Ever have a day like this?
 

Yesterday when I got off work decided to make tortilla soup ( a co worker's mom gave us all the recipe) checked the cupboards to see what i need for it then when grocery shopping. Came home start making it and went to put the cream of chicken soup in and realized i had chicken broth instead! GRRRRR! i live at least 7 miles from the nearest grocery store. So i called my neighbor - she wasn't home. Went back to the store and grabbed a can as well as some potato chips for husband (had to make it worth the trip you know!)Opened the can - it my haste it was chicken noodle soup! My hubby just laughed ( in fact he sat in his chair all night and laughed!)I put everything in the fridge and will finish it today! Locked the doors and didn't venture out anywhere - figured i was just asking for trouble if i went again! But on a side note - neighbor did call when she got home. She is in process of moving and i figured she probably didn't have cream of chicken soup - she had a can but said it was dated from 2010 and if i wanted it i could have it but she understood if i had a problem with it being out of date. She said she never worries about the expiration date on stuff like that and she would use it. I thanked her nicely but said no thanks. My question is this has anyone ever used something like that with an expiration date that long ago. I know some things can be used but i was a little leary with it being CREAM of chicken soup?

Yes I have used outdated cans a lot of the time as things get pushed back and don't always get brought to the front of my canned goods as well as boxed goods. As long as the can doesn't have any bulges in it (Never us anything with a bulged can regardless of what date it has) it should be okay. And, if it is any consolation, yes I have had days like that.

I try to keep a pretty good stash (overkill sometimes) of canned and boxed goods, as the nearest grocery store is right at 18 miles from me, so one doesn't run in for an item or two, you make it count at today's gas prices.

Don't think I have made taco soup with cream of chicken soup, would you share your recipe? It sounds good!

Well, yesterday WAS Friday the 13th!

Used a can of chili last night (best by date 2008), for chili dogs/hot dogs to feed the friends/neighbors/their kids. It looked and tasted just like the newer can I put with it. So far....so good....everybody's still kickin'. :thumbup: Besides bulging cans, I avoid rusty cans.

Have had days like that, and substitute something else...the result, my kids used to call "Mama Surprise".

Nope I throw outdated things out, I am too afraid of someone getting sick !

I worked in a grocery store for 10 years. The best before on canned goods is really there so that the stock gets rotated. The amount of stuff that North America throws into the garbage is disgusting. I check the best before on a can, then look at the can (yes bulging or rusty does get tossed) But the real teller is openning it and taking a good sniff. Smells okay, then look at the product. Looks okay. Then give it the taste test. A wee taste will not kill you if the stuff is off, but you should be able to tell. Plus, if it is something you are cooking, the heat should kill off any random bacteria.

And remember that our foreparents had no refridgeration and seemed to be healthier than we are today. Maybe it was because their bodies got to fight off a lot of stuff that has been deemed 'dangerous' in today's society.

Throw out your antibacterial soap!! Okay off my soap box.

I have use out dated things in the past.... I have a year limit on cans and such. dry goods such as noodles are fair game any time.

and yes I have had days like that ........They help me to count the blessings on the good days.

Many times. If the can is 'bubbled' or swollen looking, then it can't be used. Otherwise, it's ok. At least it hasn't killed me yet! :D

One time I had a can of Potato soup (Campbell's) and it was rather old, when I opened it, it was almost solid. So I threw it out even though it smelled fine just didn't want to risk it.

And I am with GingerK - the antibacterial soap is not really a good thing.

Also I swear things change in the cart - can't tell you how many time I have tried to buy dry roasted peanuts and got home with honey roasted.

I honestly never knew, or paid attention to cans having sell by dates! So yeah, I'm sure I've used some old stuff!!

And yes - I've had PLENTY of days like that. Including the day (recently) I came home from grocery shopping (for the 3rd or 4th time because I kept forgetting the 1 thing I went for), and put the groceries away. Later that evening when I needed that ONE item I kept forgetting ... it wasn't where it belonged. I did find it, in the freezer. The item ... tampons.

Trust me, that was not a pleasant experience.

Update on the tortilla soup - it is fantastic! Of course i substituted a few things here and there for my own personal taste but i will definitely make it again. She also gave us her mom's recipe for root beer cookies. Scale of 1-10 i gave them a 10! I am going to ask her if she minds if i give out the recipes - i don't think she will but some people are funny about stuff like that!

:D Hubby's never let me forget the tub of margarine in the linen cabinet (years ago...before CRS).

Glad your soup turned out great. Would love the recipe for root beer cookies.

I agree about the anti-bacterial soap, although I DO have some I keep in the kitchen. I have a friend who is very picky about that, she uses clorox wipes everywhere and keeps her house almost sterile. She does NOT want her kids getting sick. Funny thing is, her kids ALWAYS have the sniffles or a cold, they're sick twice as often as my kids are. Her youngest has had so many viruses and ear infections that he has some hearing loss from scarring on his ear drum.

Sorry, but I laughed out loud at the tampons in the freezer, lol!! I would have stuck one inside my bra to warm it up and sat on the throne until it did! :D

As long as the can is not bulging I use it, no matter how old. I hate throwing things away.

I throw out expired stuff, but that is just me. HOWEVER, you can make your own cream of chicken soup, take the chicken noodle soup, blend it, add milk (or water) and add flour, heat to make a thick soup consistency, not clotted like in can. Also, you can use broth in the soup. Make it thicker with flour or cornstarch. Either one works. You won't even be able to tell the difference. Sometimes I think of an incomplete pantry as a time for using the old noggin'. Have at it.

No way....I would have warmed the cold one with a hair dryer.. But yes I have had many of those days and cowering under a blanket works for me.

I think the key word here is "Best" if used by. I have been the food will lose some of its nutritional value but generally can be used.

OMG, that is to cute, i did that with sanitary pads, (obvisiously a long time ago)LOL

Yes- the only ones I worry about are the fresh meats- I have had several bad ones past date. Canned goods etc are fine. My mother gave me sauces she canned about 5 years ago because they now have to have a no salt diet- still good

First of all, I don't have a problem with canned goods slightly outdated, but I can afford to toss a $1 can of soup rather that risk eating something outdated by a year.
But, Botulism does not have a smell or taste, and a small amount can kill you. Yes heating the item should kill bacteria, but it should be heated to at least boiling point and boiled for ten minutes at least, meats should be pressure cooked to kill bacteria.
Next, our forefathers were not healtheir than us, they had a much shorter life span, died of simple infections such as an infected cut, had no chance of surviving any cancers and a number of other medical maladies that plague us. An infant born in the early 1900's had about a 50% chance of surviving to 5 years old. The rate of maternal death due to 'childbirth fever' was very high, a problem solved when Semmelweiss discovered that washing your hands was a good idea and maybe the barber wasn't the best person to perform surgery.

I am sure glad to have jumped onto the computer for some good laughs at the QB stuff... I think everyone has days of things that just don't go right! But the tampons in the freezer.. that MADE my day for the best laugh!!!! I bet every single woman has had these stupid things end up SOMEWHERE odd TEEHEE!

My DD will check the date on everything here at my house and her Grandmothers! I might use it, depending on what it is or who is eating it. Have really cut back on extras around the house since she moved to college! We have to check before deciding to make something so we have all ingredients. Use to be I could cook for two weeks out of the freezer and pantry. Not anymore!

P.S. I do love the tampon story.

I work at the Food Pantry at our church. Our guidelines say that canned goods are safe for 2 years past the "sell by" date.

LOL, I just love this, It makes me feel like home. I can relate to most of this. I read this almost every day. It takes up a lot of my time but I love reading these posts. Love it, especially the one about the Tampons in the freezer. Good laugh for the day. Granny

There was an interesting show on Food Network last week that involved 4 of the FN chefs preparing meals from products that were being discarded. Absolutely nothing wrong with the food other than, for the most part, not perfect appearance. When I think of the numbers of people in this country that go hungry every day it sickens me.

I also keep my church pantry stocked. Where did you get the info about "canned goods safe for 2 years passed the "sell by date"?

One of my biggest problems in our food pantry is people bringing opened products.

From what I've read, boiling does kill bacteria, but it doesn't remove or take care of any toxins that may have been produced by the bacteria and apparently it's the toxins that are dangerous. That being said, I do use some outdated goods as long as there are no signs of spoilage and they're not way out of date. (And I don't tell DH because he thinks food will instantly kill you if it's outdated by one single day... LOL.)

Just wondering, are you able to share the recipies. They both sound good.

Sounds like my day today. Don'tcha know, only women have days like that because we are trying to keep up with 100 or more things that need to be done.

I dont use out of date....not worth the small amount of money if someone should get sick, will cost a lot more in money and discomfort.

This reminds me of a news article I read once that said a study showed women DO get into more accidents than men - but the story explained why. If you follow a man's driving path over the course of a week, he goes straight to work, and straight home, with the exception of the occasional guy who takes a detour to the local bar for a beer before continuing home. If you follow a woman's driving path, she'll drop the dog off at the groomer's and go to work, then on her lunch break she might run an errand such as making a trip to the bank or the post office. On her way home she stops to pick up the dog, the dry cleaning, a child from soccer practice, the grocery store to pick up groceries, etc. It's no wonder we're involved in more accidents!