Has this ever happened to you? You’re busy cleaning out your fridge and discover a brand new, unopened jar of pickle relish tucked in the back. Just when you’re about to think, “Score!” you notice it expired (gulp!) three months ago. Now what?
Should you really toss something that’s never been opened? What if something’s been opened but barely used? Is it still good?
Totally obvious toss-out situations aside (green fuzzy mold comes to mind), just how old is too old?
Couponers like myself are often buying things in bulk, and once in awhile there have been times when I’ve overshot it a bit and had some items not get used by their respective used-by date. During those moments, my husband always wanted me to toss the items right away, but I wanted to keep them longer and the debate would ensue. (Those were items I had worked hard to get for free or cheap with coupons!) So by doing a little bit of research, I was able to show him that it IS perfectly okay to hold onto and use items a little past the expiration date.
Here are the tips I’ve learned…
General Safety Rules & Guidelines
{Feel free to print out this list and keep it in your kitchen/pantry to reference.}
Now, assuming your fridge’s temperature is set between 38-40 degrees, the following rules apply per the USDA:
- Milk: Good for up to 1 week past the “Sell By” date.
- Eggs: Good for 3-5 weeks after purchase (provided you purchased them before the “Sell By” date, of course). Keep in mind that eggs should always be kept in their original container, not the plastic holders inside the refrigerator door! The plastic doesn’t allow eggs to breathe, which will cause them to spoil a whole lot faster.
- Condiments: These can be kept up to one full year in the fridge. The exceptions are: Mayonnaise, which should only be kept for two months—maximum—after opening and Salad dressings, which can be kept in the fridge up to three months after opening. Unopened salad dressing is good for up to one year past its expiration date.
- Meats & Poultry{It kind of goes without saying (but I’m going to say it anyway), perishables such as meat and poultry should be refrigerated right away or frozen for later use.}
If kept in the fridge, then the following rules apply:
- Poultry – 1 to 2 days
- Beef, pork, veal and lamb –3 to 5 days
- Ground meat or ground poultry –1 to 2 days
- Cured “cook before eating” ham –5 to 7 days
- Uncooked beef, pork or turkey sausage – 1 to 2 days
Frozen meats:
- Ground beef or ground poultry –3 months
- Whole chicken or turkey—one year
- Unopened bacon and lunchmeat—one month
Now let’s move on to pantry items, shall we?
- Grains purchased in boxes (think: rice, crackers, cereal) should be kept in air tight containers or plastic zipper bags for long-term storage. These babies are notorious breeding grounds for bugs and no one likes a bowl of weevils for breakfast! (Gag, shudder)
- Pastas—unopened and opened packages stored in air tight containers—will keep up to one year.
- Egg Noodles—1 to 2 months after opening.
- Rice—up to one year after opening (provided the moisture is kept out)
- Ground Spices—between 6 to 12 months.
- Whole Herbs/Spices—up to 2 years. You should always keep spices in glass containers—never those cute wooden boxes as they create a potential “critter fiesta”!
- Canned goods— good for up to 2 years after the manufacturing date. Rusty, bulging, dented or otherwise damaged cans should never be used.
And there you have it, folks! The official guidelines for expired food safety! Hooray!
Now, just because the food is safe to eat doesn’t necessarily mean that it will taste as fresh as it would when you first opened it. Rule of thumb—if it tastes or smells bad, toss it out!
In closing, I realize that not everyone is keen on eating food past its expiration (as a matter of fact, some of you may be cringing right now at the thought!). However, you should never feel as though you have to throw something out simply because it’s “expired” and waste your hard-earned money. **
{Word of caution: to avoid potentially serious risk or illness, it is highly advised that children, pregnant women, the elderly and sick/ill individuals who may otherwise be susceptible to food-borne illness avoid consuming expired food completely.}
So, do you typically toss out expired food or hang onto it for awhile past the use-by date?
References:
USDA Food Product Dating
Comments & Reviews
Sarah says
“When in doubt, throw it out” (:
Carrie says
Sarah,
As long as the can isn’t dented, rusted or swelling, it should be good to eat. Use your nose and if it smells off after opening, toss.
Canned meat will taste “tinny” after
Awhile. Be aware. It isn’t bad per SE but may not taste right.
Sarah says
What about canned/vaccuum sealed meats (ie tuna, chicken, etc)?
Kat says
I stored hamburger helpers in the fridge the minute I bought them. It is 3 months past their date….some 6months. Are they safe to eat?
Becky E says
NICOLE-honestly, I usually freeze hamburger for 6 months-maybe even longer if I forget about it….I do have a 7 cubic foot chest freezer, so that may make a difference between that and a fridge type freezer that gets opened and closed all the time. I freeze LOTS of meats for LONG periods of time-4 months-you are fine…this is my personal opinion, but none of my 4 kids have gotten sick from spoiled meat.
PS I just cooked a turkey that had been burried in there for a year-we are fine and it was good:)
Nicole in Yukima says
Hamburger can only b frozen for 3 months? That seems not as long as I had originally thought. What about hot dogs? I am going on about 4 months with those in the freezer. Also, same with lunchmeat- only 1 month. I thought that stuff would b okay for atleast a couple months frozen? Also, how much past the date 4 like chips and boxed unopened foods? Thank you for help.
Karrie says
I personally freeze meat for a long time (like 6months to a year) , and most of the time it’s fine tasting for me. I think the biggest problem is the freezer burn.
Deb says
What about an expired cake mix or Kraft cheese (the kind you buy in the box, wrapped in foil)? I bought 2 boxes of the cheese thinking it would quickly be eaten or used in cooking, and now I find it expired last August (2011) and here were are in October. Is it still usable or just remember to use it from now on?
Becky E says
TAWNYA-the reason people get freaked out about cake mixes and pancake mix is probably that story that everyone has heard about that 14 year old boy that ate the old pancake mix with the spores in it, has an allergic reaction, and died. Well-you can go cheack out snopes http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/pancake.asp and find that it was a mixture of true and false info: TRUE: “Pancake and cake mixes that contain mold can cause life-threatening allergic reactions.” FALSE: “Pancake and cake mixes that have passed their expiration dates are toxic.” FALSE: “The yeast in packaged baking products over time develops spores.”
Nancy says
Hi Karrie!
When I get a good deal on flour or sugar, I put it in the freezer for 3 days, then I package it for long term storage. This kills all the little “critter” eggs and I dont have to worry about finding any little critters later!
sasha says
OMG!!! that is a wonderful idea that i have NEVER herd before!!!!! and for your long term storage how do you do that? airtight seal??? plastic bags?
Lisa says
One other comment! My mom would always store cake mixes in the freezer. I’ve pulled ones out that are a couple of years old and seemed ok. If you’ve got a big freezer – it extends the life quite a while on many products. we make home-made applesauce and apple pie filling. We either just put it in ziploc bags or just the regular canning jars (without sealing) and they store perfectly!!
Tanya says
Cake mixes can go rancid-so be careful. We once baked a cake with a bad cake mix and it tasted stale, old, and funky. You can tell just by smelling the cake mix-if it smells funky past the date than toss it. I am not sure how long they last past the date but I do know they go rancid.
Tawnya says
Hi Karrie..I’m curious about things like cake mixes, brownie mixes, and boxed popcorn? I use those dates as a guidlines but a friend recently told me that cake mix expiration dates should be followed. Not sure why though. Any advice?
Karrie says
I haven’t heard anything about that – I use cake mixes, brownie mixes and popcorn all the time past their date with no problems.
mike says
ppl say that the cake doesnt taste as good like an element is missing
Frugal says
I have had to add a little baking soda to older baked goods mixes, otherwise they do not rise properly. I have used lots way past their expiration dates and they tasted fine and had a good texture.
Deanna says
Was Shared on my facebook.
This is a MUST READ specially the HOLIDAY’S are coming up! WHO KNEW? Cake Mix Warning (not a joke) Warning re: cake mixes – who knew? I always thought that “old” mixes that were past their expiration date would just not rise/bake correctly. This is scary! Somebody wrote: ‘Before my surgery I bought quite a few Duncan Hines cakes mixes that were on sale. A couple of months ago I decided to use one, I checked the e expiration date and found it past, all the boxes were past the expiration date. I phoned Duncan Hinds to ask if the one that was only two months passed if it was OK. She told me in no uncertain words to throw them all out, she even said to open the boxes and throw the mix in the garbage, just in case someone picked it up and used it. Cake Mixes & Toxins- **PLEASE READ** Pass this on to ALL in your address book. You never know whose life you may save by doing so. For those of you at work, PLEASE remember to check your cupboards when you get home tonight!!! A student at HBHS (high school) had pancakes this week and it almost became fatal. His Mom (registered nurse) made him pancakes, dropped him off at school and headed to play tennis. She never takes her cell phone on the court but did this time ; and her son called to say he was having trouble breathing. She told him to go to the nurse immediately and proceeded to call school and alert the nurse. The nurse called the paramedics and they were there in 3 minutes and worked on the boy all the way to the hospital. He came so close to dying. Evidently this is more common then I ever knew. Check the expiration dates on packages like pancakes and cake mixes that have yeast which over time develop spores. Apparently, the mold that forms in old mixes can be toxic! Throw away ALL OUTDATED pancake mix, brownie mixes, Bisquick, cake & cookie mixes, etc., you have in your home. P.S. Tell this to your children, grandchildren, nephews, nieces and anyone else who keeps these types of mixes in the cupboard. P. P.S. This warning especially applies to any person(s) with mold allergies. **Feel free to send me a FRIEND REQUEST or FOLLOW ME. I am always finding awesome stuff!** @Mary Stone. or join my great group and share your ideas and recipes @[214316635387659:69:Discover the new you]
OSHA says
Scare-the-public technique, plus spam links. So clever.
student says
last month i bought juice it was expired on dec 2010 i and my wife drank it
It will hurt us and i still have the bottle ?
What i can do now ?
Karrie says
If you aren’t sick you should be fine student.
Alisa says
Just an FYI: “best if used by” and “expires” are 2 completely different phrases (it seemed to me that those terms were used interchangeably in this article). Just because something goes past its “best if used by” date doesn’t mean that it is expired. It just means that it might not taste as fresh. Sorry about being anal, it’s just that there is a HUGE difference! Sell by dates are a little different. The product should still be good a little after the sell by date (provided the employees kept the items in the proper storage conditions{I’ve had milk bought from Walmart spoil before the “sell by” date, not cool}) but not too long after the sell by date, the item will become expired or go bad or spoil (like with dairy products and meat/poultry).
Yasmin says
Here’s a trick for those who buy bulk flour, sugar and the like. At stores like Cash & Carrie they sell these LARGE plastic containers with the tops for around $15 each (for both pieces). It’s best to transfer flour, sugar, salt into those types of containers to keep the critters out and in case of wetness (I lost a 50 lb bag of flour once to one of my kids dumping a pitcher of water on the bag). You can then transfer smaller amounts to smaller canisters that you keep on your counter or cabinet and leave the bigger containers alone until needed.
You can also freeze some items like dried spices but I would recommend removing the spices from the jars and transferring it to either a zip-lock bag or one of those vacuum seal bags. I just bought a lot of the McCormick spices from Albertsons (FREE!) and transferred like spices into zip bags and put those bags out in my freezer in the garage. Toss any spice that loses it scent.
Karrie says
Thanks for your great suggestions Yasmin – I have never frozen my spices before – great idea!
Bonnie says
I agree with Ciel 110%!!!!! I have heard that for canned goods, if they are not open or dented, then they are pretty much good indefinitely. I was not raised to pay any attention to expiration dates. A little unconventional….I know. 🙂 So….is your hubby actually keeping things past expiration now???
Karrie says
Hi Bonnie!! Miss you girl. Yes, once I showed him this list…he will now try some things that are expired…(hesitantly still though)! You know…baby steps, baby steps.
Ciel says
In America we are obsessed with expiration dates. Often the store reduces prices a full week before the X-date at which time the item is at least 50% off ! I don not understand what people are so worried about???
Lee says
I have a bottle of dressing that has been in my pantry with an expiration date of March 27, 2016? Should I toss it?
Gracie says
Thanks for the info!! Great article! My husband and I have the same “discussion” regularly about the dates….I grew up in a large family so we usually hung on to stuff for a few extra days. He does not agree and thinks I am nuts…..printing this out to show him I am not the only one that doesn’t abide by the expiration law. 🙂
Karrie says
Yeah, we as couponers work hard for our deals…and hate to see any of them go to waste. 🙂
Kelleigh @ Kelleigh Ratzlaff Designs says
Good info! Thanks so much for posting this! We have that debate, too!
Michelle says
Thanks for sharing this info! When you buy the pasta in boxes to put in your stockpile, do you transfer it to ziplock bags or other air tight containers before storing it? I recently bought quite a few boxes of the American Beauty and Ronzoni pastas and it’s just in a cardboard box, no plastic bag lining inside.
Karrie says
I typically don’t store them in ziplocs, but if you did it might make things last even longer for you. I have also heard of people using their foodsavers to seal pasta and such as well.
Cerise says
GREAT info 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Karrie says
You’re welcome. 🙂 I love knowing this stuff so my husband cant say “It’s expired…throw it out!” (ha)
Kody Campbell says
Should i throw away 1 month old past best by date macaroni salad store bought???? if its unopened
Jeff says
Yeah usually had mayo in it
C says
What about opened ricecakes!