Really old cans of soup

[GA Russell]

I was clearing out some storage today, and I stumbled across ten-year old cans of gourmet chowder and other such soups that I had forgotten about.

The cans all appeared to be in good condition (some with a small bit of rust).  No apparent botulism-related expansion.

Would it be silly/dangerous to try one?  How long are cans of food good for?  Ten years is a long time, but I have seen advertisements for freeze-dried campfire food that promise a 25-year shelf life, so I don't know.

What do you think?

[mr jazz]

Have you ever heard of botulism?  Discard!

[Brad]

You should throw them out. Food (as well as pharmaceuticals and other household products) have shelf lives or expiration dates and they have them for a reason. 

[GA Russell]

OK, you've convinced me!

[JSngry]

I dunno, if they get you high, might be fun.

If they make you die, though, not so much fun.

Me, I figure I'm living on borrowed time already, no sense pushing that envelop any further than it have done been pushed, so yeah, avoid a loss, make the toss.

 

[GA Russell]

Even if everything is perfectly safe, my doubt about it would prevent me from enjoying the food!

[Chuck Nessa]

Clearing out the old bomb shelter?

[Brad]

24 minutes ago, Chuck Nessa said:

Clearing out the old bomb shelter?

Of course, if I was stuck in a bomb shelter and this was the only food available, I’d open them! 

[Dave Garrett]

Is it OK to Eat Expired Canned Foods? How Long Do They Last?

[Justin V]

Do your in-laws like soup?

[Brad]

3 hours ago, Dave Garrett said:

Is it OK to Eat Expired Canned Foods? How Long Do They Last?

I used to negotiate supply agreements for pharmaceutical products but did some food agreements too and I’m not sure I agree with the conclusions in this article that’s it’s safe to eat foods with expired dating. The dating is not just “best if used by x date” but also there for safety reasons. 

[Gheorghe]

Sounds strange for me. Never tried "canned food" neither canned soup. For my tastes, a soup must be done by myself or by my wife, we don´t eat stuff that is canned……, okay if we are lazy or don´t have the necessary time for cooking, then  we eat some cold dishes, Tomatoes, green peppers, goat cheese,  bread, , and if we have more time or the  weather is Cold so there´s not much outdoor activity, we just stay in the kitchen and cook something….

[Big Beat Steve]

Opened and used a glass of stewed plums the other day that was about 3 1/2 years beyond the use-by date (for use as a topping for a dish on a Sunday when no shops were open).This was 2 weeks ago and I am still around.
But I agree that usually I am very wary of canned foods that are WELL past their use-by date. A couple of months - no worry, but years? No.

 

[GA Russell]

7 hours ago, Dave Garrett said:

Is it OK to Eat Expired Canned Foods? How Long Do They Last?

 

Thanks, Dave!  What I found most informative in the article was that although foods may be safe well after the date listed, the first thing to go is the taste.  In this case, the taste is the only reason for my interest.  So out they go!

[GA Russell]

On 2/26/2020 at 9:13 PM, Chuck Nessa said:

Clearing out the old bomb shelter?

In 1961, our next door neighbor buried a bomb shelter in his backyard, and gave us the guided tour.

I wonder if its air filters would work against COVID-19.

[Big Beat Steve]

5 hours ago, GA Russell said:

 

Thanks, Dave!  What I found most informative in the article was that although foods may be safe well after the date listed, the first thing to go is the taste.  In this case, the taste is the only reason for my interest.  So out they go!

Reminds me of an "encounter" at a swap meet (when you usually find a number of stalls with non-automotive "vintage" items too) back in the late 80s/early 90s: One stallholder had set up a table with a fair number of new, unopened cartons of cigarettes of 2 or 3 different brands (holding 200 cigs each) that clearly dated back to the immediate pre-war era. The cartons looked clean, tidy and really almost like "off the shelf". On top of the cartons sat a board proclaiming "Can still be smoked!" Apparently the seller had unearthed a stock that had been forgotten for decades and had opened a pack to try out the goods and found them "satisfactory". Being a non-smoker I did not dare to ask him what he usually smoked to find these OK and would not have been able to judge for myself anyway ...

[Dave Garrett]

On 2/27/2020 at 10:23 PM, Brad said:

I used to negotiate supply agreements for pharmaceutical products but did some food agreements too and I’m not sure I agree with the conclusions in this article that’s it’s safe to eat foods with expired dating. The dating is not just “best if used by x date” but also there for safety reasons. 

I think some judgment is certainly called for when trying to determine if something's safe to eat. As long as it doesn't smell or taste "off", I might be OK with it if it was somewhat out of date. Decades out of date, like some of the examples in the article, not so much. I don't automatically toss something just because it's past the date on the packaging, but on the other hand I'm not going to risk getting violently ill if there's even a slight question as to whether something might not be safe to eat. 

[Soulstation1]

The only food that’s good after ten years 

Raw Unfiltered Honey 

[Brad]

On 2/28/2020 at 4:43 PM, Dave Garrett said:

I think some judgment is certainly called for when trying to determine if something's safe to eat. As long as it doesn't smell or taste "off", I might be OK with it if it was somewhat out of date. Decades out of date, like some of the examples in the article, not so much. I don't automatically toss something just because it's past the date on the packaging, but on the other hand I'm not going to risk getting violently ill if there's even a slight question as to whether something might not be safe to eat. 

It probably depends on the food, I suppose. I just cleaned out one of our refrigerators and saw some cheeses and sausage that were two years past the sell date. They actually looked fine but why take a chance. Out they went. 

[Soulstation1]

My sister believes expiration dates are a scam to get you to buy more food

[Brad]

50 minutes ago, Soulstation1 said:

My sister believes expiration dates are a scam to get you to buy more food

She would be wrong. 

[Kevin Bresnahan]

With all of the food hoarding going on right now, I imagine that this topic will feature prominently in future table conversations among those who bought large quantities of canned products.  

[gmonahan]

23 hours ago, bresna said:

With all of the food hoarding going on right now, I imagine that this topic will feature prominently in future table conversations among those who bought large quantities of canned products.  

Luckily for the hoarders, toilet paper doesn't expire, and when they die, they'll have such incredibly clean asses.

 

 

 

gregmo

[Big Beat Steve]

12 minutes ago, gmonahan said:

Luckily for the hoarders, toilet paper doesn't expire, and when they die, they'll have such incredibly clean asses.

 

No idea if the jokes that made the rounds on the social media are the same in the US too but one that is circulating here at the moment is this:

"With all the hording going on in France, the shops have run out of red wine and condoms.

With all the hoarding going on in Germany, the shops have run out of noodles and toilet paper.

Now what does this tell us about ourselves??"

 

Edited March 17, 2020 by Big Beat Steve

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

my dawg c. 1999 bought a jar of Libby's relish from 1980 at an out of the way gas station- not to eat just to gawk in amazement at.  it had botulism in it