What not to do...

[NathanJefferson]

So, working through the storage in the pantry... Lesson - stock what you eat!

When I first started stocking up about 2-3 years ago in a shocked panic I started buying a lot of stuff listed on different survival sites.Wrong thinking. Just cut the stores down by more than half.


(pic is pretty dark, but its about 2-3 feet deep in my trash can...)

About 75-100 cans of stuff at more than 3-4 months out of date - and another 100 that expire within +/- 3 months. Donated a ton of the soon to be expired and have the recently expired doled out to family/friends for quick consumption.

Yes I know that canned goods keep for much longer than their 'best by dates' - it's a BEST BY date after all - but the wife refuses to use them if they are more than a month or three out of date...

 

[RichardR]

I'd happily take all of those cans of past-expired food off of your hands, I have no qualms about eating canned food that is year(s) past their best by date.

 

[Mens Rea]

I would probably dispose of them as well; chances are everything is fine. But, canned food is so cheap why not just replace it every now and then? To each his own I guess!

 

[manygunsmike]

WOW ! I was just thinking about this today ! I have canned food that is weeks to months past the date and I see nothing wrong with them ! I have enjoyed some pineapple and ravioli today that was almost a year past date and there was nothing wrong with them they tasted good and smelled good! I also just opened a jar of peanut butter that was 4months past and it is fine I will eat that tomorrow. Yesterday I had a bag of frozen peas with dinner that was 6 mo over and they were fine and tasted great. I have no problems eating anything that is past the "best before date " if the items are sealed and do not require refridgeration like frozen items or canned goods.
How far are the poptarts past ? If only a few months they to should be fine to eat also because they are sealed in individual packages I have ate more then a few of them that were past "best before date" .
Man thats a lot of good food there ....! I wouldnt toss it.


manygunsmike

 

[Gamez235]

I wish I could just throw money away too. I am pretty speechless at that.

 

[jeremy]

I'd happily take all of those cans of past-expired food off of your hands, I have no qualms about eating canned food that is year(s) past their best by date.

Dibs on what you do not take!

I would probably dispose of them as well; chances are everything is fine. But, canned food is so cheap why not just replace it every now and then? To each his own I guess!

Really do you also light your Campfires with One Hundred Dollar bills as Well?!

 

[JetGirl]

Jeez...just ROTATE stuff you actually use instead of adding to it from the front.
Problem solved. :/

 

[ATOMonkey]

i lol'd

I have a family member that is similarly compulsive. She wanted to throw away a whole meat tray just because it hadn't been refrigerated for a couple of hours.

 

[JetGirl]

it hadn't been refrigerated for a couple of hours.

You've got 4 at room temp, still safely. After 6, it gets sketchy...anything longer than that, and you should ditch it.

 

[Electronrider]

I have on occaision, eaten canned food that was over a year out of date. Such a waste of food.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Do NOT throw it away. Give it or sell it to someone here who has no qualms about "best by" dates.

Those dates on canned goods ONLY guarantee freshness and taste, not safety. And by their nature they are overly conservative. As far as safety goes, as long as the can is intact and not bulged or damaged, the food inside is fine for many years past the dates.


And this is a perfect example of why those of use who have been doing it for a long time strongly caution against panic prepping.

 

[trillobite]

If nothing else, most dogs will not even notice a expiration date. Mine have never turned their nose up at anything.

 

[Kitty]

If nothing else, most dogs will not even notice a expiration date. Mine have never turned their nose up at anything.

Add teenage boys to this list and you've got my house. Not that I think anything has ever gotten close to an expiration date in years.

 

[ATOMonkey]

BTW, pop tarts never go bad. They aren't actually food, so there's nothing in them to "go bad"

I would bet that pop tarts would last longer than twinkies.

 

[hoosierdoc]

Take labels off, cook for 8 hours in crock pot, and invite your neighbors over!

 

[ATOMonkey]

^ Better listen to him, Flounder, he's in pre-med.

 

[Johnny C]

There is nothing wrong with 200 year old salisbury steak

 

[snorko]

^ Better listen to him, Flounder, he's in pre-med.

I thought he was pre-law?


Seriously folks, This time of year I do a complete pull out and cleaning of the shelves in the pantry. I donate that which is expired or very close (I know it is still good) to local holiday food drives and restock with the great holiday sales.

Charity + tax deduction + updated preps for the win

 

[braz007]

You've got 4 at room temp, still safely. After 6, it gets sketchy...anything longer than that, and you should ditch it.

We typically leave our leftovers on the stove top overnight to cool off before packaging it in the fridge (rather than raising the temp of the compartment too radically). As a kid my Mother used to do this all the time.

I can't recall at anytime in the past 29 years that anyone (in my home or my parents home) got sick from it...

I think sometimes people get a little uptight about food sanitation. There are many examples on "Good Eats" where Alton Brown talks about safety overkill by the "Food Police."

 

[longbow]

A few months ago i ate sardines years past the expiration and they tasted real good.