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Eating out-of-date stuff

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Re: Eating out-of-date stuff

Postby PatsyMFagan » Fri Aug 21, 2020 9:23 pm

karadekoolaid wrote:Avocados do not ripen on the tree; they ripen when they are picked, so putting them in the fridge is not a good idea unless they have ripened. I leave mine in the fruit bowl until they just "give" when pressed. THEN you can store them.


This is confirmed by a tv programme I was watching a couple of weeks ago. I have kept ripe avos in the fridge far longer than in the fruit bowl. :thumbsup

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Re: Eating out-of-date stuff

Postby Kacey » Fri Aug 21, 2020 9:38 pm

I'v been doing that commute since moving to Derby 3 yrs ago. I think i underestimated the physical deterioration once you're past your mid-fifties.

Talking about avocado's, the packs of 2 large ready to eat that I've been getting from Ocado recently are huge and perfectly ready to eat. They're about £2.75 for 2 but excellent value considering the condition and size.

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Re: Eating out-of-date stuff

Postby miss mouse » Fri Aug 21, 2020 11:17 pm

IME, commuting is Exhausting.
I think the length of the journey matters less than the number of changes. The stress of 'will the bus be there, will the train run, will I get the train, will there be a connecting train...'

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Re: Eating out-of-date stuff

Postby Pampy » Sat Aug 22, 2020 12:56 am

As I understand it, the smooth Hass avocados are ripe when the stalk end has some give in it, the ridged ones are ripe when the skin colour starts to go brown (from green). I always ripen them in the fruit bowl then put them in the fridge when ready to eat.

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Re: Eating out-of-date stuff

Postby KeenCook2 » Mon Oct 12, 2020 3:49 pm

Hello, I've just come across this at the back of the spice drawer that can't be opened all the way to the back :oops:
It was still unopened - do you think I should chuck it?
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Re: Eating out-of-date stuff

Postby Suffs » Mon Oct 12, 2020 3:51 pm

I would only chuck it if I opened it and it was slimey or mouldy ... if it's dry I think it'll be fine to use.

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Re: Eating out-of-date stuff

Postby Sakkarin » Mon Oct 12, 2020 4:22 pm

This Dried Laver Seaweed in my Weird Oriental Stuff Storecupboard has a use-by date of 10th October 2010, but I'd have no qualms about using it (although not quite sure what for). I have a feeling my huge sack of Thai Dried Chillies is about the same age, I still use them occasionally.

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Re: Eating out-of-date stuff

Postby Earthmaiden » Mon Oct 12, 2020 4:29 pm

.. and there was I thinking I was slovenly when I realised my ras el hanout had a date of 2012 on it the other day :lol:. (it's not the oldest thing in the drawer :oops: ).

I agree with Suffs.

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Re: Eating out-of-date stuff

Postby Sakkarin » Mon Oct 12, 2020 5:07 pm

The only thing with "already ground" spices is that they gradually turn to dust. Again, it's down to the sniff and taste test.

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Re: Eating out-of-date stuff

Postby KeenCook2 » Mon Oct 12, 2020 6:31 pm

Thanks all :thumbsup
It is dry and not slimy or anything. Glad I asked before binning it :thumbsup

Now I have to work out what to use it on!

EM, I confess I did chuck out some pickling spice from the mid-90s ..... :oops:

That's the annoying thing about the set of drawers our builder put in what was a cupboard when we moved here 8 years ago. He used those cheap runners, like some of the Ikea ones, that don't allow you to get to the back of the drawer. You can at least lift the drawers out, and that's how I came across these containers. My quiche/cake slice had fallen down the back of the drawers and I had to take the bottom one out to retrieve it.

It's on my wish list, have all the runners changed so I can get to the back of the drawers ... in the meantime I've put a selection of other very old spices I didn't chuck along the back to stop the ones I use from disappearing :lol:

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Re: Eating out-of-date stuff

Postby karadekoolaid » Tue Oct 13, 2020 1:43 am

It looks as if it´s salt, KTC. Salt lasts forever.
I was making some panna cotta on Sunday and pulled out a packet of flavourless powdered gelatin from the cupboard, dumped it into the warmed cream...then saw the Best By Date was September 2014.
No side effects, although the panna cotta was a bit thin. However, that may have been because I used regular yoghurt and not very thick cream. I´ll have to give it another go tomorrow and let the yoghurt drain.
Spices? Like Sakks said, if they´re ground, they´re hardly worth using after 6 months.The whole ones, though, last for much longer. I keep a small quantity in a cupboard (for daily use) and the rest in the fridge.

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Re: Eating out-of-date stuff

Postby Pampy » Tue Oct 13, 2020 1:50 am

I transferred the contents of my old fridge freezer to the new one today. It was amazing what I found in the freezer! The oldest dated thing was a chicken dish from January 2012, some others were undated but looked distinctly ancient. I used to be very organised and listed everything in both freezers (I have one in the garage too) and a dried goods/tins/packets store cupboard that I also have in the garage but it's fallen by the wayside since about 2013 - think I'll have to start keeping the lists again!

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Postby karadekoolaid » Tue Oct 13, 2020 8:12 pm

Aha!! So we all find prehistoric items in out fridges/freezers/cupboards!!
In spite of us all being foodies!!
Which just goes to show that we´re all human and have lots of other things to do other than going through the fridge/freezer/cupboard every day. 8-)
I bought some ice-cream last week and fished out some dubious-looking "chocolate Sauce" from the cupboard. Good job it occurred to me to try it first; it was disgusting. Well it should have been; expiry date 02/2015. :vomit
Nothing lasts forever!

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Re: Eating out-of-date stuff

Postby Renee » Fri Oct 16, 2020 10:29 am

What a lucky find KC2! Here is the recipe section from the Cornish seaweed company which might be helpful. I bought several of their products. https://www.cornishseaweed.co.uk/recipe/

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Re: Eating out-of-date stuff

Postby jeral » Fri Oct 16, 2020 6:14 pm

I found several jars of curry paste which I thought were newish until I looked at the use-by dates and decided that being processed would have to go. Just bought some mango chutney for a recipe and can't for the life of me remember which one. Which is I suppose why a lot of things are "pending" at the back, waiting for it to come back to you...

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Re: Eating out-of-date stuff

Postby Sakkarin » Fri Oct 16, 2020 6:37 pm

I've bought quite a few exotic things on my Wing Yip and the like trips and never found a use for them :-(

Mostly dried, so mostly still at the back of the cupboard, sell by dates probably 10 years ago. Spotted a big bag of bonito flakes and of lily buds a couple of days ago when I was getting some dried shiitake out for my Mapo Tofu.

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Re: Eating out-of-date stuff

Postby herbidacious » Fri Oct 16, 2020 7:58 pm

I had to make myself promise (to myself) not to go to Wing Yip again unless I had a specific dish or several in mind. Ditto Tooting and Asian food shops of the 'Indian' (Pakistani?) variety.

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Re: Eating out-of-date stuff

Postby karadekoolaid » Sat Oct 17, 2020 3:51 am

Jeral - I´d taste the curry paste before ditching it. Spices tend to conserve things well. I´d just poke a spoon in the jar and see if it tastes all right; I doubt there will be any adverse effects. I make mango pickle - and have just opened a jar from 2017. The most delicious thing I could imagine!

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Re: Eating out-of-date stuff

Postby jeral » Sat Oct 17, 2020 11:46 pm

karadekoolaid, given there might be another toilet roll shortage, I made an executive decision that ones I have are more valuable than the paste, given the effect-gone off things have.

There's little chance of the new mango chutney going out of date. I Just hope I remember the intended recipe before scoffing it otherwise.

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Re: Eating out-of-date stuff

Postby karadekoolaid » Sun Oct 18, 2020 1:00 am

NEVER chuck it out until you´ve tasted it. Unless it´s tinned fish, of course. A tiny tsp of the paste woný cause a delsey run! :gonzo :gonzo

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