Surprising Guide to Expiration Dates

[killerbombshell]

http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/content/print/0,22304,676079,00.html

Marshmallows

Unopened: 40 weeks
Opened: 3 months

mmmm...40 week old marshmallows....

[boonie stomper]

Re: Surprising Guide to Expiration Dates

And your point is ???
Chinese Eggs - 1000 years....
Fruit cake - unknown....
Raw oysters - about 2 seconds! mmmmm
Sue

[higgies]

Re: Surprising Guide to Expiration Dates

Twinkie - ad infinitum


They were saying that things like cookies, etc. don't actually expire. They may get stale, but don't reach a point where they will be harmful to you. There was some kind of battle over whether they are required to actually put an expiration date on the package. Yeah, I wanna put that in my body...Anyway...

[sadie147]

Re: Surprising Guide to Expiration Dates

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.)

I'm not too sure I'd trust this one..since mayo has raw eggs in it, I'd think over 3 months it may not be safe to consume even if it's refrigerated (if it's been opened).

[Miss Phode]

Re: Surprising Guide to Expiration Dates

Home made mayo has raw eggs, but the stuff from the store is pastuerized (sp?)

[boonie stomper]

Re: Surprising Guide to Expiration Dates

Re. Mayo, not all are created equal! The Hellman's & Dukes original is what has always been our family choice. Mom & I have always disagreed about how to keep it - she keeps it in the cupboard after opened, which means those pasteurized eggs have been exposed to germs and, like milk, can begin to sour. I keep mine in the fridge after opening, but it can take long excursions at room temp. It can take me 2 years to finish a jar. Mom goes through it in a week usually, but she forgot a jar once, and it had gotten pretty nasty over the years!

Dried cheeses, on the other hand, can go a remarkable length of time. Many, many years. If I can resist eating it!

[higgies]

Re: Surprising Guide to Expiration Dates

I always wondered about Mayo....it takes me a looooong time to finish even a small jar. It never seems to go bad in the fridge, what a great food!

[killerbombshell]

Re: Surprising Guide to Expiration Dates

I accidentally ended up making pasta salad for a picnic with mayo from my boyfriend's fridge. It didn't occur to me until we were at the picnic to inquire when he had purchased it. He said he hadn't bought it, his ex-wife had; they had been divorced for nearly a year!

I didn't tell anyone, and no one got sick or complained so it's a true testament to the long lasting power of mayonaisse.

[sadie147]

Re: Surprising Guide to Expiration Dates

LOL i'll take everyones word for it, but wont test the theory myself . Actually mayo doesn't last long in our fridge so i dont' really have to worry about it.

[2big4mysize]

Re: Surprising Guide to Expiration Dates

LOL if you look at diet soda it says
unopened 3 months from best by date
opened doesn't spoil, but taste is affected.

something wrong there cause that would mean I could open it one day before the 3 months are up and it could last forever?

[MotherOfGizmo]

Re: Surprising Guide to Expiration Dates

That's strange 2big, sounds like a mis print to me. You should email the company, maybe you'll get some kind of reward!

I've never had mayo spoil on me either. But then again, folks in the south are immune from getting sick from spoiled mayonnaise, there are lots of jokes out there about that. The yankees who move here always freak when they go to picnics and us southerners leave the potato/macaroni salads out all day on the picnic table and everyone eats it and no one gets sick! The yankees on the other hand....god love 'em, we try and toughen 'em up!

[Heidi3]

Re: Surprising Guide to Expiration Dates

yeah I am with the store bought mayo lasts a long time crowd ...I never worry about it ..I do not know if I have ever seen it go bad...

as long as it is in the frig after opening there is so much salt and acid and processed ...

home made now is another story I use my home made mayo with in three days always ..if it lasts that long even

[Kent]

Re: Surprising Guide to Expiration Dates

LOL i'll take everyones word for it, but wont test the theory myself . Actually mayo doesn't last long in our fridge so i dont' really have to worry about it.

I am with you. We buy our mayo in the gallon size, and the stuff never lasts a month. That and Frank's Hot Sauce are the two condiments I never have to worry about going bad.