5 Foods You Can Eat Past Expiration Date

It’s a common practise that once the expiration date is up, it’s time to kiss your food goodbye and off it goes into a trash bin. But wait! You don’t actually have to do that. Well, at least some of the foods anyway. Believe it or not, there are few foods that still can be eaten even after their expiration dates. Frankly, it’s all about using your common sense when comes to expired food. Your eyes and your nose are always your best friend. For instance, does it stink? Does it look mouldy? If either of them does, don’t eat at all. So, if you’re wondering which foods you can safely eat past their expiration dates, here is our five selected lists below:

Eggs

You’re thinking of making a sausage omelette for breakfast, but then, you realise the eggs have expired! Before you start to go berserk, try doing a “float test” for the eggs. All you have to do is to place an egg or more in a bowl of water. If it floats, it signifies the gases have already accumulated in the egg shell. It also means the egg is not safe for consumption. But if it sinks, you can start cracking the egg and cook whatever your heart desire.

Apart from that, you can actually prolong the shelf life of the eggs by storing them in the main body of the refrigerator (not on the rack of the refrigerator door!). And yes, keep them in the carton. Here’s another general rule of thumb: raw eggs can last for about 3 to 5 weeks after the date you purchase them. Again, the eggs are best remained in the carton like you originally bought them. Keep in mind this rule only applies if they are stored continuously inside the refrigerator.

Bread

Bread is one of the main breakfast staples for every Malaysian. If you are unable to finish off the bread before its expiration date, that doesn’t mean you have to discard them. Yes, it might get stale but as long as you don’t spot a mould, you’re good to go. Your best bet is to store them in the freezer. Do note if you’re using the freezing method, place your bread in an airtight freezer container or a Ziploc plastic bag. So, even if the bread is stale, you can still turn them into croutons or bread pudding.

Frozen food

If you found your frozen foods such as mixed vegetables and pizzas in the freezer are already past their expiration date, they are actually still safe to eat. Sure, you might expect declining quality in terms of its flavour and texture. Of course, just because you remain those frozen foods in the freezer doesn’t mean you can keep them indefinitely. As mentioned earlier, it’s all down to common sense again, so ask yourself this question: Do you still want to cook those frozen peas you have bought three years ago?

Canned food

Canned food such as tomatoes, sardines and baked beans are some of the most popular items often found in many kitchen cabinets. But let’s say you bought a few of them and found out some of them have past their expiration dates. Fortunately, expired canned food still can be eaten as long as you store them in a cool, dry place. A word of warning though: If you spot any dents, holes or rusts on the can, it’s time to throw them away.

Cereal

Got a box of expired cereals sitting all alone inside the kitchen cabinet? You don’t have to toss it away, because cereals actually have a long shelf life (for up to 6 months!) even after their best before date. The only difference is, expired cereals will lose its crunch and flavour. In order to retain some of its original taste, always store the cereals in an airtight container.

Not every expired food is meant to be trashed away. By understanding all the typical misconception of expiration date, you no longer have to waste your food unnecessarily and even help you save money in the process.