Author Topic: Cornmeal "Best By" Date?  (Read 4258 times)

Ben

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Cornmeal "Best By" Date?
« on: February 02, 2018, 09:31:21 PM »
Hey, how long past the "best by" date do you guys think cornmeal is good for? I just found a 3/4 full box (resealed in a ziplock) with a JUL2017 "best by" date. Still good?

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BobR

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Re: Cornmeal "Best By" Date?
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2018, 09:58:38 PM »
Just sift the bugs out of it and eat it, it will be fine. ;)

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cordex

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Re: Cornmeal "Best By" Date?
« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2018, 09:59:01 PM »
If it doesn't have mealworms, it's still good.

If it has mealworms, it's protein enriched and still edible.

zxcvbob

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Re: Cornmeal "Best By" Date?
« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2018, 10:01:45 PM »
Of course it's still good.  If it's degerminated (most cornmeal is) it will last forever.  If it's whole grain cornmeal, it's good until the oil in the germ gets rancid.  If it doesn't smell rancid to you, it's good.

Even if it is slightly rancid, if you can't detect it it's okay.
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Ben

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Re: Cornmeal "Best By" Date?
« Reply #4 on: February 02, 2018, 10:42:14 PM »
Well, it smells good and it's not moving, so I guess I'm making cornbread tomorrow.  :laugh:
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Jim147

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Re: Cornmeal "Best By" Date?
« Reply #5 on: February 03, 2018, 12:25:38 AM »
I keep mine in the freezer it lasts forever.
Sometimes we carry more weight then we owe.
And sometimes goes on and on and on.

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Ben

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Re: Cornmeal "Best By" Date?
« Reply #6 on: February 03, 2018, 09:33:30 AM »
I keep mine in the freezer it lasts forever.

I've gotta get me a chest freezer. I have no room in the refrigerator freezer.
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Kingcreek

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Re: Cornmeal "Best By" Date?
« Reply #7 on: February 03, 2018, 06:31:40 PM »
I've gotta get me a chest freezer. I have no room in the refrigerator freezer.
3 freezers in my basement. 2 chest freezers and an upright. The cornmeal is in the upright.
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zxcvbob

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Re: Cornmeal "Best By" Date?
« Reply #8 on: February 03, 2018, 06:46:23 PM »
I have a small chest freezer and a large-ish upright.  The chest freezer hasn't been opened in years  ;/  Last I checked, there was a small but growing flock of frozen chickens in the bottom of it.

I've been slowing cleaning out the upright.  I'm almost afraid to open the chest.
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Andiron

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Re: Cornmeal "Best By" Date?
« Reply #9 on: February 03, 2018, 08:45:33 PM »
I have a small chest freezer and a large-ish upright.  The chest freezer hasn't been opened in years  ;/  Last I checked, there was a small but growing flock of frozen chickens in the bottom of it.

I've been slowing cleaning out the upright.  I'm almost afraid to open the chest.

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lupinus

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Re: Cornmeal "Best By" Date?
« Reply #10 on: February 04, 2018, 09:26:04 AM »
If it doesn't smell or look off (mold, rancid, bugs, etc) it's fine. At worst it's lost some nutritional value. Consider we have best by dates on millions of year old salt - it's more of a guide on a lot of things and not any real zomg don't eat it after this date.

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K Frame

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Re: Cornmeal "Best By" Date?
« Reply #11 on: February 05, 2018, 06:54:34 AM »
Wait...

Cornmeal ever had a "best" date?
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Fly320s

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Re: Cornmeal "Best By" Date?
« Reply #12 on: February 06, 2018, 03:10:28 PM »
Wait...

Cornmeal ever had a "best" date?

Subjective term. 
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Angel Eyes

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Re: Cornmeal "Best By" Date?
« Reply #13 on: February 08, 2018, 03:09:43 PM »
If it doesn't have mealworms, it's still good.

If it has mealworms, it's protein enriched and still edible.

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Re: Cornmeal "Best By" Date?
« Reply #14 on: February 08, 2018, 09:07:55 PM »
I trust my nose on almost all durable foods. Ate some best by 2014 canned beef last night, was delicious. All the flour and corn flour stays frozen just to keep bugs away, if I am smart I also vacuum sealer it to keep freezer flavor out.
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Re: Cornmeal "Best By" Date?
« Reply #15 on: February 09, 2018, 12:28:23 AM »
A "Best if Used By/Before" indicates when a product will be of best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.
A "Sell-By" date tells the store how long to display the product for sale for inventory management. It is not a safety date.
A "Use-By" date is the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. It is not a safety date except for when used on infant formula as described below.  However, many items using this type of date will become unsafe at or shortly after this date (Most Dairy products, for example.)

Yep, trust your nose.  If it smells bad, it is bad.
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Firethorn

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Re: Cornmeal "Best By" Date?
« Reply #16 on: February 09, 2018, 05:55:13 AM »
Yep, trust your nose.  If it smells bad, it is bad.

Human nose and taste have evolved specifically to inform us of what our stomachs and digestive tracts can and cannot handle.  They are fooled occasionally, but the number of people who admit that the food tasted "off" before getting food poisoning is amazing.

I generally don't worry about food until it smells or tastes off.  The moment it does though, it's straight in the trash.  I won't even swallow the food.


Fly320s

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Re: Cornmeal "Best By" Date?
« Reply #17 on: February 09, 2018, 08:47:01 AM »
I won't even swallow the food.

If in doubt, spit it out.  Works for all kinds of things.   =D
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Larry Ashcraft

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Re: Cornmeal "Best By" Date?
« Reply #18 on: February 09, 2018, 01:57:10 PM »
Now that we have a dedicated "canned goods room", we have arranged all of our home canned vegetables by date much better than before.  We had a few jars of pickles and green beans from 2014 and 2015, and all of them were fine.  Well, the pickles were a little on the sour side, but with three teenagers in the house, a jar of pickles lasts minutes once it's opened.