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Nobody in their right mind would ever guess that I'm gonna be 50 in a month - I can't stop giggling every single time I read or think about "40 year old nutmeg balls".
So what about baking soda and baking powder then? Do those ever expire?
I'm so glad to hear about the spices though. The only ones I ever use up are parsley, basil, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt. I've got cream of tartar that I bought a year ago because I thought I needed it, but I have yet to find a recipe that uses it.
So what about baking soda and baking powder then? Do those ever expire?
I'm so glad to hear about the spices though. The only ones I ever use up are parsley, basil, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt. I've got cream of tartar that I bought a year ago because I thought I needed it, but I have yet to find a recipe that uses it.
A reminder to check expiration dates on food products
Cleaning out my refrigerator, discovered of course quite a few expired foods.
Some have the pull date, some best by date. But living alone, it creeps up on me...a half full mayo container is out of date. Most are not used even 3/4 before I need to toss and I despise wasting food. Usually buy a small size if available but they end up costing more.
I'd use some things past the pull date but not long, freshness you want in food products.
Last time I did this had to replace about a dozen spices...this time mayo, dressing, mustard, lemon curd, pesto etc.
Appreciate the heads-up, but you didn't mention anything I would throw away just because it was past the date. In fact, I never look at dates. My conviction is that you can completely disregard the arbitrary date printed on the package and use any food as long as it still looks, smells, and tastes good.
Mayonnaise? Lasts a long long time. It's pasteurized egg preserved in oil and vinegar. When it is too old, it visibly dries out.
Dressing? Oil and vinegar. Keep it cold and it lasts forever.
Mustard? Also lasts forever. It's dried mustard seeds + vinegar. Not going to go bad.
Lemon curd? Don't have a lot of experience with it, but isn't it basically a kind of jam? Jam lasts forever.
Spices? Also have an eternal shelf life; they will eventually lose potency but what you do is taste them to see if they still have enough flavor for your purposes.
The things that I find ACTUALLY go bad are fresh foods. Dairy products, especially if unsealed (milk and cream go sour; yogurt, cottage cheese and sour cream get moldy), fresh fruits and vegetables (they visibly wither and/or rot), bread and other baked goods (mold), and meat (gets sticky and develops a foul smell).
But if these items aren't displaying any of the above signs, I keep them and use them.
Everything else? Meh. I've even heard of people throwing away salt because it was past the sell-by date. Really.
One needs to keep also in mind that expiration dates are for sealed unused food. If you open a bottle of ranch dressing, it's certainly not good until the expiration date for example.
One needs to keep also in mind that expiration dates are for sealed unused food. If you open a bottle of ranch dressing, it's certainly not good until the expiration date for example.
Oh so true.....I just try to keep in the back of my head how long items have been open.....
Cleaning out my refrigerator, discovered of course quite a few expired foods.
Some have the pull date, some best by date. But living alone, it creeps up on me...a half full mayo container is out of date. Most are not used even 3/4 before I need to toss and I despise wasting food. Usually buy a small size if available but they end up costing more.
I'd use some things past the pull date but not long, freshness you want in food products.
Last time I did this had to replace about a dozen spices...this time mayo, dressing, mustard, lemon curd, pesto etc.
So.....check out your cabinets and refrigerator!
You may want to rethink that. The larger size probably costs less per ounce to purchase, but that's not what you want to compare. You want to look at the cost per ounce that you actually use. The impulse to get more for your money is almost irresistible -I've done it, too - but if you get a large container of something you rarely use because it's cheaper per ounce, but then throw most of it away, you have actually wasted money, not to mention storage space.
Bottom line: If you use a lot, get a lot. If you don't, who cares if you can get four times as much for only twice the price?
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A reminder to check expiration dates on food products
