Is it still good to eat? Because its been in my fridge a long time!

Well, if you're a bachelor like me, you have a wide variety of things in your fridge. And no idea when they arrived there!

A quick glance inside my fridge shows things like:

• Strawberry Jam (certainly old)
  
• Sriracha (likely old)
  
• Worcestershire sauce (don't know where this came from)
  
• Butter (from last thanksgiving)
• Tobasco Chipotle sauce (this stuff is good!)
• Several Mustards (Newish)
  
• Maple Syrup (I know I didn't buy this...!)
  

Ever wonder how long this stuff lasts? I sure do! All these little condiments get picked up gradually over time and never seem to get finished.

If you are interested, this link to the North Dakota Ag Department has some guidelines. Be sure to click on the [[MORE]] on the bottom to see all the pages.

I've never had any problem using these old condiments. Most are oil and vinegar based, which lasts a long time without going bad. No doubt the preservatives put in there by the Big Food Companies keep it fresher longer!

According to the logic of the esteemed North Dakota Agricultural Department, which I assume is a good once since what else happens in North Dakota, I should stock my fridge with these:

• Lemon/Lime juice (12 months in fridge)
• Eggs (3 weeks)
• Parmesan Cheese (2 months, yuck, I hate this stuff! Isn't cheese already rotten?)
• Salad Dressings (3 months)
• Cabbage, carrots, celery (2 weeks)
• Mustard (6-8 month)
• Tabasco (2 years, guess I'm OK there!)
• Pickles/Olives (2 months once opened)
  

And get rid of these things that I once thought were invincible (ie, don't ever go bad)

• Asparagus (2 days! I keep this stuff for 2 weeks and it seems ok...)
• Ketchup (1 month!)
• Tomato/Pasta Sauce (5 days, I've started freezing leftover pasta sauce recently, works well. Reserve an ice cube tray for freezing leftover liquids, then put in ziplok's for use whenver you need some sauce or broth or whatever!)
• Potatoes and Onions (Only 2-4 weeks! I keep these around forever, oh no!)
• Ground Meat or Stew meat (1-2 days. More and more, I avoid any ground meat, except for my beloved sausages...)
• Lunch Meat (3-5 days once opened)

One thing I've never understood is the aging of meat. First, you read that you shouldn't keep meat for more than 5 days in your fridge. Then you wonder, was it really shipped to you in no time? And they also talk about "Aging". You can Dry and Wet age meat, and some fancy places do it for up to 28 days. I just don't get how this differs from the 5 day max in my fridge.

It seems beef aging is a big focus of the Ag departments., no surprise. The University of Minnesota has a good link on it. Sounds like another "not recommended for home use" activity - I'll have to give it a try! :)

Happy and Healthy Eating