let's talk about expiration dates on foodstuffs

[slowz1k]

I just finished off 3 cans of 2012 Chef Boyardee Ravioli last week. Took them to work for lunch. I forgot to rotate them out of my current stock.
Tasted fine, smelled fine, no worries.

I keep my canned goods cool and dry. If I thought they had seen a 17 degree, or a 90 degree day, I would be a little wary.
A rusty and/or a bloating can will get 86'd quick.

Non canned items, I feel, need to be scrutinized a little more thoroughly, and handled on an individual basis, depending on ingredients.

Ditto on the 6 month old trailmix... Not good

[jamesneuen]

it's the oils in the nuts that make trailmix go bad supposedly. the oxygen does it. So factories put different gases in the bag when they seal it. Oldest i have eaten is pickles that my mother and i canned when i was 13. I still have 2 jars in the pantry. they aren't crispy but they taste amazing still

[robsdak]

ok, guys. point taken. i really like all the comments thus far. canned foods aren't the problem. we all have a couple 3 in the pantry that are out/past dated. i have heard of folks eating 'home canned goods' years later. it's things in packages, for me. MRE's are a completely different thing, they are meant for long term storage.

[AlphaTea]

Wifey made some "Tuna surprise" a few years ago with a couple of those foil pouches. They were 3 or 4 years past best by date. Still tasted like Tuna Caserole to me. I didn't get sick. Kittys said it was safe too.

While on this subject, what is the opinion on exp MREs? I have a case with insp date of 07 and one of 08 that are my oldest.

[robsdak]

10+ yrs past the inspection date? if stored properly?

[jamesneuen]

Depends on the brand. The cheaper ones in plain plastic I don't use very far past expiration but the Mylar covered ones I am comfortable using regardless.

[Sniper-T]

crack one open and try it! Or better yet, feed it to a buddy! Better to find out now with stomach pumps and pepto bismo are around than when SHTF and they aren't!

[AlphaTea]

My basement is around 65f year round. I opened the older case a couple of years ago. The Tabasco sauce bottle had leaked. The cookie was ok. Stuff was edible but not what I would call palatable, so a normal MRE. I won't throw them out but, I have other things I can eat.

[robsdak]

i'll pass. as long as i can grow, catch, shoot, trap and can food to eat, i am not going to rely too heavily on processed foods.

[Sniper-T]

Found a handy - dandy guide for you...

A Bachelor's Kitchen Guide

Freezer Foods:

ICE CREAM

If you can't tell the difference between your ice cubes and your ice cream, it's time to throw BOTH out.

FROZEN FOODS

Frozen foods that have become an integral part of the defrosting problem in your freezer compartment will probably be spoiled (or wrecked anyway) by the time you pry them out with a kitchen knife.

In the Fridge:

EGGS

When something starts pecking its way out of the shell, the egg is probably past its prime.

DAIRY PRODUCTS

Milk is spoiled when it starts to look like yogurt. Yogurt is spoiled when it starts to look like cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is spoiled when it starts to look like regular cheese. Regular cheese is nothing but spoiled milk anyway - if you can dig down and still find something non-green, bon appetite!

MEAT

If opening the refrigerator door causes stray animals from a three-block radius to congregate outside your house, toss the meat.

UNMARKED ITEMS

You know it is well beyond prime when you're tempted to discard the Tupperware along with the food.

GENERAL RULE OF THUMB

Most food cannot be kept longer than the average life span of a hamster. Keep a hamster in your refrigerator to gauge this.

On the Shelf:

CANNED GOODS

Any canned goods that have become the size or shape of a softball should be disposed of... Very carefully.

POTATOES

Fresh potatoes do not have roots, branches, or dense, leafy undergrowth.

THE GAG TEST

Anything that makes you gag is spoiled (except for leftovers from what you cooked for yourself last night).

BREAD

Sesame seeds and Poppy seeds are the only officially acceptable spots that should be seen on the surface of any loaf of bread. Fuzzy and hairy looking white or green growth areas are good indications that your bread has turned into a pharmaceutical laboratory experiment. You may wish to discard it at this time, depending on your interest in pharmaceuticals.

CEREAL

It is generally a good rule of thumb that cereal should be discarded when it is two years or longer beyond the expiration date, or when it will no longer fall out of the box by itself.

FLOUR

Flour is spoiled when it wiggles, or things fly out when you open it.

PRETZELS

Normally eternal, pretzels may be discarded if they can no longer be picked up without falling apart. Otherwise, there's nothing to stop you from eating a pretzel that the Pharaoh put down only 4000 years ago.

RAISINS

Raisins should not usually be harder than your teeth.

SALT

It never spoils. However, if you can't chip off reasonable amounts from the block, maybe another box is in order, as fresh salt usually pours.

SPICES

Most spices cannot die, they just fade away. They will be fine on your shelf, forever. Put them in your will.

VINEGAR

If your grandmother made it, it is probably still good.

Expiration Dates:

This is not a marketing ploy to encourage you to throw away perfectly good food so that you'll spend more on groceries. Even dry foods older than you are may be ready to replace. Perhaps you'd benefit by having a calendar in your kitchen.