Clearing out your kitchen cupboards

[dexterdoglancashire]

OK, I confess! I've just been clearing out my kitchen cupboard, which is always well stocked, (so I thought!) with lots of herbs, spices etc. Some tins, etc etc. I obviously, don't do this on a regular basis. I have to confess that there were 3 tins and 3 jars of spices dated 2008! go on - what's the oldest thing you've ever thrown out of your kitchen cupboard?

[smallblueplanet]

Not very old, but just thrown away a tub of unopened tamarind paste from 2001 - I was sure it said 2010!

[ginger ninger]

My OH, He gets under my feet He's 44.

[SarzWix]

A tin of Bird's custard powder which was 4 years out of date...

I hadn't used it since I learned how to make proper custard with egg yolks and vanilla pod... Yummy

[TPeers]

Ummm..... about 4 weeks ago - turned out the spice cupboard...... some 'raw' papadoms dated 2004



Errr........





overdue what?

Tery

[dogsbody]

Well I haven't done it properly yet ( see the "I've won a kitchen" thread ) but I did recently chuck out a tin (can't remember what of) which bore a "Hillards" price tag, Tesco bought them out in 1987 !!!!

[Hazel at the Hill]

My sister knows me too well - she sent me a recipe the other day with the instruction:

"add 1 good tsp of mixed spice (2 if it's a bit 'old')"

[Jeanied]

A few years ago at Christmas - visiting elderly mother - made a turkey curry to use up leftovers- curry powder was priced in old shillings and pence and the rice was 12 years out of date (had to throw them all out in the end) - much tutting about the waste from Ma.

[Rhona]

I used some out of date tamarind when I made a Malay whole sea bass thing on Saturday. Tasted fine. Mr R throws out anything that's 12 seconds past its sell by date, whereas I 'take a view' on things...

[Alison]

Threw away my tin of black treacle last year which I only use when I make Christmas cakes when I realised the date said 1997. Had been using it quite happily and only really threw it out as it was pretty much empty.

[Glutton4...]

When we moved last August, we threw out a few packets of stuff that we'd bought with us when we moved in 10 years earlier!

[jackie j]

Years ago when me and ex moved out of house that we had only lived in for a couple of years I found a bottle of squash cant remember if it was out of date or not but it wouldnt have got used as it was in the ................................loft along with some other strange things that you wouldnt put in the loft, when I asked him why he said he had tided up in a hurry and didnt know where else to put them.

[organic]

People throw away tins?
That's one of the things I barely even notice the use by date on. If the tin's intact the stuff inside is usually just fine.

The real laugh is that when use by dates were brought in they had absolutely nothing to do with food safety and everything to do with big comfortable margins of error to stopr companies getting sued and keeping stock turning over so everyone involved makes more profits.

I wouldn't so much as bat an eyelid at tins that were a long way out of date if the tin was still sound.

Of course, if it smelled off I wouldn't bother, but I trust my eyes and nose far more than a label with a date on it.

[its hilly]

Lol..my cat..its around 9 yrs old I think, and snucks in after its biscuit box when I turn around

[di]

My old neighbour always refused tea at our house...possibly because I admitted that as neither Andi nor I drink the stuff the teabags we had were from when we moved in four years previous!(do they go out of date????)
I've actually had cleaning out the cupboards on my little list in my head of things to do for quite some time,I shall let you know...although as we've only been here for two years,I would hope there's nothing too bad....other than the nettle tea which I think is 2003 but my mate's assured me if I keep it long enough the foul smellingness will dissipate,therefore make it a little more palatable!