Avoiding waste.... best before dates

[inmyshoos]

Sorting food cupboards in light of current issues....

Broth mix... So dried peas lentils barley.... Best before April 2018... I'm thinking it's dried pulses... How bad can it be??
Was thinking I'd make a big pot of soup.

Would you use it?

Yabu... don't use it
Yanbu... use it

If the packet was unopened then YANBU.

If it is open then I'd chuck it, weevils can be evil.

Weevils are not dangerous and will be killed by cooking

I just had some lentils from the back of the cupboard the other day. 2017. Couldn't tell the difference.
Just remember to soak them overnight first- the amount of times I have forgot and had to leave them out

I think for dried pulses the possibility is more that they'll be too dried out to cook easily, more than they're dangerous.

Having said that, I've got a massive bag of lentils that I'm working my way through very slowly and they just take a bit longer to cook, taste fine, no ill effects. They're probably older than yours by several years.

So as long as there's no weevils, which are harmless, but I understand why you wouldn't, you're probably good to go.

The reality is that for tinned and dried goods, most of them are absolutely fine for literally years after the date, which is pointless and indeed counterproductive, except for stock control within shops.

Although I did have some suet that was rancid when it was maybe a year out of date.

Weevils are extra protein 😁.

Had a good look, no weevils....

Im going to use them. Hate waste generally but in the current situation it would seem even worse.... Soup for tea it is.

I found a 2 year old sauce mix at the weekend (the powdered stuff) and used it but then I usually would anyway.
I tend to follow the 'if it looks ok and smells ok then it's probably ok' school of thought.

@countrygirl99 you beat me to it.

My DH’s Grandad is 86 and he always uses majorly out of date stuff, he just won’t throw anything away. DH has found things like five years out of date in his cupboard before but he will still gladly use them. He’s obviously lived a long life so I don’t think it causes any harm!

I found tubs of stuff like curry powder, the oldest being 2008, as we moved here in 2010 I can't understand how it got here at all!

With the current shortages you may grow to appreciate the weevils!

I found an unopened pack of risotto rice in my cupboard today, date was July 2019,my husband said it can still be used... I'm leaving it to him to cook

The clue is in the label Best before doesn't mean dangerous after. It's about quality not safety. And means you can't get your money back if for instance some out of date biscuits or breakfast cereal were soft.

Weevils might become a useful source of protein

Weevil protein

I have accidentally eaten weevils on several occasions and lived to tell the tale.

You would be mad not to use those dried lentils.

I've also eaten weevil protein 💪