Past Date Pasta

[mr_whipple]

Found this cleaning out the pantry last night. Does this stuff really go bad? I guess it would have to at some point, but I'm gonna boil some up later just to see.

 

[sandyut]

Meh, I doubt it. If it doesnt smell funny I would eat it. I think most expiration dates are pretty made up or default to avoid testing and proof. How could dried pasta go bad?

 

[smokerjim]

I would eat it at long as the seal ain't broke.

 

[mr_whipple]

Meh, I doubt it. If it doesnt smell funny I would eat it. I think most expiration dates are pretty made up or default to avoid testing and proof. How could dried pasta go bad?

I hear ya but some days I wonder.

 

[JLinza]

Its dried, so as long as its been sealed and had no moisture or pests in it, it should be fine. Give er the ole sight & smell test.

 

[Colin1230]

Even packaged two million year old Himalayan sea salt has an expiration date.
I'd eat it.

 

[miller51]

Even packaged two million year old Himalayan sea salt has an expiration date.
I'd eat it.

I agree.. just saw a funny meme about how it was "just my luck, this 250 million year old Himalayan salt just expired"

From what I've read, many pantry foods are good past their best by date, just certain tings degrade differently... I know some canned/jarred goods get less flavorful with age, but I can't imagine dry pasta would be an issue... I'm sure I have plenty in my pantry and wouldn't think twice about using it!

 

[Winterrider]

It may just have a slight stale taste.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

I think many times expiration dates are just a way for the manufacturer to cover their butts. I'd eat it...

 

[mr_whipple]

I'm going to, but I just can't believe I forgot it was in there that long. Hell, I wonder when I bought it ?

 

[SmokinEdge]

Dried pasta will eventually get stale in taste but it’s completely safe to eat.

 

[voyager 663rd]

Sometimes not even opened (factory vac sealed) goes bad. I found a jar of Frank's that I had forgotten about (4yr).

Had green "something" floating on top.

Opened it and..............flushed it. No smell just ewwwww and away it went.

 

[02ebz06]

I think many times expiration dates are just a way for the manufacturer to cover their butts. I'd eat it...

I think most call it a "use by" date now, rather than an expiration date.
Translated that means, "buy another one NOW", for marketing.

Some things like pasta may lose their flavor, but I doubt go bad.
Milk on the other hand is a, "watch it very closely" item when getting near date.

 

[chopsaw]

I think most call it a "use by"

Freeze or use buy is an expiration date .
Best buy is a quality date .
Sell by is a store stocking / reordering date .

 

[JckDanls 07]

"buy another one NOW", for marketing.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it...

They figure if you haven't used it by then so you would have to go buy another... They will scare you into throwing it out and go buy another...

 

[gmc2003]

If you bought regular pasta and when you open it, it looks like spinach pasta. Then I'd toss it. Otherwise you should be good to go.

Chris

 

[forktender]

I buy several types of bulk pasta in 5lb bags every few yrs, I store them in the closet in 5gal food grade buckets. I've cooked for some very picky eaters, not once has any of them said this pasta taste stale or off. Dried pasta does not expire as long as it's kept dry, at least it doesn't go bad out here in CA, where our air is dry, it may be a different story if you live in a high humidity region.

 

[voyager 663rd]

Milk on the other hand is a, "watch it very closely" item when getting near date.

don't toss milk that's a "little bit" off (ie lumps). Make pancakes or such. Curdled milk--is milk and lemon juice substitute for buttermilk.

Same thing.

If it has different colours, then ya toss it but lumps?

Pancakes. Waffles. Etc

 

[mr_whipple]

So... and I hate starting a sentence with that, but here we are. Probably shoulda coulda worded that differently. I was more concerned that I had something in the pantry that long without noticing than the actual safety aspect , but oh boy I've eaten some out of date stuff, Never had MREs as a sailor, we got our fine cuisine fresh cooked! I have had long expired MREs on camping trips that were to say the least edible yet not deadly on the best day... Either way, I'm getting a good laugh out of this! Also, I just watched a Coopers hawk have dinner in my back yard. $5 says he ain't writing a review on the meal.

 

[chef k-dude]

I think most call it a "use by" date now, rather than an expiration date.
Translated that means, "buy another one NOW", for marketing.

Some things like pasta may lose their flavor, but I doubt go bad.
Milk on the other hand is a, "watch it very closely" item when getting near date.

A trick I use on milk, cream and a Aryan (Mediterranean yogurt drink) is downsize to smaller containers. I use mason jars with the plastic lids. If a gallon, sometimes I will just go ahead and divided it in to 4 quart jars, but at least when a quart is gone from the gallon, divided to three quarts. As the quart gets to half, down to a pint. I've had milk last for two months doing this. As with everything stored, in this case in the fridge, the less open space or air in the container, the slower the spoilage. I even downsize leftovers that go past one more meal.

We dont use a lot of milk, so it can stay in the fridge for a long time. Holiday baking season is the only time we run through milk without having to downsize to stretch the life of milk.

don't toss milk that's a "little bit" off (ie lumps). Make pancakes or such. Curdled milk--is milk and lemon juice substitute for buttermilk.

Same thing.

If it has different colours, then ya toss it but lumps?

Pancakes. Waffles. Etc

Another thing that can be done with milk that has reached that, "I dont think I want to drink this" stage is make Paneer. You can add herbs, etc. to it that will mask that slightly off taste, which is actually more smell than anything.

So... and I hate starting a sentence with that, but here we are. Probably shoulda coulda worded that differently. I was more concerned that I had something in the pantry that long without noticing than the actual safety aspect , but oh boy I've eaten some out of date stuff, Never had MREs as a sailor, we got our fine cuisine fresh cooked! I have had long expired MREs on camping trips that were to say the least edible yet not deadly on the best day... Either way, I'm getting a good laugh out of this! Also, I just watched a Coopers hawk have dinner in my back yard. $5 says he ain't writing a review on the meal.

Yep, your OP did kind of come off as you actually wondering. I was thinking, "I've seen you around here and you know what you are doing!".

That reminds me, its time for MRE testing. The primary foods in them are usually edible for many years past the use by date...if you can find that date, on real MRE's, at least in the past you have to learn to decipher the code on the box. I keep some as a prepper and every couple years go into each box, remove one meal pack and force myself to eat them...only because I hate throwing any nutrition away. They arent good for dieting because they are intentionally calorie packed.

Usually the candy and gum, etc. go bad first. Edible technically but unless you are starving, nobody wants to eat that. The main meals, cakes, crackers, cheese and peanut butter usually hang in there much longer. I even like to test the heater packs to see if they are viable still.

I noticed recently they are back available again now that the COVID Plandemic has passed. Might be time to start restocking/replacing. I DO have some of the dehydrated stuff, but I think people forget, you need a LOT of water for those. If the shiznit has hit the societal fan and the system goes down, water will be hard to come by for most people. I even have a ceramic candle filtration system. I can make drinking water from our rain barrels or the creek...or even retrieve well water from my old style bored well.

Anyway...went down the keyboard rabbit hole...thanks for the reminder!

Forgot to say, I DO bag my opened pasta if the whole box didn't get used. We dont eat a lot of pasta so an opened box can hang around for quite some time.