# Canned Goods Question



## Karen (Apr 17, 2002)

One area I'm very weak in info on is foods stored in cans; so I'd like some 'practical' advice on storing food packaged in cans other than what you're told from the FDA, food companies, etc. I never have stored cans much because I kept reading they are only good for about a year. But I've been hearing that some people store cans of foods for years and their fine.

I'm particularly thinking about things like spaghetti sauce (special this week at 59 cents a can so I can't grow the tomatoes and can it for that!); canned cheese (like the nacho cheese sauce); stewed tomatoes; hominy; canned ham; etc. Things I either don't dehydrate or can't do cheaper than I can buy.

I see where most cans are marked for about year (many even less). Is this just a ploy by the food companies or do they actually go bad after a certain amount of time? If so, how long is it safe to store canned items? I usually don't keep home canned food for more than 2 years, but have done some for 3-4 years that was perfectly fine. I'm thinking metal canned food is the same way; a whole lot longer than the 'experts' say?


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

Check the cans - most I buy have a 'use by' date out a couple of years at least. I think they start to taste funky after a year, but hath's just me. A funky can of hominey is better than NO hominey.....


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

I buy canned goods when on sale... usually a years worth if I can 'get away with it'. So, at any time, I have a years worth (minimum) of the canned goods we eat regularly.

If the replenishing were to stop, we'd still have that years worth of food on hand... oh so conveniently already fixed. I figure if I make it into a PAW (post apocalyptic world) if I can survive a year, through the gnashing of teeth times, I'd have it made.

My favorite canned refried beans have currently an expired by date four years into the future.

I have eaten canned goods way out of date... little metallic tasting... not real tasty, but if it was all there was, it'd be heavenly.


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

I don't keep milk or anything with tomatoes in it past the expiration date. They go bad fairly quickly. I opened a can of condensed milk that was just a couple months out of date and it was bad, real bad. 

Usually canned goods are ok if the can isn't rusted or bulging. The flavor and color might be a bit less than fresh, but not dangerous. Some nutrition will be less than it was, but a little is better that none. 

I like to keep a year supply and rotate so nothing expires. I have found cans that were overlooked and expired by a few years, and they were fine when opened. 

The best rule is to keep them in a cool dark place and check before using.


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## Charly (Feb 20, 2010)

Embarrassed to say I don't always rotate as I should. Opened a large container of 2005 bbq sauce the other day. We're still here.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Never really noticed any "off" taste or metallic tinge and I've eaten out of cans on my shelf that were years out of date. And I'm a picky eater! :shrug:


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## PATRICE IN IL (Mar 25, 2003)

I've used many canned items at least a year out of date, I haven't noticed any flavor changes and we're all fine. I recently used some sweetened condensed milk that expired in 2005 and 2006 and it was still good. It started to darken in color and I read at the manufacturer's website that it was just starting to carmelize naturally.


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## Dave in Ohio (Jun 11, 2002)

Most canned goods last for years, I have thrown away some green beans that got rusted and leaked, recently thrown away some tomato soup from may of 2001, and just the other morning I used a can of Hormel canned ham, 5 oz, from 1999...threw it in a pan with some mushrooms, peppers and onions, scrambled in a few eggs and topped with cheese....good eating. I do see where tomato based stuff will go bad earlier than other, but then you can also buy some stuff in jars...I think that can of ham was my last from last century...but most canned goods will last a long time....remember the date on the can is a best by date...not an expiration date,,, and also remember that the manufacturer wants to sell his products so they will shorten the use by date so the canned good is still at its peak and best taste so you will buy more....I probably still have 50 cans from May 2001 that are still good...veggies and such.


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## Honduras Trish (Nov 30, 2007)

Because I tend to do a once-a-year stock up of some foods, I generally have some cans for a year or more. In my experience, the cans with the convenient pop-top lids tend to have a higher failure rate than the old-fashioned cans. This year, some of our cans came with pop-top lids, and I moved them to the front of my shelves to use up early.


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

We've been stocking up on canned veggies and tomatoes. This week with hubby laid off we're going to do some storage room straightening and while doing that I plan on having some old candle wax melting for dipping the can ends to keep rust at bay.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

I've used canned stuff at least 6 or 8 years old without any problems. I just found an old bottle of ketchup that was almost a year expired and a little dark but it tasted fine. The vinegar and salt should keep it from spoiling, but I wouldn't try that with mayonnaise.

My kids hate that we often eat expired foods, but I cook it well and they can't really TELL.


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