Posted: 3/28/2013 7:19:59 AM EDT
| Im not up to speed as many on here are but.. In stocking up on food items, just how long are canned items good for? something like raviolis for instance? I luv me some raviolis |
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I've been stockpiling, rotating, and eating canned goods for the past 10 years. Here is what I've learned:
The expiration date on the can is not the be-all, end-all of knowing whether something is fit to eat, palatable, etc. The BEST thing to do is to stockpile things you'll actually eat throughout the course of your life so you can rotate. That's what we try to do. I've eaten 5-year old cans (a few years beyond their expiration date) of salmon, vienna sausage, fruit, etc and they've tasted fine. Experts say that over time you lose nutritional value. But taste-wise, most of the old canned food I've eaten has been fine. I did have four big cans of beef stew a while back that were just at their expiration date and I pulled one-out to eat. It tasted metallic and I found I didn't not care for it. So I fed the other three cans of it to my dogs over time. The bottom line on eating old canned food is that first, you try not to let it get too old... and after that, you pop the top, smell the food... and if it smells okay you have a taste and see if it's something you're interested in eating. In the case of the metallic stew, had it been a SHTF situation I would have gladly wolfed it down. I think that I could just about live on rice with cream of mushroom soup and some canned fruit if I had to. ETA: I stockpile bulk dried goods like rice, wheat, etc as well as canned goods. But what's neat about canned goods is that you can just grab a few cans every time you're at the grocery store and build up your stockpile over time. That's mostly how we do it. EVERY week at the grocery store we buy 4-6 extra cans of food and we always rotate the old with the new. It costs us a few dollars a week, but gives us a peace of mind that many people won't have when TSHTF. I beg and implore friends, family and coworkers every time they talk about prepping to "just buy some canned goods every week... PLEASE". But I get the feeling that most still don't. Oh... and they've been given the talk about being able to outrun 168 grain HPBTs should their "plan" for SHTF be to just come raid my place. 
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Just a guess but not long since I've seen cans swelled up on store shelves. Thats creepy and weird. Canned food stays good for a VERY long time depending on the product. BTW im pretty sure cans of a best by date not an experation date When I commented this to one of the store workers he said "You should see when one explodes" 
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Just a guess but not long since I've seen cans swelled up on store shelves. I'm going to guess that's probably due to contamination (the can wasn't cleaned and sanitized before it was filled), not due to age. But I guess it could have fallen behind a shelf or something for a few years before it was put out for sale. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Just a guess but not long since I've seen cans swelled up on store shelves. I'm going to guess that's probably due to contamination (the can wasn't cleaned and sanitized before it was filled), not due to age. But I guess it could have fallen behind a shelf or something for a few years before it was put out for sale. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile Exactly. I don't know where some of you people shop, but I can ASSure you that the two Walmarts that I do most of my shopping at go through a ridiculous about of product turnover every month. Nothing gathers dust or sits for long. In the event of TSHTF... the place would be wiped-out within a few days. Hell... it gets that way after a busy weekend. |
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Quoted: I've been stockpiling, rotating, and eating canned goods for the past 10 years. Here is what I've learned: The expiration date on the can is not the be-all, end-all of knowing whether something is fit to eat, palatable, etc. The BEST thing to do is to stockpile things you'll actually eat throughout the course of your life so you can rotate. That's what we try to do. I've eaten 5-year old cans (a few years beyond their expiration date) of salmon, vienna sausage, fruit, etc and they've tasted fine. Experts say that over time you lose nutritional value. But taste-wise, most of the old canned food I've eaten has been fine. I did have four big cans of beef stew a while back that were just at their expiration date and I pulled one-out to eat. It tasted metallic and I found I didn't not care for it. So I fed the other three cans of it to my dogs over time. The bottom line on eating old canned food is that first, you try not to let it get too old... and after that, you pop the top, smell the food... and if it smells okay you have a taste and see if it's something you're interested in eating. In the case of the metallic stew, had it been a SHTF situation I would have gladly wolfed it down. I think that I could just about live on rice with cream of mushroom soup and some canned fruit if I had to. ETA: I stockpile bulk dried goods like rice, wheat, etc as well as canned goods. But what's neat about canned goods is that you can just grab a few cans every time you're at the grocery store and build up your stockpile over time. That's mostly how we do it. EVERY week at the grocery store we buy 4-6 extra cans of food and we always rotate the old with the new. It costs us a few dollars a week, but gives us a peace of mind that many people won't have when TSHTF. I beg and implore friends, family and coworkers every time they talk about prepping to "just buy some canned goods every week... PLEASE". But I get the feeling that most still don't. Oh... and they've been given the talk about being able to outrun 168 grain HPBTs should their "plan" for SHTF be to just come raid my place. Same thing here. My daughter (18) has even gotten on board. 2 is 1. It's funny hearing her say that.
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Just a guess but not long since I've seen cans swelled up on store shelves. I'm going to guess that's probably due to contamination (the can wasn't cleaned and sanitized before it was filled), not due to age. But I guess it could have fallen behind a shelf or something for a few years before it was put out for sale. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile Exactly. I don't know where some of you people shop, but I can ASSure you that the two Walmarts that I do most of my shopping at go through a ridiculous about of product turnover every month. Nothing gathers dust or sits for long. In the event of TSHTF... the place would be wiped-out within a few days. Hell... it gets that way after a busy weekend. Not sure what State you're in but here we are seeing the distributors openning a "Cost u less" section(small store) in their warehouses. Oh yeah Caveat emptor, but these places are worth checking out sometimes. Stores will not acept a broken case of anything. |
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Canned food does not magically get bacteria in it when its past the expiration date. It might taste a little off or have a funny texture but its still edible.
The key is to rotate your food. I recently purchased some nice shelves from sams for my canned foods. Actually I basically converted a bedroom into a pantry. Its pretty nice! I can easily see what I have and how old it is. I never ate much canned stuff but Ive changed my eating habits a little to faciliate my prep strategy. There isnt anything wrong with canned vegatables and theres no reason not to incorperate a little more in my diet. I also have been stocking up on non-perishables like sugar and salt. I've stocked some cans of pie filling so I can make treats, its nice to have variety. I have a good supply of canned venison and other meat and packages of sides to go with them. I probably wont get to that point but most things are good for a year, so theoretically I can have a years supply of food if I rotate. I think having an adequate amount of space makes it almost effortless to keep food in stock. Canning meat is a very very useful skill. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |