Old pantry groceries

mvick · #1 03/26/14, 02:24 AM

Inherited LOTS of items. Outdated cans, sugar, flour, packages of seasonings. You name it. All outdated. Years ago, I was told that if a can was not bulging, it was ok. Some of these are from 2 to 5 yrs old. I really hate to waste food, but do not want to poison my family. Help!

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gweny · #2 03/26/14, 03:14 AM

2-5 years, it should be fine. If you doubt it go check your local food bank. They will take canned goods up to 10 years old. The food does start to lose (more) nutritional content, or so I've read.

1shotwade · #3 03/26/14, 06:09 AM

Dad built a new house back in the 70's. In 95 all us kids got together and tore down the old house.We found a can of green beans from 1956. (home canned) Mom cooked them,swearing they were still good,but nobody would eat them. She was very insulted!
'Nuff said!

Wade

geo in mi · #4 03/26/14, 06:23 AM

When in doubt, throw it out.

geo

CherieOH · #5 03/26/14, 08:02 AM

Personally, I would discard the flour, sugar & seasonings. As for the canned goods, I would discard home-canned items but believe the factory canned items might still be safe. Before throwing anything out though, I would check to see if a local pantry would accept items that old.

Vosey · #6 03/26/14, 08:04 AM

My personal tolerance is 2 years. For some reason I'll eat older canned tomatoes, but not other things! But the dates are usually a 'best by' date, not consume by. Sugar and salt are good a very long time, if not forever. Flour depends on if it has anything added to it and check for bugs. Whole wheat flour will goes rancid. Spices usually lose their flavor.

mvick · #7 03/26/14, 08:08 AM

Thanks to all. Nothing home canned. Did open one can of cheese soup. No dents, but soup was brown instead of Yellow. Yuck.
Now on to check freezer. Prob throw it all out.

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Jerngen · #8 03/26/14, 09:03 AM

The sugar is fine. The other items would need to be checked on a case by case basis.

BigHenTinyBrain · #9 03/26/14, 11:56 AM

As far as the dry goods (sugar, flour)- if they appear fine, I would use them. However, test some out taste/smell to be sure they haven't absorbed some unpleasant nearby influences. Once made cinnamon buns with sugar that had been stored in a cabinet beside some strongly scented cleaning products. Resulting food tasted like perfume.

fellini123 · #10 03/26/14, 09:35 PM

Two words.............DOG COOKIES!!!! I have been going though all the old things and making up wonderful homemade dog cookies. So faar all of them have been hits!!!

Alice in Virginia

Moboiku · #11 03/26/14, 10:07 PM

I've never once looked at an expiration date and never once had food poisoning. If I opened something and it looked or smelled funky, I'd toss it but as long as it looks, smells and tastes fine, I'm not going to waste it.

A few months ago I decided to make tacos. My family got a funny look on their faces while "chewing" the taco shells. DH finally got up and pulled the packaging out of the trash and we had a good laugh realizing the taco shells expired 9 years ago. The texture was off but the taste was fine and none of us got sick. The following week I bought a pack of taco shells to replace the one that no longer lives in the pantry and we joke about what year we'll wait to make tacos again.

Cindy in NY · #12 03/27/14, 07:11 AM

I wouldn't automatically throw any of it out. I'd check things as I opened them. If you have any old cake or muffin mixes, add a teaspoon of baking powder to the mix to give it a little "pep"!

Harry Chickpea · #13 03/27/14, 12:50 PM

We just had an infestation of pantry moths and I went through our stock. One of the things I found was quite troubling, enough to make me rethink long term storage.

We have all been taught that a can that looks like it has been pressurized is bad, that it can contain botulism. In the past, if a can didn't have dents, significant exterior rust, or a bulge, I would keep it. That was my criteria, and if the contents looked OK I would be fine with eating it. No more. Cans used to be soldered closed with a tin solder, making a complete metal seal that withstood pressure and formed a reliable and obvious indication of damage to contents.

Since using my non-piercing can opener that walks around the actual seam and pries it apart, I have noticed that some cans no longer have solder seals and others have solder that doesn't function as well as the old solder. Instead, some sort of thermal adhesive that appears to be akin to a heavy duty rubber cement is being used to seal the cans. In a number of areas where vegetable cans had been sitting, there was a circular discoloration on the shelving, as if a can had failed, yet there was no sign of damage on the cans themselves, other than a slight stickiness where they touched the shelf.

Going on, I discovered a can of sloppy joe mix that finally told the true story. The can looked fine except for an area between lid and can where there was a black residue, and a trail of the residue down the side of the can. The incidence of botulism in meat products is particularly high.

What is now happening as cans age and atmospheric pressure changes is the thermal glue seals are failing - often without any evidence of this on the outside of the can! I immediately went back through stock and threw out EVERY can that was past the best-by date. I emptied contents into a slop bucket and found at least four cans that had seriously deteriorated product.

In the future, I plan on preferring the "pot" type cans, where there is no bottom seam, and then storing them UPSIDE DOWN on paper towels. If the paper towel gets soiled around the can, the can will get tossed.

White sugar doesn't go bad (anymore than it already is) Tacos and fried products will have the oil go rancid. I had a bite of an old taco shell once. NASTY! Flours also go off-flavor.

1shotwade · #14 03/27/14, 01:19 PM

Like I have always said " If it comes from a package it is NOT fit for human consumption!" I do believe that but it's hard to live it.

Wade

jen74145 · #15 03/27/14, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CherieOH

Personally, I would discard the flour, sugar & seasonings. As for the canned goods, I would discard home-canned items but believe the factory canned items might still be safe. Before throwing anything out though, I would check to see if a local pantry would accept items that old.

I don't eat factory canned stuff. Here is why. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...surprises.aspx

Also, how much is a can of green beans? Less than a buck? TOTALLY worth risking botulism, food poisoning, et. al, + the resulting bills/lost wages, to not waste that dollar.

I would pitch every last bit of it. I have small people, though, so I wouldn't just be making the choice to risk it for me, it would be them too.

jen74145 · #16 03/27/14, 01:35 PM

Also, you cannot see botulism. You cannot smell it, nor taste it.

And it will kill you dead.

Irish Pixie · #17 03/27/14, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jen74145

I don't eat factory canned stuff. Here is why. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...surprises.aspx

Also, how much is a can of green beans? Less than a buck? TOTALLY worth risking botulism, food poisoning, et. al, + the resulting bills/lost wages, to not waste that dollar.

I would pitch every last bit of it. I have small people, though, so I wouldn't just be making the choice to risk it for me, it would be them too.

I wouldn't believe Mercola if he said the sun was shining and I was standing in my yard but don't you think your (or my) home canned tomatoes have "other" things in them? I know that the occasional leaf, a bit of dirt, a piece of tomato that was a bit "off" makes it into my sauce.

If it was fresh, uncooked sauce it would be squicky but in the case of tomato sauce it's cooked and then canned at high heat. My granddaughter loves my "sketti" sauce- dirt and all.

jen74145 · #18 03/27/14, 02:20 PM

Yeah, earlier I couldn't get the following link to load to save my life.

http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegu...6174.htm#CHPTA

Anyway. To each their own. But be informed, y'know?

Becka03 · #19 03/27/14, 03:03 PM

Personally- I had someone gift me a huge box of food- and I went thru it item by item- stuff like powdered kool-aid- I didn't throw out- mixes for dips- didn't throw out- bisquick- I did- it was over 3 yrs old- and i hardly use it- if it was something I thought I would use soon- I would have opened it to smell it-
sugar will not ever go bad-

Irish Pixie · #20 03/27/14, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jen74145

Yeah, earlier I couldn't get the following link to load to save my life.

http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegu...6174.htm#CHPTA

Anyway. To each their own. But be informed, y'know?

I saw that link earlier when I went looking for verification although I knew that a certain percentage of "other" can be in all commercial food.

Yup, informed is a good thing.