Have you rediscovered the forgotten spices and beans from the depths of your pantry? When is the right time to throw something away? And what about fresh ingredients? How long can eggs and dairy products last?
Here is the first thing you should know: Expiration dates are not expiration dates.
Dating of food products, as the US Department of Agriculture calls it, is completely voluntary for all products (with the exception of baby food, explained below). Not only that, but it has nothing to do with safety. It acts purely as the manufacturer’s best guess as to when their product will no longer be of “peak quality”, whatever that means.
Additionally, food manufacturers tend to be quite conservative on these dates, knowing that not all of us keep our pantries dark and open our refrigerators as minimally as necessary. (For example, don’t leave the refrigerator door open for minutes every time you’re looking for something to snack on).
Let’s start with The things you definitely don’t need to worry about: Vinegar, honey, vanilla or other extracts, sugar, salt, corn syrup and molasses will last almost forever with little change in quality. Regular oats will last about a year before they start to go rancid, but pre-cooked oats (or instant oats) can last almost forever, as can grits vs. instant grits).
flour
White flour is almost certainly suitable for use, regardless of its age. Whole wheat flours and other wholemeal flours can take on a metallic or soapy smell within a few months. This white-equals-longer rule of thumb also holds true for unmilled grains. Refined white rice, for example, will last for years, while brown rice will only last for months.
That’s because unrefined grains contain fat, and fat is the first thing to go when it comes to dry pantry items. Nuts, usually rich in fat, will go rancid within a few months in the pantry. (it’s good to store them in the freezer to extend it for several years).
bread
Shelf-stable supermarket loaves made of oils (and preservatives) can stay soft for weeks in the fridge, but the thin sourdough from the corner bakery will be stale by the next day and will probably start going stale before the week is out. (The glorious bread can be sliced and frozen, and taken out each time a slice).
bean
Dried beans and lentils are safe to eat for years after purchase, but they will become tougher and take longer to cook as time goes on. If you’re not sure how old your dried beans are, avoid using them in recipes that include acidic ingredients like molasses or tomatoes. Acid can drastically increase the amount of time it takes for beans to soften.
spices
We all make fun of our parents for using spices that expired in the 1980s, but, other than losing potency, there’s nothing criminal about using them (unless you consider paprika on flavorless chicken a crime).
And what about cans and jars? In general, metal lasts longer than glass, which lasts longer than plastic. As long as there is no external sign of spoilage (such as a bump or rust), or visible spoilage upon opening (such as cloudiness, mold or rotten smells), your preserved fruits, vegetables and meat will remain as tasty and delicious as the day you bought them for years (or in the case of, Let’s say, Vienna sausages are at least as good as they were to begin with).
The small button on the top of jars, which will inflate if there has been significant bacterial action inside the jar, is still the best way to tell if the contents are safe to eat. Depending on storage, it could be a year or a decade. Similarly, soda cans will keep their fizzy liquid for years, glass bottles up to a year and plastic bottles for a few months. (Most plastics are permeable to gas).
Fats
Oils, even unrefined oils that tend to go rancid stored in sealed cans, are virtually indestructible. Oils in sealed glass bottles, less. Oil in open containers can vary greatly in shelf life, but they will all last longer if you don’t keep them near or over your stove, where the heat can reach them.
How do you know if the oil is good? As you do with most foods: follow your nose. Old oil will begin to develop metallic, soapy or in some cases – like with canola oil – fishy smells. Don’t trust your nose? Put a drop on the tip of your finger and squeeze it. Stale oil will feel sticky as opposed to slippery.
Also from the oil-vinegar transition: Salad dressings will last for months or more than a year in the refrigerator, especially if they come in bottles with narrow squeeze openings (as opposed to open-mouthed jars).
spices
Mustard lasts forever. Ketchup will start to change color before the year is out, but will still be delicious. Contrary to popular belief, mayonnaise has an extremely long shelf life, especially when it does not contain ingredients such as fresh lemon juice or garlic. (High concentrations of fat, salt and acid are all enemies of bacteria and mold).
The international aisle is a den of long-lasting sauces, pickles and spices. We still haven’t found the quality tipping point for oyster sauce, pickled chilies, chili sauces (like sambal olek or sriracha), fermented bean sauces (like Szechuan broad bean chili paste), or fish sauce. Soy sauce has a reputation for longevity, but you should keep it in the fridge to ward off the fishy aromas that can start to develop after a few months in the pantry.
eggs
We all know what a rotten egg smells like, right? Why else would it be a benchmark for describing so many other bad smells? But how many times have you really smelled one: once? twice? Never? Probably never, at least according to an impromptu Twitter poll. This is because it takes a long time for the eggs to spoil.
How long? The Julian date printed on each carton (this is the three-digit number that ranges from 001 to January 1st to 365 to December 31st) represents the date the eggs were packed, which in most parts of the country can be up to 30 days after the egg was actually laid. The sell-by stamp can be another 30 days after the packing date. That’s a full 60 days! But chances are they’ll still be tasty for a few more weeks than that.
milk
We’ve all accidentally poured spoiled, lumpy milk into our cereal bowls. It seemed like our milk was just fine, until suddenly it wasn’t. How does it go bad overnight? The truth is no. From the moment a carton of milk is opened, bacteria begin to digest lactose (milk sugars), and produce acidic byproducts. Once its pH reaches 4.6, then casein (milk protein) crystallizes.
Want more durable milk? Look for “Ultra High Temperature” or “UHT” on the label. Milk in these cartons has been pasteurized at high temperatures (275 degrees Fahrenheit: hot enough to destroy not only viruses and bacteria, but also bacterial spores), then aseptically pumped and sealed into cartons. Most organic milk brands undergo UHT. (Bonus: In blind taste tests, most people preferred the sweeter taste of UHT milk.)
baby food
And for baby food—the only food with a federally mandated use-by date—this expiration date represents the last date that the manufacturer can guarantee that the food contains no less of any nutrient than is printed on the label, or, in the case of formula, that it can still pass through a regular rubber nipple. Rest assured that even if there is a zombie apocalypse, you can still eat the baby food and gain some nutritional benefit.