Very good post, Hank. Thank you for bringing attention to this. I'm the son of a depression-era North Dakota farm girl. I don't think I need to elaborate. Food is good, until it isn't. A date cannot be assigned to that "no good" point because there are too many factors that contribute to a particular item's viability as comestible. The problem is that most americans today are so far removed from the food chain that they don't know how to judge whether an item is usable or not. The expiration date is only one of the many issues. I could go on, but I'll hold here.
Hank, your posts frequently align with my thinking. I have a sister in law who hits the near panicked mode if the expiration date is here or past. No amount of logic or discussion will change her mind. It's in edible and possibly deadly. Oh well. Her loss
First, what the heck is a stale donut? Never met one that couldn’t be revived in the microwave or made into kick ass bread pudding. My chest freezer has venison from a November 2023 hunt. And I’m damn sure eating what’s left (mostly grind) because I didn’t get one this past November.
Just one thing about living with my in-laws was the food waste! You would never know they were in their 80’s and had survived some hard times. Anything that had expired (and I mean anything, including perfectly good canned goods) was thrown out regularly. And heaven forbid a chunk of cheese had mold on it. My mind was truly blown!
Thank you. This has been an ongoing pet peeve of mine for years. We just had this conversation at dinner with friends last night. But lucky us we hit up the food rescue drop offs and get lots of free great food!
I worked for a grocery bakery in grad school. I was horrified by the amount of baked goods we tossed...and to add insult to injury they locked the dumpster to prevent people from taking the discarded food.
One of my favorite sections in store is the price reduced section in meat department. I’ll pick stuff up to cook that night or to vacuum seal for freezer. I especially like products that are already cryovacced for freezing.
I just got back from the store. I scored some cryovacced smoked sausage! I've changed dinner plans several times because of what I've found on that shelf.
Hi Hank, Would your food pantry be interested in partnering with First Nations Kitchen? They receive donations from co-ops and other grocery stores. On Sundays they make a vegan and meat meal, and box up the rest for give aways on Sunday afternoon.
Excellent and timely article, particularly given that some studies say we waste nearly 70% of the food produced (starting at the farm and running thru the last bits tossed out of the fridge/cupboard).
Coming from a long line of farmers, hunters and more recently "foodies", I was taught at an early age to employ the "sniff test." Pretty simple and it works for all foods (in conjunction with visual inspection).... if you take a good whiff and all smells fine then it's probably good to eat. If you instinctively take a second whiff without thinking it's most likely bad. Our bodies know how to detect bad food, we have just gotten out of touch with the analytical gifts we've been given and come to rely on artificial crutches like expiration dates.
Kudos. My house - Frozen green beans vacuum packed: 3 years. Frozen salmon vacuum packed: 2 years; frozen vacuum packed quince paste: 4 years. Even my canned and sealed jams last waaaay longer than 18 months.
My oldest piece of meet with a half of a Dall sheep backstrap that got pushed to the rear of the freezer. I was "organizing" one day at the insistance of my wife and found this gem. It was doube wrapped in butcher paper and dated 9/17/98. When it thawed a couple of days later, it trimmed off some freezer burn, smoked to 100 degrees and seared at 700+ for a few minutes. It was just as good as I remembered the first one I had Christmas 1998. It was +/- 5 yrs and 2 mos after it was frozen. I visit some specialty grocery stores occasionally and check the date on the cheeses in the fine case. If there is one that is going to expire in a day or two, I ask if there might be a discount. About half the time I get a discount of up to 50%. Never hurts to ask.....
>> That feeling that we all possess a sort of secret food knowledge that maybe the rich do not serves as a balm << --- I have thought about this many times, in many contexts. There is a flavor that genuine care & reverence for our food can give that cannot be known by those who have never known what it's like to go without. I thought about it a lot when I was on food stamps in my early twenties, but never heard it put as elegantly as you do here. Thank you.
Very good post, Hank. Thank you for bringing attention to this. I'm the son of a depression-era North Dakota farm girl. I don't think I need to elaborate. Food is good, until it isn't. A date cannot be assigned to that "no good" point because there are too many factors that contribute to a particular item's viability as comestible. The problem is that most americans today are so far removed from the food chain that they don't know how to judge whether an item is usable or not. The expiration date is only one of the many issues. I could go on, but I'll hold here.
Hank, your posts frequently align with my thinking. I have a sister in law who hits the near panicked mode if the expiration date is here or past. No amount of logic or discussion will change her mind. It's in edible and possibly deadly. Oh well. Her loss
I am with you, TOTALLY! Just as mind-reeling are food recalls because of bits of plastic, bones or insect parts!
First, what the heck is a stale donut? Never met one that couldn’t be revived in the microwave or made into kick ass bread pudding. My chest freezer has venison from a November 2023 hunt. And I’m damn sure eating what’s left (mostly grind) because I didn’t get one this past November.
Just one thing about living with my in-laws was the food waste! You would never know they were in their 80’s and had survived some hard times. Anything that had expired (and I mean anything, including perfectly good canned goods) was thrown out regularly. And heaven forbid a chunk of cheese had mold on it. My mind was truly blown!
True words of wisdom.
Thank you. This has been an ongoing pet peeve of mine for years. We just had this conversation at dinner with friends last night. But lucky us we hit up the food rescue drop offs and get lots of free great food!
Excellent. However, I’m cautious about tomato products and expired chicken broth. Can you get me over those 2 concerns?
Are they bulging or weeping? If not, they are probably good. However, if you open them up and they spit at you or sound like air brakes, toss them.
Thanks! If they spit at me or sound like that, I’ll literally throw them!😆
I have! Then donned long rubber gloves and a mask to clean up the mess I made! 😃
I worked for a grocery bakery in grad school. I was horrified by the amount of baked goods we tossed...and to add insult to injury they locked the dumpster to prevent people from taking the discarded food.
This is awesome. Shared with family members who are, in my opinion, overly slavishly adherent to printed expiration dates.
One of my favorite sections in store is the price reduced section in meat department. I’ll pick stuff up to cook that night or to vacuum seal for freezer. I especially like products that are already cryovacced for freezing.
I just got back from the store. I scored some cryovacced smoked sausage! I've changed dinner plans several times because of what I've found on that shelf.
Hi Hank, Would your food pantry be interested in partnering with First Nations Kitchen? They receive donations from co-ops and other grocery stores. On Sundays they make a vegan and meat meal, and box up the rest for give aways on Sunday afternoon.
Excellent and timely article, particularly given that some studies say we waste nearly 70% of the food produced (starting at the farm and running thru the last bits tossed out of the fridge/cupboard).
Coming from a long line of farmers, hunters and more recently "foodies", I was taught at an early age to employ the "sniff test." Pretty simple and it works for all foods (in conjunction with visual inspection).... if you take a good whiff and all smells fine then it's probably good to eat. If you instinctively take a second whiff without thinking it's most likely bad. Our bodies know how to detect bad food, we have just gotten out of touch with the analytical gifts we've been given and come to rely on artificial crutches like expiration dates.
Kudos. My house - Frozen green beans vacuum packed: 3 years. Frozen salmon vacuum packed: 2 years; frozen vacuum packed quince paste: 4 years. Even my canned and sealed jams last waaaay longer than 18 months.
Interesting, I though salmon was one of those fish that do not do well in the freezer for long term storage (fat going rancid)…
My oldest piece of meet with a half of a Dall sheep backstrap that got pushed to the rear of the freezer. I was "organizing" one day at the insistance of my wife and found this gem. It was doube wrapped in butcher paper and dated 9/17/98. When it thawed a couple of days later, it trimmed off some freezer burn, smoked to 100 degrees and seared at 700+ for a few minutes. It was just as good as I remembered the first one I had Christmas 1998. It was +/- 5 yrs and 2 mos after it was frozen. I visit some specialty grocery stores occasionally and check the date on the cheeses in the fine case. If there is one that is going to expire in a day or two, I ask if there might be a discount. About half the time I get a discount of up to 50%. Never hurts to ask.....
>> That feeling that we all possess a sort of secret food knowledge that maybe the rich do not serves as a balm << --- I have thought about this many times, in many contexts. There is a flavor that genuine care & reverence for our food can give that cannot be known by those who have never known what it's like to go without. I thought about it a lot when I was on food stamps in my early twenties, but never heard it put as elegantly as you do here. Thank you.