expiration date - how old is too old

[lone wolf]

i always heard can food is good for decades but what about the easy open cans (with tab). will those also last decades after the printed date?

i opened a can of chill with august 2011 expire date. smells fine, would you heat it and eat it?

 

[MolotovMocktail]

I would probably eat the chili but I'm not too picky about expiration dates. If the can was damaged, rusty, or bulging, I would throw it out because that could result in some gnarly shit getting into your food. Please note that I'm not a scientist and don't really know what I'm talking about, I'm just a cheapskate who doesn't like letting food go to waste.

 

[Dmac]

I agree with @MolotovMocktail , if the can is bulging don't even open it. otherwise if it smells ok, it probably is. if you are not sure, don't take the chance. or you could try a little bit, then wait and see how it makes you feel, before eating the rest.

 

[Tude]

ha - I'm the "hey can you see if this is too old" from my Mom's fridge. Do you know how many years I've helped Mom clean her fridge. Blegh!!!

Nothing like hitting a thing of yogurt (OK it's a month past it's due date but some have survived) and hitting HUGE blob of mold in the middle of the container. after of course I ate some of the surface stuff - thinking ..... hmmm has a funny taste. The older canned stuff - I'd do the open, look and sniff test. Don't look good, smell real - toss it. In between I'd do it.

 

[Jaguwar]

Agreed. Understand a lot of food is labeled "of of date" quite a bit before it actually is. This is especially true of canned food. Sniff-look-taste is a good policy.

 

[Andrea Van Scoyoc]

I agree with everybody. I too, will eat food past expiration, and use medication as well.

I've had people say to me, "if it's expired, it might not work, or work as well."

When you don't have money for health insurance or doctor visits, something that will help, even minimally, is better than nothing.

Same with food...I wholeheartedly agree, if the can is bulging or has a hole in it, pass it by.

But, just keep in mind, I'm the gal that will eat moldy bread...as long as it's not too far gone.

 

[Jaguwar]

Eat around the mold, right? I feel ya.

 

[Andrea Van Scoyoc]

Eat around the mold, right? I feel ya.

You got it! Also, I'm not allergic to penicillin, so if it's gotten that far, it might even help.

 

[landpirate]

If it looks ok, smell it. If it smells ok, taste it. If it tastes ok, eat it. They're my rules, I don't ever look at expiry dates. I'm still alive and rarely have I ever been ill from eating dodgy dinners. i've eaten canned food that is many years out of date. If in doubt just cook it, cook it a lot. The only thing I get a bit squeamish about is dairy products , I hate anything remotely yoghurty.

 

[Kal]

I agree with everybody. I do the same thing and I do the same ting when dumpster diving or I find food just laying there. If it looks good, smells good and taste good then it must be good. Hell I Haven't been sick and I'm not dead yet. Hell all this talk about food is making me hungry.

 

[WanderLost Radical]

I'm the kind of guy that eats anything that isn't moldy. The worst that can happen (in my case) is a little fiery shit. But you know yourself and your immune system... I've had a roommate puking his guts all night from eating what I ate... 2 days earlier, before he left it on the counter.

 

[Andrea Van Scoyoc]

@Carl Wander ...that's sage advice and I feel the exact same way.

I eat what my dog will turn her nose up at and have listened to countless lectures about self-medicating, which I'm a big fan of.

Growing up, doctors were a luxury that only the rich afforded and my parents refused to see them and by extension, I didn't either.

I've survived things other people couldn't have lived a week with. I've also dangerously overmedicated myself and (knock on wood) though I probably should have died, I'm still here.

Like you said, and I too say the same thing, you and only you know your own body.

What's good for one isn't always good for another and what works for one might be dangerous for another.