sewnclog

Yep I keep stuff all the time - Unless it does taste or smell bad; then out it goes.

Nanny's dollface

Those dates are guides especially the best by dates. I use my judgement. Does it smell good, does it look good, and then does it taste good. I have a cousin who throws out everything, can goods, dried goods , and packaged steak meat that may have been left out on the counter more than 30 minutes. She is petrified of getting food poisoning even though she never has it at home. She has had food poisoning as she eats out 5 times a week. If I were her I would stay away from the restaurants she eats at. Lol

SillySusan

I have been told by people in the food industry that the 'Best by..' dates are put on cans, etc., by the food companies for no good reason. Canned foods will keep safe for years. The dates are there so that we'll throw out perfectly good food and buy more. Another con job on the public.

Watson

"Best Before", does not mean, "Bad After". Best before is the date that the product is at it's optimal. There is no reason to throw out something that is out of date unless it is obviously stale, gone bad, sour or has lost its usefulness or taste. Canned items last for a VERY long time after the BB date. Check for bulging and always keep your pantries cool.
And, just for fun, here's a good one..... [ATTACH=CONFIG]602861[/ATTACH]

Watson

ptquilts

Some things that are NOT worth keeping after their BB date - evaporated milk, it gets thick and clumpy. Baking mixes, the leavening gets weak and the baked goods don't rise. Jams and jellies, they lose their flavor.

cashs_mom

Some of my spices are ancient. I have used some up and bought new recently. I think that the older ones had lost flavor so I need to go thru my spices and toss the old ones and replace them, but I'm lazy about stuff like that. When I'm not working, I'd rather sew than sort spices.

bearisgray

I'm trying to remember to mark a "purchased on" date to my spice and condiment containers when I buy them.

Who knows how hold the product was when I brought it home? but at least now I know how long it's been in my possession.

Pennyhal

Yep. I keep stuff for years too. I threw out a couple of jars of tomato sauce yesterday because they looked really dark in the jar it was in and not the normal color and was a couple of years old. I like to use fresh baking powder as it does lose its power after a while. As a child, we never put things in the refridgerator that they now say should be refridgerated. A little common sense goes a long way.

suern3

Anyone remember when the grocery stores used to have a half price sale on spices near Thanksgiving? It did encourage me to clear out some of my old looking spices, no dates at that time, but looking at the containers and a sniff test, you could tell. Nice to have fresh spices for holiday cooking. That was also before the price of spices went crazy!

LavenderBlue

Yesterday I discovered 2 large cans of enchilada sauce in the back of our pantry with "best if used by 3/27/14". Think I'll toss them:.. just the thought of it.