Seeing a date that has already passed doesn’t necessarily mean the food needs to go straight into the trash. Many dates on packaged foods are intended to indicate peak quality rather than the exact day a product becomes unsafe to eat.
How the food was stored and whether there are signs of spoilage matter, especially with refrigerated foods. But when stored correctly, these nine foods can often remain usable much longer than the date printed on the package suggests.
1. Canned Goods
Commercially canned foods can remain good well beyond their printed dates when they’re stored in a cool, dry place and the container remains intact. Don’t use cans that are bulging, leaking, badly rusted, or severely damaged, since those can indicate the contents aren’t safe.
2. Dry Pantry Staples Like Pasta, Rice and Beans
Dried pasta, white rice, and dried beans contain very little moisture, which helps them remain usable long after many printed dates when they’re stored properly. Keep them sealed and protected from heat, humidity, and pests, and remember that older beans may take considerably longer to soften when cooked.
3. Baking Soda
Baking soda doesn’t suddenly become useless when the date on the box passes, although it can gradually lose the potency needed to make baked goods rise properly. Even when an older box isn’t ideal for baking, it can still be useful for cleaning and deodorizing around the house.
4. Oats
Dry oats can remain good beyond the date on the package when they’re kept somewhere cool and dry in a tightly sealed container. Check older oats for insects, moisture, mold, or an unusual smell before using them.
5. Peanut Butter
Unopened commercial peanut butter can often remain good beyond its best-by date when it has been stored properly. Because the fats can eventually become rancid, discard it if you notice an unpleasant smell, flavor, or other obvious change in quality.
6. Honey
Honey has an exceptionally long shelf life and doesn’t need to be discarded simply because it’s been sitting in the pantry for a long time. It may darken, thicken, or crystallize as it ages, but crystallization by itself doesn’t mean the honey has spoiled.
7. Salt and Sugar
Plain salt and granulated sugar can both remain usable for extremely long periods when they’re kept dry and protected from contamination. Moisture may cause them to harden or clump, so airtight storage can help keep them in better condition.
8. Eggs
The date printed on an egg carton doesn’t necessarily mean the eggs suddenly become unsafe the following day when they’ve been continuously refrigerated. Proper storage is important, and eggs with cracked shells, unusual odors, or other signs of spoilage should be discarded rather than relying solely on the carton date.
