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Harold McGee on aging canned goods

PostPosted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 3:18 pm
by Mike Filigenzi
Apparently, they're just starting to get going at the "use by" date.

Not sure about the "canned whole sheep" thing, though......

Article is here, on Slate.

Re: Harold McGee on aging canned goods

PostPosted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 5:43 pm
by Jenise
Very interesting!

And as one who doesn't give a fig about expiry dates, I feel validated. That is, I don't use much canned food, and when I do, if I open the can and find what I expect to find, then I use the product. If not, out it goes. The only thing I can remember tossing in recent years is some Muir Glen tomatoes. They'd turned darker, and the flavor was changed from what you'd expect of a canned tomato. They had been part of the same big sale purchase (50% off from a store that had discontinued the brand) several years earlier, and cans opened early on were fine so I presumed that the last cans simply aged out of range. The last cans were just three or four in number from the original 20 or so I bought, and all were similarly affected. Best I recall they were just at or past the expiry date even then, so I was a bit surprised that they had an issue. Maybe acidity hastens the effect? McGee did make one comment specific to 'low acid' canned items suggesting, without going into how/why, that acidity would be a consideration.

Re: Harold McGee on aging canned goods

PostPosted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 10:49 pm
by Mike Bowlin
Since moving out of Equake territory I no longer stash canned products. My day to day pantry has enough dry goods stored to keep me going for some time. What canned products I purchase are used an replaced on a regular basis.

I would hazard a guess that storing or aging canned goods will be partially based on where you live and what 'normal' disaster preparedness you enact for you and your family.

If anyone has early warning of the end please call me so I can open the expensive wine first !