I'm cleaning out my kitchen cupboards (don't laugh). Are there any sell by dates I should take seriously?

[LadySybilLikesCake]

Jams, pasta, rice, noodles - lots of noodles- soup bases (as in grains and stuff), lentils, cous cous, various grains etc (all dry), mixed dry beans, packets of sauces of various kinds, a trifle, flour. Some of the packets of soup base stuff are a couple of years old. Can I ignore all of the sell by dates?

I may throw the 2 year old mince pies out though. Heston did a cracking job as there's no sign of anything growing I have an old jar of mincemeat so I could make some more.

I'd check the flour of bugs and use it if there's nothing moving in there. Everything else I'd use, including he mince pies, if they look OK and have been sealed

It doesn't look like anything's alive in there

Thank you I just have to think of some creative ways to use them all up. I have chicken noodles and chicken soup so far. I rehydrate the beans, cook and mix with a can of tomatoes and chilli.

I wouldn't use old flour. You might be consuming soon-to- be-weevil life forms.

Nor would I consume out of date grains. Rancidity is likely, which is quite toxic.

Mould easily could be not yet visible.

Ah, thank you

My cupboards are horrendous, slowly getting there and I really need to not buy what I'll never use lol.

I'm going to write lists and stop spur of the moment additions, that will help (should help rather)

Yes list making has to be the way forward, I know that at shopping on Saturday I'll need chopped toms etc, just wish I got more than 5 minutes to do housework now lol.

I would use anything that isn't too far past its date provided it looks and smells ok, particularly if it going to be boiled/cooked at a high temp in the oven. I would take a view on very old stuff - I did throw away some mixed grains/beans soup mix recently that was dated 2010 and I'm still using spices older than that . You've reminded me it is about time I did the same and had a sort out - my dh has a tendency to go overboard when something we need is on offer so we might have for example 10 jars of pesto which can disappear to the back of the cupboard but then run out of something else because we can't see what is in there.

Maybe try making a list of what's in there and putting it on the inside of the door? (I need to listen to my own advice sometimes )

Housework. ARGH!!

I've just done one of my cupboards... 5 jars of Chestnuts best before July 2010 anyone? (reduced after Christmas - presumably in 2009 - I made a vegetarian parsnip, cranberry and chestnut loaf a couple of times which is why dh picked them up!). Just debating whether to use a 2011 tin of curry sauce tonight to make a lentil curry (tin undamaged - am guessing would be ok as would be boiled up). There are some random things brought back from holiday by other people e.g. cactus jam.

I think tins, dried and air tight stuff will be OK. Not beans or grains, as mentioned up there though ^

Cactus jam! I have a jar of jam with glitter in it that I can't bear to open as it looks so sparkly

I learnt from experience that old vegetable oil (that I used for baking) a few months past its date made for some FOUL tasting cake ...

Oh no I'll avoid that. I think I have some garlic infused oil and walnut oil which hasn't been used for a while.

I'm sorry about your cake

The walnut oil is likely to have gone off if it has been opened and is past it's sell by date. You'll be able to tell by the smell.

Oil goes rancid relatively quickly. The good thing is you can tell by the smell.

Other things will contain Rancidity which is less evident, and mould spores which are not evident.

Contributes to candida and health issues.

Really not worth the risk. Stay fresh!