I think we need this thread, even if I'm the only poster!
What: White chocolate macadamia nut CLIF bar
When: BBE 31 Aug 2017, eaten today (I was peckish ...)
I've had old CLIF bars before and they've been edible but kinda hard and dense. This one however was much more palatable. Appearance was great, smell was pleasant and but unremarkable, texture was slightly moist and almost biscuit-like (scone if you prefer British English). A little chewy and with crunchy bits, very pleasant to eat.
If it hadn't been after 6pm with dinner cooking in the oven I'd have happily eaten a second one!
(https://i.ibb.co/DY3BPxv/IMG-20210805-181925207.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/grbgpTq/IMG-20210805-181943785.jpg)
(admin title edit)
(https://ufozs.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fg662VExl.jpg&hash=ca729aa144c20f0fb13a91e6760da05b8917f527) (https://imgur.com/g662VEx)
Heinz Savory Beef Gravy. Had it over egg noodles with chopped up pieces of roast beef added.
Ironic, I was just thinking about the old thread last night as I opened a jar of Corn Relish from 2009 and had some with dinner.
Still kickin this morning so far...
An old friend and his family spent last weekend with us, he loves tinned smoked oysters so I always keep a stash of 'em in our pantry. Been awhile since we'd seen each other, the Best By date of the next two in rotation was 2013. We each had a tin, smelled and tasted normal.
I am in the middle of changing all bags & pails over to winter-time. I sampled a number of snack bars that 2+ yrs OOD. Zero ill effects.
Last week I found a can of Campbell's Chunky Soup lurking in the back of my pantry with a 2012 date on it. Can was fine, no damage, rust, or bulging. Opened it and it smelled normal, so I heated it up and tried it. There was a fairly strong metallic taste to it which was unpleasant and I decided not to risk it and pitched the rest. No aftereffects from the few spoonfuls that I'd eaten.
I used to buy trailmix at trader joes. But was always picking things out i didn't like. Like almonds. Hard on my teeth. So i started using trader joes ingredients to make my own.
Cashews.
Peanuts.
Dried cranberries. And dried orange flavor cranberries! The best!
And trader joes no sugar added chocolate bars.
Last month i picked up this list at tjs and noticed when chopping up the chocolate into tiny pieces that it was shattering. I checked the date. And it was expired by a few months. Which is very unusual for tjs. I ate it anyway. And it was fine. Usually the dates are a year out.
Anyway. Posting this more as a recipe than an expired food test. Do yourself a favor and use tjs to make your trailmix. Their nuts and dried fruit are the best quality and cheapest. Also their chocolate. Beats traditional trailmix by a longshot.
I know this thread was traditionally about expiration dates, but I tried something new yesterday.
For some reason I spent my whole life thinking sardines are supposed to be gross. I have no idea where I got that idea.
Recently I was listening to a podcast with a nutrition scientist and they briefly talked about the benefits of sardines. I didn't think too much on it.
Yesterday I stumbled across cans of wild caught sardines in olive oil on a good sale at the store. I started overthinking it, then decided to just go for it and force myself to eat something gross but good for me. Doing hard things make us better right?
Damn these taste good! I have a new favorite travel snack and source of protein and fat. I'm going to go back and stock up.
Quote from: RoneKiln on September 14, 2021, 10:49:17 PM
Yesterday I stumbled across cans of wild caught sardines in olive oil on a good sale at the store. I started overthinking it, then decided to just go for it and force myself to eat something gross but good for me. Doing hard things make us better right?
Damn these taste good! I have a new favorite travel snack and source of protein and fat. I'm going to go back and stock up.
I love sardines, they're great. In oil they're good but I personally prefer them in tomato sauce. Mostly I eat them with crackers but sometimes I make sandwiches (it helps if you mush them up a bit first). Also they are good grilled on toast.
Now you've made me hungry!
Quote from: sheddi on September 15, 2021, 03:30:41 PM
Quote from: RoneKiln on September 14, 2021, 10:49:17 PM
Yesterday I stumbled across cans of wild caught sardines in olive oil on a good sale at the store. I started overthinking it, then decided to just go for it and force myself to eat something gross but good for me. Doing hard things make us better right?
Damn these taste good! I have a new favorite travel snack and source of protein and fat. I'm going to go back and stock up.
I love sardines, they're great. In oil they're good but I personally prefer them in tomato sauce. Mostly I eat them with crackers but sometimes I make sandwiches (it helps if you mush them up a bit first). Also they are good grilled on toast.
Now you've made me hungry!
You guys can have all the sardines. Just the smell of those things makes me nauseous. :gonk:
Man I love sardines. I eat them when I'm stuck on locomotives with nothing to do. I like to eat them instead of the snacks that one might have like chips. One can get fat sitting around munching on chips to much.
In line with the near death experiments with food. In June we were visiting my in-laws in Arizona, and my father-in-law made steaks. I asked him why the steaks had a sour after taste, and he just shrugged it off. I looked around and found his steak seasoning has expired in September of 2012. That stuff smells so sour it was insane. My wife went through his spices after that and found the majority of them were at least 4 years expired. He got super annoyed that she threw them away, because to him they tasted fine still, but we went out and replaced them with "new" stuff, thus ensuring the next food tasted correct.
Sardines : my understanding is that for long term storage tomato sauce is better than oil. The oil can go rancid, particularly in hot climates. I like mine on toast.
Aseptic packaged, self stable whole milk (no refrigeration until it's unopened). Expiration date of 25 FEB 21. Absolutely fine.
Ate some Apple Butter recently from 2001 and opened another jar of Corn Relish from 2009. All good stuff. However, the Peaches from 1998 got tossed, as they smelled a little..... off.
I'm usually not a fish eater, but I do like sardines and preferred in tomato sauce also. Used to eat them with Rye Krisp crackers, but those alas, are no longer made that I'm aware of.
.
Quote from: NapalmMan67 on November 18, 2021, 05:30:11 PM
Ate some Apple Butter recently from 2001 and opened another jar of Corn Relish from 2009. All good stuff. However, the Peaches from 1998 got tossed, as they smelled a little..... off.
Much respect. You are a brave, brave man.
Quote from: NapalmMan67 on November 18, 2021, 05:30:11 PM
I'm usually not a fish eater, but I do like sardines and preferred in tomato sauce also. Used to eat them with Rye Krisp crackers, but those alas, are no longer made that I'm aware of.
.
Mark my words, some day tinned sardines will be recognized as a seriously under-rated prep. Might not be exactly what you're thinking of. This stuff is my go to for "bread" analogue preps. As actual bread it's a poor substitute but certainly has a longer shelf life. I consider it little more than a protein/cheese/condiment delivery system. But it get's the job done.
https://www.shaws.com/shop/product-details.102020797.html?cmpid=ps_shw_shwd_ecom_goo_20200329_71700000081452354_58700006943798265_92700062511692878&gclid=Cj0KCQiAkNiMBhCxARIsAIDDKNUmpyotckc2vx21kLdwmVp4v8CjVs8AluAEoGHGlyL-YlPYlCWYfl8aAoN7EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds (https://www.shaws.com/shop/product-details.102020797.html?cmpid=ps_shw_shwd_ecom_goo_20200329_71700000081452354_58700006943798265_92700062511692878&gclid=Cj0KCQiAkNiMBhCxARIsAIDDKNUmpyotckc2vx21kLdwmVp4v8CjVs8AluAEoGHGlyL-YlPYlCWYfl8aAoN7EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds)
(https://images.albertsons-media.com/is/image/ABS/102020797?$ecom-pdp-desktop$&defaultImage=Not_Available&defaultImage=Not_Available)
Quote from: majorhavoc on November 18, 2021, 07:11:41 PM
Quote from: NapalmMan67 on November 18, 2021, 05:30:11 PM
Ate some Apple Butter recently from 2001 and opened another jar of Corn Relish from 2009. All good stuff. However, the Peaches from 1998 got tossed, as they smelled a little..... off.
Much respect. You are a brave, brave man.
Quote from: NapalmMan67 on November 18, 2021, 05:30:11 PM
I'm usually not a fish eater, but I do like sardines and preferred in tomato sauce also. Used to eat them with Rye Krisp crackers, but those alas, are no longer made that I'm aware of.
.
Mark my words, some day tinned sardines will be recognized as a seriously under-rated prep. Might not be exactly what you're thinking of. This stuff is my go to for "bread" analogue preps. As actual bread it's a poor substitute but certainly has a longer shelf life. I consider it little more than a protein/cheese/condiment delivery system. But it get's the job done.
https://www.shaws.com/shop/product-details.102020797.html?cmpid=ps_shw_shwd_ecom_goo_20200329_71700000081452354_58700006943798265_92700062511692878&gclid=Cj0KCQiAkNiMBhCxARIsAIDDKNUmpyotckc2vx21kLdwmVp4v8CjVs8AluAEoGHGlyL-YlPYlCWYfl8aAoN7EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds (https://www.shaws.com/shop/product-details.102020797.html?cmpid=ps_shw_shwd_ecom_goo_20200329_71700000081452354_58700006943798265_92700062511692878&gclid=Cj0KCQiAkNiMBhCxARIsAIDDKNUmpyotckc2vx21kLdwmVp4v8CjVs8AluAEoGHGlyL-YlPYlCWYfl8aAoN7EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds)
(https://images.albertsons-media.com/is/image/ABS/102020797?$ecom-pdp-desktop$&defaultImage=Not_Available&defaultImage=Not_Available)
Hmmm, I'll have to see if they carry that in my AO and give them a go. Thanks for posting that.
If I remember correct, the Rye Krisp I used to get was Nabisco brand and dark rye, real crunchy cracker type stuff.
It is not possible to "gum" slightly stale oatmeal raisin cookies.
Quote from: NT2C on November 21, 2021, 04:41:10 PM
It is not possible to "gum" slightly stale oatmeal raisin cookies.
But crumble a few in a bowl with some milk (Real or Almond) and a few short bursts in the microwave... There ya have a nice warm bowl of oatmeal raisin mush. No dentures required.
So in line with this thread I was bored and hungry while sitting on a locomotive with nothing to do a few days ago so I went digging through the cavernous depths of my lunch box and found a can of "Sardines in Mustard Sauce" that expired in April of 2021. Being the curious sort and hungry, I cracked the can open and took a cautious sniff. It passed the smell smell and cautious taste test, so I cracked it open and ate it with some Ritz crackers. Tasted great and 2 days later I still here with no issues from the sardines expired 9 months ago...
(https://i.ibb.co/9TrCJF8/1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/XsCv9h2)
(https://i.ibb.co/LvJdxkT/2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/wYwhS0n)
(https://i.ibb.co/FW93V1k/3.jpg) (https://ibb.co/wLTgsqZ)
(https://i.ibb.co/hKp6pFj/4.jpg) (https://ibb.co/XzmQmxg)
I fell in love with sardines this last year, but about 2 months ago I got real sick a few hours after eating a can. I don't know if I was dealing with a stomach bug, something was off with that can, or if I just overloaded on fat.
Then I started getting texts from members of my crew that everyone was sick with wildly different symptoms. Every one of us on the same night. Normally we would think it was coincidence but we then got notice someone that entered our building the previous week tested positive for covid.
Covid can have near any symptom imaginable, and we're ALL sick. That can not be coincidence.
It was coincidence. We all tested negative. But it took days for us all to get tested, and some had symptoms that merited staying quarantined anyway to be safe, and by the time it was all sorted out work was an absolute mess.
Sardines just seem sort of gross to me since then.
Quote from: Brekar on December 18, 2021, 08:02:58 PM
So in line with this thread I was bored and hungry while sitting on a locomotive with nothing to do a few days ago so I went digging through the cavernous depths of my lunch box and found a can of "Sardines in Mustard Sauce" that expired in April of 2021. Being the curious sort and hungry, I cracked the can open and took a cautious sniff. It passed the smell smell and cautious taste test, so I cracked it open and ate it with some Ritz crackers. Tasted great and 2 days later I still here with no issues from the sardines expired 9 months ago...
(https://i.ibb.co/9TrCJF8/1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/XsCv9h2)
(https://i.ibb.co/LvJdxkT/2.jpg) (https://ibb.co/wYwhS0n)
(https://i.ibb.co/FW93V1k/3.jpg) (https://ibb.co/wLTgsqZ)
(https://i.ibb.co/hKp6pFj/4.jpg) (https://ibb.co/XzmQmxg)
I don't see an "expiration" date, only a "best by". I've eaten sardines (amongst other things) well past the best by dates also. Best by usually indicates the quality/nutritional value have degraded is all, not necesarily a spoiled factor. At least that's what I think I remember reading before.
I haven't been able to find any King Oscar in tomato sauce for almost two years now. I'm kind of bummed.
.
Mmmmm...
How long past date can you eat mre entrees? The ines in my bobs are past by several months. Was gonna replace them with something with a longer life.
Never have stocked or eaten MREs. I have eaten some 15+ year old Freeze Dried offerings that were ok, albeit a lot saltier than I remember.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wHS2bwg-aw
Quote from: Moab on April 08, 2022, 12:10:12 AM
How long past date can you eat mre entrees? The ines in my bobs are past by several months. Was gonna replace them with something with a longer life.
I've eaten MREs that were a year or three passed their supposed expiration dates and aside from some heartburn from certain entrees (usually anything with tomato sauce), I didn't have any I'll effects.
There's a dude on YouTube named Steve that's eaten rations from like before WW1 and he seems ok. He's had a couple bad rations, but those have been ones from the modern era. It's kind of odd that the dude can chow down on 100+ year old canned food with no problem, but an MRE from just a few years ago lands him in the ER.
I think he said a current production (well, current as in 2015 or so) Chinese military ration had him in the ER one time with some pretty bad food poisoning.
Quote from: Moab on April 08, 2022, 12:10:12 AM
How long past date can you eat mre entrees? The ines in my bobs are past by several months. Was gonna replace them with something with a longer life.
this guy has eaten civil war MRE's, Steve1989MREInfo, if you really like watching near death food experiences. It depends on how the packaging held up.
Quote from: 'Steve1989MREInfo'
Yeah, Nice!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2I6Et1JkidnnbWgJFiMeHA
Quote from: MacWa77ace on April 08, 2022, 03:00:51 PM
Quote from: Moab on April 08, 2022, 12:10:12 AM
How long past date can you eat mre entrees? The ines in my bobs are past by several months. Was gonna replace them with something with a longer life.
this guy has eaten civil war MRE's, Steve1989MREInfo, if you really like watching near death food experiences. It depends on how the packaging held up.
Quote from: 'Steve1989MREInfo'
Yeah, Nice!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2I6Et1JkidnnbWgJFiMeHA
Ya. I follow that guy too. Not sure he is the source for what mre's you can eat based on date. Lol! He eats anything. An expired chinese mre?!!!! Come on! Lmao! I dont think i would touch an expired chinese mre. Let alone eat one. But the stuff he finds is very very interesting. And its cool to find out what soldiers were eating over history.
I only have a half dozen or so mres that are expired. I think im going to find longer lasting food items fory bobs. Im kind of tired of just lesving stuff in those packs to expire.
Anyone ever eat Hormel Compleats? I know Hormel isnt the greatest. And these wouldnt be for ling term.
https://imgur.com/a/SIv9HJo
Quote from: Moab on April 08, 2022, 03:43:18 PM
Quote from: MacWa77ace on April 08, 2022, 03:00:51 PM
Quote from: Moab on April 08, 2022, 12:10:12 AM
How long past date can you eat mre entrees? The ines in my bobs are past by several months. Was gonna replace them with something with a longer life.
this guy has eaten civil war MRE's, Steve1989MREInfo, if you really like watching near death food experiences. It depends on how the packaging held up.
Quote from: 'Steve1989MREInfo'
Yeah, Nice!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2I6Et1JkidnnbWgJFiMeHA (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2I6Et1JkidnnbWgJFiMeHA)
Ya. I follow that guy too. Not sure he is the source for what mre's you can eat based on date. Lol! He eats anything. An expired chinese mre?!!!! Come on! Lmao! I dont think i would touch an expired chinese mre. Let alone eat one. But the stuff he finds is very very interesting. And its cool to find out what soldiers were eating over history.
I only have a half dozen or so mres that are expired. I think im going to find longer lasting food items fory bobs. Im kind of tired of just lesving stuff in those packs to expire.
Anyone ever eat Hormel Compleats? I know Hormel isnt the greatest. And these wouldnt be for ling term.
https://imgur.com/a/SIv9HJo (https://imgur.com/a/SIv9HJo)
I've got a bunch of those Compleats here. They're great as a sort of poor-man's-MRE. No refrigeration needed and you don't even have to heat them up, since they're pre-cooked. I usually have some in my car or at my desk (back when I was going into the office). My favorite is the chicken breast and mashed potatoes, which can be a bit hard to find around here. I actually ordered a couple of "cases" (6-count) off of Amazon recently, since I hadn't been able to get them in stores.
Quote from: EBuff75 on April 08, 2022, 03:54:13 PM
Quote from: Moab on April 08, 2022, 03:43:18 PM
Quote from: MacWa77ace on April 08, 2022, 03:00:51 PM
Quote from: Moab on April 08, 2022, 12:10:12 AM
How long past date can you eat mre entrees? The ines in my bobs are past by several months. Was gonna replace them with something with a longer life.
this guy has eaten civil war MRE's, Steve1989MREInfo, if you really like watching near death food experiences. It depends on how the packaging held up.
Quote from: 'Steve1989MREInfo'
Yeah, Nice!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2I6Et1JkidnnbWgJFiMeHA (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2I6Et1JkidnnbWgJFiMeHA)
Ya. I follow that guy too. Not sure he is the source for what mre's you can eat based on date. Lol! He eats anything. An expired chinese mre?!!!! Come on! Lmao! I dont think i would touch an expired chinese mre. Let alone eat one. But the stuff he finds is very very interesting. And its cool to find out what soldiers were eating over history.
I only have a half dozen or so mres that are expired. I think im going to find longer lasting food items fory bobs. Im kind of tired of just lesving stuff in those packs to expire.
Anyone ever eat Hormel Compleats? I know Hormel isnt the greatest. And these wouldnt be for ling term.
https://imgur.com/a/SIv9HJo (https://imgur.com/a/SIv9HJo)
I've got a bunch of those Compleats here. They're great as a sort of poor-man's-MRE. No refrigeration needed and you don't even have to heat them up, since they're pre-cooked. I usually have some in my car or at my desk (back when I was going into the office). My favorite is the chicken breast and mashed potatoes, which can be a bit hard to find around here. I actually ordered a couple of "cases" (6-count) off of Amazon recently, since I hadn't been able to get them in stores.
Ill check them out then. I don't recall the expiration dates tho.
Hormel Compleats... Holy sodium Batman.
I saw somewhere they are supposed to be shelf stable for 18 months, when stored in a cool dry location.
Quote from: NapalmMan67 on April 08, 2022, 04:59:45 PM
Hormel Compleats... Holy sodium Batman.
I saw somewhere they are supposed to be shelf stable for 18 months, when stored in a cool dry location.
Really? I didnt look. I avoid zatterans for the same reason. I love beans and rice. But their beans and rice is inedible. Just because its so salty.
Quote from: Moab on April 08, 2022, 05:51:33 PM
Quote from: NapalmMan67 on April 08, 2022, 04:59:45 PM
Hormel Compleats... Holy sodium Batman.
I saw somewhere they are supposed to be shelf stable for 18 months, when stored in a cool dry location.
Really? I didnt look. I avoid zatterans for the same reason. I love beans and rice. But their beans and rice is inedible. Just because its so salty.
I find that if you add more rice, it'll soak up some of the excess salt.
I do that with their gumbo and it's not as salty. It also adds more rice since there's not a whole lot of rice in the box to begin with.
Quote from: Moab on April 08, 2022, 03:43:18 PM
Quote from: MacWa77ace on April 08, 2022, 03:00:51 PM
Quote from: Moab on April 08, 2022, 12:10:12 AM
How long past date can you eat mre entrees? The ines in my bobs are past by several months. Was gonna replace them with something with a longer life.
this guy has eaten civil war MRE's, Steve1989MREInfo, if you really like watching near death food experiences. It depends on how the packaging held up.
Quote from: 'Steve1989MREInfo'
Yeah, Nice!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2I6Et1JkidnnbWgJFiMeHA
Ya. I follow that guy too. Not sure he is the source for what mre's you can eat based on date. Lol! He eats anything. An expired chinese mre?!!!! Come on! Lmao! I dont think i would touch an expired chinese mre. Let alone eat one. But the stuff he finds is very very interesting. And its cool to find out what soldiers were eating over history.
I only have a half dozen or so mres that are expired. I think im going to find longer lasting food items fory bobs. Im kind of tired of just lesving stuff in those packs to expire.
Anyone ever eat Hormel Compleats? I know Hormel isnt the greatest. And these wouldnt be for ling term.
https://imgur.com/a/SIv9HJo
The DoD folks who develop the MREs and come up with the menus have stated in the past that they can be safely consumed almost indefinitely, even if poorly stored. The smell, taste and visual appearance may be bad but they should still provide the same nutrition. The taste may change but the nutritional benefits won't, so it comes down to your own tolerances for looks/taste/smell.
Quote from: NapalmMan67 on April 08, 2022, 04:59:45 PM
Hormel Compleats... Holy sodium Batman.
I saw somewhere they are supposed to be shelf stable for 18 months, when stored in a cool dry location.
Oh gawd... the taste of those. I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. We bought a dozen of those in assorted flavors for my wife to have for lunch at work. She said she didn't like them so I tried them. The remaining nine went into the bag of food donated to the local food pantry every year.
Quote from: NT2C on April 09, 2022, 12:55:58 PM
Quote from: NapalmMan67 on April 08, 2022, 04:59:45 PM
Hormel Compleats... Holy sodium Batman.
I saw somewhere they are supposed to be shelf stable for 18 months, when stored in a cool dry location.
Oh gawd... the taste of those. I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. We bought a dozen of those in assorted flavors for my wife to have for lunch at work. She said she didn't like them so I tried them. The remaining nine went into the bag of food donated to the local food pantry every year.
I was afraid of that. Someplace on the spectrum with Dinty Moore stew. I tried that again a couple months ago. It literally tastes like dogfood. Except i dont even think my dogs would eat.
But then again they eat cat shit. Aaahhhhgggg! Makes me almost vomit everythime i see that. One of my French Bulldogs would run for the cat box whenever he was let inside. It was so disgusting. If he wasnt running for the couch to piss on your favorite pillow!
Quote from: NT2C on April 09, 2022, 12:51:59 PM
Quote from: Moab on April 08, 2022, 03:43:18 PM
Quote from: MacWa77ace on April 08, 2022, 03:00:51 PM
Quote from: Moab on April 08, 2022, 12:10:12 AM
How long past date can you eat mre entrees? The ines in my bobs are past by several months. Was gonna replace them with something with a longer life.
this guy has eaten civil war MRE's, Steve1989MREInfo, if you really like watching near death food experiences. It depends on how the packaging held up.
Quote from: 'Steve1989MREInfo'
Yeah, Nice!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2I6Et1JkidnnbWgJFiMeHA
Ya. I follow that guy too. Not sure he is the source for what mre's you can eat based on date. Lol! He eats anything. An expired chinese mre?!!!! Come on! Lmao! I dont think i would touch an expired chinese mre. Let alone eat one. But the stuff he finds is very very interesting. And its cool to find out what soldiers were eating over history.
I only have a half dozen or so mres that are expired. I think im going to find longer lasting food items fory bobs. Im kind of tired of just lesving stuff in those packs to expire.
Anyone ever eat Hormel Compleats? I know Hormel isnt the greatest. And these wouldnt be for ling term.
https://imgur.com/a/SIv9HJo
The DoD folks who develop the MREs and come up with the menus have stated in the past that they can be safely consumed almost indefinitely, even if poorly stored. The smell, taste and visual appearance may be bad but they should still provide the same nutrition. The taste may change but the nutritional benefits won't, so it comes down to your own tolerances for looks/taste/smell.
That explains the mre eating guy on youtube. Good to know. But i think i will stop. Adding the entrees to our bobs.
This a good review site for backpacking meals. I am on my phone and can't screenshot or copy the excellent chart at the bottom of this page. If aomeone could post it here that would be amazing. It breaks down every manufacturers food by cooktimes, cost, weight, etc etc. The individual reviews discuss additional things like taste. And they rate them by category. Like best cheap one. Best overall. Etc etc.
I have a crapload of mountain house in our bobs. But plan to switch to add Good To Go and/or Backpackers Pantry.
https://www.switchbacktravel.com/best-backpacking-meals
Quote from: Moab on April 09, 2022, 01:47:10 PM
Quote from: NT2C on April 09, 2022, 12:55:58 PM
Quote from: NapalmMan67 on April 08, 2022, 04:59:45 PM
Hormel Compleats... Holy sodium Batman.
I saw somewhere they are supposed to be shelf stable for 18 months, when stored in a cool dry location.
Oh gawd... the taste of those. I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. We bought a dozen of those in assorted flavors for my wife to have for lunch at work. She said she didn't like them so I tried them. The remaining nine went into the bag of food donated to the local food pantry every year.
I was afraid of that. Someplace on the spectrum with Dinty Moore stew. I tried that again a couple months ago. It literally tastes like dogfood. Except i dont even think my dogs would eat.
But then again they eat cat shit. Aaahhhhgggg! Makes me almost vomit everythime i see that. One of my French Bulldogs would run for the cat box whenever he was let inside. It was so disgusting. If he wasnt running for the couch to piss on your favorite pillow!
I actually like Dinty Moore stew, and I enjoy the completes, I keep a few in my desk at work for the days I'm extra hungry or if we get stuck there. As for MRE's I've eaten some that were a couple years past date and they were fine.
Quote from: slipkid42 on April 09, 2022, 08:47:47 PM
Quote from: Moab on April 09, 2022, 01:47:10 PM
Quote from: NT2C on April 09, 2022, 12:55:58 PM
Quote from: NapalmMan67 on April 08, 2022, 04:59:45 PM
Hormel Compleats... Holy sodium Batman.
I saw somewhere they are supposed to be shelf stable for 18 months, when stored in a cool dry location.
Oh gawd... the taste of those. I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. We bought a dozen of those in assorted flavors for my wife to have for lunch at work. She said she didn't like them so I tried them. The remaining nine went into the bag of food donated to the local food pantry every year.
I was afraid of that. Someplace on the spectrum with Dinty Moore stew. I tried that again a couple months ago. It literally tastes like dogfood. Except i dont even think my dogs would eat.
But then again they eat cat shit. Aaahhhhgggg! Makes me almost vomit everythime i see that. One of my French Bulldogs would run for the cat box whenever he was let inside. It was so disgusting. If he wasnt running for the couch to piss on your favorite pillow!
I actually like Dinty Moore stew, and I enjoy the completes, I keep a few in my desk at work for the days I'm extra hungry or if we get stuck there. As for MRE's I've eaten some that were a couple years past date and they were fine.
I think alot of it depends on what you grew up with too. Like i love canned sardines and smoked clams. Because whenever my dad had them leftover in his lunchbox my sisters and i got to eat them. So it was like a treat. My wife on the other hand just about throws up when i open a can of them. Trader joes has canned smoked trout that is delicious too.
And i love canned chili. Ive been on a canned chili kick for about three weeks. Ive been eating it for lunch and dinner and sometimes even for breakfast. With potato chips. Which i absolutely should not be eating. But it goes in waves. Ill probably not be eating it in another week. And then not touch the stuff for a year. No one elze iny family likes it. But it was another staple in i grew up with. Depends on the brand too. Around here Stags i as the best. Dennisons is the worst.
Quote from: Moab on April 09, 2022, 09:40:00 PM
Quote from: slipkid42 on April 09, 2022, 08:47:47 PM
Quote from: Moab on April 09, 2022, 01:47:10 PM
Quote from: NT2C on April 09, 2022, 12:55:58 PM
Quote from: NapalmMan67 on April 08, 2022, 04:59:45 PM
Hormel Compleats... Holy sodium Batman.
I saw somewhere they are supposed to be shelf stable for 18 months, when stored in a cool dry location.
Oh gawd... the taste of those. I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. We bought a dozen of those in assorted flavors for my wife to have for lunch at work. She said she didn't like them so I tried them. The remaining nine went into the bag of food donated to the local food pantry every year.
I was afraid of that. Someplace on the spectrum with Dinty Moore stew. I tried that again a couple months ago. It literally tastes like dogfood. Except i dont even think my dogs would eat.
But then again they eat cat shit. Aaahhhhgggg! Makes me almost vomit everythime i see that. One of my French Bulldogs would run for the cat box whenever he was let inside. It was so disgusting. If he wasnt running for the couch to piss on your favorite pillow!
I actually like Dinty Moore stew, and I enjoy the completes, I keep a few in my desk at work for the days I'm extra hungry or if we get stuck there. As for MRE's I've eaten some that were a couple years past date and they were fine.
I think alot of it depends on what you grew up with too. Like i love canned sardines and smoked clams. Because whenever my dad had them leftover in his lunchbox my sisters and i got to eat them. So it was like a treat. My wife on the other hand just about throws up when i open a can of them. Trader joes has canned smoked trout that is delicious too.
And i love canned chili. Ive been on a canned chili kick for about three weeks. Ive been eating it for lunch and dinner and sometimes even for breakfast. With potato chips. Which i absolutely should not be eating. But it goes in waves. Ill probably not be eating it in another week. And then not touch the stuff for a year. No one elze iny family likes it. But it was another staple in i grew up with. Depends on the brand too. Around here Stags i as the best. Dennisons is the worst.
I hear that. Canned salmon was something we had a lot while growing up, but others in my house won't touch the stuff. Canned sardines, never could eat them, LOL
Canned chili, mmm, I like that better than most peoples home made chili, as that usually means how hot can they make it, and well let's say I'm not a fan of hot.
Quote from: slipkid42 on April 09, 2022, 09:58:34 PM
Quote from: Moab on April 09, 2022, 09:40:00 PM
Quote from: slipkid42 on April 09, 2022, 08:47:47 PM
Quote from: Moab on April 09, 2022, 01:47:10 PM
Quote from: NT2C on April 09, 2022, 12:55:58 PM
Quote from: NapalmMan67 on April 08, 2022, 04:59:45 PM
Hormel Compleats... Holy sodium Batman.
I saw somewhere they are supposed to be shelf stable for 18 months, when stored in a cool dry location.
Oh gawd... the taste of those. I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. We bought a dozen of those in assorted flavors for my wife to have for lunch at work. She said she didn't like them so I tried them. The remaining nine went into the bag of food donated to the local food pantry every year.
I was afraid of that. Someplace on the spectrum with Dinty Moore stew. I tried that again a couple months ago. It literally tastes like dogfood. Except i dont even think my dogs would eat.
But then again they eat cat shit. Aaahhhhgggg! Makes me almost vomit everythime i see that. One of my French Bulldogs would run for the cat box whenever he was let inside. It was so disgusting. If he wasnt running for the couch to piss on your favorite pillow!
I actually like Dinty Moore stew, and I enjoy the completes, I keep a few in my desk at work for the days I'm extra hungry or if we get stuck there. As for MRE's I've eaten some that were a couple years past date and they were fine.
I think alot of it depends on what you grew up with too. Like i love canned sardines and smoked clams. Because whenever my dad had them leftover in his lunchbox my sisters and i got to eat them. So it was like a treat. My wife on the other hand just about throws up when i open a can of them. Trader joes has canned smoked trout that is delicious too.
And i love canned chili. Ive been on a canned chili kick for about three weeks. Ive been eating it for lunch and dinner and sometimes even for breakfast. With potato chips. Which i absolutely should not be eating. But it goes in waves. Ill probably not be eating it in another week. And then not touch the stuff for a year. No one elze iny family likes it. But it was another staple in i grew up with. Depends on the brand too. Around here Stags i as the best. Dennisons is the worst.
I hear that. Canned salmon was something we had a lot while growing up, but others in my house won't touch the stuff. Canned sardines, never could eat them, LOL
Canned chili, mmm, I like that better than most peoples home made chili, as that usually means how hot can they make it, and well let's say I'm not a fan of hot.
Half my family is PNW Indian. I love canned salmon!! Salmon patties are my favorite. My wife and son cant stand them. Lol. I have to air out the house after i make them. Lol.
My father and grandmother were Yakama Indian. The only fish we ate growing up was salmon. We fished alot.
Jello Cook 'n Serve Vanilla Pudding
Best by: May 2016
Smelled fine, cooked fine, tasted fine.
(I'll be serving this in bowls and topped with a spoon or two of Comstock Mussleman's Cherry Pie Filling, with a Best by date of: July 0f 2018)
If this works out, I have several boxes of Jello Cook 'n Serve Chocolate pudding with Best by dates from 2013 and earlier.
Edit: Damn if that wasn't awesome with the pie filling on it! I may have found my new favorite dessert.
I found a can of tuna with a 2011 date that has been outside in a building with temps ranging from -20 to probably 160. I found it last week, and haven't gathered the courage to open it and see what it looks like.
No plans to taste it.
Quote from: wolf_from_wv on June 08, 2022, 10:17:39 PMI found a can of tuna with a 2011 date that has been outside in a building with temps ranging from -20 to probably 160. I found it last week, and haven't gathered the courage to open it and see what it looks like.
No plans to taste it.
does it look bulged at all?
Quote from: MacWa77ace on June 09, 2022, 07:56:54 AMQuote from: wolf_from_wv on June 08, 2022, 10:17:39 PMI found a can of tuna with a 2011 date that has been outside in a building with temps ranging from -20 to probably 160. I found it last week, and haven't gathered the courage to open it and see what it looks like.
No plans to taste it.
does it look bulged at all?
No...IMG_20220609_235907.jpg IMG_20220609_235907.jpg IMG_20220609_235848.jpg
For the good of science (and our amusement): I think you should open it. Perhaps even mix it with some expired mayonaise, take some stale bread and make yourself a tuna sandwich. Don't actually eat it for heaven's sake. Just contemplate what your decision would be a year into the apocalypse ... :smiley_hungry:
Quote from: wolf_from_wv on June 09, 2022, 10:23:45 PMQuote from: MacWa77ace on June 09, 2022, 07:56:54 AMQuote from: wolf_from_wv on June 08, 2022, 10:17:39 PMI found a can of tuna with a 2011 date that has been outside in a building with temps ranging from -20 to probably 160. I found it last week, and haven't gathered the courage to open it and see what it looks like.
No plans to taste it.
does it look bulged at all?
No...IMG_20220609_235907.jpg IMG_20220609_235907.jpg IMG_20220609_235848.jpg
I'd eat it if it smelled ok... which is subjective to me, because I hate Tuna and think it smells like shite even if "fresh".
But a year in to the zombie/alien hoard... yep, down the hatch if it didn't smell spoiled.
Most likely it'll be fine. A lot of foods (and I think tuna is one of them) get "cooked" in the can on the processing line. The heat/cold cycles shouldn't have affected it from a safety standpoint, just from an appearance/flavor standpoint. Also, my favorite C Ration back when I was in the military was the one with tuna. C Rats would go through some pretty wide extremes on a typical deployment. Somewhere I have a photo of stacks of palletized C Rats sitting on a pier waiting to be recalled in our cargo holds. At night it was well below freezing there, and in the daytime temps were as hot as 105. (I got stuck guarding those fuckers on the midnight to 0800 shift - I'd relieve the previous guard wearing almost every piece of uniform I owned and by 0800 when I was relieved I had a big pile of clothing I'd taken off to carry back aboard ship) That tuna of yours will probably be fine.
Hey, where was that with those extremes and what time of year was it?
If its not bulged it probably is ok.
Quote from: MacWa77ace on June 10, 2022, 01:04:15 PMHey, where was that with those extremes and what time of year was it?
If its not bulged it probably is ok.
Rota, Spain in February of '76
In a box in an unventilated storage shed in WV from 2010 to 2022. No heat in winter, and it got down below 0. Summertime got to 105 or so, but inside the building with no ventilation, it gets even hotter, but maybe only 130 or so.
Quote from: wolf_from_wv on June 10, 2022, 02:37:19 PMIn a box in an unventilated storage shed in WV from 2010 to 2022. No heat in winter, and it got down below 0. Summertime got to 105 or so, but inside the building with no ventilation, it gets even hotter, but maybe only 130 or so.
I'll eat it. :icon_crazy:
Ate some Apple Butter from 2000 last night and I made it through so far.
I'm with NapalmMan, a year in and it's fair game.
_IF_ I was to eat it today, I'd look for smell, and taste a small bit first...
If it was in my kitchen, I'd probably toss it because of the rust on the edge/seal... Plus the edge ding on the bottom...
Tuna in oil? The oil may have gone rancid... Old meat is sketchy... :(
Also - anyone ever watch the History Channel's "Eating History"?
Here is a quick snippet about some food from when NT2C was doing his service...
Luv me some C-Rats! :smiley_hungry:
Quote from: SCBrian on July 07, 2022, 04:59:21 PMAlso - anyone ever watch the History Channel's "Eating History"?
Here is a quick snippet about some food from when NT2C was doing his service...
No I'm going to have to watch this show.
Regarding the hardtack video though, does anyone think that is actual hardtack? He just cracked off a piece with this fingers and ate it. I've made hard tack before and I can't break it without tools, and can't eat it without soaking it first. It didn't come out like a saltine cracker like what is in the video and I didn't expect it too. Its nickname is jawbreaker for a reason and they were just complaining about the taste and dryness.
Or did my hardtack come out wrong all these times?
On the hardtack front?
The wife and I made some during Covid lockdowns (why the Hell not?); I have a piece sitting out on my computer desk as I type this. Its been sitting there for 2.5 years as a test. As long as it doesn't get wet? I expect it will outlive everything around us.
Quote from: MacWa77ace on July 08, 2022, 12:07:17 PMRegarding the hardtack video though, does anyone think that is actual hardtack? He just cracked off a piece with this fingers and ate it. I've made hard tack before and I can't break it without tools, and can't eat it without soaking it first. It didn't come out like a saltine cracker like what is in the video and I didn't expect it too. Its nickname is jawbreaker for a reason and they were just complaining about the taste and dryness.
Theoretically? Yes, it's possible it was the original ~150 year old piece...
A possible answer is that over time, it degrades enough to become 'cracker'-ish. but that's just a hypothesis.
Had another jar of home made Apple Butter from 2000 and a jar of Corn Relish from 2009 I have been eating this past week or so.
Next up will be the oldest fresh stock of those- (Apl Btr) 2009 and (Crn Rlsh) 2018.
.
My day3 broccoli sprouts have developed a pale green sort-of slime. (no smell of any kind) Google time.
- Could be algae from too much sunlight.
- Could be e.coli from actual seed or seed handling during packaging.
- Could be salmonella from seed handling during packaging or from me or my kitchen.
The info says don't eat the slimy sprouts.
Based on absolutely nothing I may only 'think' they are slimy so I have eaten a quarter tsp of them and refridgerated the other tsp amount. (my test runs in sprouting are really small amounts)
Time for symptoms, if any: 6 hrs - 6 days
Oatmeal.
This can was gifted to me by a former girlfriend, back in 2001, so I guess it qualifies as an adult cereal now. Tasted and smelled just fine.
IMG20220828091824.jpg
I suppose this also means that, in the ZPAW there will be oatmeal cookies. Might want to look twice at the "raisins" though.
Tried some 10 year old freezer food I've been hanging onto.
Sharp cheddar cheese cubes I'd made from a larger block. Each piece haphazardly cut to one bite, not securely wrapped in wax paper tossed into ma Ziploc.
Very freezer dehydrated. Almost dusty rather than typical. Taste was good enough for camping trail food.
And some at least 10 year old breaded chicken bits stuffed into a good freezer container although the moisture release made them look sorta like they were packed in ice. Again not bad edible but wouldn't call them tasty.
Quote from: NT2C on August 28, 2022, 08:34:23 AMOatmeal.
This can was gifted to me by a former girlfriend, back in 2001, so I guess it qualifies as an adult cereal now. Tasted and smelled just fine.
IMG20220828091824.jpg
I suppose this also means that, in the ZPAW there will be oatmeal cookies. Might want to look twice at the "raisins" though.
I look twice at raisins even now.
Too many times have I had trail mix from Walmart and thought I was eating raisins when they actually were cranberries. :gonk:
Last night ate a 12 year old can of peach slices. Would have needed to eat alongside a fresh can to notice any difference in smell, taste, or texture. No negative physical reactions noticed. 👍
Found another jar of Corn Relish from 2009, opened and ate some of it yesterday.
Also had a can of chicken noodle soup dated "Best by 2013". Still kickin today...
.
Pasta with sweet Italian sausage and tomato sauce tonight. This is the pasta the wife got me from the pantry:
IMG20221118174331.jpg
Since expiration dates figure prominently in this thread, I thought I'd submit this.
NPR Planet Money - Best by, sell by, use by (https://www.npr.org/2022/07/15/1111850221/best-by-sell-by-use-by)
Whatever your feelings are about NPR, if you stay the hell away from their overtly political coverage, they cover some universally interesting subjects. I find their financial and economic (and arts/culture) coverage in particular to be presented in an accessible, informative and entertaining way.
I heard this piece when it first aired back in July. I caught it again today as part of NPR's retrospective of the year's coverage. It's very enlightening and appropriate for this thread.
Quote from: majorhavoc on December 31, 2022, 04:48:35 PMSince expiration dates figure prominently in this thread, I thought I'd submit this.
NPR Planet Money - Best by, sell by, use by (https://www.npr.org/2022/07/15/1111850221/best-by-sell-by-use-by)
Whatever your feelings are about NPR, if you stay the hell away from their overtly political coverage, they cover some universally interesting subjects. I find their financial and economic (and arts/culture) coverage in particular to be presented in an accessible, informative and entertaining way.
I heard this piece when it first aired back in July. I caught it again today as part of NPR's retrospective of the year's coverage. It's very enlightening and appropriate for this thread.
I've been preaching this for decades. Most people shrug it off as me not knowing what I'm talking about.
Test subject: Mrs. NT2C
Product: Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut granola bars (peanut flavor)
Best by: 01/01/15
I'm keeping an eye on her. No signs of distress...yet.
One of the prepping activities I posted in EBuff75's 30 Days of Prepping - 2023 (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=1691.0) thread was going through my criminally neglected get home bag (GHB), which lives permanently in my car. So let me preface this by pointing out that it is therefore stored for years in the wild temp extremes you'd expect from a daily use, non-garaged vehicle in northern New England. Sub zero overnight temps in the winter to 130 deg and higher left out all day in the summer heat with the windows rolled up.
Based on the ancient "best by" dates on some of my GHB food supplies, it was well past time to rotate them for fresh stocks. Rather than just tossing the old rations like any sane individual would, I, my fellow UFoZSer's and/or the morbidly curious, undertook to consume said highly questionable food items as part of my 30 Days of Prepping activity for today: a 4 mile backwoods hike and picnic - sort of a mock day trip bug out. Where I accurately modeled the levels of dire need and extreme desperation that would motivate someone to consume expired foods such as these. :clownshoes:
First the setting: a lovely stream coursing over an outcropping of granite, spilling down into a secluded pool, complete with a sandy bank. The perfect spot for rest and respite sorely needed by a lone prepper fleeing some cataclysm to an undisclosed bug out location ...
(https://i.postimg.cc/hPj6kL1p/Mock-Bug-Out-Lunch-Location.jpg)
Said bug out began at home, so this refugee pressed his GHB into service as a bug out bag (not really, I just threw the expired food items along with a spare camp stove into a day pack - I'm spinning a yarn here, people. Stay with me ...). Severely regretting not keeping his emergency supplies more current, our tired and frightened prepper pulls out:
(https://i.postimg.cc/66zFbjn8/Mock-Bug-Out-Lunch.jpg)
- Trader Joe's Indian Madras Lentils: seemed like a good idea for a shelf stable, heat and serve lunch item. Best by: Sep 30 2020.
- Old El Paso Flour Tortillas ("Super Soft"!) in resealable package. This is probably a lot closer to the unleaven bread that Moses and his tribe fled Egypt with than what is called matzo today. "Better if used by": 17JUL20
- Belvita Golden Oat Breakfast Crackers. Best by: 07MAY2019. Ouch.
- Smuckers single use creamy peanut butter packs. No idea of the best buy date, but I probably pinched these from a hotel breakfast bar somewhere, likely no later than early 2020 and possibly a LOT earlier than that.
As I type this 5 1/2 hours later with no ill effects, I can report that either I have the constitution of a goat, or this food was still safe and nourishing.
The Madras Lentils were tasty and hearty; but not nearly as Indian spiced as I had hoped. Age-related flavor diminishment maybe? Wish I had brought a pack of hot sauce or something. Still it was quite satisfying heated up and served on the:
Flour tortillas. The July 2020 best by date means I purchased them no later than January, 2020, likely earlier. 3 years out of date and except for being just a touch drier than freshly bought, they were perfectly fine. It's not even one of those tear off the top edge and reseal with a zip lock strip packages either. It's the kind of resealable package that's just two overlapping edges of a slit up the side that you pull apart and then press to reseal. I have no good explanation why it holds up so well, except maybe the potassium sorbate and calcium propionate listed as preservatives. Better living through chemistry! :awesome:
Belvita Breakfast crackers. These did exhibit evidence of being past prime. But mostly with the texture (crumbly and soft, rather than crisp and rigid). Taste was maybe just this side of stale but still perfectly edible. They're basically just a peanut butter delivery system anyway. And PB covers up a multitude of flavor sins.
Smuckers Peanut Butter. It's PB - does this stuff ever go bad? Seems like it should eventually go rancid or something. But I've eaten far older PB than this, and it never tastes any different than the day you buy it.
Quote from: majorhavoc on September 09, 2023, 06:53:11 PMOne of the prepping activities I posted in EBuff75's 30 Days of Prepping - 2023 (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=1691.0) thread was going through my criminally neglected get home bag (GHB), which lives permanently in my car. So let me preface this by pointing out that it is therefore stored for years in the wild temp extremes you'd expect from a daily use, non-garaged vehicle in northern New England. Sub zero overnight temps in the winter to 130 deg and higher left out all day in the summer heat with the windows rolled up.
Based on the ancient "best by" dates on some of my GHB food supplies, it was well past time to rotate them for fresh stocks. Rather than just tossing the old rations like any sane individual would, I, my fellow UFoZSer's and/or the morbidly curious, undertook to consume said highly questionable food items as part of my 30 Days of Prepping activity for today: a 4 mile backwoods hike and picnic - sort of a mock day trip bug out. Where I accurately modeled the levels of dire need and extreme desperation that would motivate someone to consume expired foods such as these. :clownshoes:
First the setting: a lovely stream coursing over an outcropping of granite, spilling down into a secluded pool, complete with a sandy bank. The perfect spot for rest and respite sorely needed by a lone prepper fleeing some cataclysm to an undisclosed bug out location ...
(https://i.postimg.cc/hPj6kL1p/Mock-Bug-Out-Lunch-Location.jpg)
Said bug out began at home, so this refugee pressed his GHB into service as a bug out bag (not really, I just threw the expired food items along with a spare camp stove into a day pack - I'm spinning a yarn here, people. Stay with me ...). Severely regretting not keeping his emergency supplies more current, our tired and frightened prepper pulls out:
(https://i.postimg.cc/66zFbjn8/Mock-Bug-Out-Lunch.jpg)
- Trader Joe's Indian Madras Lentils: seemed like a good idea for a shelf stable, heat and serve lunch item. Best by: Sep 30 2020.
- Old El Paso Flour Tortillas ("Super Soft"!) in resealable package. This is probably a lot closer to the unleaven bread that Moses and his tribe fled Egypt with than what is called matzo today. "Better if used by": 17JUL20
- Belvita Golden Oat Breakfast Crackers. Best by: 07MAY2019. Ouch.
- Smuckers single use creamy peanut butter packs. No idea of the best buy date, but I probably pinched these from a hotel breakfast bar somewhere, likely no later than early 2020 and possibly a LOT earlier than that.
As I type this 5 1/2 hours later with no ill effects, I can report that either I have the constitution of a goat, or this food was still safe and nourishing.
The Madras Lentils were tasty and hearty; but not nearly as Indian spiced as I had hoped. Age-related flavor diminishment maybe? Wish I had brought a pack of hot sauce or something. Still it was quite satisfying heated up and served on the:
Flour tortillas. The July 2020 best by date means I purchased them no later than January, 2020, likely earlier. 3 years out of date and except for being just a touch drier than freshly bought, they were perfectly fine. It's not even one of those tear off the top edge and reseal with a zip lock strip packages either. It's the kind of resealable package that's just two overlapping edges of a slit up the side that you pull apart and then press to reseal. I have no good explanation why it holds up so well, except maybe the potassium sorbate and calcium propionate listed as preservatives. Better living through chemistry! :awesome:
Belvita Breakfast crackers. These did exhibit evidence of being past prime. But mostly with the texture (crumbly and soft, rather than crisp and rigid). Taste was maybe just this side of stale but still perfectly edible. They're basically just a peanut butter delivery system anyway. And PB covers up a multitude of flavor sins.
Smuckers Peanut Butter. It's PB - does this stuff ever go bad? Seems like it should eventually go rancid or something. But I've eaten far older PB than this, and it never tastes any different than the day you buy it.
This is awesome, thanks for posting it up! I live in a similar climate and treat my GHB the same. The only big difference is that I have lifeboat rations (criminally heavy, but shelf stable and actually likely to be eaten by my picky kids) and Mountain House (criminally delicious, and actually likely to be eaten by me unless stored out of reach in my GHB.)
The only food that I pack that can actually expire is Clif bars, which I kind of cycle out on a kind of regular basis. You've definitely inspired me to try some more "real" foods, as my wife would call them.
I take my GHB on every hike, whether it's 500 yards or 4 miles, but I've only ever made hot cocoa for the kids on a hike. They love Belvita and peanut butter, so I'll throw some in for the next walk in the woods.
Are those lentils boil-in-bag? Or did you take them out of the pouch before cooking?
Quote from: echo83 on September 09, 2023, 09:32:50 PMQuote from: majorhavoc on September 09, 2023, 06:53:11 PMa 4 mile backwoods hike and picnic - sort of a mock day trip bug out. Where I accurately modeled the levels of dire need and extreme desperation that would motivate someone to consume expired foods such as these. :clownshoes:
[snip]
- Trader Joe's Indian Madras Lentils: seemed like a good idea for a shelf stable, heat and serve lunch item. Best by: Sep 30 2020.
This is awesome, thanks for posting it up! I live in a similar climate and treat my GHB the same. The only big difference is that I have lifeboat rations (criminally heavy, but shelf stable and actually likely to be eaten by my picky kids) and Mountain House (criminally delicious, and actually likely to be eaten by me unless stored out of reach in my GHB.)
Criminally heavy maybe, but you then save weight not needing a stove or cooking pot. Lifeboat rations are designed to be absolutely the most calorie-dense and minimal volume form of nutrition. So "heavy" only means "less heavy than if you tried to have the same caloric intake in a form that requires supplemental heat/water to make editable."
Quote from: echo83 on September 09, 2023, 09:32:50 PMQuote from: majorhavoc on September 09, 2023, 06:53:11 PMbut I've only ever made hot cocoa for the kids on a hike. They love Belvita and peanut butter,
That's what it's all about, brother. :smiley_knipoog:
Quote from: echo83 on September 09, 2023, 09:32:50 PMQuote from: majorhavoc on September 09, 2023, 06:53:11 PMAre those lentils boil-in-bag? Or did you take them out of the pouch before cooking?
[dope slap] Well ... yeah. That sure would have been swell if I thought to boil them right in their bag, huh? I could have even used unfiltered water from that stream ... :smiley_chinrub:
No, I confess that [embarrasingly] didn't occur to me - I emptied the pouch into that little cook pot. Burnt the bejessus out of the inside bottom of the pot too, because I didn't stir it enough. And then spent 10 minutes using that river sand to scour the pot clean.
RE: your 30 Days of Prepping thread. That's one part of why it's such a good idea and you need to do it every year: when people like me post something to your thread, it makes us realize there's a whole topic here that will add to the knowledge base here at UFoZS.com. The very best forum threads are the ones that spark good discussion and spin off topics.
Quote from: majorhavoc on September 09, 2023, 09:59:37 PMRE: your 30 Days of Prepping thread. That's one part of why it's such a good idea and you need to do it every year: when people like me post something to your thread, it makes us realize there's a whole topic here that will add to the knowledge base here at UFoZS.com. The very best forum threads are the ones that spark good discussion and spin off topics.
That was actually the point behind the original 30 Days 30 Ways as well. It was designed to be a social thing, where you would share what you were doing each day, both to encourage one another and also to get ideas from what other people were doing. I'm really glad that other people are joining in and adding more threads! This is great!
I used to get the Jif peanut butter singles for lunch, bags. I found the oil would sperate after a umm 2 months or so and make then unappetizing ,but edible.
I get the Belvita's for my daily lunch snacks at work. I found Nature Valley granola bar biscuits with peanut butter or almond butter. They have replaced the Belvita. I need to check the shelf life on the 2.
BRB
Ok so the Nature Valley look to have about a 6 month longer shelf life then the Belvita's from what's in my pantry.
I found on of those Kraft Mac & Cheese cups in my pantry today that had a use by date of June 2015 and had it for lunch. So far so good. The taste is a little off from what I remember, but it's been many years since I ate one of these, so it might be normal. Still, it wasn't bad. Given the ultra-processed nature of this "food" I'm not surprised that it has survived well beyond the official date!
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 14, 2023, 11:42:38 AMI found on of those Kraft Mac & Cheese cups in my pantry today that had a use by date of June 2015 and had it for lunch. So far so good. The taste is a little off from what I remember, but it's been many years since I ate one of these, so it might be normal. Still, it wasn't bad. Given the ultra-processed nature of this "food" I'm not surprised that it has survived well beyond the official date!
And on the plus side. Even if it kills you. Embalming won't probably be needed. :coffee3:
I was replacing an inner tube on my bicycle the other day and discovered an old Oatmeal Raisin Walnut Clif bar crammed into my seat bag where I stash tire levers and other roadside tools. Best buy date of 26MAY21, so 2 winters in my unheated storage shed that also gets quite stuffy in the summer.
Ate it yesterday and it was fine, if a bit misshapen and a little sticky. Makes me realize that Clif bars are perfectly fine as high energy emergency food for bug out bags, 72 hour kits, etc. I have little doubt they're good for at least 3 years, which isn't too shabby compared to the 5 year shelf life of specialized survival rations like Datrex, SOS, UST, etc. Bet they taste better too.
(https://i.postimg.cc/CLS8LsB1/20231006-100107.jpg)
NICE
@majorhavoc !
Cold and freezing conditions are usually not detrimental to food preservation. I give you... the 'fridge.
(https://i.pinimg.com/236x/83/a3/1f/83a31fd35920fd6593f2576111952576--browns-football-professional-football.jpg?nii=t)
I think if I left it in my garage in the summertime it would have slow cooked, heat and pressure expanding the wrapper until it popped and then the contents would have been eaten by ants.
When I'd find it, two years later, I'd be asking why I left an empty wrapper in there. :smiley_shrug:
Quote from: majorhavoc on October 06, 2023, 09:19:41 AMI was replacing an inner tube on my bicycle the other day and discovered an old Oatmeal Raisin Walnut Clif bar crammed into my seat bag where I stash tire levers and other roadside tools. Best buy date of 26MAY21, so 2 winters in my unheated storage shed that also gets quite stuffy in the summer.
Ate it yesterday and it was fine, if a bit misshapen and a little sticky. Makes me realize that Clif bars are perfectly fine as high energy emergency food for bug out bags, 72 hour kits, etc. I have little doubt they're good for at least 3 years, which isn't too shabby compared to the 5 year shelf life of specialized survival rations like Datrex, SOS, UST, etc. Bet they taste better too.
(https://i.postimg.cc/CLS8LsB1/20231006-100107.jpg)
I ate a 2021 Clif Bar this week too!
It was from my GHB, which was sitting in the back of my car. The rollercoaster of New England temps over the last 2 years has been indescribable.
Very hard texture, but tasted absolutely fine. It was one of the chocolate espresso flavors with 60 mg of caffeine. Maybe it's psychological, but the caffeine definitely seemed more intense.
Instant oatmeal packet, apple cinnamon. Best by date10/21. Are it this morning no I'll effects. Tasted slightly cardboardy but otherwise fine.
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I think it improved the flavor.
I know that some of us use Hormel Compleats as a "poor person's" MRE. I've got some which are fairly old and I had one for lunch today. It was a Roast Beef & Gravy with Mashed Potatoes meal that appears to have been discontinued. It's fairly similar to their Tender Beef and Mashed Potatoes in gravy (https://www.hormel.com/brands/hormel-compleats-microwavable-meals/product/tender-beef-and-mashed-potatoes-and-gravy/) meal though. It was marked as "Best By 11/05/17" (that's November 5, 2017 for those outside the US), so it was a little more than 6 years past due.
No swelling, odd smells, strange colors or anything. It was still in good shape and opened and cooked normally. It tasted fine, if a bit bland (which is odd considering that it has 720mg of sodium). That was lunch today and I'm still upright, so I'd consider that a successful test!
I've got a number of these which are well past their prime, so this will be an ongoing thing as I work my way through some of them.
Quote from: EBuff75 on January 23, 2024, 04:18:49 PMI know that some of us use Hormel Compleats as a "poor person's" MRE. I've got some which are fairly old and I had one for lunch today. It was a Roast Beef & Gravy with Mashed Potatoes meal that appears to have been discontinued. It's fairly similar to their Tender Beef and Mashed Potatoes in gravy (https://www.hormel.com/brands/hormel-compleats-microwavable-meals/product/tender-beef-and-mashed-potatoes-and-gravy/) meal though. It was marked as "Best By 11/05/17" (that's November 5, 2017 for those outside the US), so it was a little more than 6 years past due.
No swelling, odd smells, strange colors or anything. It was still in good shape and opened and cooked normally. It tasted fine, if a bit bland (which is odd considering that it has 720mg of sodium). That was lunch today and I'm still upright, so I'd consider that a successful test!
I've got a number of these which are well past their prime, so this will be an ongoing thing as I work my way through some of them.
Damn. I was going to post about a pair of Pace Ready Meals I've consumed over the past few days. But they had a best by date of only Feb 11 2019. You got me beat!
FWIW, the Pace Ready Meals were also fine. Perhaps a little drier than I would have liked (which might be related to being almost 5 years past due). But they tasted absolutely fine - better than Hormel Complets, IMO. And both the dryness and the taste were improved with the Sriracha sauce I added. They were part one of my 3-Day/1-Person or 1-Day/3-Person DIY ration packs I've posted about here and on the old ZS forums. Clearly a refresh is long overdue. Not all the food items held up as well as the Pace meals.
I've got a few more cans of those 11-year-old overstuffed ravioli anytime you two want to join me for lunch. :shades:
Quote from: EBuff75 on January 23, 2024, 04:18:49 PMI know that some of us use Hormel Compleats as a "poor person's" MRE. I've got some which are fairly old and I had one for lunch today. It was a Roast Beef & Gravy with Mashed Potatoes meal that appears to have been discontinued. It's fairly similar to their Tender Beef and Mashed Potatoes in gravy (https://www.hormel.com/brands/hormel-compleats-microwavable-meals/product/tender-beef-and-mashed-potatoes-and-gravy/) meal though. It was marked as "Best By 11/05/17" (that's November 5, 2017 for those outside the US), so it was a little more than 6 years past due.
No swelling, odd smells, strange colors or anything. It was still in good shape and opened and cooked normally. It tasted fine, if a bit bland (which is odd considering that it has 720mg of sodium). That was lunch today and I'm still upright, so I'd consider that a successful test!
I've got a number of these which are well past their prime, so this will be an ongoing thing as I work my way through some of them.
Good to know. Thx,
@EBuff75. Will start looking into this for me.
Today, it was some Dinty Moore Beef Stew from September 2018. Tasted just fine, despite being over 5 years past due. That's a good thing, since I just realized that I have a case (an 8 count, I think) of them in the back of the shelves! I need to do a better job of rotating my food stores!
I also ate the last of some old Hershey's chocolate bars that had a use by date of Aug 2021, so just 2.5 years overdue on those. The chocolate bars are mainly for s'mores when I'm together with friends who have kids, which is why they've taken so long to use up (this was a box of 36 from Sam's Club). Since we weren't going to need them any time soon, I decided over the holidays to finish up the ones that were left and buy another box. I'm fine with eating old stuff like this, but if any of my friends noticed the date on the box, they might object! :D
Found an unopened jar of bread and butter pickles (store bought) in the cabinet. I popped it open and proceeded to shove a couple down my gullet, quickly realizing they were rather soft and didn't have much flavor. I checked the expiration date at that point. 2019.
Anyway, I figure being pickles, they weren't particularly unsafe to eat that far out of date, but they weren't very appetizing anymore. I fed the rest of the lot to the composter.
Quote from: Anianna on March 06, 2024, 09:32:50 PMFound an unopened jar of bread and butter pickles (store bought) in the cabinet. I popped it open and proceeded to shove a couple down my gullet, quickly realizing they were rather soft and didn't have much flavor. I checked the expiration date at that point. 2019.
Anyway, I figure being pickles, they weren't particularly unsafe to eat that far out of date, but they weren't very appetizing anymore. I fed the rest of the lot to the composter.
A fitting end to anything pickled IMHO. :awesome:
(yes, that sound was indeed my German ancestors rolling in their graves) :panic:
I don't mind dill or kosher pickles, but bread and butter pickles are just nasty.
My grandma on my mother's side used to make pickles out of watermelon rinds. My mom says they were good, but no one wrote down Grandma's recipe, so I can't try to replicate it myself.
Y'all forced me to go get some pickles out to snack on! These are just some Vlasic Sweet Gherkins, which is about as close as I've found to my grandmother's sweet pickle recipe. I have the recipe, but haven't been able to find baby cucumbers to make it. They're also a pain to make (I remember helping my mother make them when I was a kid), but we love them and they last forever! (Seriously. When my parents moved, they found some in their basement that had been canned over 30 years ago and they were still fine!)
Quote from: 12_Gauge_Chimp on March 06, 2024, 09:49:22 PMI don't mind dill or kosher pickles, but bread and butter pickles are just nasty.
My grandma on my mother's side used to make pickles out of watermelon rinds. My mom says they were good, but no one wrote down Grandma's recipe, so I can't try to replicate it myself.
I find dill to be the nastiest of nasty. I like sweet gherkins, but they can be a little too sweet for me these days. I've always liked bread and butter pickles.
There are plenty of watermelon rind pickling recipes around if you want to give a few a try. I'll probably try that this summer. I plan to get into fermenting now that I have the room for it.
Turns out everything from that cabinet expired between 2017 and 2021. I could have sworn we were actively using that cabinet and that we had purged out of date food a year or two ago, but I guess my sense of time is borked again.
Quote from: Anianna on March 06, 2024, 10:36:39 PMQuote from: 12_Gauge_Chimp on March 06, 2024, 09:49:22 PMI don't mind dill or kosher pickles, but bread and butter pickles are just nasty.
My grandma on my mother's side used to make pickles out of watermelon rinds. My mom says they were good, but no one wrote down Grandma's recipe, so I can't try to replicate it myself.
I find dill to be the nastiest of nasty. I like sweet gherkins, but they can be a little too sweet for me these days. I've always liked bread and butter pickles.
There are plenty of watermelon rind pickling recipes around if you want to give a few a try. I'll probably try that this summer. I plan to get into fermenting now that I have the room for it.
I'm not a fan of sweet pickles myself. I actually don't eat pickles all that much anymore.
I vote dill>sweet any day of the week. That goes for whole pickles, spears, slices, gherkins, even relish.
Sweet pickled anything: blech!
Did I ever tell you guys about the time I worked at a pickle factory? :smiley_sick:
Quote from: NT2C on March 07, 2024, 10:01:25 AMDid I ever tell you guys about the time I worked at a pickle factory? :smiley_sick:
No but hum a few bars and maybe we'll remember it
(https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63fe5bf82a3b0c4ba498d25a/bf95a66a-440f-4167-81e3-e6de58101383/Groucho-animation.gif)
Quote from: flybynight on March 07, 2024, 11:27:47 AMQuote from: NT2C on March 07, 2024, 10:01:25 AMDid I ever tell you guys about the time I worked at a pickle factory? :smiley_sick:
No but hum a few bars and maybe we'll remember it
(https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63fe5bf82a3b0c4ba498d25a/bf95a66a-440f-4167-81e3-e6de58101383/Groucho-animation.gif)
It's to the tune of
Camptown Races but the do-dah is in with the pickles.
Skippy brand peanut butter 1 oz sachets. 2 years past "Best By" date.
After mushing the package for a couple of minutes, cut corner and spread out on bread. The smell was good, as was the taste - the oil was slightly separated, so a bit more kneading would have helped. No issues. Much cheaper than MRE PB and same size - 1 oz. The MRE PB I see online is $1/packet :tickedoff:
Stored for first two years in Das Bus, then indoors.
Making some Hamburger Helper for dinner tonight (don't judge) and it called for a quart of milk. Like me with my coffee, my better half has to have her mug of milk in the morning. Looking at what was left of the gallon in the fridge I could see it'd be close so I got a package of powdered milk from my preps. Mixed it with water and the tannish yellow color and ugly stench made it a candidate for the drain, not the dinner.
I looked at the box a little later and the "Sell BY" (actual sell-by date because it's milk, not just a best-by date) was Feb 24... and then I realized that 24 wasn't the year, it was the day in 2013 that it couldn't be sold after.
Guess I need to go through my food preps. :-[
Quote from: NT2C on June 17, 2024, 05:21:16 PMMaking some Hamburger Helper for dinner tonight (don't judge) and it called for a quart of milk. Like me with my coffee, my better half has to have her mug of milk in the morning. Looking at what was left of the gallon in the fridge I could see it'd be close so I got a package of powdered milk from my preps. Mixed it with water and the tannish yellow color and ugly stench made it a candidate for the drain, not the dinner.
I looked at the box a little later and the "Sell BY" (actual sell-by date because it's milk, not just a best-by date) was Feb 24... and then I realized that 24 wasn't the year, it was the day in 2013 that it couldn't be sold after.
Guess I need to go through my food preps. :-[
I've had a similar experience, but mine was with some Knorr's cheddar broccoli noodles and rice. It was still within the best by date, but I swear it smelled like vomit when first cooking it.
As it cooked, though, the smell disappeared and there were no ill effects from eating it. Aside from some hellacious burps later on, I mean.
Okay, they aren't food but I think it's important to check on other prep items you may have with expiration dates.
About a decade ago a buddy who had recently retired from the Marines was cleaning out his pickup prior to trading it in and handed me an actual sack of "slightly expired" mil-issue Cyalume 6-hour tactical lightsticks that they used aboard Quantico during night exercises. Yeah, they'd already been expired for 3 years at that point.
Today I was cleaning out my suitcase from my trip last year and found a half-dozen tucked in the bottom so, just for shits and giggles, I opened one and activated it then tossed it to my cats.
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Looks fine to me! :awesome:
I should also probably add that these spent at least 5 years sitting in the back of my old utility truck through winter and summer temps. They were not babied and kept in a controlled climate.
Last week I opened a 2021 can of yams that exploded a stream of the liquid right when the can opener locked in place.
That did Not seem right. There were no dents or nothin' marring the can. Still didn't want to take a chance.
Quote from: Ever (Zombiepreparation) on August 21, 2024, 03:11:21 PMLast week I opened a 2021 can of yams that exploded a stream of the liquid right when the can opener locked in place.
That did Not seem right. There were no dents or nothin' marring the can. Still didn't want to take a chance.
That was a wise decision.
Quote from: Ever (Zombiepreparation) on August 21, 2024, 03:11:21 PMLast week I opened a 2021 can of yams that exploded a stream of the liquid right when the can opener locked in place.
That did Not seem right. There were no dents or nothin' marring the can. Still didn't want to take a chance.
Never. NEVER.
NEVER eat food from a can that does that. That's courting food poisoning or worse.
Quote from: NT2C on August 21, 2024, 05:03:26 PMQuote from: Ever (Zombiepreparation) on August 21, 2024, 03:11:21 PMLast week I opened a 2021 can of yams that exploded a stream of the liquid right when the can opener locked in place.
That did Not seem right. There were no dents or nothin' marring the can. Still didn't want to take a chance.
Never. NEVER. NEVER eat food from a can that does that. That's courting food poisoning or worse.
Side effects may include: heartburn, indigestion, diarrhea, upset stomach and
DEATH. :eek1:
One of these days I should probably try the unopened half-gallon of apple cider that's been on the door of my fridge for three, maybe four years.
Quote from: NT2C on September 10, 2024, 01:06:45 AMOne of these days I should probably try the unopened half-gallon of apple cider that's been on the door of my fridge for three, maybe four years.
At one point it may have been apple jack. But by now, you may have yourself a half gallon of chilled vinegar.
Worth a sip to find.out, tho, :icon_crazy:
Peanut Butter, regional grocery store brand "best by" Jan. 2022. No separation of oil and solids and tasted OK, if a bit stale. Still alive 12 hours and suffered no ill effects.
I've got a case (either 6 or 8 cans) of Dinty Moore Beef Stew that had a best by date from 2018. Cracked one up for lunch today. Smelled, looked, and tasted just like a fresh can would.
I've also dug out some V8 Fusion cans that have a Jan 2020 date on them. Those are just fine too.
I need to do a better job at monitoring and rotating my food stores...
I´ve got one of those cabinets for my cans, where you put in the can at the top and it rolls down a loop at the back and to the front one level lower. That way the oldest can is always at the front.
It doesn´t completely work with best by dates, as those don´t always line up with the buy date in the right order. But I don´t buy things I don´t use in everyday life, so it get´s used up regularly enough to not be a problem.
Seven years over date meat... You´re very brave. :eek1:
Makes you wonder what they add to that Dinty Moore beef. It's either really bad for you or the key to eternal youth ...
Quote from: majorhavoc on March 13, 2025, 02:22:27 PMMakes you wonder what they add to that Dinty Moore beef. It's either really bad for you or the key to eternal youth ...
Some japanese monks tried the preservation from the inside by drinking urushi tea. Side effects included heavy sweating, urination, vomiting. And mummification. I guess it kind of works.
Ate some Campbell's Chunky Sirloin Burger soup for lunch today that had a best by date of November 19, 2017 (so... 8.5 years past due for consumption). Can was fine (no damage, rust) and the soup looked & smelled normal. The flavor was a bit more muted than if it were fresh, but otherwise it was fine.