Near-death experiments in food

[NT2C]

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! 

[NT2C]

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.

[Ever (Zombiepreparation)]

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.

[majorhavoc]

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.

That was a wise decision.  

[NT2C]

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.

Never.  NEVER.  NEVER eat food from a can that does that.  That's courting food poisoning or worse.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

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.

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.

[NT2C]

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.

[majorhavoc]

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.

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, 

[Z.O.R.G.]

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.

[EBuff75]

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...

[tirls]

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. 

[majorhavoc]

Makes you wonder what they add to that Dinty Moore beef. It's either really bad for you or the key to eternal youth ...

[tirls]

Makes 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.

[EBuff75]

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.  

[majorhavoc]

Was in the basement and found an old Home Depot bucket full of emergency food.  This was a failed attempt from my early prepping days.  FYI: a DIY store bucket and lid are no where close to air tight or moisture proof.  I'm not even going to try to describe what the unprotected cardboard packages of pasta looked like, let alone what they smelled like.  #epicpreppingfail

I thought if anything might still be edible, it would be this canned tuna.



That best by date reads June 04 2018. I've heard of canned goods lasting a lot longer than 8 years, so I gave it a try.  FYI: the ".49" notation is almost certainly the price.  Remember those days? Ah, to be young and living in those carefree, when-food-was-actually-affordable pre-pandemic times!



I mixed it with some (unexpired) mayonaise and had myself a nice post-apocalyptic tuna sandwich.  This was Saturday - I figured I'd wait a few days to see if I was still alive to report on my findings.  1) It did not kill me.  2) No gastro-intestinal distress or other ill effects.  3) Goddamned awful tasting.  If licking the terminals of a 9 volt battery had an identifiable taste, it would be this stuff.  Still recognizable as tuna, but that was completely dominated by an overpowering metallic flavor note.  I finished the sandwich but threw the rest of the tuna salad away.  A waste of good mayonaise.  Rotate your canned food stores, people.  And if you're stocking dry goods (pasta, rice, meal-helper mixes, etc), be damn sure it's well sealed against oxygen and moisture. 

Expensive dehydrated foods like Augason Farms and Readywise are derided by many people (including myself at one point) as over-priced ripoffs when shelf-stable goods can be found much cheaper at your local grocery store.  Those people do not fully understand that in spite of the best intentions, it's hard to stay disciplined about food rotation and ideal storage conditions, especially five or ten years down the road.  A mix of ultra-long shelf life emergency rations to supplement your grocery store food rotation system is never going to be a bad idea (or a waste of money) in my book. 

[MacWa77ace]

@majorhavoc How did it smell when you first opened the can? Like tuna or metallic tuna?

That's interesting that it tasted like metal. IIRC there's a coating on the inside of canned goods cans so the metal doesn't interact with the contents. Did you see any decay in the coating? Bumble Bee should have quality canning.

I wonder what 'in oil' tuna would have tasted like.

I've seen a lot of steveMRE videos where he eats canned pork from WWII rations and I can't remember him saying it tasted like metal, but that doesn't mean he didn't, just means it didn't register with me.

I wonder what the nutritional values were.