Last week I was cleaning out my dad's fridge after he passed and found a jar of salsa from March 2022. I was about to throw it straight in the trash like I always do with expired stuff. But my neighbor came over to help and said 'hold up, let me check that.' She opened it, gave it a sniff, and said it was fine. I argued with her for a minute but she convinced me to taste it and honestly it was still good. Now I'm rethinking how much food I've wasted over the years because I just assumed the date on the label was law. Have any of you actually eaten something way past its date and regretted it, or is it mostly fine like she said?
I was cleaning out my fridge last night and found a jar of pickles from 2015 that somehow got pushed behind the crisper drawer... they looked fine but I wasn't brave enough to try them. It took me like 3 hours to clean that fridge because everything had exploded or leaked at some point over the years. Has anyone else found something way older in their fridge and actually eaten it?
I had to choose between tossing my mom's 2017 can of pumpkin puree or baking with it for Thanksgiving pie, and I went with the pie because she swore it was still good. Turned out fine actually, no weird taste or anything, just a little darker color than fresh stuff. Has anyone else risked a really old canned good and gotten away with it?
My grandpa still has a deep freezer in his garage that hasn't been fully cleaned out since like 2002. I was helping him move stuff around and found a can of Del Monte peas tucked behind some rusty tools. The expiration date says July 1998 so that thing is 27 years old. The can is all bulged out on the bottom and the label is barely hanging on. I showed it to him and he just shrugged and said it was probably from when my grandma stocked up before Y2K. I didn't open it obviously because I value my lungs but I snapped a photo for you guys. Has anyone else found something older than this buried in a relative's house?
I was cleaning out the pantry last weekend and found a jar of pickles with a best by date of March 2019. I figured they'd be nasty but I opened them up and they smelled totally fine, still had that vinegar kick. Then I heard a food safety guy on a podcast say that pickles basically last forever if the seal holds because of the brine pH. So now I'm wondering if I've been tossing perfectly good food for years over imaginary deadlines. Has anyone else tried eating something way past its date and been surprised?
Found a dented can of black beans in the back of my pantry, date said 2019, and I figured why risk it. Tried the trick of pressing the lid to see if it flexed or held firm, and that thing popped right back like a drum head. Anyone else test old cans with the dent and lid method before tossing?
I was digging for a bag of rice and spotted this dented can of Bush's baked beans hiding behind a jar of pickles. The best by date was April 2019, so that thing sat there for over 5 years in my apartment in Chicago. I popped it open just to see what happened and the smell hit me like a brick wall, instantly tossed it in the trash. Anyone else ever find a time capsule food item that made you question your cleaning habits?
My neighbor saw me tossing out a can of beans that was 2 months past the sell by date and gave me a lecture about how those dates are just for store rotation, not safety. He pulled out a can of tomatoes from 2019 from his pantry and said he eats stuff years past date if the can is not dented or rusted. Has anyone else gotten pushback for chucking food that's just past the printed date?
I got called out in a Facebook homesteading group for tossing a can of green beans that was 2 years past its date. They said as long as the can isn't dented or bulging, it's fine to eat. Do you follow those dates strictly or use your own judgment on pantry finds?
I cracked open a 3 year old generic cola last week and it still had some fizz, but a name brand can from the same batch was flat as a pancake. Anybody else notice budget stuff holds up longer in the pantry?
I was at her place in Michigan last weekend cleaning out the cupboards and found this lone can from 2012 behind the soup. The beans were all mushy and smelled kinda metallic but I tried one bite just to see, then immediately threw the rest out. Has anyone else ever tried something that old out of pure curiosity?