Expiration date on food

[mefordis]

I am cleaning out our pantry and finding a lot of baking mixes that we bought during the pandemic that we never got around to making. One is an expensive mix from William Sonoma - lemon poundcake, that expired January 2021. Would you make it anyway?

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

Yes.

 

[mefordis]

Yes.

I'm just worried about little bugs that might be in there that I cannot see with my poor eyesight. It's over a year expired.

I know bugs aren't harmful but the thought of eating them makes me gag.

 

[Moliphino]

Yup. I made one that was about 10 years out of date once (found it in my parents' basement and I wanted to see what happened), it came out kind of dense but still edible.

 

[Moliphino]

I'm just worried about little bugs that might be in there that I cannot see with my poor eyesight. It's over a year expired.

I know bugs aren't harmful but the thought of eating them makes me gag.

If the packaging is intact (I'm assuming sealed in plastic?), I wouldn't worry about that.

 

[mefordis]

I think I'm gonna do it.

 

[BrianL]

If it's been seald I wouldn't worry about it too much - not dry goods liek that anyway. If it were meat or something, I probably wouldn't. I think the worst think that can happen is that it won't taste as good as it possibly could, but is probably still fine.

 

[fly girl]

It is so crazy. Yesterday on Facebook I saw a chart with how long you can use pantry items after their "best buy date." Of course, I can't find it today.

But I did find this and it has some handy tips. I definitely would try the cake.
https://bakinghow.com/expired-cake-mix/

 

[wowsmom]

My concern would be if the flour has gone rancid. Not sure how good your sense of smell is, but I can tell by sniffing flour if it's gone bad. Also, the leavener might not be as strong.

 

[bcla]

I think I've cooked dried pasta that was years past any sell by date. My big worry would be with anything that contains liquid, even if canned or otherwise hermetically sealed. Other issues would be that it's kind of stale even if it's not unsafe to consume.

I just bought these 5 lb bags of pineapple chunks from Grocery Outlet for 50 cents each. I didn't notice that the "best by" date was this month, but I don't worry if it's hermetically sealed.

 

[bcla]

My concern would be if the flour has gone rancid. Not sure how good your sense of smell is, but I can tell by sniffing flour if it's gone bad. Also, the leavener might not be as strong.

That's usually pretty easy to figure out. Once I bought a can of McCann's steel cut Irish oatmeal. It was well within its sell by date and the can itself was hermetically sealed when I got it. But I pulled back the seal (heard a whoosh of the inert gas escaping) and it noticeably smelled rancid. But I've never had flour go bad, and I've had some bags that were opened and lying around for a couple of years.

 

[Mysterian]

I doubt there's bugs if it's sealed. And if there's bugs, they're nature's little protein pals there to enrich that lemon pound cake. But likely, they'll be absent.

Update us, please. I need to know how it tastes, there must be closure.

 

[Mysterian]

https://thetastytip.com/how-long-do...=rss&utm_campaign=how-long-does-cake-mix-last

"The USDA advises that most shelf-stable foods and packaged products (like dry mixes, cereal, etc.) are safe indefinitely. Shelf-stable or on-the-shelf foods are products that can be stored at room temperature and are non-perishable."

DATE OF USE	HOW TO USE	TASTE & APPEARANCE
Up to "best by" date	Normal use	Great taste
6 months past "best by" date	Normal use	Good to great taste
6-12 monts past "best by" date	Add baking powder, normal use	Does not taste as fresh. May start to get off-taste.
12-18 months past "best by" date	Add baking powder or use in alternate recipes	Likely tastes off or rancid. May not rise well.
18+ months past "best by" date	Use in alternate recipes	Likely tastes off or rancid. Unlikely to rise well.

 

[Genie+]

I doubt there's bugs if it's sealed. And if there's bugs, they're nature's little protein pals there to enrich that lemon pound cake. But likely, they'll be absent.

Update us, please. I need to know how it tastes, there must be closure.

Just make believe it’s Lemon-Poppy Pound Cake

and not Lemon-Weevil Pound Cake

 

[TwoMisfits]

I am cleaning out our pantry and finding a lot of baking mixes that we bought during the pandemic that we never got around to making. One is an expensive mix from William Sonoma - lemon poundcake, that expired January 2021. Would you make it anyway?

If you use an expired baking mix, you need to replace the baking soda/baking powder in it - aka, add a 1/2 -1 tsp to your batter. That's why the mixes expire when they do. Those products normally no longer will provide lift at that point...

 

[barkley]

My concern would be if the flour has gone rancid. Not sure how good your sense of smell is, but I can tell by sniffing flour if it's gone bad. Also, the leavener might not be as strong.

i do the sniff test as well. i also take a big sharpie and write on the side of dry mix boxes my own easily readable use by date (once i find the original with a magnifying glass).

 

[DLgal]

It's not gonna rise. Look at the ingredients and see if it's baking soda or powder and as mentioned, add 1/2 to 1 tsp to the mix.

And if it smells rancid, just throw it out.

 

[tvguy]

We were given a spice rack as a wedding gift 40 years ago. No such thing as expiration dates in 1982. We are still using some of those spices today.

 

[AppleDumpling]

If it’s sealed in a plastic bag, and you notice no off smell, visible mold or bugs, I’d take the chance. Most likely it will be fine. If it tastes bad after baking, you can always toss it.

Years ago, there was a story circulating about someone who died after eating pancakes made with expired mix that contained toxic mold spores. However, that person was severely allergic to mold. For a healthy person, using an unopened box should not be a problem.

 

[slo]

I am cleaning out our pantry and finding a lot of baking mixes that we bought during the pandemic that we never got around to making. One is an expensive mix from William Sonoma - lemon poundcake, that expired January 2021. Would you make it anyway?

Nope….it would be going in the garbage at my house. I would make it if it expired 6 months ago, but not over a year