Questions specifically about the expected shelf life of a food item.
9
votes
10answers
17k views
How long will bacon grease keep in the fridge?
I kept all of the bacon grease from making bacon this weekend, and now I have a jar of solidified grease in the fridge. How long can I use this to impart bacony goodness to my fried vegetables before ...
1
vote
2answers
97 views
How long does ginger root last?
I bought ginger root months ago, and I didn't use all of it. I've kept it in the fridge and it still seems good. How long will it last?
1
vote
1answer
48 views
Bottling and Storing Cold-Brewed Coffee?
I'm a bit of an iced-coffee snob – I love a good, rich tasting coffee, and love the smooth flavor of cold-brewed coffee; unfortunately, the only time I have to make it is the weekends, and it lasts ...
73
votes
10answers
17k views
Is it safe to leave butter at room temperature?
Is it safe to leave butter at room temperature? If so, how long is it safe to keep it out?
29
votes
1answer
3k views
How long can I store a food in the pantry, refrigerator, or freezer?
How do I know if a given food or ingredient I have is still good, or if I should discard it?
How can I best preserve a food or ingredient?
This broad question is intended as a "general reference" ...
11
votes
9answers
51k views
How long should I keep a cut onion?
Since I only cook for one or two, I will tend to buy an onion and only use part of it, and then keep the rest in the fridge. Sometimes it will be a while before I use the rest. Is there any guidance ...
2
votes
7answers
25k views
Does pesto go bad?
I have some basil pesto but I'm not sure how long its fridge life is. It is in a sealed container. How long does it last before it is not safe to eat anymore?
8
votes
7answers
31k views
My tea bags are expired, can I still use them?
This box of tea has an expiration date which has passed but I would like to know if I can still use it. What do you think?
8
votes
2answers
20k views
How long is it safe to drink coffee after brewed?
How many hours/days would you recommend to drink coffee (after brewed) and consider it safe? (For example if you don't want to waste it). What is the difference if it is refrigerated or not?
The ...
4
votes
2answers
104 views
How to store salted cod?
Salted cod is a famous dish in Portugal and I would like to prepare it. It is common here to see the whole of a fish (well, without head, guts etc obviously) in supermarkets - like this:
Wikipedia
...
1
vote
0answers
96 views
Which food items lose taste in the fridge? [closed]
Nowadays most people put everything in the fridge simply because a lower temperature is associated with a longer lifetime. While this is true in most cases, in some it may have a negative effect on ...
1
vote
2answers
150 views
Do unopened bottles of Gin and Campari turn bad in extreme heat?
just got back from a trip with 2 new bottles of campari and gin, then forgot them for 24 hours in the trunk of my car, in a hot day (30C degrees) :(
Should I just throw them away? or are they still ...
6
votes
3answers
8k views
Do Bouillon Cubes/Powder go bad?
I just found an old jar of Beef Bouillon cubes and although there is no expiration date, I'm a bit skeptical about using them - do they go bad?
5
votes
7answers
6k views
Does golden syrup 'go off'?
I had a tin of golden syrup for a long time - longer than I care to admit. When I opened it up yesterday (to sweeten up some mulled wine), it was granular (a bit like honey can be), and black around ...
4
votes
2answers
167 views
Do raisins have a maximum shelf life?
I have a box of raisins in my cabinet that have been there for many years. Should I discard them or can they still be salvaged for use in baking or cooking?
3
votes
5answers
458 views
Unroasted coffee beans in the pantry, several years old: roast, toss, or other use?
I just discovered a bag with about 100g of unroasted coffee beans in my pantry. I know they are at least four years old, and maybe 10 years. They've been in room temperature, dry storage the whole ...
17
votes
2answers
7k views
Can heavy cream be frozen?
Sometimes, I want to try a recipe that calls for a small amount of heavy cream. Can the remainder be frozen and then used to make whipped cream? If so, how long will it keep in the freezer?
5
votes
2answers
87 views
Will dried buttermilk react with other ingredients in dry mix with oil, stored in fridge?
I would like to make a (dry) pancake mix in a large batch, and then store it in the fridge. I have done this before with no problem, and would now like to do the same thing, but add dried buttermilk. ...
9
votes
2answers
387 views
Do nuts ever go bad?
I have some walnuts I found in the back of my cabinet that are probably 5 years old. The packaging says best if used by 2010. I tasted them and they taste alright, maybe a little tartish but I don't ...
1
vote
4answers
116 views
What is the shelf life of homemade compote?
I made a cooked compote with dried fruit and am wondering what safe refrigerated life I can expect. Ideally, please provide some reasonable rationale or reference for the advice.
2
votes
2answers
169 views
Shelf life of commercial jams with no preservatives?
This commercial peach jam does NOT contain any preservatives.
Room temperature is 20 C.
It is written on the bottle that it should be refrigerated after opening since it doesn't contain any ...
8
votes
2answers
49k views
How long after I cook chicken is it safe to eat if stored in a fridge?
How long after I have cooked chicken can I safely eat if stored in the fridge. Same day only? Next day? Within a week?
6
votes
1answer
2k views
At what point should carrots be thrown away?
We tend to buy a big bag of carrots from the supermarket (mainly because it's cheaper than a small bag), but usually these are starting to go soft halfway through the week. My current rule of thumb ...
4
votes
3answers
6k views
How long would a no-bake cheesecake last?
I have an excellent recipe for a no-bake cheesecake that my family has made hundreds of times over many decades. For the first time today I was asked how long it would keep in the fridge. It's never ...
17
votes
2answers
3k views
How does butter remain edible for so long without refrigeration?
My wife and I keep a stick of butter in the cupboard rather than the refrigerator. Even with just the two of us, it rarely lasts very long, but I'd say it may go as long as a week without ...
7
votes
8answers
13k views
How long do black olives last once opened?
I opened a can of sliced black olives for my pizza and only used half. I put the leftovers into a sealed container with the liquid and put it in the fridge. Under those conditions how long will the ...
0
votes
1answer
985 views
How long will a shooter's sandwich keep?
A shooter's sandwich is intended to be eaten a long time after it is made. I understand that it originated, pre-refrigeration, as a meal that could be prepared the night before and taken on a hunt the ...
4
votes
3answers
179 views
Should ghee be kept out of light?
I have ghee in clear glass jar on a shelf in my kitchen, would it keep for longer if I try to store it in a dark place? Does light speed up oxidation?
3
votes
6answers
2k views
How to store Parmesan cheese?
I recently lucked into about 4 lbs of a delicious Parmesan. Sadly it's already in 4 pieces, and so I'm pretty sure its going to be more prone to spoilage than a single large chunk. How does one go ...
7
votes
3answers
2k views
Wondering if the bottle of wine I have is still good or not
During my move to a new place, I found a bottle of wine that I had kept in my refrigerator that was dated 2004. It was still sealed; it didn't look like anything was floating around inside, and to all ...
5
votes
2answers
189 views
long term wine storage
I'm planning storing some wine over a long period of time. I'm not sure about the exact duration, but I'm thinking of either 25 or 50 years.
What should be taken into consideration? Here's a list of ...
6
votes
1answer
6k views
How long can I store cooked lentils?
I love lentils mixed with onions, spinach and tuna in the morning, unfortunately I am having a really hard time finding cheap canned lentils in my area. So I wonder, if I cook a big batch of dried red ...
2
votes
1answer
132 views
What is the shelf life of my syrup?
This is a continuation of my last question.
the recipe I have is:
2 1/2 cups water
2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 moist vanilla bean, preferably Mexican or Bourbon (Madagascar)
...
0
votes
1answer
277 views
How long will a glazed ham last for?
How long will a glazed ham last for?
I have a ham, which I glazed.
It was in a vac pack, and does not expire for 2 months.
Since I have removed it from the vac pack, glazed and cooked it. How long ...
5
votes
5answers
16k views
omelettes and scrambled eggs - How long can I store them?
Is it a good idea to keep make a lot of them and keep them in the refrigerator? I like them for breakfast but I don't like cooking every morning. For how long I can keep them?
0
votes
2answers
130 views
Storing beef for 3 days
I've just bought some fresh rump steak to make beauf bourguignon in 3 days. Can I keep it in a fridge or do I need to put it in a freezer?
0
votes
1answer
632 views
Chocolate bars - Actual shelflife vs expiration date
The owner of a local chocolate store made me an offer I actually can't refuse: For a price that's really a bargain, I get one bar of every bar chocolate he as on stock - that would be about 40 bars.
...
7
votes
1answer
1k views
How long is SPAM really good for?
I wanted to buy some SPAM for my zombie apocalypse survival kit, and I noticed that it had an expiration date in 2013. Should I be concerned? I've heard it will last more than 25 years.
2
votes
1answer
174 views
Basil Pesto and Cream Cheese dip
I made a dip with basil pesto covering cream cheese with grated parmesan cheese over it all.
Can I keep the dip (tightly covered) for 4 days without the pesto interacting with the cheese?
The ...
6
votes
3answers
5k views
Are refrigerated hard boild eggs really unsafe after a week?
Most sites that I've googled (such as http://www.ochef.com/1009.htm, and http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/eggs2.htm) say that refrigerated hard-boiled eggs need to be eaten within one week.
I'm a ...
5
votes
0answers
55 views
How long can I store cooked rice in the refrigerator? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How long can I store a food in the pantry, refrigerator, or freezer?
I've heard people claim that you could keep cooked rice as long as 10 days or as short as 48hours.
...
3
votes
2answers
2k views
What is the best way to store prepared raw vegetables
I help and elderly friend who has asked me to pre-prepare some vegetables for her. This way she'll be able to cook them for herself later.
I would like to know the best way to store pre-prepared ...
4
votes
3answers
315 views
Will vacuum sealing an open bottle of wine make it like it was never opened?
I have a professional vacuum sealer, which removes the air, and seals the bottle, or container.
Will this work with wine, or does the wine degrade once it has been exposed to air, no matter how well ...
1
vote
4answers
8k views
How long does pancake batter last in the fridge?
I'm making a packet mix of pancake batter that doesn't lend itself to partial mixes - it's hard to split "1 egg" as an ingredient. How long would pancake batter last in the fridge? Even if it's a ...
5
votes
2answers
2k views
How to store flour
Someone gave us two 25kg bags of flour.
Which is kind, but we're not too sure how to store them in usable quantities. My other half went out a bought a load of plastic tupperware-type containers, ...
7
votes
4answers
14k views
How long does unopened, room temperature pop last?
How long does a can of coca-cola last? Like a case of them, sitting in a room-temperature room. There is a date on the bottom (MAR1411), but what does that mean?
I have a can with the World Cup on ...
3
votes
2answers
5k views
What does flour smell like when it goes bad?
I've got about 15lbs of saphire unbleached white flour left from my 25lb bulk purchase from 2 weeks ago. While preparing a wonderful zucchini bread recipe I noticed a "sour" smell from my flour.
...
3
votes
3answers
169 views
best way to preserve ricotta?
I buy ricotta in large quantities (1kg) and I'm always throwing it out when it gets yellowish on the top border, and I'm pretty sure that yellow stuff is toxic.
Since I always eat ricotta with lots ...
3
votes
4answers
4k views
Does nutritional yeast expire or go bad?
I have a tub of nutritional yeast with a "best by" date of February 2012 (at the time of this posting, it's about a month past that). Is it still good to use? It still looks and smells the same as it ...
5
votes
3answers
424 views
How to make cakes/scones that won't go off, for display purposes
This is a bit of a strange question, but I thought someone here might be able to help.
I am trying to make some cupcakes, scones or similar to display on a home-made cake stand in a shop window. I ...
