I haven't made spaghetti for a long time and have a hankering for it. Have several boxes in there. It LOOKS like new. Any thoughts?

Without starting a new thread........

Is it okay to eat celery stalks and fresh carrots that have been in there for 2 months or so? They are soggy where you can bend them without snapping them, but otherwise look good in my really cold refrigerator. I would be boiling the carrots. But the celery I'd rinse and cut up and throw in my cold tuna fish for sandwiches.

What about Miracle Whip that looks fine, but had a 2006 date I wrote on it when I opened it up?

What about beer that has been in there for many years?

Any terrible diseases you can get from eating/drinking what I talked about? I hate throwing stuff away simply out of unfounded fear.

I have a feeling people throw perfectly good food away all the time, for that reason.

 

ecman....
Eat it all..git rid of it down the toilet tomorrow morning. Try to not be around any friends in the meantime.

Yer not serious, right?

If you are...dry foods just lose tase and texture...beer gets skunked (How can you have beer that old? Why didn't you call me? or thester??)

My rule is, if it smells bad or tastes bad, it's bad. My wifes rule is wayyyy different.

By the way, where are you from...my wife says spaghetti 'noodles" too. It's freaking pasta, not noodles...lol

 

I've always found you can tell just by looking and smelling if something is good or not, and sometimes you just need to taste a little.
If the spaghetti is dry, it's probably OK as long as there's no bugs in the box. If the spaghetti's been cooked, well I would definitely toss it!
I always cut off the bad parts on celery and carrots, and if the part that looks good smells good, then it should be fine. If there's any kind of mold on it, then I'd toss it.
The 2 year old Miracle Whip, I'd toss. Often times things are still good if the date's just a couple months old, but I think 2 years may be pushing it, or at least if it was opened.
I don't know if you can get diseases, but mold can make you pretty sick, other than that, you may just be sitting on the toilet awhile.
Not sure about beer. If it's never been opened may be OK. Just open one up and if it doesn't foam, it's probably flat.
Using your five senses and some common sense will give you the answers.

 

From someone that has had a 3" shop vac hose (that's what it felt like anyway) stuffed down his throat to suck my stomach dry - food poisoning is nothing to mess with. When in doubt - throw it out is a smart saying.

A friggen box of pasta (noodles?????) probably costs 75 cents. I'm sure you wouldn't get sick from it, but it'll probably taste like it's been in the fridge for 2 years. The same for the beer. Beer in my house has a very short life span so I haven't had that problem.

Limp carrots and celery means it has started to decay. It's rotting, it just don't smell bad yet. Who wants to eat limp carrots and soggy half rotted celery anyway?

My wife was a "if it smells Ok it's probably good" person until
she ate some leftover egg salad that smelled and tasted fine (I refused it). I held her hand as she spent half the night puking. Now we both throw stuff out. Every week just before trash day the fridge gets a once over.

Most stuff nowadays has an expiration date on the packaging. In most cases (non meat, dairy etc) all that means is that the product will probably be stale or have lost some taste or nutrients. Meat and dairy though could make you ill.

For me life is too short to eat crappy old food just because it's still hanging around in the fridge.

 

If 48 hours of sitting on the toilet is worth $5.00 then go for it!

 

It's best not to overstock. Most of us live near a grocery.

After a couple years, I'd toss dry spaghetti noodles. Carrots tend to be better keepers and celery. Limp veggies, if not rotten or moldy, can often be salvaged and used in soups or other dishes where they will be cooked and crunch is not an issue. I'd taste the celery before adding to tuna salad because it's the crunch of the celery in the tuna salad that gives it pizzazz.

Sell By dates usually mean unopened and still on the store's shelf. Once open, deterioration begins. If Mayo is not used in 2-3 months, then it's best to toss it. Buy smaller jars and do not overstock.

Here's a link that may be helpful: http://forum.doityourself.com/newrep...te=1&p=1347961

Beer is a perishable foodstuff, too. For an explanation of the freshness date on beer: http://www.tastings.com/beer/perishable.html

There is a saying: "If in doubt, throw it out." Don't take chances with your health. Food poisoning can be fatal. Avoid overstocking. By smaller quantities. Plan menus around freshness dates and available foodstuffs in the fridge. Remember: The store is just down the road.

 

Totally. This is nto a gag post. I have wondered for years and actually have wondered if there is a book out on the market that tells you under what conditions food will keep for, and what tell tale signs of spoilage might be for the various items.

I have heard that the ingredients lemon or vinegar is like a preservative in some of these products. (Would you throw away pickles that have been in the fridge 5 years?)I simply hate throwing stuff away. I even reuse foil and paper towels. I am very frugal. I like to rely on scientic principles in everything and not rely on unfounded or kneejerk answers to things.

Yes, throwing out the old stuff would be an obvious thing. And most people? do it (in due time anyway). But what a possible waste.

I handle all my food with care and when I take it out, say a condiment, it goes right back in the 33 degree fridge right away. Frridge has never thawed or had temp rise. Most foods I wind up throwing out still seem good (except for spoiled milk or mouldy cheese or weiners that lose their color). It bugs the heck out of me.

...............

I completely forgot I made this thread and will respond later to others, as I have taxes to do, unfortunately.

 

ecman - While I admire your frugality, it might be misplaced. You are probably wasting more by keeping your fridge at 33*. IIRC the optimum temp for refrigerated foods is somewhere around 38*.

Most foods nowadays have expiration dates on the labels. They are probably as much concerned with product taste as with safety, but I use those dates as a guideline.

I know there is a government site and several private sites that list recommended food storage time. Try a Google search. I think you may be surprised.



I just never have anything, other than condiments, that hangs around my fridge for more than a week or so. Once opened, condiments are dated with a sharpie and tossed after a couple of months. Everything else is purchased and consumed within a couple of days.

You may be content with eating 2 year old pasta or a 5 year old pickle but your dinner guests might not.

BTW - I don't think Gunguy thought you were kidding.

 

Never go by what something, anything "looks" like.

Been there, done that...the outcome isn't great.

I used to stock things up b/c of sales and keep everything. Learned I save more (money-wise and health-wise) by just not shopping...I mean limiting what I buy. If you hate throwing stuff away, you shouldn't buy it...then you won't have anything TO throw away.

I read that you recycle paper towels? How do you do that?

 

It is tuff to do though. You plan on eating waffles every day. You buy the syrup. Then you get off the kick and there sits the syrup in the fridge for 5 years.

You buy spaghetti noodles as you have been eating it at least once a week. You also stock up on the canned sauce. Then you tire of it and realize spaghetti noodles have been in fridge for years and the date on the can of sauce says best if used about 6 months ago. I have 2 such cans, that are intact, no rust, no bulging can. I HATE that. Etc., with everything.

 

But it is a Whirlpool.

Had it running that way for years. My milk has lasted or exactly 1 full month without souring! Honest. No exaggeration.

 

I did toss the Miracle Whip I had in there since about 2000, but saved the late 2006 stuff (that still looks new/it's been opened) to see what you people would all say. Okay, I'd better toss it. I am not a total fool. It be pretty dumb to wind up in a hospital trying to save $1.79. But at the same time, there are things that have real long shelf lives. Like the pickling effect.

I am into meters and gauges and it be neat to have a 'food-spoiled' gauge, eh?

I DO frequent the store? But I am single and things accumulate, partially used. I never DID eat that soup that came in a large heavy duty sealed plastic bag that I got from a school fundraiser at about 2000 or earlier. I keep it in the freezer to fill the freezer as I guess that helps it run more efficiently (although I've pondered that theory and I'm not sure if I believe it).

Food poisioning: Once found 2 cans in my cupboard that were mushroomed. Bochulism perhaps. The paper on the outside of the can even blackened where the can was startign to split. I was even careful handling those cans when I tossed them.

 

And to think that can happen to me sometimes when I even eat fresh food.

My mom has told me about her older brother spending a half-hour in there. I used to think that had to be a stretch. Not anymore.

 

.

First off - a very insightful reply to me. Thanks.

Regarding the carrots; I like to boil them til they are soft. I hate crunchy carrots. They give me indigestion. You'd think they'd boil up faster if they start out soggy. But if they really do taste stale, well then forget it.

 

Brief follow up: While I was away from the board a little while today, I was out grocery shopping - for new spaghetti noodles and canned spaghtetti sauce.

 

I'm more on the if it seems ok it probably is.
My wife is the 'it's the day after the date on the container!'.

Products don't instantly go bad just because they are past the date. Milk date 4-21-08 doesn't suddenly go sour at 12:01am 4-22-08.

Pickles are, well.. pickled. they'll probably pretty much last forever in a fridge after opening.

I don't keep mayo in the fridge either, but I buy small containers and it doesn't last long. "Refrigerate after opening to protect flavor", nothing on there about safety.

Today's manufacturing methods are far different from even 10 years ago. Canned goods aren't even cooked before they are put in the can now, they are cooked after canning.

But I also agree with the when in doubt throw it out. Not worth getting sick over.

 

I am glad to hear you will be enjoying spaghetti tonight!

In Europe, many people have only a very small refrigerator, or some have none. They go to the market every day to buy the food for the day. There is very little frozen or canned goods.

The only fat people I saw in Italy were us, the tourists! When we came back, I vowed I would eat better, eat less processed food, and more fresh, but our lifestyle makes it so difficult. Who has time to shop daily?

Pendragon's remarks about the sustainability of food reflects how processed the food has become. All those chemicals can not be good for us.

I read once, a theory that espoused the idea we are all fat because of the hormones we consume...all the cows, pigs and chickens are fed hormones to make them grow big and plump, so the meat companies make more money from each animal. Then we eat the animals who have eaten the hormones. (Well, I like that theory much better than the idea I should just skip that piece of cannoli )

Connie

 

Actually Connie you are right, I saw on the news once that the reason the younger generation is reaching puberty so much earlier is indeed the hormones that are present in so many of the foods we eat and drink now.

Here's a nice tidbit I found for all you who cringed when I said I don't keep mayo in the fridge...

http://www.dressings-sauces.org/mayonnaise.html

 

wow thats a really cool fact about the mayo thanks for sharing!!!! i love the facts that are on this board

 

I think I have the same refrigerated food storage policy as ecman51! I was looking through my freezer last week and noticed that my newest packaged ground beef was dated 2004 and I had a couple of packages of weiners with "use by" dates of 2006. Also noticed I had an apple pie in the fridge part which was over 6 months past its "use by" date. And yeah I'm like ecman51 too....I have one can of beer left over from a long ago party that I said I'd save for a buddy who couldn't attend that party---I'm guessing its getting close to 30 years old! I sadly cleaned out the old meat and apple pie. The beer can stayed in the fridge....what's another 30 years! I think the Scottish part of my ancestry is making itself more prominent as I get older.

 

Beer usually has a born or use by date. The fresher the better. Discard the old beer. Your buddy deserves a fresh one if he ever shows up.

 

Skunked, old, flat beer makes a man of ya!..lol

Tastes like crapola and may make ya spend a few hours on the throne...but hey..its classic beer!

 

Yeah I know there's no way a 30 year old can of Coors can be any good.....I'm just keeping it as proof I really did save it for him all these years. And yeah, he has been back to my house since that party back in our younger, wilder days, but I keep forgetting about that antique brewskie buried in the back corner of the fridge!

 

If in doubt throw it out!

 

If old stuff like that is actually eaten (UUUUGGGGGHHHH!!!!) it may clean out your system when you are on the throne for a couple days.