To ask how old is Too Old?

[WahIzzit]

Dh and I decided to do a thorough clean and clear out of all the kitchen cupboards this morning. Much to my dismay, we found plenty of foods that have passed their sell by dates that had clearly been forgotten about. Dry foods like two packets of lentils, a packet of rice, tins of stuff. Some herbs and spices. Varying from Sept '13 right back to July '12

Dh does not like eating out of date food but I am not as anal as he is fussy. So eg the rice which is two months OOD will be fine and I should be able to convince Dh to eat it too. However how old is too old? 4 months? 6 months? I can imagine July 2012 is pushing it a little so I may have to bin that packet.

I hate wasting anything especially food, so cant believe how this happened! Especially since we are on a tight budget..

(Personally I blame the Dc. I cant do anything (even go for a wee) without being followed or screamed at, (separation anxiety at its peak). so there are a lot of jobs which have not been done for a long time. ignores the crumbs on carpet and finger marks on wall Tell me am not alone).

Sorry I forgot put a warning in the title that its a bit of a dull thread

Are they BBF or use by?

TBH I would use them.

I'd use them

It's a sell by date, for the shops, not a use by date.

Nothing will be wrong with dry things like rice and lentils. They keep for ever.

Herbs and spices will have lost their flavour so I would bin them as they will not be any good for flavouring food.

Other stuff jujst keep and don't tell your DP, or transfer it all to clear jars so you no longer worry about stupid things like sell by dates.

Use the really old stuff to make musical instruments for the kids. At least you won't feel like you have wasted it then.

They are probably best before rather than use by. They won't kill you but might taste a little stale. I tend to find that dried cereal products - rice, coucous, bulgur wheat just have a nasty stale taste if they have been open too long so I chuck them out for that reason.

I don't think there is any 'right' or wrong answer tbh.

Stuff in a tin tbh - as long as it looked and smelt OK i'd probably eat that a couple of years after the sell by date

Rice/pasta etc - it would depend on the packet and how it looked. If it was completely sealed and looked/seemed ok then again, i'd eat it far past the date.

I'll eat cheese or yogurts a good few days after the date as long as the look and smell is fine. Afterall, they're just gone off milk to start with!

Bread/cakes - I don't even look at the date. I look it all over and if it's not too dry and has no green bits then it will be eaten! (Just realised that sounds kind of rank outloud but it's true nonetheless

In a post-apocalyptic world if you were starving and found a secret underground bunker full of dry food like this you would eat it and it would save your life, even if it was ten years old

.

we are still eating safeway pearled barley. herbs that h had before I married him ten years go.

we are a bit more caautious with tins.

You can use anything dried really, the only thing is the herbs and spices will have lost some flavour.

I agree with Keepingup. I have Mixed Spice from 1998, it has moved house with me. I wouldn't worry about the dates on any dried or tinned foods.

many dried and tinned goods only have dates because EU regs say they must.

Look for weivels (sp), sniff, taste, cook.

Many things will be fine, very old (years out of date) lentils sometimes refuse to soften

Yes forgot to add they are all Best Before. Use by's usually get eaten within date or chucked out.

The rice was half used then left in its plastic bag with a rubber band around it, so not completely sealed no. Looked inside for any wrigglies and it seems fine. I may just mix it into my other packet of rice which is currently in use, and it will hopefully mask any stale taste?

Great idea about making instruments!

I would just use them, even the spices. Just use twice as much spice as you would normally.

I'd use them all. As long as nothing's got into them, they will be fine.

I agree they will be fine to eat but may not taste very nice. I had 5 month past best rice once by mistake, it tasted weird, kind of sweet. Didn't do me any harm though.

I would use them as long as the date is a best before. We cleaned out a cupboard at my parents house last week and found a jar of vegemite that had a best before date of 2006 Dad reckons it still tastes ok

Oh that's nothing OP. I was cleaning out my Grandma's cupboards for her and I found tins with 2s 6p written on them.

We are in New Zealand...decimal currency came in in 1967.