Expiration Dates on Pantry Staples

My daughter, for some reason, has gotten obsessed with expiration dates. She checks the label of anything she uses and if it's beyond what's printed on the label, she tosses it out. Sometimes she'll go through the pantry and start tossing canned goods and others that she deems too old. I keep telling her some things can keep for a long time but I think she doesn't believe me. If you're as skeptical as she is, then maybe this guideline on how long you can keep things in storage will help:

Beer

Unopened: 4 months.

Brown sugar

Indefinite shelf life, stored in a moistureproof container in a cool, dry place.

Chocolate (Hershey bar)

1 year from production date

Coffee, canned ground

Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 1 month refrigerated

Coffee, gourmet

Beans: 3 weeks in paper bag, longer in vacuum-seal bag (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
Ground: 1 week in sealed container

Coffee, instant

Unopened: Up to 2 years
Opened: Up to 1 month

Diet soda (and soft drinks in plastic bottles)

Unopened: 3 months from "best by" date.
Opened: Doesn't spoil, but taste is affected.

Dried pasta

12 months

Frozen dinners

Unopened: 12 to 18 months

Frozen vegetables

Unopened: 18 to 24 months
Opened: 1 month

Honey

Indefinite shelf life

Juice, bottled (apple or cranberry)

Unopened: 8 months from production date
Opened: 7 to 10 days

Ketchup

Unopened: 1 year (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
Opened or used: 4 to 6 months (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)

Maple syrup, real or imitation

1 year

Maraschino cherries

Unopened: 3 to 4 years
Opened: 2 weeks at room temperature; 6 months refrigerated

Marshmallows

Unopened: 40 weeks
Opened: 3 months

Mayonnaise

Unopened: Indefinitely
Opened: 2 to 3 months from “purchase by” date (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)

Mustard

2 years (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)

Olives, jarred (green with pimento)

Unopened: 3 years
Opened: 3 months

Olive oil

2 years from manufacture date (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)

Peanuts

Unopened: 1 to 2 years unless frozen or refrigerated
Opened: 1 to 2 weeks in airtight container

Peanut butter, natural

9 months

Peanut butter, processed (Jif)

Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 6 months; refrigerate after 3 months

Pickles

Unopened: 18 months
Opened: No conclusive data. Discard if slippery or excessively soft.

Protein bars (PowerBars)

Unopened: 10 to 12 months. Check "best by" date on the package.

Rice, white

2 years from date on box or date of purchase

Salad dressing, bottled

Unopened: 12 months after "best by" date
Opened: 9 months refrigerated

Soda, regular

Unopened: In cans or glass bottles, 9 months from "best by" date
Opened: Doesn't spoil, but taste is affected

Steak sauce

33 months (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)

Tabasco

5 years, stored in a cool, dry place

Tea bags (Lipton)

Use within 2 years of opening the package

Tuna, canned

Unopened: 1 year from purchase date
Opened: 3 to 4 days, not stored in can

Soy sauce, bottled

Unopened: 2 years
Opened: 3 months (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)

Vinegar

42 months

Wine (red, white)

Unopened: 3 years from vintage date; 20 to 100 years for fine wines
Opened: 1 week refrigerated and corked

Worcestershire sauce

Unopened: 5 to 10 years (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)
Opened: 2 years

Source: Surprising Expriration Dates


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