Would you eat green lentils that are 10 months out of date?

[surreysarah]

The pack is open but folded over and secured with a clip.

If they look ok and there’s fusty smell I would

yes for sure

yes certainly, dry lentils keep pretty much indefinitely

NOT a fusty smell, I take it?

Yes. I don't think it would occur to me to look at the date in dried lentils. Unless there's some obvious issue - e.g., they're mouldy or infested with insects - I would cook and eat them without hesitation.

Some of the lentils I’ve been eating recently were 3 years out of date…

I'm less forgiving with chickpeas as old ones take a long time to cook. Kidney beans even less so

Yes. Lentila will last a lifetime as long as they have been kept dry

Yes

I wouldn’t even look at the date tbh.

Yes

I can't imagine dry lentils would ever go off.

Yes, it's only a best before date which doesn't mean much in our house

Yes of course- wouldn't check a date on dried beans and things like that (if I even had the original packaging, which would be unlikely)

No but I’m ridiculously stupid about dates

Dried pulses such as lentils can last for ages. I'm sure I have eaten ones more than a year old - they might just need longer soaking and / or cooking.

If you’re desperate but I definitely wouldn’t. They probably won’t cook properly.

My red lentils are 5 months past their best before, I have them soaking to make soup, I did check them for mouldy bits but they are fine.

Yes so long as they're dry and not obviously musty. Ive eaten packet food 5 years out of date. It's a guide.

I keep them in a jar so I have no idea what the sell by date was.

Yep

Yes I would use them.
We recently had some tinned custard with a dessert and when I was washing the time tin out later I saw that it had gone out of date in March 2023. Tasted fine and neither of us were ill.

Dried lentils - absolutely wouldn’t worry about it. They might take longer to cook that’s all.

Dried lentils will withstand a nuclear war. I would soak them for a bit longer, but no problem with eating them. Unless there is a weevil infestation - in which case pick out the weevils first - or eat them 'avec weevils' if you fancy a bit more protein with your meal.

Yes I would. Out of date lentils (and chick peas) (and herbal teas) are my plan for surviving the zombie apocalypse. If they are poisonous, I'm screwed.

I'd probably eat them then years out of date