Silly out of date food

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estivoautumnal 02 Dec 2017
My all purpose seasoning in my camper van has a sell by date of Feb 2014. How on earth can seasoning go out of date? I don't use it often but have just added it to a re-heated chicken dinner and I'm sure it won't produce any ill effects.

So who is eating food older than a 2014 sell by date?
 Dave the Rave 02 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:

So you buy more that you don't need??
1
 arch 02 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:

We've just had a new kitchen fitted, found a jar of Horseradish sauce - 2009.

It's gone to the front of the sauce shelf, be all right.............
 MG 02 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:
It won’t do you any harm but it might not improve the flavour much by now.

(My record was drinking 1980s BB date apple juice in 2007
Post edited at 20:14
Deadeye 02 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:
Best before date son things like salt or vinegar are always funny
estivoautumnal 02 Dec 2017
In reply to MG:

It certainly changed the flavour.

Ingredients are.

Salt. Still salty.
Coriander. Struggling with that.
Paprika. Yes.
Onion. Possibly.
Chilies. Not really.
Celery. Yes.
Garlic. Some.
 john arran 02 Dec 2017
In reply to MG:

> (My record was drinking 1980s BB date apple juice in 2007

Good effort. My best is a relatively pathetic 13 years: https://www.ukhillwalking.com/forums/t.php?t=673999&v=1#x8670406
1
In reply to estivoautumnal:

> .....it won't produce any ill effects.
> So who is eating food older than a 2014 sell by date?

It's a "Sell by" date. It's more to do with marketing than safety or quality.

"Best before" would indicate a likely deterioration in quality but not safety.

"Use by" would indicate a health /safety issue.
estivoautumnal 02 Dec 2017
In reply to Ron Rees Davies:

Thanks, but trying not to be too serious here.

However it actually says best before end, so I guess you are right
 Trangia 02 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:

If I find a bottle of Chateau Magaux dated 1875, in my cellar it will obviously be well past it's sell by date, so shall I pour it down the drain?
1
Removed User 02 Dec 2017
In reply to Trangia:

No, give it to me, I don't drink but I'm sure I can relocate it.
My folks have a larder that's always turning up trumps with out of date food. About 10 years ago we discovered something in there that was bought pre decimalisation, the really worrying thing is that since then they've moved house four times!
Old people eh?
 FactorXXX 02 Dec 2017
In reply to MG:

My record was drinking 1980s BB date apple juice in 2007

In the late eighties, I had Corned Beef that was put in the tin in preparation for the D-Day landings.
 profitofdoom 02 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:

> My all purpose seasoning in my camper van has a sell by date of Feb 2014.

Feb 2014 that is not bad. We inspected a load of spice jars and they were about 20 years out of date, can't remember exactly what we did think we ate some and chucked others. No problems still alive
 henwardian 02 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:

Even sealed ampules of sterile saline solution has a use-by date. It's physically impossible for anything to happen to that stuff unless the the seal on the packet breaks. Not all use-by dates make sense.
In reality all you need to do is to know what use-by dates are important and what are not. Herbs, spices, salt can be used for every. Vacuum sealed containers can be used well past their use-by date.... the stuff you want to be careful off it just the obvious things like fresh meat, rocket, dairy stuff. I tend to go much more by whether something looks or smells off than by the use-by date. Milk is also a classic for often going off well before its use-by date so I never assume it's OK irrespective of the date on it.
 John Ww 02 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:

A much more useful label would have a skull and crossbones with the words “fatal after...”.

JW
 John Ww 02 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:

Alternatively, unless the smell of it makes you recoil and/or vomit, or it moves under its own steam, it’s worth a go.

JW
 wercat 02 Dec 2017
In reply to FactorXXX:

I think we had some 25 pdr shells fuzed with things made about then ( fired in the 70s)
 girlymonkey 02 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:

My husband's granny once found a packet of salt in a reduced section because it was about to go out of date, she was (rightly) incredulous!

I can't think what the last time was that I looked at a date on food. You soon know if food is going to make you ill!!
 Toerag 02 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:

Apparently Marmite never goes off. The vitamin content decreases with time, but it'll be fine to eat forever.
In reply to Trangia:

> If I find a bottle of Chateau Magaux dated 1875, in my cellar it will obviously be well past it's sell by date, so shall I pour it down the drain?

Yes probably undrinkable.
Actually no, sell it.
1
 Timmd 03 Dec 2017
In reply to John Ww:
> Alternatively, unless the smell of it makes you recoil and/or vomit, or it moves under its own steam, it’s worth a go.

> JW

I tried eating butter which faintly smelled of cheese the other day, and half way way through my sandwich started to retch and realised butter which smelled faintly of cheese wasn't faintly cheese like in taste. You have to try these things I guess. My fridge is now empty of butter which smells faintly of cheese,
Post edited at 00:14
 bouldery bits 03 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:
I like buying Volvic, which has apparently spent 1000's years filtering g through layers of rock, and then it has a best before date - eh?
Post edited at 00:18
 JoshOvki 03 Dec 2017
In reply to henwardian:

> Even sealed ampules of sterile saline solution has a use-by date.

Not food but I have 3 triangular bandages from an old work first aid kit because they were past their use by date.
Ffat Boi 03 Dec 2017
In reply to wercat:

(And the 90s)
 profitofdoom 03 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:

I suppose the ultimate out of date stuff would be wine from a sunk Roman ship it would be funny if it had "uti ante Ianuarii I MMXVIII" etched into the side*

*Google translate I am not a Latin scholar
Post edited at 09:47
 profitofdoom 03 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:

> How on earth can seasoning go out of date?

If I sold granite chips/ pebbles I would print "Use before 15 June 3660" on the side to give them a laugh in TESCO
 Oceanrower 03 Dec 2017
In reply to profitofdoom:

You think you jest. The last lot of angle grinder blades I bought had a "use by" date on them.
 Bulls Crack 03 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:

I once drank some wine from 1943. Does that count?
 Trangia 03 Dec 2017
In reply to Bulls Crack:

> I once drank some wine from 1943. Does that count?

You might have drunk away your future wealth!

At a wine Auction in 2014 a 1941 bottle of Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon sold for $24,675.
 MonkeyPuzzle 03 Dec 2017
In reply to Bulls Crack:

> I once drank some wine from 1943. Does that count?

Was it in 1946?
1
 d_b 03 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:

I have a can of soup that I was given by my mum when I went to uni in 1993. I'm planning to hand it down.
 jcw 03 Dec 2017
In reply to Trangia:

No, use it for cooking
 Yanis Nayu 03 Dec 2017
In reply to henwardian:

What does Listeria smell of?
llechwedd 03 Dec 2017
In reply to Yanis Nayu

sinensis, or floribunda?
 Yanis Nayu 03 Dec 2017
In reply to llechwedd:

Monocytogenes
 Yanis Nayu 03 Dec 2017
In reply to llechwedd:

> In reply to Yanis Nayu

> sinensis, or floribunda?

Ah, sorry, I get it now...
 oldie 03 Dec 2017
In reply to henwardian:

Possibly most useful thing I was taught at primary school was that cheese and jam could be eaten even if you had to remove mould from them first.
 Chris Harris 03 Dec 2017
In reply to oldie:

> Possibly most useful thing I was taught at primary school was that cheese and jam could be eaten even if you had to remove mould from them first.

I tried that on some blue stilton. Took ages & there was sod all left when I'd finished.
 wercat 03 Dec 2017
In reply to profitofdoom:

I think I had some Roman Crampons - they had "S" and "D" marked on them - Sinister and Dexter for L and R
 Wainers44 03 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:

I think I have some boil in the bag RAT pack meals in the loft dated 2002. Not sure how you would tell if a 15 year old tuna pasta meal was off....?
In reply to estivoautumnal:

We found some tins in the cupboard a few weeks ago. They will have moved house with us; twice (2014 and 2006).

But there are some jars of spices, not often used (fenugreek and asafoetida, I think) which date from last century. They're fine.

T.
 Gone 03 Dec 2017
In reply to Chris Harris:

> I tried that on some blue stilton. Took ages & there was sod all left when I'd finished.

When I was a student I was snacking on some cheese and crackers while watching something engrossing on the telly. “Wow” I thought, “this blue cheese is really strong”. Finally I looked at down at what I was eating. The cheese was regular cheddar, but the crackers were greeny blue with white fluffy bits.

I didn’t suffer any ill effects.

 Reach>Talent 03 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:

I once drank a bottle of evian that was a month out of date. I'm not dead yet.
 Philip 03 Dec 2017
In reply to Philip: 1997 Marmite still fine!


 The New NickB 03 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:
At some point in the late 80s (88 at a guess) a great aunt rooted a bar of chocolate out of the cupboard for me and my brother. It didn’t have a best before date on it, but it was pre-decimal. We wrote to Cadbury, they said it would be fine to eat, but they would happily exchange it for a new bar. We have still got it, it was about 20 years old when we got it, must be approaching 50 now.
Post edited at 22:09
 veteye 04 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:

In 1977 my friends and I went around trying to taste as many of the Silver Jubilee ales as possible, and we kept some samples of several different breweries. These are still in my roof-space. I would imagine that they are still potable,but they are probably a little past their best. I just need to get my friends back together. (I did go on a half Haute-Route trip with one at the end of August for a few days.)
 mangoletse 04 Dec 2017
In reply to Oceanrower:

Expiry date on grinding wheels is worth taking notice of as they deteriorate over time due to ingress of moisture and there's a risk of them bursting in use
 Reach>Talent 04 Dec 2017
In reply to mangoletse:
Expiry date on grinding wheels is worth taking notice of as they deteriorate over time due to ingress of moisture and there's a risk of them bursting in use

Definitely second that! The photo of a shard of 12" grinding disk embedded in someone's skull goes down as one of the worst shock pictures I have seen on a training course. (In third place after why you don't recharge a damaged dive cylinder and why you don't push mobile access platforms under high voltage cables).
 wercat 04 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:
One useful tip about old batteries - I have found that alkaline cells that are reaching their expiry date but that have not suffered a significant voltage drop (eg by storage in damp, humid or hit conditions etc) can have their shelf life greatly extended by applying a small low current charge sufficient to bring up the voltage to a little over what you'd expect when brand new (a little over 1.6 v per cell)


(best done with an alkaline charger)
Post edited at 08:53
In reply to estivoautumnal:
This story is very relevant http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-42217026
Well done the Co-op.
 MonkeyPuzzle 04 Dec 2017
In reply to Reach>Talent:

> Expiry date on grinding wheels is worth taking notice of as they deteriorate over time due to ingress of moisture and there's a risk of them bursting in use

> Definitely second that! The photo of a shard of 12" grinding disk embedded in someone's skull goes down as one of the worst shock pictures I have seen on a training course. (In third place after why you don't recharge a damaged dive cylinder and why you don't push mobile access platforms under high voltage cables).

You've not seen "why you properly tighten leg loops on full body harnesses" or "reasons not to strike a live 132kV cable with a demolition breaker"?
In reply to Philip:


> Particular good year by all accounts.

The Reviews in the link you gave don't appear to be for the 1875.
My understanding is that, that no matter how fine the wine, that, past a certain age, quality declines. Additionally the possibility that it has 'corked' goes up too. Having said all that the rarity of the wine means that if you had an unopened bottle the monetary value would be huge.
In reply to Timmd:

> I tried eating butter which faintly smelled of cheese the other day, and half way way through my sandwich started to retch and realised butter which smelled faintly of cheese wasn't faintly cheese like in taste. You have to try these things I guess.

No you really don't!
cb294 04 Dec 2017
In reply to llechwedd:

Primula, Wisteria, LEYLANDII!

 Timmd 04 Dec 2017
In reply to DubyaJamesDubya:

> No you really don't!

I didn't know it wasn't to taste like cheese.
 jkarran 04 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:

No date printed on it obviously but I finally got round to trying some perry I made 5 or 6 years ago that was already old and neglected when it moved house with me 4 years ago, it's been in a half full demijohn with a failed airlock since at least the move. I expected vinegar and for sure it was a bit sharper than when I decanted it last (2013?) there was nothing fundamentally wrong with it.

About the same time I had to purge my flour cupboard due to an eruption of weevils, there was plenty in there that had gone over before I moved house with it!
jk
 john spence 04 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:

How come garlic bread has, best before date, on it, that's the last thing you want.
 graeme jackson 04 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:

When we moved house in august 2015 we found half empty jars of chutney etc that were out of date before we moved house the previous time - 1998!
 krikoman 04 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:
My record for milk is 27 days after the use by date.

Normal Organic Tesco milk.

Never did me any harm

I also had a cheese slice which was left out on a counter when we were doing our house up, it was there for about six months, in the sun as well. It didn't change apart from fading in colour. I didn't eat that though
Post edited at 16:26
llechwedd 04 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:

I had a bucket of rat poison blocks which were out of date by over a year.
Flour moth larvae scoffed the lot before I could give them to the rat food bank.
 Timmd 04 Dec 2017
In reply to oldie:
> Possibly most useful thing I was taught at primary school was that cheese and jam could be eaten even if you had to remove mould from them first.

Does anybody know what happens if you do the same with jars of pesto bought from supermarkets? I can never decide to risk it and throw it out.
Post edited at 22:34
 wercat 05 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:

When someone died from my dad's workplace in the 1970s he became the recipient of a load of stuff the deceased had in his office that no one knew what to do with. In it was ARP tin full of ATC stuff going back years and some aircraft recognition playing cards, etc etc. I remember a bar of Fry's chocolate in that tin in some kind of war economy wrapping.

No one was brave enough to taste it
 krikoman 05 Dec 2017
In reply to estivoautumnal:

I think I passed my Best Before date about 30 years ago.
 nufkin 05 Dec 2017
In reply to Timmd:

> Does anybody know what happens if you do the same with jars of pesto bought from supermarkets?

Nothing whatsoever, unless you miss a bit of mould, in which case it makes your pasta taste a bit funky. If I remember, to avoid the problem I add back enough olive oil to cover the remaining contents of the jar before putting it in the fridge

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