Table of Condiments

1. Alex
   January 18th, 2009 at 7:00 pm

   Wow, tabasco lasts 5 years!

2. Brian Lutz
   January 18th, 2009 at 7:32 pm

   I just noticed a couple of weeks ago that the Kraft Parmesan cheese I was applying to my spaghetti had an "use by" date of June 2006. The stuff still tasted fine (and I've used it plenty of times in the last year and a half) so I'm pretty sure the stuff wasn't going to kill me. Nonetheless, I tossed it anyway. As for soy sauce, the stuff is salty enough that I doubt much bacteria is going to be able to grow in it anyway.

3. Gauldar
   January 18th, 2009 at 9:03 pm

   2 months for bleu cheese? Pfft, that stuff gets better with age, and it's not like you have to worry about it getting moldy.

4. Mike-Lynn
   January 18th, 2009 at 10:06 pm

   Interesting table, I definitely have a lot of condiments in my fridge that need tossed. But I disagree with honey only lasting 8 months. That stuff never spoils. It may crystallize, but that doesn't effect the taste. They've found honey in the Egyptian tombs that was still edible.

5. Michael0511
   January 18th, 2009 at 10:35 pm

   Clever idea, but awful execution. It's going to lead to a lot of waste by people willing to trust that someone, somewhere, researched this when obviously they didn't.

   How could sugar possibly go bad? Keep it dry, in an airtight container, and it'll stay good more than a lifetime. And that's just the first one I saw.

6. Frau
   January 18th, 2009 at 11:13 pm

   *scratches head*
   I had learned that sugar does not go bad because it inhibits mold or yeast growth.
   Same with honey.
   Vegemite goes bad?
   And I agree about the bleu cheese. That just gets better.

7. Phrog
   January 19th, 2009 at 1:07 am

   This is not really accurate at all, Honey is actually the only food that never spoils, so the fact that it is on the list makes the whole list suspect. Now Vegemite, whilst the rest of the world hates it is the king of spreads(esp with cheese) but it lasts longer than 2 months, or the 750Gm jar I have in the pantry would be gone months ago, ditto the peanut butter, so basically the validity of this whole list is being called into question.

8. SparkS
   January 19th, 2009 at 4:18 am

   Terrific post Stacy. I don't know if all the items were ones kept in the fridge. I never keep peanut butter there. Same for grated Parmesan cheese until I read on the container it would taste better if kept there. Being set in my ways I go by the simple rule if it doesn't have any fuzzy stuff growing on top it's okay to eat. GGG Bout only time that happens is on chip dip. A sub rule of mine is canned goods and things in the freezer will out last me. But I did toss a large bag of unopened cooked shrimp last night that had been there for ages. Almost brought a tear to my eye. GG

   Speaking of things going bad. Have any oldsters noticed how milk doesn't curdle nearly like it used to? That is a GOOD thing. Nothing worse than lumpy milk. gggg

   They aren't condiments but potato chips usually last forever. They go stale but I imagine when something is coated in salt it lasts a long time.

   Oh yeah, I really enjoyed all the comments. We have some smart people here!

   Brian, I used to always use the Kraft Parmesan until I got a container of their Parmesan & Romano by mistake. I loved it and now it's what I always get. I highly recommend you give it a try.

9. GailW
   January 19th, 2009 at 12:15 pm

   Ketchup really does stay good for years.

10. renderanything
    January 19th, 2009 at 11:43 pm

    Guacamole last longer than 2 days.
    Maraschino's N/A, ha, they always seem to be lurking in the back of refrigerators.

11. SparkS
    January 21st, 2009 at 5:32 am

    I found a baggy of some unknown contents a bit ago. It was so far gone it took me a while to figure out what it had been at one time. An onion.

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