Besides the obvious dates, is there any way to determine

[babylonsister]

how old food is, be it on a can in your pantry or those eggs that don't have dates. Fresh fruit is a no-brainer, but how about frozen vegs? frozen potatoes? Meat?
Thanks!

[TygrBright]

1. Alas, if it's not dated, there's only two stages...

"Maybe not too old" and "too old"

"Too old" is easy. Bad freezer burn, funny smells, weird-colored patches growing on it, cans bulging, etc.

Otherwise... designate "maybe not too old" at your own risk.

Me, I go through cupboard, pantry, and icebox 3x a year and throw out anything perishable that isn't dated AND I can't remember buying/storing. I also date anything non-perishable that isn't already dated, like tins of veg, etc. (Sharpie markers are our FRIENDS!)

helpfully,
Bright

[SoCalDem]

2. If it does not have a UPC..THROW IT OUT..

Every so often I purge my cupboards.. (have to do it when my husband's not there) :evilgrin:...

When I do it, I would swear that gremlins put that weird stuff there.. surely I did not buy that weird stuff :)

[babylonsister]

7. LOL! Those gremlins are in this house, too!

I occasionally walk by the pantry and think how lucky we are to have all those cans in case of a hurricane. Other times, I think What The Bloody Hell Was I Thinking?

[NMDemDist2]

3. eggs are easy they float when they go bad

6 months is about max on freezer food usually

meat stinks when it's "turned"

[Rabrrrrrr]

4. Label everything when you bring it in from the store!

I learned this working in a summer camp kitchen - every can or box I buy (unless it's something I know I will open immediately and use) gets a piece of masking tape and I write the date I bought it with a sharpie.

Anything going into the freezer gets tape and a date label AND a description of what it is (e.g., "Sirloin Steak, 9/2/06")

Most of the cans and boxes in my larder have tape - and for stuff that goes in the lazy susan, that i will be looking at from above, I often write what it is on the tape so I don't have to pull the cans out looking for the one can of black beans amongst 10 cans. (I also do this with some of the jars in the fridge that I look down upon and that are small enough to not be able to see the labels, just to help me out).

And quite often when I put leftovers in the fridge, I label the tupperware with the item and the date.

[NMDemDist2]

6. cheap blue (painter's) tape is great for tupperware

it doesn't leave the sticky glue residue like masking tape

[demgurl]

8. If anything does leave a sticky residue....

use lighter fluid and it will come right off. This is especially good on glass. I use a razor blade and lighter fluid and everything looks great!

[Warpy]

5. If a can is bulging or if it spurts at you when you open it,

toss it immediately. Same if it has an "off" odor, especially a sulfurous one.

Tinned food that doesn't display these signs is safe, although it tends to lose flavor after about a year or so, which is why they code them.

Frozen goods tend to dry out in the freezer over time, even those packaged for freezing. You'll see veggies in a hard and dessicated clump with masses of very pretty ice crystals within the package. Again, they're safe, but they've lost flavor along with moisture. If they're wrinkly, toss 'em.

Frozen potatoes? I ASSume you're talking about frozen French fries and hash browns. Those have an oil coating so they'll brown in the oven. That coating helps keep them from dessicating quite as quickly as frozen veggies, but if you keep them in there for more than 6 months or so, even they will start to turn to leather with the characteristic clump of frost in the bag.