Tinned Food Best Before?

[Numnumbirdy]

I am sorting through a HUGE stockpile of tinned food and putting in into date order to eat/donate to a food bank. Unfortunately quite a bit of it is beyond it’s best before so can’t be donated. Rather than waste it, I am wondering how far beyond a best before date people would consume tinned food. Mainly tinned fruit cocktail, baked beans, various tinned fish, ham and chicken. Any recipes using tinned food gratefully received!

Tinned food does not go off as long as the tin is not in any way breached. It might lose colour or flavour, but will still be perfectly edible.

If the tin has any bulges - do not use.

If there is or has been any leakage - do not use.

If there is a little rust on the tin, it should be fine. Check that any large or thick patches of rust can be sanded off completely so that you can see whether the tin has been breached. If the rust cannot be sanded off - do not use.

As for recipes, that depends on what the tins are.

Tuna, sardines and mackerel - some in tomato sauce, tinned ham, tinned chicken.

How would you normally eat these tinned foods?

Tinned fruit: with custard, yogurt or ice-cream. Or as the fruit layer in an upside-down cake (particularly if they have lost flavour).

Fish: neat with salad, or with mayo and jacket potato, or in a tomatoey, vegetably sauce for rice or pasta, or in a tuna pasta bake.

Meat: the only tinned meat I use is corned beef. Cold with salad, or in a sandwich. Also makes an excellent substitute for fresh mince in bolognaise or shepherd's pie or similar dishes.

Sardines and mackerel - nice snack on toast, especially with a good squeeze of lemon before serving. Toast bread one side only under the grill, put fish on the untoasted side, grill till just heated through, serve immediately.

Otherwise, mash up with cottage/cream/curd cheese, some lemon juice, maybe a little chopped parsley, to make a simple pate.

Tuna - sandwiches. Mix with mayo, add sliced cucumber. Or make a simple chilli-type thing - fry an onion, some garlic, mushrooms, a green pepper, add a chili or cayenne or chilli flakes or hot paprika, maybe a little ground cumin and/or coriander as well, tin of tomatoes, some tomato puree, a tin of red kidney beans (drained) and right at the end the tin of tuna (also drained), plus some lemon juice. If it's tinned in oil, I use the oil to fry the onion etc at the start.

I like tinned ham, but it's an acquired taste. I'd have it in sandwiches or with salad, jacket potatoes etc. I particularly like the jelly, which is what puts a lot of people off.

Tinned chicken - in sauce? Vol au vents?

I saw a TV programme were they opened tinned sardines from the 1950's. They were absolutely fine and safe to eat, then they analysed the nutritional content and it had virtually identical values to canned fish today!

Canning is pretty amazing!

Something I do with fruit cocktail is put it in banana muffins my children eat for breakfast, using the liquid instead of any milk etc If this interests you, I'll share the recipe.

Baked beans are great in pasta bakes, or fry up some onions and sausage, mix in beans, top with mashed potato and put in oven to brown the top. Surprisingly tasty.

This reminds me of clearing DM's cupboards - even the actual foods! I was annoyed that the food bank wouldn't take perfectly good food.

As already said, everything is edible for many years after the BB date, & @Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g has some good ideas. I can't add recipes, as I don't like any of them!

Thanks all … I was going to throw the 2021 ones away but you’ve convinced me to keep them as long as they are intact/not breached etc. I had chicken curry and rice pudding for tea! Determined to work my way through them.

Except for the beef ravioli! 🤢

Best before and use-by dates | Food Standards Agency

The best before date, sometimes shown as BBE (best before end), is about quality and not safety. After the best before date listed on a product, the food will be safe to eat but may not be at its best.

A use-by date on food is about safety. This is the most important date to remember. Never eat food after the use-by date, even if it looks and smells ok, as it could make you very ill.

Best Before dates are basically pointless. Just use your own judgement - of it smells or looks bad, do not eat. Tinned food will be fine.

I loved that as a child! Would happily give it a go now.

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g if you are in Essex PM me I have tins and tins of the stuff!

If it smells and looks fine I’d eat it. I didn’t even know they put dates on tinned food. I don’t pay attention to them on anything..

Sadly not in Essex! Pity.

Blitz it up and it makes a good 'toast topper' - very similar to the brand that used to be known as Pizza Toast but disappeared off the shelves a few years ago. Spread on toast and grill, with or without a little grated cheese.

We have a Community Pantry / Cupboard on the street that people can leave tins and packets in that are past their best before dates. Just write the BBE dates on clearly with a marker pen , e.g. BB 04/23, so there's no confusion.

I scoffed down a tin of sardines I found in my grandpa's cupboard when we were clearing his house out last year. Didn't think to check until AFTER I'd eaten them but they were 15 years out of date. Tasted fine and I've neither died nor developed sardine related super powers, so I think you'll be reet with a few 2021's.