Getting Creative with Almost-Expired Foodby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 29 Aug 2008 11:07 AM
This post is part of the Ideas for Cooking from Your Stockpile series. Last week, at the end of our vacation, we stopped by for an overnight stay at my husband's parents home. It was a late night, and we were all hungry, so my mother-in-law generously started pulling out some things to feed us. My father-in-law retreated to the basement to fetch some of the stockpile. There was a lot of juice for the kids (something they don't normally get at home very often) and Miracle Whip for my husband (for a sandwich), as well as some other things. As the jars were being opened, my husband noticed that most everything had a past due expiration or best by date. So guess what? She was about to call for more items to come up for the stockpile. I quickly stopped her on anything that had a "better by" or "best by" date. These items may lose some of their flavor, color or nutrition, but they wouldn't kill us. The dairy-based Miracle Whip, though, would probably have to go. My mother-in-law is wiser than I am in many ways, thanks to her experience in the world, so it was nice to be able to share some of my advice to her. I explained how rotating your pantry items is so important--first in means first out. Organizing the pantry or having some sort of list that tells you exactly what you have will also prevent the expired food. Your list should make note of the frequency in which you use items until it becomes natural to know when to restock. You may not need to stockpile five large jars of mayonnaise if it takes you three months to use one up and the jars generally have a six-month life span, for example. I'll get to the organization a little later. For now, see if you can take the time to review your pantry and pull out any food that is at the end of its date. Then we will meet back here, and I'll share some ideas for using up these items and turning even a strange collection into a meal or two. Click here for more articles by Mary Ann Romans. Related Articles Tips for Slicing Homemade Bread Stock up on Flour, Bread and Cereal Now While You Can Cooking by Numbers Makes Pantry Shopping Easy! Pantry Challenge: Falling Off of the Wagon Pantry Challenge: What You Can Do with A Box of Potatoes Pantry Challenge: Campbell's to The Rescue!
Just look to the right of this blog and find the subscription center (it looks just like this picture, although you'll have to find the "real" one just above the category listing ). Click on "Subscribe via Email". You'll be instantly subscribed and the email address that you registered at Families.com with will receive an instant notification whenever we post a new Frugal Living Blog! Don't miss a thing - subscribe now! Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments jonesx6 (1606) 30 Aug 2008 03:33 AMMy grandmother stock piled food. After she passed away we had to throw out food that was expired by years. Ugh!! Around here food doesn't last more than a week. lol Laura Tashi (1013) 30 Aug 2008 07:55 AMWhat I often do is, write the expiration/best if used by date *and* the date I *opened* the item for the 1st time right on the product. A good permanent marker works, or a Post-it taped or rubber banded to the item. I do this especially with chicken stock, Miracle Whip Light (1 of my fave food items), rice, baking soda, tea, and any cooking and baking oils. Tashi (1013) 31 Aug 2008 04:31 PMMary Ann, thanx! :-) I'm not sure how I got the idea or for how long I've been doing it. But it really helps me keep up with what food I have and its lifespan. I even write the purchase date inside of books when I buy them! Now that's "different". LOL Last I heard, books don't have an expiration date. :-)  Mary Ann Romans (26791) 31 Aug 2008 06:13 PMKara, I think the worse thing that could happen to pickles that have not been open is that they might have a slightly more vinegar taste, but pickling is a form of preservation! Mary Ann Romans (26791) 31 Aug 2008 06:15 PMActually Tashi, books can expire. If paperbacks are read over and over they will eventually fall apart. And older books can yellow and get spots on them. But I haven't heard of someone dating their books :) Tashi (1013) 01 Sep 2008 05:28 AMOff track again for a moment.... :-) I date my books merely as a way to fondly remember when I got them. I may have begun it back in college, not sure. On food dates.... If I have expired bread or cereal (which rarely happens, since both go so fast), or crackers, etc., I put it out in the yard for the birds and other critters. Although I do mark my food's expiration dates, I'm not perfect at doing it, and therefore, *sometimes* still have wasted food. I confess. :-) Community Tags Food, food budget, frugal, pantry, stockpile Discuss this article
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