Old unopened Branston pickle--would you?
#16
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 14,577
Re: Old unopened Branston pickle--would you?
Quick question to solve a big argument here. The husband & I are helping clear out a house of a relative who's passed away here in the US.
We've heaved out loads of expired food from ancient times. The husband found a few sealed (unopened obviously) jars of Branston pickle at the back of a cupboard, one to be sold by 2002 & one 2012. He claims pickles can survive well beyond their sell by dates. So he wants to keep (& eat) the second.
This has caused a family firestorm! Granted the sacrilege that this relative did NOT consume her Branston pickle in a timely manner.... Would you dare to eat that second BP?
We've heaved out loads of expired food from ancient times. The husband found a few sealed (unopened obviously) jars of Branston pickle at the back of a cupboard, one to be sold by 2002 & one 2012. He claims pickles can survive well beyond their sell by dates. So he wants to keep (& eat) the second.
This has caused a family firestorm! Granted the sacrilege that this relative did NOT consume her Branston pickle in a timely manner.... Would you dare to eat that second BP?
#20
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2016
Location: Knoxville, TN
Posts: 189
Re: Old unopened Branston pickle--would you?
I'd have a tentative try. But I'm from a family who goes by sniff and taste tests not dates. My mum used to tell me to cut off mould from cheese/ scrape off the fur from the jam etc. (Meat is treated with great caution however; especially by me - a veggie!)
In laws are usually horrified. But we haven't poisoned anyone yet.
I loved those customer complaints!
In laws are usually horrified. But we haven't poisoned anyone yet.
I loved those customer complaints!
#21
Re: Old unopened Branston pickle--would you?
I can only say one thing:
No bloody pickle is worth having to sit on the throne for 24-36 hours while me system purges itself after ingesting them nor is it worth a potential visit to ER or Urgent Care be of food poisoning.
No bloody pickle is worth having to sit on the throne for 24-36 hours while me system purges itself after ingesting them nor is it worth a potential visit to ER or Urgent Care be of food poisoning.
#22
Re: Old unopened Branston pickle--would you?
We had an open jar of Branston pickle in the fridge in my student house for probably the entire three years I lived there. Every now and again, we'd all brave a bit with some cheese on toast. I tend to keep things until they're blue and/or furry, though I must say the 2002 dated jar would probably meet the bin, if only to avoid psychological trauma!
An old housemate of mine used to eat yogurts up to two months past their use-by date. "They just taste a bit fizzy", apparently.
An old housemate of mine used to eat yogurts up to two months past their use-by date. "They just taste a bit fizzy", apparently.
Last edited by KK85; Aug 11th 2017 at 7:51 pm.
#23
Re: Old unopened Branston pickle--would you?
We had an open jar of Branston pickle in the fridge in my student house for probably the entire three years I lived there. Every now and again, we'd all brave a bit with some cheese on toast. I tend to keep things until they're blue and/or furry, though I must say the 2002 dated jar would probably meet the bin, if only to avoid psychological trauma!
An old housemate of mine used to eat yogurts up to two months past their use-by date. "They just taste a bit fizzy", apparently.
An old housemate of mine used to eat yogurts up to two months past their use-by date. "They just taste a bit fizzy", apparently.
Raw meat and fish is the only iffy thing, but even those , cooked well enough won't kill you.
Somethings mature and taste better with age.
#25
Re: Old unopened Branston pickle--would you?
Was that not just a normal upbringing for any kid before the mid '80's?
#27
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2017
Location: San Antonio, TX
Posts: 42
Re: Old unopened Branston pickle--would you?
I used to work in a little village shop as a teen....my first job of the day on Saturday morning was to go through the cheese display and pick out the pieces with mold. Then I had to cut off the mold and repackage the cheese with new price stickers....I wonder if the customers ever twigged on to that , lol !
#28
Re: Old unopened Branston pickle--would you?
If there's an off smell, or if the whey (liquid part) gets a funny yellow/orange/pink colour, then you should bin it, but yogurt was invented well before refrigeration to preserve milk as well as make it tasty, so it lasts a loooong time in the fridge.
#29
Hit 16's
Joined: Mar 2010
Location: Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine
Posts: 13,112
Re: Old unopened Branston pickle--would you?
Go for both of them, the vinegar acts as a preservative. And to show your appreciation of both his frugality and his bravery, go and get him a bit of old cheese:
Cheese lovers rejoice: Recently discovered 40-year-old cheddar to be sold | Madison Wisconsin Business News | host.madison.com
Cheese lovers rejoice: Recently discovered 40-year-old cheddar to be sold | Madison Wisconsin Business News | host.madison.com
#30
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Nov 2012
Location: bute
Posts: 9,740
Re: Old unopened Branston pickle--would you?
Invite the neighbours around and try it on them.