Sometime this past weekend I was reading an article about living cheaply(I can’t remember where the article was, though!), and a website that is all about the shelf lives of food. Having good shelf life information can be very helpful when you’re trying to cut back on food waste, because it will keep you from throwing food away out of safety concerns when really that food is perfectly safe to eat. I’ve written about this topic before, but if you’d like more comprehensive, detailed information, check out Still Tasty. I found it to be very user-friendly…you can search for a particular food or you can browse by categories.
There are also a lot of helpful FAQs, and articles, including this one on expiration dates and this one, which explains how to properly store fruit.
I’d recommend bookmarking this site so that you can check it before you throw away food…you just might find out that you can safely eat what was about to become trash.
Just so you know, I didn’t get paid(or even contacted!), by Still Tasty…I just think it’s a helpful resource for recovering food wasters like myself, so I wanted to share it with you all.
Kristen
Wednesday 29th of April 2009
Stephanie, it's fixed now. I don't know why it wasn't working...that was weird.
Matt, I think most food safety information tends to err on the side of caution. I've often gone a little past the recommendations and been just fine.
stephanie
Wednesday 29th of April 2009
im so disappointed that the link isnt working for me
Matt
Tuesday 28th of April 2009
Looks like a useful site - but food safety can vary based both on the individual, and the conditions of storage. Meat vacuum-sealed in a cryovac package, especially large pieces in the original package, last significantly longer in the fridge (Alton Brown quotes a month for a whole beef tenderloin). Refrigerator temperature also affects food life, as well as such things as proper storage in the veggie drawer, segregation of fruits and veggies, and ethylene-absorbing bags or pucks.
Just Gai
Tuesday 28th of April 2009
Thanks for the link to a very useful site. I'll bookmark it for future reference.