Out of date ingredient - please don’t judge me…

[Happydaze2]

I’ve been tasked with making a dessert for a bbq at the weekend and have decided on banoffee pie. The recipe I have used before includes a can of Carnation caramel but the one I’ve just found at the back of my cupboard is dated Sept 2019!!! (Needless to say I rarely make desserts!) Is it safe to use, do you think?

It will be grand

If you're making it for other people to eat at 4 years out of date I probably wouldn't use it. If I was making it just for me, I might open the can and risk it depending on what it looked and smelt like.

It probably will be ok in the sense that it won't kill anyone but it won't taste as nice as one that's in date. Normally stuff that old starts to acquire a slightly stale overlay either as a stale after taste or a stale smell.

As someone else said, open it and smell it. If smells ok, then taste a tiny bit on your little finger.

It's nearly 4 years out of date which even being generous is quite a long time. Personally for the cost of a tin, I'd just bin it and buy a fresh one. Maybe if it was 1- 2 years I'd use it.

Fine!

Isn't it just sugar

It's both in a tin and so sugary it will preserve itself.

It'll be fine.

If the can isn’t damaged and it tastes OK, it’s OK.

Personally I wouldn’t, maybe a couple of months out of date, but not 4 years, especially if it’s for non family members.

You have 3 days until the weekend. I'm sure you'll be able to get some from a shop before then.

Open it and see? If it looks/smells fine then it's not going to do you any harm.

But it might not be at its best, so if it's not too difficult I'd probably just pick up another give it is for other people.

Just get a new one.

No. I think it’s really disrespectful to bring out of date food to a party. Unless you’re planning to tell everyone and then it’s their choice.

God no, that's an awful thing to do, just buy a new one.

If the tin is undamaged, go for it.

It's best before not use by

https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/best-before-and-use-by-dates

Just go the co op fgs it's a milk product

No. Eat it yourself by all means but don't feed it to other folk.

Just buy a new one, they're not expensive and it's horrible to feed people out of date food!

I cannot believe people are saying it's fine to eat 😂

How much is a new can, 3 quid?????

Just get a new one!!

If it was for just me, DH and the kids, I'd use it if it was up to about 10 years out of date, provided the tin looked alright and it passed my initial finger dip taste test.

If I was taking it somewhere or cooking for others outside my immediate family, I'd buy a new can.

I'm the first person to eat rice left out overnight but this?

Nah. Buy a new one. It's something you're serving to other people so just buy fresh. It's £2.