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Location: Georgia, on the Florida line, right above Tallahassee
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Does Vinegar Ever Go Bad? | StillTasty.com - Your Ultimate Shelf Life Guide Question: I have a bottle of red wine vinegar that I purchased and opened about a year ago. I’ve noticed that it’s become cloudy. Is it still safe to use? Answer: Your vinegar should be fine, provided you’ve been storing it properly.
From a safety standpoint, commercially produced vinegar has a virtually indefinite shelf life, says the Vinegar Institute, an association that represents most of the world’s largest vinegar manufacturers.
I posted this 'cuz I see so many people ask about expiration dates . Plus, it's kind of cool to see how we're being manipulated by dates that are sometimes just arbitrarily made up for inventory control or to get you to toss something and buy more stuff.
Not only are expiration dates misleading, but there's no uniformity in their inaccuracy. Some manufacturers prefer the elusive "Best if used by," others opt for the imperative "Use by," and then there are those who litter their goods with the most unhelpful "Sell by" stamps. (I'm happy my bodega owner is clear on when to dump, but what about me?) Such disparities are a consequence of the fact that, with the exception of infant formula and some baby foods, package dates are unregulated by the federal government. And while some states do exercise oversight, there's no standardization. A handful of states, including Massachusetts and West Virginia, and Washington, D.C., require dating of some form for perishable foods. Twenty states insist on dating for milk products, but each has distinct regulations. Milk heading for consumers in Connecticut must bear a "Sell by" date not more than 12 days from the day of pasteurization. Dairies serving Pennsylvania must conform to 14 days.
Interesting. I have a friend who says she uses eggs weeks after they've gone "bad" without a problem. I say, trust your instincts, use your nose. That's what it's there for - who are you gonna believe, your sense of smell or some arbitrary bureaucratic regulation that varies from place to place? We know when milk has gone bad. The stamp is just a guide, in my opinion.
Interesting. I have a friend who says she uses eggs weeks after they've gone "bad" without a problem. I say, trust your instincts, use your nose. That's what it's there for - who are you gonna believe, your sense of smell or some arbitrary bureaucratic regulation that varies from place to place? We know when milk has gone bad. The stamp is just a guide, in my opinion.
Many years ago, I had an assignment working with US Army mess sergeants. The army spent a lot of time testing how long products could be kept under proper food storage. Fresh eggs, when refrigerated could last nine months. As I do not eat many eggs, we generally use a dozen every three to four months and they have NOT gone bad.
Vinegar can get funky. Whether that happens because some funk molecule or another drops in from the atmosphere or what, I don't know. I've had bottles of cider vinegar develop globs of good at the bottom of the bottle.
But for the most part, it lasts for months. I keep it in a dark pantry in the unheated mud room off the kitchen.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 70Ford
Not only are expiration dates misleading, but there's no uniformity in their inaccuracy.
Amen to that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by deecbee
Interesting. I have a friend who says she uses eggs weeks after they've gone "bad" without a problem.
Eggs are easy: Pop them in a bowl of water. If they float, they should be tossed. I've used eggs that were two or three months older than the date stamped on the carton; how quickly the air penetrates the shell (which causes the floating) depends on the individual egg, and how it's stored.
Vinegar can get funky. Whether that happens because some funk molecule or another drops in from the atmosphere or what, I don't know. I've had bottles of cider vinegar develop globs of good at the bottom of the bottle.
But for the most part, it lasts for months. I keep it in a dark pantry in the unheated mud room off the kitchen.
Amen to that.
Eggs are easy: Pop them in a bowl of water. If they float, they should be tossed. I've used eggs that were two or three months older than the date stamped on the carton; how quickly the air penetrates the shell (which causes the floating) depends on the individual egg, and how it's stored.
That vinegar was perfectly fine. What you saw is called "the mother of the vinegar", it is actually a form
of cellulose substance made up of various Acetobacter, a very acidic strain of bacteria.
No reason to throw it out, as it is perfectly harmless.
yes it can. I know this because I had bought white wine vinegar and did not use it often. When I did need it for a recipe it had brown sediment on the bottom and smelled funky.
Location: Georgia, on the Florida line, right above Tallahassee
10,471 posts, read 15,829,266 times
Reputation: 6438
My mom has taken food from the freezer to defrost, set it on the counter in a bowl/pan and let it sit for 8 - 10 hours before it was time to fry it up or use it for whatever. Fish, game, beef. I don't thnk any shellfish, though. I don't recall us getting sick from it. She still does it to this day, and she's 68. I been eating that stuff on and off for 40 years. Let's food sit out for 3 - hours after cooking in case someone "wants any."
I'm the psycho that has to have it in the fridge after dinner, after it's cool enough not to heat the fridge up to bad.
But I defrost my food pretty much the same way. I put mine in cold water, and change the water as it warms up. My mom just lets that stuff sit.
My wife has no compunctions about leaving a pot of beef/chicken curry on the stove all night long and eating it for lunch the next day. We're talking curry done at ~ 7 PM and eating it for lucn at 12 PM the next day. She never gets sick, but I can't make myself eat it. In fact, it makes her mad that I tried to put it in the fridge. She does the same thing with minestrone.
Many years ago, I had an assignment working with US Army mess sergeants. The army spent a lot of time testing how long products could be kept under proper food storage. Fresh eggs, when refrigerated could last nine months. As I do not eat many eggs, we generally use a dozen every three to four months and they have NOT gone bad.
Yep, yep, yep. People who have been raised in cities, unconnected to sources of the food they eat, and have never done home canning have all kinds of strange fears about food that just are not justified by the facts.
For instance, many people don't know this, but "fresh" eggs in the supermarkets used to be up to 9 months old, and even today can be many months old, particularly around the holidays.
The sale of eggs is highly seasonal, increasing dramatically during the holiday season, when a lot of baking happens. In order to meet this huge bump in demand, the egg producers stockpile fresh eggs in cold storage for months at a time. The "sell by" date is mostly a marketing device to give the public the impression the eggs were laid recently.
My grandfather was a butcher who raised his own chicken and eggs. He taught me that whole eggs are sterile inside, and keep fine on the pantry shelf without any refrigeration at all for weeks, and when refrigerated they last for many months.
As for vinegar, I love all kinds, wine vinegar, rice wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, but the oldest I can afford is 10 years old. But I have tasted 25 year old vinegar and it is a wonder to behold... so mellow and smooth!
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Some manufacturers prefer the elusive "Best if used by," others opt for the imperative "Use by," and then there are those who litter their goods with the most unhelpful "Sell by" stamps. (I'm happy my bodega owner is clear on when to dump, but what about me?) Such disparities are a consequence of the fact that, with the exception of infant formula and some baby foods, package dates are unregulated by the federal government. And while some states do exercise oversight, there's no standardization. A handful of states, including Massachusetts and West Virginia, and Washington, D.C., require dating of some form for perishable foods. Twenty states insist on dating for milk products, but 
