Wednesday, February 8, 2012

How long will it last?

clearly not my fridge bottled salad dressing on the door

When it comes to food, people are either expiration phobes adhering to when in doubt throw it out or feel a little mold wont hurt you. I grew up with a mother who was bold in the face of mold. She would remove the clearly contaminated portion of food and give us the rest saying, “it’s fine”. Naturally, I’m expiration phobic. However, I’ve relaxed a little now that I can call the spoilage shots and even occasionally live on the edge eating things a few days after the package says to.

There are rules to help you decide whether to hang onto or heave items and a couple of these surprised me:

Chicken Broth- I used to open the quart of Pacific chicken broth, use 4 to 8 ounces for a recipe and then plop the rest in the fridge only to discard it weeks later. I eventually grew tired of wasting the majority of the container and started freezing a mason jar of broth (leaving a little room for expansion).  Recently, I discovered Whole Food’s 365 brand makes mini 8-ounce juice-box sized organic broth containers that completely solve the problem.

 In case you have opened chicken stock, if it’s been in the fridge more than 4-5 days, time to toss.

Hard-boiled eggs – knowing my obsession with hard-boiled eggs, I get asked regularly about them. In their shells, unpeeled boiled eggs will last a week. Uncooked eggs will last 3 to 5 weeks if you do not store them on the door.

Tomato Sauce- I make and freeze tomato sauce but in our house we’re equally fond of Rao’s Marinara sauce. Rao’s is a legendary restaurant in Harlem and their sauce is outstanding. To my knowledge Rao’s comes in only one size and that’s 32 OZ. It takes us weeks to use this much and that’s a problem because tomato sauce, once opened is good for 5 days.
1/23/12 is definitely more than 5 days ago

 Honey-I poisoned the children. I’m glad I’ve been feeding them organic food and bacteria.

Greens – many clients complain that greens spoil on them quickly. My retort is usually “if you use them they don’t spoil” but that’s not all that helpful. So for green-aid think of greens like underarms, it’s all about moisture control. While I don’t like the bags of lettuce I do purchase clamshell packs of greens.

You can reuse these and lettuce lasts over a week. After a few days, put a paper towel in the container (on the bottom) to keep the lettuce from wilting. Other times, I  wash lettuce in ice water, spin it and roll it in a tea towel, again the towel retains the moisture keeping the lettuce fresh.

Leftovers- I’m a leftover lover. I can eat leftover chili for breakfast and bring my lunch to work most days. These labels from the Container Store are great.. You can write the date you put leftovers in the fridge or the date to toss but make sure family members know your system. Leftover longevity is 3 to 4 days.

There’s actually an app and website called Still Tasty that will alert you when your food will expire.  I love their list of “foods that will outlive you.” On this list there’s salt (no surprise since it is used to preserve), honey and, while many foods live and die, vodka lasts forever.
Are you an expiration phobe or bold in the face of mold? Any foods that confuse you when it comes to holding or heaving? What tricks do you use to keep food fresh?

30 comments:

  1. Thank you! I have asked myself these questions numerous times and had many an argument with boy over how long things last. I am too type B to be a phobe, but I also hate being ill and thus I tend to be of the "better safe than sorry" camp.

    Where can I get some of that uptown marinara? I have been having so much difficulty finding organic tomatoes for sauce that are not in tin cans. I would totally make my own, but that many organic tomatoes at one purchase cost more than I can justify.

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  2. I think Raos is on Fresh Direct and at Whole Foods (it isn't organic). I use Pomi boxed tomatoes for sauces.

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  3. Ok, I did not know hard-boiled eggs only last a week. Really?! Why less time than raw?? I would have thought the opposite (and that's why I typically end up hard-boiling my eggs!! Oops).

    Also, thanks for the tip on freezing broth. Seriously, I NEVER thought to do that! I'm like you, I always end up wasting the last cup or 2. DUH GINA, freeze it!!

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  4. This is such great information! I love the idea of getting labels for leftovers. That would definitely be helpful in our apartment!

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  5. Love the labels idea. I wish I wasn't, but I'm totally an expiration phobe—always have been, probably always will be. I've mellowed out a little, but that's not saying much! I blame a few painful food poisoning memories...

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  6. Jess, I get it if you've been burned hard to get back in the fire. I thought everyone labeled :) Gina, I hear you, I was a broth waster for years. Re eggs I think once cooked things can deteriorate faster. That my stab at microbiology.

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  7. Great information to share, although I am probably most like your mom in regards to throwing things out. I love the mini chicken broths, but hate using the excess packaging, so definitely need to try your frozen chicken broth tip! I wish you hadn't mentioned the Container Store labels-now you're going to force me to go there and buy way more than I need. I always go a little overboard there!

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  8. EA I hear you about packaging, try the jars or as a tweet just reminded me ice cube trays for broth. Container Store is dangerous. Sell me the promise of a zen/organized space and I will pay (too much).

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  9. Used to be a total phobic, mom is bold w/ mold... now I'm a little more flexible. But definitely more rigid than my parents. My dad/mom still will cut of the mold off and eat the food.
    If it's growing mold I toss it.
    Thanks for the broth info!! I was just wondering about that yesterday =)

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  10. Lisa, perhaps it's generational. Maybe we can waste things (not that we should) and therefore phobia is a luxury? Just happy people aren't coming out with "well I make my own stock/broth and don't have that problem."

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  11. This post is SO necessary to my life! We definitely use Rao's sauce for 2-3 WEEKS, yikes!

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  12. Einat, maybe we go to the source and ask Raos. They have been making sauce since 18-something, right?

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  13. My mom is a huge, huge phobe -- but out of necessity, she has terrible allergies to mold. I'm a pretty big phobe myself with the exception of non-meat leftovers and broth. I'm sure I've towed the line on both of those. For some reason I'm less concerned about non-animal products? Not sure if that's warranted?

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  14. Interesting thought Jessica, I do think chicken broth turns faster than veg so maybe you're onto something. To be honest, I have to check.

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  15. This is so helpful! Thank you so much. The info about the WF chic broth is awesome, as I too toss the 1/4 used containers too often. I've also discovered the single-serve wine bottles for when I'm cooking w/ wine instead of drinking it (crazy, I know).

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  16. I would say broth lasts a lot longer in our fridge than wine but I have been known to waste wine too. Single serve? Those little boxes you mean?

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  17. Those little bottles that come in 4 packs, or I've seen ones that look like juice boxes. In general, the wine is fine for cooking and perfect if I'm not in the mood to finish the bottle.

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  18. I don't have any set rule.. just use common sense. I certainly eat past sell or use by dates on some items. It also depends on if it is an item that I cook or is supposed to be fresh. I hate waste and find the amount of food that the US throws out each week to be unbelievable.

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  19. Vodka lasts forever?! Noted. I always have major herb - issues, so frustrating when basil goes bad after using it once, i know you can chop them up and freeze but...i dont foresee that happening, any other suggestions? oh and avocados, how do you store?

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  20. Ah, THANK YOU. This information is so helpful, as are your tricks for things like wilting greens. I always try to stick by the date, but sometime I just don't use all my veggie broth or sauce! I'll do better and y to heed your advice. When I move (soon), I'm also going to look into those container labels. As always, organization is key!

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  21. Thank you, Lauren. A great post. I am also paranoid with expiration dates :)

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  22. So glad, something that's not talked about that much but we all need to know, right?

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  23. Great tip for freezing the broth....I also use a small amount at a time. I do the smell test first but I always use it past the expiration date. Yikes!

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  24. We eat a lot of leftovers but we are also home a lot for lunch. Most things are eaten or thrown out within 3-4 days (or left in the back until I think to toss it). Some things I might go more than 4 days - soups might go up to a week. Anything with an expiry date will get tossed once it is up. My inlaws though will eat anything as long as it is not moldy (definitely a waste not want not mentality). My fil is a little obsessed with eating things out of the fridge and not throwing anything out. We know to check any label of something bottled before we eat it. Last time we were there not one dressing was current - good thing oil & vinegar is better for you anyway! It drives me nuts.

    I like the tip about freezing broth in ice cube trays. In the comments though I am curious about what you meant by "happy people not making their own stock"?

    Must go clean out, garbage day tomorrow...

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  25. Thanks for commenting Karin, I meant from a guilt perspective I am happy I'm not the only one getting boxed broth (versus homemade). Making your own is best but it's not something I do. Yes, leftovers get lost in our fridge too.

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  26. Ahhhh, I get it. I didn't used to make my own (like the WF one, and my local store has a good organic one) but I have been doing a chicken in my Dutch oven and after I pull it out I put water in the pot, throw the bones back in and cook it down for a couple hours. I put it in the fridge before I go to bed and then in the morning I put it into freezer bags in 3 or 4 cup servings (though I like the cube idea). It makes a great, flavorful broth with all be flavors, and bits from browning. And it really doesn't take very long. Of course, the other night I forgot to put it in the fridge. When I was dumping it down the drain (after I read this) I was thinking "wow, that is a bacteria cesspool".

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  27. Interesting! I hold on to food a bit too long. Whoops!

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  28. Even as a Dietitian I am constantly googling how long things last. lol. I just hate wasting food! I think I hold on to things a little more than recommended, but not excessively. :)

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  29. With a half dozen jars of Rao's Homemade Marinara Sauce on our shelves we decided to call Rao's (1-800-HOMEMADE) to decipher the date code. Here is the answer I received:

    There are two series, and the numbers represent the date of manufacture. I was told that the product is good for 3 years beyond the date of manufacture:

    1. Series like 14081: means 2014, the 81st day of the year.

    2. Series like ROA 1 14/T246: means 2014, the 246th day of the year.

    Hope that saves people time and prevents waste.

    Good luck.

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