardboard box or thin bag.
Add one extra bag of pasta, rice or oats to your next shop.
Keep a no-cook week as well, in case you can't cook. See our 7-day no-cook food box.

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Which dry staples are worth keeping?

Choose the ones your household already eats. That way you'll use them up and replace them, rather than throwing them away.

Staple	Adult portion (dry)	What it gives you
Pasta	75g	Goes with tinned tomatoes, tuna or beans
Rice	65g	Goes with tinned curry, chilli, beans or vegetables
Oats or porridge	45g	Breakfast
Dried lentils	50g	Protein; used in soups, stews and dahl
Couscous	90g	A change from pasta and rice

Portions are from the British Nutrition Foundation's portion size list. Children usually need less.

How long do they keep?

GOV.UK says dried foods, for example pasta and rice, carry a best before date. That date is about quality:

after it, food is usually safe to eat but may not be as good;
you can use sight, smell and taste to decide;
if you don't store food properly, it can lose quality before the date.

So the date on the pack is your guide, and good storage is what keeps it true. Follow the storage advice on each label.

How do I store dry food in a small flat?

Keep it:

cool: away from the oven, radiators, the boiler cupboard and sunny windows;
dry: not under the sink, in a damp corner or next to the washing machine;
sealed: in containers with tight lids once a pack is open;
in view: so you see the oldest packs first.

Small-flat ideas: a shallow box under the bed, the top shelf of a wardrobe, or a lidded crate on top of kitchen units. Our guides to prepping in a small flat and food storage containers have more.

How do I keep weevils and moths out?

The British Pest Control Association (BPCA) says that in the UK these pests are usually moths or beetles such as weevils. It says:

you can't always prevent them, because you may bring them home in a pack without knowing;
store food in flimsy packaging (cardboard or plastic bags) in tightly sealed containers, so insects can't get in;
vacuum crumbs out of cupboards regularly;
if you find them, throw the food away, ideally in an outside bin, and deep clean the cupboard.

The BPCA also says half-used packs forgotten at the back of a cupboard are a common source. Using the oldest first (first in, first out) helps here too.

For very long storage, some people use sealed buckets and liners. See long-term food storage with Mylar and buckets.

Is cooked rice safe to keep and reheat?

The Food Standards Agency's home food fact checker says:

uncooked rice can contain spores of a germ called Bacillus cereus, which can survive cooking;
the longer cooked rice sits at room temperature, the more likely it is to become unsafe;
cool leftover rice quickly, ideally within one hour; split it into smaller portions to help;
keep it in the fridge and eat it within 24 hours;
reheat rice only once, until steaming hot all the way through.

In a power cut with no fridge, cook only as much rice as you'll eat straight away.

Are dried kidney beans safe?

The FSA says raw or undercooked beans, especially red kidney beans, can be risky because they naturally contain a lectin that can make you ill. It says don't slow cook raw red kidney beans, because that doesn't destroy the toxin and may make it worse.

Tinned beans are different. The FSA says tinned beans from the supermarket are safe because they are already soaked and boiled.

So, for an emergency store, tinned beans are the easier choice. If you keep dried beans, follow the soaking and boiling instructions on the pack exactly.

A month of dry staples for two people: how much is it?

We worked this out from British Nutrition Foundation portion sizes and ONS average prices for September 2026, the latest month in the ONS shopping prices data.

The plan: porridge every morning, and a dry staple every night for 30 nights (10 pasta, 10 rice, 10 lentil dinners), for 2 adults. Lunches and toppings are extra.

Staple	Working	Needed	ONS pack	Packs	ONS average price	Cost
Oats	45g × 2 people × 30 days	2.7kg	750g	4	£2.36	£9.44
Pasta	75g × 2 × 10 nights	1.5kg	500g	3	£0.99	£2.97
Rice (basmati or jasmine)	65g × 2 × 10 nights	1.3kg	750g	2	£1.90	£3.80
Dried lentils	50g × 2 × 10 nights	1.0kg	not priced by ONS	1kg	check your shop	–
Total		6.5kg		9 packs + 1kg lentils		£16.21 + lentils

That's about 7kg as bought. ONS prices are averages across brands, so own-brand is often cheaper.

What's the catch?

They need water and heat. In a power cut or a water outage that's a problem:

keep drinking water first: Be Ready asks for 3 litres per person per day for 3 days (Be Ready), and cooking needs more;
keep a no-cook week of tins, crackers, nuts and dried fruit as well.

Cooking without power

The FSA power cut advice says gas hobs may still work, and that camping stoves and barbecues can be used, but most are designed for outdoor use only. The NHS says never use a barbecue or camping stove indoors or in a tent, keep rooms well ventilated, and fit a carbon monoxide alarm in each room with an appliance that burns gas, oil, coal or wood. See cooking without electricity.

Printable checklist

Dry staples my household already eats: pasta, rice, oats, lentils, couscous
Dates checked; oldest at the front
Opened and flimsy packs moved into tightly sealed containers
Stored cool and dry: not by the oven, radiator, boiler or under the sink
Cupboards vacuumed; any insect-hit food thrown away and the cupboard cleaned
Tinned beans kept as the easy option; dried kidney beans only cooked as the pack says
Leftover rice cooled within an hour, eaten within 24 hours, reheated only once
Drinking water stored: 3 litres per person per day for 3 days
A no-cook week kept alongside the dry food
No camping stove or barbecue indoors; CO alarm fitted
6-month reminder set to check dates

What to buy

About these links: plain links to ordinary retailer pages. We may earn from some links in future; we don't now. We haven’t tested these and we don’t rank them: they are examples that were in stock when we checked. Prices change. Check what you already own first. Full kit list

Food-grade water containers with lids
Look for: Food-grade, with a lid, never one that held chemicals, fuel or paint. Date the water you store.

Frequently asked questions

How long do dried pasta and rice keep?

GOV.UK says dried foods such as pasta and rice have a best before date. After it, they are usually safe but may not be as good. Store them as the label says, because poor storage can lower quality before the date.

How do I stop weevils and moths getting into dry food?

The British Pest Control Association says store food in flimsy packaging, such as cardboard or plastic bags, in tightly sealed containers, and vacuum food crumbs out of cupboards. If you find insects, throw the food away, ideally in an outside bin, and deep clean the cupboard.

Is it safe to reheat rice?

The Food Standards Agency says yes, but only once, and it must be steaming hot all the way through. Cool leftover rice quickly, ideally within an hour, keep it in the fridge and eat it within 24 hours.

Are dried kidney beans dangerous?

The FSA says raw or undercooked red kidney beans contain a natural lectin that can make you ill, and slow cooking them from raw doesn't destroy it. Tinned kidney beans are safe because they are already soaked and boiled.

How much dried food does a month take for two people?

Using British Nutrition Foundation portion sizes, porridge every morning and a pasta, rice or lentil dinner every night for two people comes to about 6.5kg. Bought in ONS pack sizes, that's 4 bags of oats, 3 bags of pasta, 2 bags of rice and 1kg of lentils.

Sources

We opened each page on the date shown. Official advice changes: if a source says something different now, follow the source.

GOV.UK Be Ready: be ready for emergencies (checklist: food that doesn't need refrigeration or cooking) (read 4 November 2026)
GOV.UK: Best before and use-by dates (dried foods such as pasta and rice) (read 4 November 2026)
Food Standards Agency (GOV.UK): Home food fact checker (rice; raw kidney beans) (read 4 November 2026)
British Pest Control Association: SPI control, how to get rid of and prevent stored product insects (read 4 November 2026)
British Nutrition Foundation: Your balanced diet, full portion size list (PDF) (read 4 November 2026)
Office for National Statistics: Shopping prices comparison tool (average prices of items in the consumer prices basket) (read 4 November 2026)
Office for National Statistics (ONSdigital on GitHub): shopping prices tool data, avgprice.csv and metadata.csv (latest month September 2026, file updated 27 Oct 2026) (read 4 November 2026)
Food Standards Agency (GOV.UK): Food safety in a power cut (read 4 November 2026)
NHS: Carbon monoxide poisoning (read 4 November 2026)

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Dried beans, rice, pasta, oats and lentils: how to store them in a small flat