In your opinion are there foods/food products that never expire?

[Breezin]

Cleaning out the cupboards and getting rid of some expired items -- but I remember as a kid somethings being around forever -- food coloring, boxes of powdered pudding or jello, spices that mom might have used once in a recipe and never again stayed in the cabinet, pastina (we only ate it when we were sick, we were hardly ever sick) and so many other things now everything has an expiration date...is there anything you won't throw out so easily?

[3lilpigs]

Yes, Honey never expires.

And I got an email once from Domino sugar, that sugar will last forever if you keep it in an airtight container, and in a cool, dry place. I've had a bag of it in my refrigerator for over 2 yrs, and it's still good.

[Jolie Rouge]

What is "pastina" ??

[3lilpigs]

What is "pastina" ??

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastina

Pastina (literally "little pasta") is a variety of pasta consisting of tiny pieces of pasta available in a variety of shapes. It is the smallest type of pasta produced. It is made of wheat flour and may also include egg.

Pastina is typically used in broth soups in Italian cuisine, particularly for children.

[Breezin]

What is "pastina" ??

http://www.amazon.com/Ronzoni-Pasta-Pastina-12-Ounce-Packages/dp/B0025UNU64

It's a really tiny pasta, I usually serve it with a little butter and milk -- goes down easy when you have a sore throat or just aren't feeling so hot

[Jolie Rouge]

I will have to look for that !

[pepperpot]

Twinkies! Will outlast any nuclear blast and the end of the world.

If it's mainly a sugar product, I don't pay too much attention to it (expiration date). However, if it's an oil based product, the oil turns rancid....not exactly on the expiration date but sometime afterwards.

Canned/jarred items, can go beyond the date but watch for any puffiness, dents or discoloration on the inside of the can.

Frozen items....pretty much forever, just watch for freezer burn and keep tightly wrapped/sealed.

Pasta & rice, pretty much forever.

Spices also last a super long time but the flavor will fade as they age, (just use more! :lol).

[Kelsey1224]

:yeah

[gmyers]

My sister used to put uncooked rice and pasta in the freezer. She said they last longer that way. I wonder if it effects their taste when you cook them. She said it didn't.

[VenuStar]

My sister used to put uncooked rice and pasta in the freezer. She said they last longer that way. I wonder if it effects their taste when you cook them. She said it didn't.

My mom has done this for years and I've been doing it since I've had my own household...there's no change in the taste and it keeps forever!

[dv8grl]

http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/505/77-surprising-expiration-dates/

Food
Brown sugar
Indefinite shelf life, stored in a moistureproof container in a cool, dry place.

Chocolate (Hershey bar)
1 year from production date

Coffee, canned ground
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 1 month refrigerated

Coffee, gourmet
Beans: 3 weeks in paper bag, longer in vacuum-seal bag (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)
Ground: 1 week in sealed container

Coffee, instant
Unopened: Up to 2 years
Opened: Up to 1 month

Diet soda (and soft drinks in plastic bottles)
Unopened: 3 months from “best by” date.
Opened: Doesn't spoil, but taste is affected

Dried pasta
12 months

Frozen dinners
Unopened: 12 to 18 months

Frozen vegetables
Unopened: 18 to 24 months
Opened: 1 month

Honey
Indefinite shelf life

Juice, bottled (apple or cranberry)
Unopened: 8 months from production date
Opened: 7 to 10 days

Ketchup
Unopened: 1 year (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)
Opened or used: 4 to 6 months (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)

Maple syrup, real or imitation
1 year

Maraschino cherries
Unopened: 3 to 4 years
Opened: 2 weeks at room temperature; 6 months refrigerated

Marshmallows
Unopened: 40 weeks
Opened: 3 months

Mayonnaise
Unopened: Indefinitely
Opened: 2 to 3 months from “purchase by” date (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)

Mustard
2 years (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)

Olives, jarred (green with pimento)
Unopened: 3 years
Opened: 3 months

Olive oil
2 years from manufacture date (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)

Peanuts
Unopened: 1 to 2 years unless frozen or refrigerated
Opened: 1 to 2 weeks in airtight container

Peanut butter, natural
9 months

Peanut butter, processed (Jif)
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 6 months; refrigerate after 3 months

Pickles
Unopened: 18 months
Opened: No conclusive data. Discard if slippery or excessively soft.

Protein bars (PowerBars)
Unopened: 10 to 12 months. Check “best by” date on the package.

Rice, white
2 years from date on box or date of purchase

Salad dressing, bottled
Unopened: 12 months after “best by” date
Opened: 9 months refrigerated

Soda, regular
Unopened: In cans or glass bottles, 9 months from “best by” date
Opened: Doesn’t spoil, but taste is affected

Steak sauce
33 months (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)

Tabasco
5 years, stored in a cool, dry place

Tea bags (Lipton)
Use within 2 years of opening the package

Tuna, canned
Unopened: 1 year from purchase date
Opened: 3 to 4 days, not stored in can

Soy sauce, bottled
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 3 months (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)

Vinegar
42 months

Worcestershire sauce
Unopened: 5 to 10 years (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)
Opened: 2 years

Household Products
Air freshener, aerosol
2 years

Antifreeze, premixed
1 to 5 years

Antifreeze, concentrate
Indefinite

Batteries, alkaline
7 years

Batteries, lithium
10 years

Bleach
3 to 6 months

Dish detergent, liquid or powdered
1 year

Fire extinguisher, rechargeable
Service or replace every 6 years



Fire extinguisher, nonrechargeable
12 years

Laundry detergent, liquid or powdered
Unopened: 9 months to 1 year
Opened: 6 months

Metal polish (silver, copper, brass)
At least 3 years

Miracle Gro, liquid
Opened: 3 to 8 years

Miracle Gro, liquid, water-soluble
Indefinite

Motor oil
Unopened: 2 to 5 years
Opened: 3 months

Mr. Clean
2 years

Paint
Unopened: Up to 10 years
Opened: 2 to 5 years

Spray paint
2 to 3 years

Windex
2 years

Wood polish (Pledge)
2 years

Beauty Products
All dates are from the manufacture date, which is either displayed on the packaging or can be obtained by calling the manufacturer's customer-service number.

Bar soap
18 months to 3 years

Bath gel, body wash
3 years

Bath oil
1 year



Body bleaches and depilatories
Unopened: 2 years
Used: 6 months

Body lotion
3 years

Conditioner
2 to 3 years

Deodorant
Unopened: 2 years
Used: 1 to 2 years
For antiperspirants, see expiration date

Eye cream
Unopened: 3 years
Used: 1 year

Face lotion
With SPF, see expiration date. All others, at least 3 years

Foundation, oil-based
2 years

Foundation, water-based
3 years

Hair gel
2 to 3 years

Hair spray
2 to 3 years

Lip balm
Unopened: 5 years
Used: 1 to 5 years

Lipstick
2 years

Mascara
Unopened: 2 years
Used: 3 to 4 months

Mouthwash
Three years from manufacture date

Nail polish
1 year

Nail-polish remover
Lasts indefinitely

Perfume
1 to 2 years

Rubbing alcohol
At least 3 years

Shampoo
2 to 3 years

Shaving cream
2 years or more

Tooth-whitening strips
13 months

Wash’n Dri moist wipes
Unopened: 2 years
Opened: Good until dried out

[Breezin]

Have to honestly say I never think about conditioner or nail polish or some of that other stuff --not all (say mouth wash yes, but bleach, no) having an expiration date -- do they have them on the package? -- I'll have to check that out

[sunniekiss]

For me nail polish tends to separate & they cracks on my nails.

Fruitcake never expires. I think there is also only 1 fruitcake that exists in the entire world & that just gets regifted again & again & again.....

[cathych]

I never leave old food around. When the can says it has expired, I toss it out. And for pasta and things with flour, I have found too many bugs in old stuff to keep it around.

[jasmine]

When I was married to my first husband, I had a SIL that was mormon, they are required to can food and keep in their home, a years worth, they rotate it and so forth.
I have vacuumed sealed cans of pinto beans and dried apples, yes apples, I also have some rice. This stuff is canned so well, and I know some will say YUCK, but last month I drug out a can of pinto beans (canned back in 97), yes, 1997, and they are just fine, I couldn't believe it, so were the apples. I guess the canning method they use with the vacuum seal and stuff works wonders. I also asked my ex SIL about it, she said yes, that some people have reported using the canned staples from that long ago.

I didn't think laundry soap or bleach would expire. I have bleach that is forever old, and I just opened it and it still smells like bleach to me. I wonder if there is harm in using it if it is old?