Out of date dried pulses

[Porthia]

Just decided to do a bit of a pre Christmas clear out of my kitchen and have found some unopened packets of dried beans, lentils, spelt and barley from a few years ago when I went on a bit of a crazy “using the pressure cooker for every meal” phase.

Most have passed their “best before” dates but I’m guessing they would still be ok to use? We are talking 2019 or 2020 dates. Isn’t the whole point of dried pulses that they last for ages? Or should I be more careful?

Of course I am also wondering whether I should give them cupboard space since I clearly haven’t used them in the past few years!

Offer them on local freebie pages if you're put off & don't want to store. I'd eat them no issues, unless there's visible mould or critters in there.

Best before can be used years after the given date

Use by is fresher items that you can only go over by a couple of days or so otherwise they'll turn

Yeah that’s what I was thinking. It’s definitely a case of best before rather than use by. They look and smell totally fine!

You might need to soak/ cook them a bit longer as they sometimes go a bit tough, but yes, they'll be fine.

If you've not really used them for ages cook them up this weekend and make a salad with them. I love a lentil salad with a garlicky lemony dressing. I'd happily bin the rest or make a thick soup

I shove mine in jars and have no idea of expirary. I would be happy to use them as long as they look and smell fine