Some of these stay fresh for years!
When it comes to food, we want to be safe rather than sorry. Nobody likes a stomach ache and food poisoning is definitely no picnic. But some foods have a ‘Best Before Date’ that doesn’t necessarily reflect their freshness. Some of these products are still edible after this date and it would be a waste to throw them out.
Coffee
Good news for all coffee addicts out there! If you store your coffee properly, you will be able to save it for a longer period of time. Longer than the ‘Best Before Date’ on the package recommends. Although saving it for too long might influence the flavor a little, it won’t mess with the edibility. Just make sure you store your coffee in the right place: if you open a new pack, it should be stored in a dry place to prevent mold from growing, and in an airtight container. Just to make sure it stays flavorful and fresh. And nothing beats a fresh cup of joe!
Pasta
If you have jars of dried pasta in your pantry that have been there for over a year, then this might be comforting to hear: dried pasta and rice can be saved for a really long time. As long as they’re stored in a dry place. When you keep your pasta and rice away from water and humidity, it won’t get moldy and you’ll be able to use it for many years to come.
Beans
Other types of food that don’t turn bad easily, are beans and other legumes. Usually, things like peas, lentils and beans come in bags. Those bags are not the key to keeping your beans fresh for a long time. You might want to consider switching to airtight storage jars. That way, you can save them for a longer period of time. But if you want to benefit from all the vitamins in these legumes, you might want to eat them within four years. After five, the vitamins will have completely disappeared.
Honey
Honey can be stored for a really, really long time. In fact, honey might have an unlimited shelf life. That means that you can use the same jar of honey forever! The reason that honey has a long shelf life, is because it contains a lot of sugar and is low on water. It also contains certain enzymes that cause it to stay fresh. But it will crystalize at some point, making it harder for the honey to come out of the jar or bottle. Luckily, this can be easily solved by letting the jar or bottle soak in some hot water.
Other foods that you can safely use after the Best Before Date has expired, are dried herbs and spices, and flour. As long as you store these in a dry and dark place, they will stay fresh. The dried herbs might lose their flavor after some time but they will never be unsafe to eat.
Also read: Find out: is replacing sugar with honey better for your health?
Source: RADAR, Good Life Eats | Image: Unsplash, Martin Lostak