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Is it still ok to eat: Difference between revisions
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==Hard raw vegetables and fruits== | ==Hard raw vegetables and fruits== | ||
<!-- TODO: Actually specify which fruits/veg this applies to (mostly root veg and apples). Maybe make a special note about "it depends"-type foods such as tomatoes and broccoli/cauliflower. --> | |||
===With moldy spots: {{yellow|Still Recoverable}}=== | ===With moldy spots: {{yellow|Still Recoverable}}=== | ||
You '''can''' cut off the moldy parts and use the rest. Most vegetables have tough cell walls (biology), so even if mold takes over one part of the vegetable it doesn't necessarily take over the rest. One way to know if you've cut off all the mold, is to rinse what's remaining and make sure it smells ok. | You '''can''' cut off the moldy parts and use the rest. Most vegetables have tough cell walls (biology), so even if mold takes over one part of the vegetable it doesn't necessarily take over the rest. One way to know if you've cut off all the mold, is to rinse what's remaining and make sure it smells ok. | ||
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Check the inside of the banana to see it it's still good. Firm is good. Slightly mushy is '''good too''' - and it even has a probiotic effect. Just don't eat the banana if it's moldy or completely liquefied. | Check the inside of the banana to see it it's still good. Firm is good. Slightly mushy is '''good too''' - and it even has a probiotic effect. Just don't eat the banana if it's moldy or completely liquefied. | ||
Freezing fresh bananas will also make the peel black, and the inside will liquefy when it unfreezes. This is safe because | '''Note:''' Freezing fresh bananas will ''also'' make the peel black, and the inside will liquefy when it unfreezes. This is a different case: It's safe, because the "liquefication" is caused by the freezing/thawing, not by rotting. | ||
==Chocolate== | ==Chocolate== | ||
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If you have a full spice rack with generous amounts of every spice, you probably won't go through everything in even a year. So if you throw out spices because "it's a year old", you'll probably throw out '''half the spices you buy''', ultimately. This doesn't have to happen. Year-old spices are fine. {{light|<sup>Even 5-year-old spices are safe.</sup>}} | If you have a full spice rack with generous amounts of every spice, you probably won't go through everything in even a year. So if you throw out spices because "it's a year old", you'll probably throw out '''half the spices you buy''', ultimately. This doesn't have to happen. Year-old spices are fine. {{light|<sup>Even 5-year-old spices are safe.</sup>}} | ||
== | ==Dry foods== | ||
Examples: Snacks, dry pasta, rice, beans, lentils, spices. | |||
===Past the expiry date: {{green|Safe, with some exceptions}}=== | |||
The flavor & texture may change, but most non-perishable dry foods are generally safe to eat even years past the expiry date! | |||
Exceptions: | |||
* Foods with high oil content (peanut butter, roasted nuts, chips): The oils will eventually oxidize (go rancid). Typically this becomes a problem a few months past the date, or in some cases a year past the date. You'll notice an unpleasant paint-like scent, and if you try to eat the food, it will taste bitter. Rancid oils are not healthy (may contribute to cancer and heart disease according to some studies). | |||
** {{minor|If you consume a bit of rancid food, don't panic. The body can handle it in small doses, especially if your diet is otherwise rich in antioxidants (fruits, vegetables, spices, vitamin C, vitamin E) which serve as a defense against the oxidative stress.}} | |||
* If water gets in, then dry foods can grow mold. | |||
==Canned foods== | |||
===Past the expiry date: {{green|Safe}}=== | |||
The food may lose flavor slightly, but as long as the can isn't damaged, the food is safe. | |||
===Broken/cracked can: {{red|Toxic and possibly deadly}}=== | |||
Botulism is a major risk if the can has any sort of hole or crack (no matter how small) that has been there that for awhile.{{en}} | |||
==Frozen foods== | |||
===Freezer burn: {{green|Safe}}=== | ===Freezer burn: {{green|Safe}}=== | ||
So-called "freezer burn" happens when foods stay in the freezer for a long time. The food becomes dried out; the moisture becomes ice crystals that build up outside the food. | So-called "freezer burn" happens when foods stay in the freezer for a long time. The food becomes dried out; the moisture becomes ice crystals that build up outside the food. | ||
Treat freezer-burned vegetables the way you'd treat any other dried vegetables. You can use them in soups. | Treat freezer-burned vegetables the way you'd treat any other dried vegetables. You can use them in soups. | ||
==Refrigerated perishable foods== | |||
===Past the "best before" date: {{green|Safe}}=== | |||
The "best before" date is highly conservative{{qn| for each food}} - it's not an expiry date, and only has to do with taste. | |||
===Past the ''expiry'' date: {{red|Unsafe}}=== | |||
Food spoilage is likely to occur soon after the expiry date, even when the food is refrigerated properly. | |||
===Left unrefrigerated for too long: {{red|Unsafe}}=== | |||
"Too long" depends on a lot of factors, of course. {{en}} | |||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
* http://canitgobad.net - a website dedicated to this kind of thing | * http://canitgobad.net - a website dedicated to this kind of thing | ||