Oldest Condiments in Your Fridge

[toolprincess]

Just tossed 2 unopened jars of mayonaise that expired in 2010 and 2011. I just couldn't bring myself to eat them. I have a Nutella (unopened) that expired 4 months ago. Still undecided about that.

I have some tomatoes I canned 3 years ago. Can't bring myself to eat them. Don't trust my canning skills.

At my mother-in-laws I've now been presented with 2 salad dressings as choices for dinner - one that expired in 2008 and one that expired in 2010. Last night we had dinner with them and she offered me A1 for my steak until she realized that it expired in 2004. Yeah I always check her stuff!

In college I often babysat for a family who I called stomachs of steel family. They would eat anything that was in the fridge with no concern for expiration dates as long as it "seemed" fine. They also had no timeline for getting rid of leftovers, so I rarely ate anything out of their fridge (leftover wise) unless the kids could vouch that it was from a recent meal.

[David A. Goldfarb]

So one thing this thread has made me aware of is the crazy pricing psychology that makes us do this sort of thing. I mean, even if a 15 oz jar of mayonnaise costs $3, and a 30 oz jar costs $4, I should really buy the smaller jar, if I can't use the bigger jar by the expiration date. It will take up less space in my fridge, and I won't spend months wondering, "is this still good? well it smells ok and isn't moldy, should be okay," and amortized over a year or however long commercial mayonnaise is supposed to last, the small jar isn't such an extravagance in the overall annual budget picture. I can and do make my own mayonnaise, so it's not like I'm going to get caught short, if I use it all up. I just keep it around as a convenience. I've gone for years without having a jar of mayonnaise in the fridge.

I ran out of Tabasco sauce I think a year ago, and I've been considering purchasing another bottle. Maybe I'm holding off, because it seems like such a long-term commitment. I have other hot things around, so it hasn't been too urgent to replace it, but next time, I'm getting the small bottle, even if the larger bottle is cheaper per ounce.

Edited August 7, 2012 by David A. Goldfarb (log)

[ChrisOC]

I went to mix a martini the other day for the first time in I don't know how long. My vermouth was the color of cider vinegar. My closeset guess is that it was at least 3 years old.