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Canned goods shelflife (Page 2 of 4)
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Link Posted: 3/11/2009 3:44:13 AM EDT
[#1]
Ate 2 year past expiration condensed veg. stew tonight.
Link Posted: 3/12/2009 7:51:32 AM EDT
[#2]
Has anyone here made one of those FIFO can shelving racks?  I want to make one for my pantry.  

Does anyone know the dimensions of common canned and bottled food?

Thanks,

Merlin
Link Posted: 3/12/2009 2:39:20 PM EDT
[#3]
My cans have a Best if used by date NOT and experation date.  We regularly dip into my grandmothers pantry ( 2 family house) Shes got stuff from a store they changed hands 10 years ago ....  Like tomato sauce , diced , stewed , canned beans green beans , corn  ect. That she bought up on sale and just never rotated to the front. As she stored stuff in cabinets and not a true pantry.

Anway its all been fine.  I believe as some have said above they put the best if used by date on the can for sales purposes. and so they dont have to deal with quality complaints on older products. IF it truely expired there would be an experation date on the can.   When at all possible I try to avoid pop top cans. I just feel they arent as secure as a good ole fassioned can I guess
Link Posted: 3/14/2009 1:02:32 AM EDT
[#4]
Have any body run the same tests on medicines or have the knowledge?

For example which is the real shelf life of: Tylenol, Advil, anesthesia, antibiotics, antihistamine, cold medicines, etc?
Link Posted: 3/14/2009 1:33:25 AM EDT
[#5]
Originally Posted By dyma82:
Have any body run the same tests on medicines or have the knowledge?

For example which is the real shelf life of: Tylenol, Advil, anesthesia, antibiotics, antihistamine, cold medicines, etc?


Drug Expiration dates refer to drug potency and degredation at that time period. Lets say a drug says 2 years from the manufacture date, that means at 2 years the drug will retain 100% of its potency and still be stable. Now that being said I would not recommend nor use nor stock past due drugs, especially antibiotics and "anesthesia" (which I have no idea what you mean by this term or thought of why you would need this).

99% of drugs will lose their potency and not necessarily become unstable or become toxic. Now that being said I would not take those chances because using Meds, esp without the consent of a Physician is like playing Russian Roulette. There are many many many factors that come into play, more than you can possibly imagine, that determine why and why not certain drugs are used.

In addition, I would not get caught with Narcotics if I was you...
Link Posted: 3/19/2009 9:59:20 PM EDT
[#6]
Just opened up a 56oz can of Planters Salted Peanuts.

Best If Used By Date of Dec 2007.

I expected it to be rancid due to all the oil in peanuts, but it is not. I am eating them as I type.

Not rancid but they do taste......salty.
Link Posted: 3/20/2009 7:02:42 AM EDT
[#7]
Originally Posted By Mach:
Just opened up a 56oz can of Planters Salted Peanuts.

Best If Used By Date of Dec 2007.

I expected it to be rancid due to all the oil in peanuts, but it is not. I am eating them as I type.

Not rancid but they do taste......salty.


Different varieties of peanuts have different fat contents.  The ones you get at the ballpark are different than the ones you use for peanut butter.  The ones you've got probably have a lower fat content, and were not exposed to the air.
Link Posted: 3/22/2009 1:24:14 AM EDT
[Last Edit: dyma82] [#8]
Originally Posted By MrHunterAZ:
Originally Posted By dyma82:
Have any body run the same tests on medicines or have the knowledge?

For example which is the real shelf life of: Tylenol, Advil, anesthesia, antibiotics, antihistamine, cold medicines, etc?


Drug Expiration dates refer to drug potency and degredation at that time period. Lets say a drug says 2 years from the manufacture date, that means at 2 years the drug will retain 100% of its potency and still be stable. Now that being said I would not recommend nor use nor stock past due drugs, especially antibiotics and "anesthesia" (which I have no idea what you mean by this term or thought of why you would need this).

99% of drugs will lose their potency and not necessarily become unstable or become toxic. Now that being said I would not take those chances because using Meds, esp without the consent of a Physician is like playing Russian Roulette. There are many many many factors that come into play, more than you can possibly imagine, that determine why and why not certain drugs are used.

In addition, I would not get caught with Narcotics if I was you...


anesthesia = Drug that blocks the conscious sensation of pain (That's what I meant with the term)

I would never try to acquire or posses illegal drugs, but I really would like to posses the knowledge on the shelf life of the most commonly used medicines and how to use them. Of course, nowadays if I have any medical problem I would go to the doctor, but my question was about an entirely different scenario.

Let’s say (and I really hope it never takes place) a really bad SHTF event takes places…lets say there are not doctors around…but you need to take care of a medical situation. Most likely, you will try to procure the necessary medicine (if you know…of course). It wouldn’t be rare that you come across an abandoned clinic, and inside you find all kind of drugs. There are no doctors to call….what do you do?

Everybody knows that if you have an infection you very, very likely will need antibiotics with the classical cycle of 7-10 days or less if they are a 4th generation. Knowing the effect of expiration on antibiotics will help you decide which one you can use and how.

As for anesthesia…well I don’t have to think too hard to come up with several situations in which an anesthetic will make a remarkable difference…just think anything related to teeth.  

I love self-sufficiency, and at this point in time that only comes through knowledge. Of course, I am not talking about becoming a doctor, but some elemental knowledge on this can be of GREAT help in many situations when a doctor is not available.
Link Posted: 3/22/2009 2:52:37 AM EDT
[#9]
Originally Posted By dyma82:
Originally Posted By MrHunterAZ:
Originally Posted By dyma82:
Have any body run the same tests on medicines or have the knowledge?

For example which is the real shelf life of: Tylenol, Advil, anesthesia, antibiotics, antihistamine, cold medicines, etc?


Drug Expiration dates refer to drug potency and degredation at that time period. Lets say a drug says 2 years from the manufacture date, that means at 2 years the drug will retain 100% of its potency and still be stable. Now that being said I would not recommend nor use nor stock past due drugs, especially antibiotics and "anesthesia" (which I have no idea what you mean by this term or thought of why you would need this).

99% of drugs will lose their potency and not necessarily become unstable or become toxic. Now that being said I would not take those chances because using Meds, esp without the consent of a Physician is like playing Russian Roulette. There are many many many factors that come into play, more than you can possibly imagine, that determine why and why not certain drugs are used.

In addition, I would not get caught with Narcotics if I was you...


anesthesia = Drug that blocks the conscious sensation of pain (That's what I meant with the term)

I would never try to acquire or posses illegal drugs, but I really would like to posses the knowledge on the shelf life of the most commonly used medicines and how to use them. Of course, nowadays if I have any medical problem I would go to the doctor, but my question was about an entirely different scenario.

Let’s say (and I really hope it never takes place) a really bad SHTF event takes places…lets say there are not doctors around…but you need to take care of a medical situation. Most likely, you will try to procure the necessary medicine (if you know…of course). It wouldn’t be rare that you come across an abandoned clinic, and inside you find all kind of drugs. There are no doctors to call….what do you do?

Everybody knows that if you have an infection you very, very likely will need antibiotics with the classical cycle of 7-10 days or less if they are a 4th generation. Knowing the effect of expiration on antibiotics will help you decide which one you can use and how.

As for anesthesia…well I don’t have to think too hard to come up with several situations in which an anesthetic will make a remarkable difference…just think anything related to teeth.  

I love self-sufficiency, and at this point in time that only comes through knowledge. Of course, I am not talking about becoming a doctor, but some elemental knowledge on this can be of GREAT help in many situations when a doctor is not available.


Having no knowledge may be better than a little bit lol. You can turn a simple toothache with a little knowledge turn it into respiratory failure.

The hard thing with infection and antibiotics is how do you know which bug is causing the problem? I guess you can just throw broad spectrums at it all the time but those may bring their own problems and side effects. You can guess when a drug is needed but will you know when it is contraindicated? And then there is the whole allergy issue which is a whole other can of worms...

Narcotics are not necessary, they are a luxery. Their benefits are far outweighed by their potential harm, let alone the legal issues. Tylenol and Ibuprofen should cover most things. Whickey will cover the rest

The problem with playing in medicine is that it is a no fail field. If you screw something up, and trust me there are an infinite amount of ways to screw up, someone loses big time.

Link Posted: 3/29/2009 3:38:08 AM EDT
[#10]
Been stocking up also. Try to buy cans that are good until atleast 2011. Stock up on Tuna, Stew, Beans, Soups, Walmart canned meat stuff.



Each time I go shopping buy 5-10 canned items at .50 to 2.00 each.



Trying to taste each to figure out what tastes good. Yes SPAM is on the "try" list :)



On the shelf have 2-3 years in sections & rotate stuff out. For instance 2011 has 1 section, 2012 another etc.



Walmart has ham & tuna with crackers, neither have an expiration date. Guessing how the other canned tuna is good until 2011, placing it on the 2 year shelf.



Water, have 2-3 weeks of drinking water stored in glass jars approx 2 gallons each. Another 15-20 gallons of cleaning water. Also some purifying tabs or can boil the cleaning water for drinking since its stored in old soap buckets. Rotate the water every 3-4 months.
Link Posted: 3/29/2009 3:48:39 PM EDT
[#11]
Originally Posted By EagleRiver:
Been stocking up also. Try to buy cans that are good until atleast 2011. Stock up on Tuna, Stew, Beans, Soups, Walmart canned meat stuff.

Each time I go shopping buy 5-10 canned items at .50 to 2.00 each.

Trying to taste each to figure out what tastes good. Yes SPAM is on the "try" list :)

On the shelf have 2-3 years in sections & rotate stuff out. For instance 2011 has 1 section, 2012 another etc.

Walmart has ham & tuna with crackers, neither have an expiration date. Guessing how the other canned tuna is good until 2011, placing it on the 2 year shelf.

Water, have 2-3 weeks of drinking water stored in glass jars approx 2 gallons each. Another 15-20 gallons of cleaning water. Also some purifying tabs or can boil the cleaning water for drinking since its stored in old soap buckets. Rotate the water every 3-4 months.


As for the canned meat, try the Hormel corned beef hash if you haven't before.  My new best friend.    Took some backpacking, one can will feed two working, non-lumberjack adults easily.
Link Posted: 3/30/2009 6:21:04 PM EDT
[#12]
Originally Posted By lostangel:
ewwww Spam

I have been prepping for several years.  I have never eaten Spam, and unless I am starving to death, I will never eat Spam.  Now, once I have been eating MRE's for a couple months and it's been months since I have had a good meal, Spam may be more appetizing.  But I expect to be dead before I get to that point.


Please, let me be dead before I want to eat Spam!










Yu will eat Spam.



Link Posted: 3/31/2009 10:30:37 PM EDT
[#13]
whats the shelf life of a twinkie?
Link Posted: 4/4/2009 12:19:37 AM EDT
[#14]
Originally Posted By buzzar:
whats the shelf life of a twinkie?


10 kabillion light years
Link Posted: 4/4/2009 1:50:24 AM EDT
[#15]
that made me want fried spam lol
Link Posted: 4/4/2009 4:55:41 PM EDT
[#16]
Im keeping the old stuff for people that mock me for prepping


That is a good idea!
Link Posted: 4/5/2009 11:13:29 PM EDT
[#17]
Would the shelf life of "low-sodium" canned goods be longer, shorter, or no different?
Link Posted: 4/8/2009 2:00:32 PM EDT
[#18]
I was just watching the Food Channel, they were at a factory that provides dehydrated Garlic Powder. The woman for the company was asked how long will it last? She said 3 years in the storage container in the warehouse. When asked about could it keep longer? she Said kept airtight, for years and years. 3 years was just a CYA answer.
Link Posted: 4/14/2009 11:44:23 AM EDT
[#19]
Originally Posted By odontia32m:
Originally Posted By buzzar:
whats the shelf life of a twinkie?


10 kabillion light years


A light year is a measurement of distance, not time.  Perhaps you meant a score or so of Galactic years?
Link Posted: 4/14/2009 2:56:56 PM EDT
[#20]
I ate a can of Campbells chunky ham and pea soup that was one year past its date and it was OK but had a slight metal taste to it before I heated it up. After heating I could tell no difference. That was two days ago and I'm still here.
Link Posted: 4/14/2009 8:31:42 PM EDT
[Last Edit: Blade409] [#21]
Spam and TEXAS PETE.... What a treat....!!!  Texas Pete is mandatory in the reserve pantry. Great on Top Ramon (spring noodle) soup. And just about everything.
Link Posted: 4/14/2009 10:13:22 PM EDT
[#22]
Originally Posted By shinoi:
Originally Posted By odontia32m:
Originally Posted By buzzar:
whats the shelf life of a twinkie?


10 kabillion light years


A light year is a measurement of distance, not time.  Perhaps you meant a score or so of Galactic years?


Well shit it sounded good, I thought.
Link Posted: 4/27/2009 8:59:00 AM EDT
[#23]
Originally Posted By bone33:
i got a massage using a tube of expired in 2003 icy-hot last night and it was great.


Happy ending?  
Link Posted: 4/27/2009 4:54:17 PM EDT
[#24]
Oh GI, you want happy ending?
Link Posted: 5/3/2009 10:55:06 PM EDT
[#25]
Originally Posted By odontia32m:
Originally Posted By shinoi:
Originally Posted By odontia32m:
Originally Posted By buzzar:
whats the shelf life of a twinkie?


10 kabillion light years


A light year is a measurement of distance, not time.  Perhaps you meant a score or so of Galactic years?


Well shit it sounded good, I thought.


you did, however, answer the question:  "how far can you travel and still have an edible twinkie?"
Link Posted: 5/12/2009 11:26:33 AM EDT
[#26]
Originally Posted By TheWind:
Im keeping the old stuff for people that mock me for prepping


That is a good idea!


Excellent idea!

Link Posted: 5/13/2009 8:23:21 PM EDT
[#27]
Most people throw stuff away far too early . If it doesn't smell bad it is most likely good to go. Found some home canned pickles from 2000. I ate them without hesitation. Most of you are far too worried about the stuff being bad and I just don't understand it.
Link Posted: 5/15/2009 10:56:27 PM EDT
[#28]
Any idea what the shelf life of a box of soy milk?



I have some that is about a year past the date stamp.
Link Posted: 5/28/2009 6:08:36 PM EDT
[#29]
I've got about a years worth of canned goods I bought pre-Y2K and was just thinking about tossing them but I'm thinkingno now. Cans are all in LNIB shape and most have been mylar'd pouched inside the can so I guessing I just got another years back-up with out even trying
Link Posted: 6/11/2009 4:54:46 AM EDT
[#30]
Originally Posted By lostangel:
ewwww Spam

I have been prepping for several years.  I have never eaten Spam, and unless I am starving to death, I will never eat Spam.  Now, once I have been eating MRE's for a couple months and it's been months since I have had a good meal, Spam may be more appetizing.  But I expect to be dead before I get to that point.


Please, let me be dead before I want to eat Spam!


why??? don't like Pork shoulder and ham??  I buy the low sodium stuff, lot better then regular.
Link Posted: 6/12/2009 9:51:41 PM EDT
[#31]
I have bought a seal a meal machine for the very purpose of extending self life. I vacuum seal my cans, one it prevents leaks to the canning process. Two the bag will also keep the rust off the cans, and three you wouldn't have to worry of pop top cans leaking either.
Link Posted: 6/13/2009 10:24:46 PM EDT
[#32]

You guys ought to log in to "mreinfo.com" sometime and read their forums. Some of the guys on there (from around the world mind you) seem to have an undeclared contest going on to see who can / will eat the oldest food (and live to tell about it of course ). Most of them will post pictures of the meal as well.

It's not unheard of for these guys to eat 20 year old MREs.

Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........
Link Posted: 6/14/2009 1:49:48 AM EDT
[#33]
I have some cans that were in the car for a few months.  Mostly winter but have been in the heat for the last two months. Are these good to eat? My wife is dead set on throwing them out.
Link Posted: 6/14/2009 1:52:21 AM EDT
[Last Edit: beatjunglist] [#34]
Originally Posted By wingnutx:
Any idea what the shelf life of a box of soy milk?

I have some that is about a year past the date stamp.



Soy milk is a bit like regular milk. It will smell spoiled after a short period. hope that helped.
Link Posted: 6/14/2009 8:49:35 AM EDT
[#35]
Originally Posted By beatjunglist:
I have some cans that were in the car for a few months.  Mostly winter but have been in the heat for the last two months. Are these good to eat? My wife is dead set on throwing them out.


I would feel that the heating and cooling of the contents may be spoiled give er the ol smell and visual test before pressing forth on the consumption.
Link Posted: 6/15/2009 1:20:28 AM EDT
[#36]



Originally Posted By beatjunglist:



Originally Posted By wingnutx:

Any idea what the shelf life of a box of soy milk?



I have some that is about a year past the date stamp.






Soy milk is a bit like regular milk. It will smell spoiled after a short period. hope that helped.



I mean in a sealed container.



 
Link Posted: 6/15/2009 1:31:19 AM EDT
[Last Edit: yekimak] [#37]
Originally Posted By KrushR:
Originally Posted By odontia32m:
Originally Posted By shinoi:
Originally Posted By odontia32m:
Originally Posted By buzzar:
whats the shelf life of a twinkie?


10 kabillion light years


A light year is a measurement of distance, not time.  Perhaps you meant a score or so of Galactic years?


Well shit it sounded good, I thought.


you did, however, answer the question:  "how far can you travel and still have an edible twinkie?"


If Han can do the Kessel run in 12 parsecs, odontia can eat lightyearold twinkies.
Link Posted: 6/20/2009 11:06:35 AM EDT
[#38]
We had soup the other night,. one can was good the other was expired in sept08, no difference when I opened them up to texture, smell and they tasted the same...
Link Posted: 6/24/2009 12:26:10 AM EDT
[Last Edit: Fireguy3] [#39]
My sister was a Quality control manager at a Mushroom canning plant, we're talking #10 cans, (gallon size)

They found one sitting in a storage area that was canned 25 years before, curious they opened it and tested for bacteria and it was still safe to consume!!! These were wey pack canned, not dehydrated or freeze dried.

The thing is they did not test for nutrient loss of the contents.

As long as the can hasn't been comprimised, i would think food could last indefinatly.

FWIW, me and my older brother used to eat C-rast my dad would bring home from Annual Traing with the National Guard that were packed and canned in 1964-65 and we were eating them in 1980 to 1984(After that it was MRE's).
Link Posted: 7/2/2009 6:00:37 PM EDT
[#40]
It is not just the food, but how much can has leached into the food from the can.



If the expir date is come and gone, it is a risk as to your short and long term health effects of eating this food.



Link Posted: 7/12/2009 2:27:16 PM EDT
[Last Edit: KwaiChangCaine] [#41]
I just went to use some Great Value chicken broth that I purchased in Nov 2006, and the can said best by May 24 2008.  The broth looked and smelled fairly normal though maybe a little darker looking and stronger smelling.  What I did notice was nasty black / gray gunk around the edge of the lid.  I opened a second can from the same lot and it was nasty like that too.  I did not consume it...  It wasn't from my can opener either, it was inside the can.  I opened a new can and it looked fine.  Here is a fuzzy picture of it.



And to add to the mushroom discussion, I once ate some GV mushrooms (the ones from China) that were fine to eat, and the cans looked normal when I opened them.  The next morning I noticed that the joints and seams on the inside of the can were very rusty after sitting on the counter overnight.  I've never seen cans do that before or since.  ETA:  The mushrooms weren't very old at the time either.
Link Posted: 7/15/2009 12:49:30 PM EDT
[#42]
The can of mushrooms you opened you exposed to air, Mushrooms are full of Phosphorus, its' their main vitamin value.

You expose any metal to phosporus and air it will start to corrode like there is no tommorow.

FWIW, I will pay extra for american made and packaged food, no offense but the past couple of years the chinese stuff sure hasn't had a acceptable record of safety!!

FWIW, You Pennsytuckians who can their own food, the Amish are starting their produce auctions for the year, good stuff cheap.

Got 35 quarts worth of broccoli to can for $40, bought five huge heads of cauliflower (we are talking bigger than a human head!) that will probably give me 15 quarts of cauliflower for $20, i mean these heads weighed maybe 5 pounds a piece! I got six of them and sold some to others because they were annoying me to buy some and i had to get them to go away.

Hungarian peppers are hitting the auctions, some tomatoes, lots of Cucumbers and Squash are starting to appear.

If you are in Western PA. a good one is down by Smicksburg,PA. in Indiana county, this is the one i go to.
Link Posted: 7/26/2009 3:23:43 PM EDT
[Last Edit: KrushR] [#43]
Originally Posted By FreeBear:

You guys ought to log in to "mreinfo.com" sometime and read their forums. Some of the guys on there (from around the world mind you) seem to have an undeclared contest going on to see who can / will eat the oldest food (and live to tell about it of course ). Most of them will post pictures of the meal as well.

It's not unheard of for these guys to eat 20 year old MREs.

Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........


great video on there of a retiring U.S. Army Colonel eating a 40-year old C-Rat pound cake that he brought home from Vietnam.
skipping their referral: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SHohZ2ljC4
Link Posted: 8/9/2009 8:43:04 PM EDT
[#44]
+1
Link Posted: 8/23/2009 3:23:01 AM EDT
[#45]
Wife was organizing the pantry the other day and found a flat each of green beans, corn, and green peas, all was purchased many years ago during the 3 for a $1 sale at the neighborhood grocer. Use by date was early 2008. She has been reluctant to use them and even offered them to the local food bank, which denied them due to being "out of date." None of the cans were dented, rusted, swollen or damaged. Since she was working late last night I was tasked with the occasional task of feeding myself. Figured it was as good a time as any to test the above. Digging out a pack of vaccuum sealed whole rainbow trout from the deep freeze and a can of each of the above I set about to either prepare dinner or obtain a case of food poisoning. The trout were seasoned with lemon pepper and butter, wrapped in foil and cooked on the grill. The veggies were opened with the contents of each can inspected. The color of each didn't seem as bright as fresh nor did the corn taste as sweet as I thought it should but there were no strange odors or bad tastes or after tastes. A spoonful of each and a 20 min wait while the fish were cooking didn't produce any abdominal discomfort or nausea. The contents of each can were emptied into small sauce pans brought to a quick boil then removed from heat to cool. The trout were removed from the grill and unwrapped. Each fish was edible except for the portion of meat along their belly were most of the fat was located, that portion had obtained a strong undesirable flavor. Last night's meal wasn't the best I've prepared but it was edible and did give me a little more insight into using food that wouldn't be my first choice for the table.
Link Posted: 9/5/2009 11:17:18 PM EDT
[Last Edit: anachronism] [#46]
This should help a bit:http://www.stilltasty.com/
Link Posted: 9/9/2009 8:00:50 PM EDT
[#47]
This thread got me interested. I went down to the basement and started digging around and found 20 cans of whole kernel corn which I bought in October of 1999 for Y2K.  Basically a plastic wrapped case with 4 cans missing. Gonna have to try some to see how it tastes.
Link Posted: 9/13/2009 5:23:30 AM EDT
[#48]
Hey guys.  Shelf life is the #1 priority for most of us.  Just look at the length of this thread.  I found a few articles/sites I found interesting and would like to get your take on.  http://www.idareyoutoeatit.com/tag/food-storage-facts/  and this one.....it comes from a supplier of emergency rations and I am very suspect of this one.  http://www.internet-grocer.net/how-long.htm

What say ye?
Link Posted: 9/16/2009 11:08:33 PM EDT
[#49]
I'm looking for a response to the question of how long the top ramen lasts. I used to eat that stuff dry as a kid, and loved it. I would guess if boxed pasta lasts for several years, then the ramen noodles ought to last at least that long, not to mention it would make a super cheap prep.
Link Posted: 9/23/2009 2:58:57 AM EDT
[#50]
Originally Posted By lostangel:
ewwww Spam

I have been prepping for several years.  I have never eaten Spam, and unless I am starving to death, I will never eat Spam.  Now, once I have been eating MRE's for a couple months and it's been months since I have had a good meal, Spam may be more appetizing.  But I expect to be dead before I get to that point.


Please, let me be dead before I want to eat Spam!


Heretic
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Canned goods shelflife (Page 2 of 4)
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