Here’s a list of some things you can keep a bit past their expiration dates

. 

Beer—Unopened: 4 months.

Brown sugar—Indefinite shelf life, stored in a moistureproof container in a cool, dry place.

Chocolate (Hershey bar)—1 year from production date

Coffee, canned ground—Unopened: 2 years Opened: 1 month refrigerated

Coffee Beans—3 weeks in paper bag, longer in vacuum-seal bag (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still safe to consume.) Ground: 1 week in sealed container

Coffee, instant—Unopened Up to 2 years Opened: Up to 1 month

Dried pasta—12 months

Frozen dinners—Unopened 12 to 18 months

Frozen vegetables—Unopened 18 to 24 months (Opened: 1 month)

Honey—Indefinite shelf life

Juice, bottled (apple or cranberry)—Unopened   8 months from production date

Opened: 7 to 10 days

Ketchup—Unopened 1 year (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.) Opened or used: 4 to 6 months (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)     

Maple syrup, real or imitation—1 year

Maraschino cherries—Unopened:  3 to 4 years Opened: 2 weeks at room temperature; 6 months refrigerated

Marshmallows—Unopened: 40 weeks Opened: 3 months

Mayonnaise—Unopened: Indefinitely  Opened: 2 to 3 months from “purchase by” date (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)

Mustard--2 years (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)

Olives, jarred (green with pimento)—Unopened: 3 years Opened: 3 months

Olive oil—2 years from manufacture date (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)

Peanuts—Unopened:   to 2 years unless frozen or refrigerated Opened: 1 to 2 weeks in airtight container

Peanut butter, natural—9 months. Processed—Unopened: 2 years Opened: 6 months; refrigerate after 3 months

Pickles—Unopened: 18 months Opened: No conclusive data. Discard if slippery or excessively soft.

Rice, white—2 years from date on box or date of purchase

Salad dressing, bottled—Unopened 12 months after "best by" date Opened: 9 months refrigerated

Steak sauce—33 months (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)

Tabasco Sauce—5 years, stored in a cool, dry place

Tea bags—Use within 2 years of opening the package

Tuna, canned—Unopened:  year from purchase date Opened: 3 to 4 days, not stored in can

Soy sauce, bottled–Unopened:  2 years Opened: 3 months (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.)

Vinegar—42 months

Wine (red, white)—Unopened: 3 years from vintage date; 20 to 100 years for fine wines

Opened: 1 week refrigerated and corked

Worcestershire sauce—Unopened: 5 to 10 years (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume.) Opened: 2 years

Pantry

Home

Site Map

Here's a fun chart I found on the Internet the other day: