AIBU to use this in pancakes later?

[2468whodoweappreciate]

Plain flour, BBE Oct 2013
Eggs, BB 2nd Jan

Flour been in a sealed container. I've spread it out on a dark plate & no sign of movement to indicate weevils, is it safe to eat?

Eggs kept in fridge & I tested them in water, they sink, so still use able...?

Or am I putting us all at risk!! I hate food waste & I'm short on time to shop, obviously I don't want to make us ill but nor do I want to throw away food if it's actually fine to eat, too much of that goes on in the world. WWYD?

[Bellerophon]

I've found that flour can last up to six months after expiration date, but personally I would NEVER touch it when it's over a year old - it could have gone rancid etc, it could make you very sick! I'm sure someone else may disagree but personally I'd leave that one. Some things can't be spotted by the naked eye!!

I'd also be a little wary of the eggs also - a couple of weeks after sell by date sure, but we're two months on from that date now, that would make me nervous. Again, I stand corrected if others have experienced out of date eggs and been fine.

[Birdsgottaf1y]

I wouldn't use them, at the least your pancakes may taste 'bad'.

Even small grocery shops have pancake stuff in.

Can't you get the stuff with the kids?

[DementedUnicorn]

Do not use eggs 2 months after BBE.

[Pinkheart5915]

Flour I don't know, flour is never around that long in this house so not a problem I have

Eggs, No I wouldn't use them they are nearly 2 months out of date and I wouldn't risk my babies being sick and I don't believe the I put them in a water and they sunk rubbish, that wisdom is how grandma made me sick as a child.

[User543212345]

Does flour have a best before? I decant mine into jars after the weevil incident of 2009. I'm sure that the flour will be fine.

Eggs keep ages beyond their best before date - and you'll know if an egg is off when you crack it. I might crack them into a cup individually before adding to everything else just to be sure, but that's the extent of it.

[Allthebestnamesareused]

Small bag of flour costs 30p. Why risk it?

[CwtchMeQuick]

I wouldn't risk it! You can get a box of eggs and a bag of flour cheap as anything at any shop, just buy new!

[BarbaraofSeville]

As long as the eggs look OK when you crack them (one at a time into a cup) I'd use them.

I use flour years after the BBE and it's always been fine except recently when I found weevils for the first time ever in nearly 25 years of having my own house, and for most of the time the flour I've used has been 1-2 years out of date because it takes me that long to get through a bag.

Ironically, this bag of flour is in date and kept in a sealed tub .

[Loopyloo80]

No way!!! L

[SparkleTwinkleGoldGlitter]

Flour, I don't know but for the sake of 50p I'd buy a new bag tbh

Eggs, absouletly not 2 months out of date! I don't believe in the wisdom oh you can tell if it's off when you crack it or it sunk in water Load of rubbish. I wouldn't want dd to be sick due to 2 month out of date egg

[BarbaraofSeville]

It's not the cost, it's the principle of the waste. Food is relatively cheap in the UK (really, on average we spend a much smaller percentage of our income on food than most countries).

This leads to people not valueing it properly, and thinking 'it's only 30 p, throw it away and buy new', it's not worth the risk, throw it away, or this fruit and veg is slightly less than completely perfect, throw it away. Which leads to a shameful percentage of the food we produce and buy being wasted.

[strawberrypenguin]

Eggs if they've sunk and smell ok then yes. Flour I'd get new although I don't know why!

[SparkleTwinkleGoldGlitter]

But the eggs wouldn't of been wasted if they were used 2 months ago would they?
I would of used them then not risked making my little dd ill from a bad egg

[SquatBetty]

Crack the eggs first into something and check them - you'll immediately smell if any are off. Eggs can be used a couple of weeks after their use by dates but dunno about a couple of months.

I'd have a sniff and a taste of the flour as well but it might be ok if it's been kept sealed.

[BarbaraofSeville]

Things that do not look or smell bad and that are going to be cooked and eaten straight away do not make people ill.

Dates are often quite arbitary (especially dry goods) or extremely conservative.

[SquatBetty]

SparkleTwinkle - of course you can tell if the egg's off from cracking it open - it will fucking stink! And be a horrible colour.

[Iamastonished]

"It's not the cost, it's the principle of the waste"

There must be some point at which you wouldn't want to risk it though? Personally, I wouldn't want to use flour that is over three years out of date, or eggs two months past their date.

I'm also a bit surprised that someone has a bag of flour that old. We get through loads.

[MrsFarm]

Flour 3.5 yrs out of date - chuck it.
Eggs - 2 months out of date - chuck them.

Really, i'm surprised you actually consider using this stuff because it "looks" okay. BB dates are there for a reason.


Most small shops sell pancake mix today.

[Creampastry]

I would hate to eat dinner at your house!

[BarbaraofSeville]

Of course the eggs would have been better used 2 months ago. It shows how differently people eat as pancake day always brings out the people 'who don't usually keep eggs and flour in' .

Now flour I do sort of understand because not everyone bakes, but eggs?

Obviously discounting the allergic, it seems such a major thing to not normally eat. We use at least a dozen a week, usually more. There is no such thing as an out of date egg in this house. So useful for quick meals at any time of day.

[cathf]

Such emotive rubbish about making your children ill!
Flour - is a BB not Use By, so will be fine. If it was SR flour and you wanted to make a cake, I would advise against it, purely because the raising agents might not be up to scratch, but in pancakes it will be fine.
Eggs - you know when an egg is off! Do what others have suggested and break each egg into a cup before adding to the mixture, then you will only have to discard the egg if it is off, not the full mix.
We need to get back to trusting our instincts on things like this - honestly, BB dates are a guideline and never worth the hysteria!
They mean that the product may not taste as good as it did, but it will never do you any harm and will never make your child 'very ill'.
I work on the food processing industry.

[Krap]

Flour that old could have weevils in it. Bad eggs can make you very ill. It's the sort of stuff that's pence to replace so it's bonkers to risk it.
I always think in this situation, this time next week when you (at best you, kids are much more susceptible to illness) have food poisoning, would you think that £2.34 (the cost of the food you don't want to waste, whatever it may be) was worth the three days/a week off sick? Even if it was fillet steak it absolutely wouldn't be worth it.

[Blobby10]

Whats pancake mix? Is that the product you have to add water and eggs to in order to make the batter?

[BarbaraofSeville]

Vegans wouldn't have eggs in either obviously, but then they wouldn't be making normal pancakes to worry about using the out of date eggs either.