can i use 4 month old ranch seasoning mix?!
and today is january 31st so basically 4 months by best by date and i want to know if its still okay to use?
i usually dont use expired stuff even by a day
so i want to know if its : -SAFE or -UNSAFE?
Answers:
Best Answer - Chosen by Voters
I think it is most likely safe but it might not look as good as fresh ranch mix.
Dry mixes, such as Ranch, or soups, etc, sealed in foil and plastic as most are, are safe for a long time.
BEST by dates are there MOSTLY for flavor reasons. If your package hasn't been opened, pin pricked, wrinkled, etc, for any possible air to get inside, then there shouldn't be any health reason for it to be unsafe. A cake mix, for example, could lose it's leavening power after its best by date. But these mixes are herbs and spices, dried, and protected. However, spices tend to discolor the older they get which would be a secondary reason for the best by date.
A little less flavor, a little less color, but I don't see any unsafe reason. Now, if we're talking a couple of years past the best-by date.....go buy a new one.
Think about your spices in the cabinet. How long have you used, and reused that cinnamon until it's used up? Or the pepper? The Italian seasoning? etc...etc. No difference, and they usually get a lot more exposure to air than the sealed packages... don't worry about it. Use it.
it does not say "you will die if you eat this after September" It says best by september.
That means it can taste old by then.
Open the package and take a whiff. Sniff it. Wet a tip of your finger and taste a tiny bit.
If it smells fine, use it. If it tastes fine, use it.
Those kinds of packaged dry goods only spoil in the sense you are concerned with if they get wet.
If they never get wet, they just get old tasting and smelling and there is no mistaking the old smell or taste.
if it says USE BY and then a date you cant use it after that date. these are usually on things like meat for example.
if it says BEST BY and then a date you can use it - these are on things like apples for example. that wont hurt you if you eat them past their sell by date. it just might not taste very nice so have a little try first.
Heavens yes it's safe to use, if it wasn't I'd been dead years ago....ENJOY!