While some baking ingredients are practically immortal if stored properly, flour should be replaced after eight months and sometimes less, depending on its type and storage method.

The best-by date should tell you when to toss your flour, but it may still be fine for 4-6 months past that date. Still, try to use your senses to discern if your flour is rotten.

A funky, sour, mildly rancid smell or a clumpy texture indicates your flour has gone bad. If you spot black dots or the dreaded brown weevils, toss that

batch of flour immediately.

Exposure to water can give your flour a clumpy, undesirable texture and cause fungus or mold to form, while air can affect flour’s taste, flavor, freshness, and nutritional value.

Keep flour in an airtight container in a dry, cool place away from temperature fluctuations to extend its life. Keeping it in the fridge or freezer can let it last up to two years.

The more processed types of flour, like standard all-purpose flour, last longer because there's less of the original grain left after processing and, thus, less oil in them.

Higher oil content flours, like whole grain options, contain more pieces of the original grain of wheat, which is why they are more susceptible to spoilage than traditional flours.

Alternative types of flour like almond, coconut, chickpea, or any gluten-free options are more susceptible to spoilage for the same reasons and only last between one to six months.