Prague powder #1 ordered from Amazon

[jlpicard]

OK, a week or thereabouts ago, I ordered some #1 from Amazon, since I am Prime, it was listed as arriving the following day, not uncommon, there's warehouses all over the place right? Well something went awry during the shipment, it went from Warehouse in Western PA, to USPS Western PA, crossed the Ohio river into OHIO to a town nearish me, then was scanned in MY TOWN, then, about 15 minutes later it was scanned leaving my town and back to the same town nearish me. There it WENT back to Western PA. THEN it was scanned leaving Western PA, and next stop, Columbus OHIO, like 100 miles FROM me. It stayed there for two days, then was scanned back in my town and I got it a week later. Of course it was in one of those padded pouches and the plastic jar was cracked within with the #1 spilling out.

I contacted AMAZON and they promptly sent out a replacement, which I got intact the next day. Here's what I am posting this tread about (besides pointing out the absurdity of the USPS at times).
The broken container that I received first BEST BY: 2/23/2031 NINE YEARS shelf life, is this stuff REALLY still potent enough after nine years to trust?

The replacement container that I received second BEST BY: 10/21/2026...

Good lord, has this been sitting on some shelf somewhere for umpteen years???

I don't have a LOT of experience with cures, but I have used them over the past decade, and it seems that with my advancing age, I am getting a bit more paranoid about their uses. Normally, I won't use these beyond like a year, but now I don't know.

 

[indaswamp]

yes. it will still be good.....kept at room temp.

 

[pc farmer]

Yup. I am using some that are probably close to 10 years old

 

[SmokinEdge]

Keep in a cool dry place and no worries. Why are you so nervous? Really it’s all good.

 

[DougE]

Cure, like many other things lasts way beyond the use by date if stored properly.

 

[jlpicard]

Keep in a cool dry place and no worries. Why are you so nervous? Really it’s all good.

I guess I was not aware of the shelf life. I never really looked at the container, assuming it degraded over time, but in my mind, I assumed that 'time' was shorter than it actually is. Heck one of the containers I got, the cracked lid one, is marked and good for ten years!

 

[SmokinEdge]

I guess I was not aware of the shelf life. I never really looked at the container, assuming it degraded over time, but in my mind, I assumed that 'time' was shorter than it actually is. Heck one of the containers I got, the cracked lid one, is marked and good for ten years!

Essentially we are talking salt. No shelf life of salt. They mine it as thousands of years old.

The broken container, I would move it to a new container to seal out moisture. Even a mason jar with lid. Keep it sealed, cool and dry, and out of direct sun, it’s all good.

 

[SmokinAl]

I have some that is over 10 years old, and it still works good. It has lost a bit of it’s original color, but still does the job. Just keep it dry!
Al

 

[BurntWeenie]

As a trained chemist I can say that salts are very stable at STP (standard temperature and pressure)

 

[slavikborisov]

Like others said Salt doesn't go bad if stored properly and that basically what that is

 

[BGKYSmoker]

Same here. Cure 1& 2 are about 9 years old now. I keep in qt mason jars in a dark area.

 

[chopsaw]

besides pointing out the absurdity of the USPS at times).

You have your answer on the cure , so here's a USPS story .
Sent a cutting board to a member about 2 years ago . St. Louis to Ohio by way of Anchorage Alaska . Never to be seen again . When I asked the post office about it they told me " We send things the fastest route "

 

[jlpicard]

I remember reading, at some point years ago, that at least as it applies to #2, since it's Sodium Nitrate, and is used for it's ability to transform into Sodium Nitrite, that it's shelf life should be respected. I guess the premise is that IF you are making a product that requires the NITRATE instead of just NITRITE, that it should be somewhat fresh.

 

[SmokinEdge]

I remember reading, at some point years ago, that at least as it applies to #2, since it's Sodium Nitrate, and is used for it's ability to transform into Sodium Nitrite, that it's shelf life should be respected. I guess the premise is that IF you are making a product that requires the NITRATE instead of just NITRITE, that it should be somewhat fresh.

I don’t see that NaNo3 (sodium nitrate) and NaNo2 (sodium nitrite) would have any different shelf life. Hopefully someone with a chemistry background will chime in if so.

Cure #2 used to be a blend of 6.25% sodium nitrite and 4% sodium nitrate and 89.75% salt.
The last 5# jug I bought was 6.25% nitrite and 1% nitrate. It appears to be changing, they are lowering the nitrate percentage in cure #2.