When to toss pantry items

[SKB]

This info surprised me, passing it along.

Guidelines for when to toss pantry food
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/gallery?section=news/food_coach&id=7656249&photo=1

[nhlivefreeordie]

LOL, wonder who in the food industry PAID for that study? ..I am willing to bet some tomato soups don't even see a shelf in the super market for 90 days, and the producer of this piece would probably shudder knowing that we are still eating canned venison from 18 years ago. These type of pieces are made in my opinion to prey on those that don't know, how much good food was thrown out because of this piece I wonder? All the while the food companies are laughing all the way to the bank. We need to ask ourselves why these types of studies are even being done.....I can guarantee it isn't for the consumers benefit. :lol::lol:

[SKB]

Ain't it a wonder that we've all survived and thrived so far?!

[MooseToo]

the time to toss pantry items is when they finally stick to the shelves so well that you can no longer slide them around -

[Aamylf]

It is undoubtedly true that some of the vitamins deteriorate, but the overall message is this: buy only what you need right now; keep nothing more than 90 days; and for heaven's sake, don't be prepared for disaster. Irresponsible, but I bet the reporter has a degree in journalism.

[BonnyLake]

.... So now I have to worry that my 2lb jar of cinnamon has lost it's vitamins?? I never knew it had any in the first place...:confused:
Arghhhhh... I just love public service stories that service nobody and confuse everybody!

[nhlivefreeordie]

Ain't it a wonder that we've all survived and thrived so far?!

I know right....but, looking at it from another perspective, there are a lot of stupid people out there that need instructions for everything, pretty soon there will be written ( or pictures ) directions in the public restrooms..LOL

[NCLee]

Amazing how often a small grain of truth can be blown so far out of proportion. I'd laugh if it wasn't for people who don't take stuff like this with a grain of salt and do their own research.

McCormick has been a brand name I've seen since my early childhood. So, they should know their stuff about spices. Plus, like other products, turn over, equals more sales. Yet they say:
http://www.mccormick.com/Spices101/HowOldSpices/KeepingItFresh.aspx

Plus, shortly after I tossed a bunch because I thought they were too old, learned a couple of things. (1) Check the color and smell. If it still looks like cinnamon and still smells like cinnamon, it's OK to use it. (2) As it ages and loses strength, jus add a little more to the recipe to get the same end result.

Storing Olive Oil
http://www.milasolio.com/olive-oil.aspx-page=Storage.htm
IMHO, don't toss it until a rancid aroma lets you know it's been on the shelf, too long.

As to tea... Remember the Boston Tea Party? Remember that tea came from England. Where did England get it? The real reason for asking these questions is to remind folks of all the shipping required to get tea to Boston. Back then, modern vacuum sealing and all the other things that prolong shelf life weren't in existance. If you're unsure whether to keep or toss, simply make a cup of hot tea. Take a sip. That'll tell you.

How about storing things with a 30+ year shelf life? http://providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,7798-1-4224-1,00.html

One final observation.... :) Yes, the nutritional content of various foods decline as they age on the shelf. Rate depends on storage conditions and the items, themselves. However, combining old items with fresh can help compensate so the total nutritional value of a meal is increased.

And, again, IMHO, it's better to have food on the pantry shelves with 1/2 of the original nutritional value than to have none at all!!! Those 3 year old canned green beans can be mightly tasty in a pot of soup made with last year's tomatoes and this year's new potatoes.

Just some food for thought.
Lee

[NotSoFast]

There are places where this is already in place.

One building I work in has a sign in the stalls in the men's room that states "Don't put anything in the toilet except toilet paper." I want to ask "So how do I do my business so I can use the TP in the first place." :D

Another sign I saw was a reminder that we should flush after we are done. :rolleyes:

[NotSoFast]

Something to add to what you've said, Lee.

Removing oxygen will increase the shelf life of foods. Isn't that what we do when we pressure can our food? Or vacuum seal it? Or put Oxygen Adsorbers in with our grains? And I'm sure that much of what we buy already containerized has had the oxygen either replaced or removed before they are through packaging it.

Now that they have done away with 'packed' on dates, we have no idea how long that food item has sat on a shelf or in a warehouse. I believe that some foods are dated a long ways off so that they can store them in the warehouse before they ship them and the supermarket warehouse can store them before they distribute them. When I see a quart of goats milk dated a month later than the date I am looking at it you know they are just playing games with the dates.

[SKB]

The Journal of Food Science, that's who is behind the article. I wonder if they follow the guidelines themselves. Probably not. Too extreme.

Back in 1978 while visitng my uncle, he offered me the opportunity to sample some canned cheese and crackers that he had saved from WW2. I declined, but he insisted that they were still tasty.

[SKB]

Thanks, NCLEE, for posting the links about the spices and olive oil. The info on the olive oil is especially helpful.

What I was taught about spices is this: If the paprika moves, it's old!

[nhlivefreeordie]

The Journal of Food Science, that's who is behind the article. I wonder if they follow the guidelines themselves. Probably not. Too extreme.

Back in 1978 while visitng my uncle, he offered me the opportunity to sample some canned cheese and crackers that he had saved from WW2. I declined, but he insisted that they were still tasty.

You should have tried them, they are good. Back in the late 60s early 70s in scouts, we often used surplus WWII C-rats on camp outs, they were really good, especially the pound cake.

[NCLee]

Something to add to what you've said, Lee.

Removing oxygen will increase the shelf life of foods. Isn't that what we do when we pressure can our food? Or vacuum seal it? Or put Oxygen Adsorbers in with our grains? And I'm sure that much of what we buy already containerized has had the oxygen either replaced or removed before they are through packaging it.

Now that they have done away with 'packed' on dates, we have no idea how long that food item has sat on a shelf or in a warehouse. I believe that some foods are dated a long ways off so that they can store them in the warehouse before they ship them and the supermarket warehouse can store them before they distribute them. When I see a quart of goats milk dated a month later than the date I am looking at it you know they are just playing games with the dates.

From what I can gather, they (large corps, especially) use every trick in the book to prolong the shelf life of food. Some good, and some not so good, IMHO. However, they do work. Things that great Grandma would have had to toss, fairly quickly back then, are shelf stable for a l-o-n-g time now. Soy milk in cartons is one example that comes to mind.

You've brought up one of my favorite rants. Don't know if that's good or bad, either. :) :confused: :mad:

If the picked/packed date was required on all foods, then people could educate themselves and act appropriately for the food item. If it isn't processed, the date picked, as in raw apples or cabbage should be used. Slaughter dates for meats and packed date when it goes into that styrofoam tray.

"Best By", "Use By", "Sell Buy" all have different meanings depending on the processor. If memory serves, none with the exception of baby food, have any formal guidelines or regulations. So, it can become a fight between the marketing folks and the lab folks as to what date goes on a jar of pickles.

Just put the slaughter/picked/packed/canned date on everything. Start letting people take on some of the responsibility for themselves!! Just as we're already doing here at BWH.

Lee

[Gracie]

Lee, your rant is one that has been a frustration for a long time...if it's on the shelves or veggie or meat coolers, don't have a 'use by' printed on it, but put it's actual expiration date, period. Before putting store bought items in the cupboard, make a conscientious effort to permanent marker it's expiration date (that try to remember to check,before placing item in the shopping cart), but as you said, some things just don't have them. So have started to not only write the ED, but also BT (bought) date. That when I get something to use, can use my own judgment whether to use or discard it. It seems if we are willing to pay the asking price for the item, surely they could stamp the ED, in an easy to find and readable area of it.

[SKB]

I had some Kraft salad dressing in the pantry that had passed its use by date. I called Kraft and they told me that it is safe to use within one month past that date, after that, they don't recommend using it. I didn't ask way, but wondered what happens to it that it is no longer usable.

My local food pantry was giving away frozen lunchmeat and hot dogs. The exp. date on the Oscar Meyer lunchmeat was 3 months prior. I called OM and asked about the dating and was told that even if a product is frozen, it must be used before the exp. date. They sent me a coupon for free replacement product.

Some people might be able to eat that stuff and never miss a beat. I don't want to take a chance. Too risky.

[SKB]

You should have tried them, they are good. Back in the late 60s early 70s in scouts, we often used surplus WWII C-rats on camp outs, they were really good, especially the pound cake.

LOL, how long were those things designed to last? The depletion of nutrients must have been significant.

MREs have totally replaced those old c-rations, right?

[nhlivefreeordie]

LOL, how long were those things designed to last? The depletion of nutrients must have been significant.

MREs have totally replaced those old c-rations, right?

Not sure about nutrition, but it sure filled an empty belly. :D

Yes, MREs have replaced them.

[Pokeberry Mary]

I usually just keep pantry items that are canned until we use them--no matter how long. --if I do dejunk cuz we aren't eating a thing and I don't think we will--I give it to someone else.

Herbs, spices and teas--I know I've kept those much longer than they say. There are some that don't hold up as well as others. Rosemary, thyme, parsley & chives--I've noticed don't last as well as some others.

I've had some dried peppers for many years that were fine.

I'm pretty sure any experts from food companies would err on the side of not getting sued- thus tell you to throw it out.

Personally if I had meat or cheese in my freezer and it was expired--we'd eat it anyhow.:)

[NotSoFast]

I would have eaten the hot dogs and also used the coupon. If it was kept frozen, which is likely if a food pantry had it, then other than losing some flavor and some nutrients, it should still be good, especially if you cook it well before you serve it.

[SKB]

I would have eaten the hot dogs and also used the coupon. If it was kept frozen, which is likely if a food pantry had it, then other than losing some flavor and some nutrients, it should still be good, especially if you cook it well before you serve it.

If it were purchased by me and frozen here at home, I would have no problem with consuming it. But the foods that come from some where else (far away in this instance), I don't feel so confident about.

The food pantries do try to sort through everything and toss the obviously inedible, but they do miss things.

[Pokeberry Mary]

Speaking of using an old coupon... I tried to use an old coupon at Food Lion yesterday. It had no expiration date but it also had no barcode and the kid on hand to assist the cashier didn't know how to use it without that. It was for 20 cents off keebler crackers and they were on sale.

I just said that's fine, I'll use it at Harris Teeter next time those crackers on sale--they will just take it off the price--and they double coupons.

I'm amazed that stores put kids 'in charge' of things who can't handle little things like that without a computer. Kind of portends ill for the countries future in a way. :(

[SKB]

I'm amazed that stores put kids 'in charge' of things who can't handle little things like that without a computer. Kind of portends ill for the countries future in a way. :(

Just wait until we old timers are gone. Already they're loading coupons onto smartphones so that you can use them at the checkout instead of paper coupons. Eventually all we'll need to conduct daily life is a smartphone. No wallets or purses needed!

[leera]

Just flipping through some older posts,If I followed what that thing said,my pantry would be empty......

I just made some delicious pumkin bread yesterady from "expired" ingredients,it smells fine,and tastes great!

[Aamylf]

Leera, the only thing I usually find expires on time if I don't use it is flour. I've started vacuum sealing it and that seems to help a lot. Because we buy ahead and rotate out, I often have things 'expired' and so far we haven't died.

[leera]

I've been working on reorganizing my food stores....went through nearly a year of some sort of depression,now that it seems to have passed,I have to get caught back up on things around here....

Making cranberry bread as I type this....not sure how old the mix is,but was sealed well and not buggy,so went ahead and mixed it up,adding a little extra baking powder to help it rise just in case.

I've never had a problem with flour going bad on me,but maybe i don't keep it around long enough?

Edited to add:

I store all my dry goods in glass one gallon jars,have never had a problem other than one time,and my guess would be that it must have been going bad when I bought it(rice).We don't have a problem with bugs or mice or other rodents either by storing everything this way.

[SKB]

I don't trust my nose or my taste buds (allergies), so I follow the guidelines pretty closely. It forces me to use what I have in a timely fashion rather than have a lot of backstock. There's just me, a little goes a long way.

[MYellowRose]

I use my canned goods no matter what the date depending on the condition of the can. I toss for excessive rust, leaks, bulges, and if after opening I don't like the looks or smell of the food. What I've had the most trouble with has been boxed mac & cheese, including Kraft, several times I've opened a box, not necessarily outdated to find the macaroni mouldy and caked to itself and the box, it goes into the trash. I've had very little I've had to discard which really helps the budget.

I haven't been able to get out to any of the food pantries I use since late November as I lost my ride in early Dec. when both the ladies I rode with went into the hospital and it's been too cold to hit the one I ride the bus to get to. I'll be going back to it starting this coming Saturday if it's not in the 20's and windy as I have to catch a bus at 7am.

[MYellowRose]

I'm hopefully getting another pickle jar to use in storing dry goods as I've got both bugs and mice! UGH!! Right now though I just can't afford to move so I'm trying to protect stuff as best I can. I'm going to pull anything I think the mice will eat and put it in empty kitty litter buckets that have been washed out. Hopefully that will protect them until I can collect enough empty pickle jars to transfer it to. One nice thing is the granddaughter's kitten is an excellent mouser and I think she's been keeping them in the walls and ceiling. LOL

[SKB]

I'm hopefully getting another pickle jar to use in storing dry goods as I've got both bugs and mice! UGH!! Right now though I just can't afford to move so I'm trying to protect stuff as best I can. I'm going to pull anything I think the mice will eat and put it in empty kitty litter buckets that have been washed out. Hopefully that will protect them until I can collect enough empty pickle jars to transfer it to. One nice thing is the granddaughter's kitten is an excellent mouser and I think she's been keeping them in the walls and ceiling. LOL

You're not far from me and the mice have been a real problem in the stores that I go to for my job. Home Depot had some snakes in the store, probably looking for the rodents! Same thing at the stores across the street. They are in the middle of big fields (formerly pasture land), so it's not unexpected. Just so long as I don't see either one, I'm ok. In my neighborhood there are many stray cats who kill the rodents and also some of the birds.

I recently saw a man buying 2 of those huge rat traps. He said the critter would come out from his hiding place as soon as they turned out the lights to go to bed and that it was eating through an entire loaf of bread! I would have to go to a hotel until it was gone. It would be too hard to sleep knowing he was somewhere nearby.

[bettertimes]

New to all of this...Just wondering if anyone knows how long canned ground beef lasts.

[NCLee]

Welcome Bettertimes! Glad you've pulled up a chair and joined us at our virtual kitchen table.

If canned according to guidelines, ground beef will be safe to eat as long as the seal remains intact and there are no visibile signs of spoilage.

As to flavor, the more fat you can remove, the longer it will last before objectionable flavors may set in.

Most food storage recommendations are to store home canned foods for 1 year. That said, I have some canned venison that's 3 years old and is still fine. Cooked up up the other day. I'm estimating that you can get from 3 to 5 years, depending on your storage conditions. Maybe longer?? Don't know for sure as I haven't kept any meat that long. I'll be using that venison soon, as I have more that I canned this fall.

In closing, the main thing with long term storage is to rotate your food. The golden rule is - Store what you eat and eat what you store. IMHO, too much time and money is spent in stocking a pantry, only to have to toss things that truly get too old to be of value.

Again, Welcome!
Lee

[bettertimes]

This has been informative for me. I will be storing my cans in a temperature of 40-60 degrees. Will this effect the storage time and/or quality of my canned goods?

[SKB]

This has been informative for me. I will be storing my cans in a temperature of 40-60 degrees. Will this effect the storage time and/or quality of my canned goods?

Perfect. Cooler is better.

[Nancymw]

I'd go with www.grandpappy.info as far as expiration/storage dates. Most are a lot longer than you would think or that they put on stuff.

[NCLee]

This has been informative for me. I will be storing my cans in a temperature of 40-60 degrees. Will this effect the storage time and/or quality of my canned goods?

You'll be having a lot of folks here, green with envy, me included, as that temperature range is ideal for most food storage. Mine is no where near that, as mine is at normal/average room temperature.

The other 2 factors that affect storage life are light and humidity. The darker and dryer the better, except for unprocessed root crops and such that need varying degrees of humidity for best keeping. With home canned foods, keeping them away from the light can be done in a number of different ways. The way too high humidity can have a negative effect is that it can cause lids to rust. There are some work-a-rounds for that, too, in both home & commercially canned foods, if the need to do so exists.

Good luck with canning meats, if you're just getting started. It won't be long before you're admiring shelves filled with the fruits of your labor.

Lee

[PATRICE IN IL]

The food manufacturers, as well as our government officials think that we are dumb and that they have to protect us from ourselves. There are a lot of people who would eat things that they know are no longer edible just to have the opportunity to sue the manufacturer which is a big part of the use/sell by dates. The dumb masses who cannot think for themselves, that willingly throw away perfectly good food, just because it is close to the "use/sell by date". They are the reason the manufacturers are raking in the big bucks.

Our government thinks they have to enact legislation to protect us from ourselves and the masses keep going along with it. We are losing much of our God given common sense. I'd rather fill a hungry belly with less nutricious food than nothing at all.

I understand the need for guidelines regarding preserving food and the reasons why they had to be written in the first place. The fact that the masses are being dumbed down to a level that they cannot think for themselves is ridiculous. I think I can judge whether something is edible or not by looking at it, smelling it and tasting it. If a product is questionable then I dispose of it in the proper manner.

We have been conditioned from an early age to not question authority, to do as we are told to, that we must have rules and guidelines to follow, all to protect us from harming ourselves. We have also been conditioned to "need" everything we see advertised. Now the ploy is in the "use by/sell by" date system they have put in place to protect us, the dumb consumers who don't know how to function without being told how to, like a child. You know it's just for your own protection don't you? :rolleyes:

[Equilibrium]

The granpappy site does not appear to have a search engine but I was able to locate a page that provided links to recent research. I was also able to locate a page providing shelf life information on wheat white, rice, corn, pinto beans, apple slices, macaroni, rolled oats, potato flakes, and powdered milk http://www.grandpappy.info/hshelff.htm. Unfortunately, those are dry products we use rarely... if ever. Would someone be able to provide me with a direct link to the page at that website, or any other website, that provides "real" shelf life information on commercially available products? We don't keep a lot of canned prepared foods on hand but we do keep some. Mostly products we use in recipes regularly such as Prego Traditional pasta sauce, Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup, Dole's pineapple, canned mushrooms and tuna. That's about it for us but I'd totally be interested in getting my hands on some sort of listing that provides information beyond the "best if used by" dates. Thanks if anyone has that info.

[farmerj]

We opted to clean out the pantry when we came to the realization:

There is junk in there we just don't plan eating. So it can go to the food bank.

If you won't eat it enough to rotate through it to keep it fresh, why keep it.

[SKB]

http://theprepared.com/index.php?option=com_content

[Equilibrium]

AH... thank you. I think I actually ran across that list a long time ago but didn't realize the dates weren't "best if used" by dates. I guess the "life sustaining" dates I had been looking for mentioned here http://www.grandpappy.info/hshelff.htm are pretty close to the "best if used by" dates. Here's the direct link if someone else is floundering, http://theprepared.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24&Itemid=36.

[momma_to_seven_chi]

We use things regardless of expiration dates as long as they are sealed, smell ok, and taste ok. Since it has never killed any of us or made any of us ill, I tend to think that it's ok.