# Are there foods that don't go bad? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 21, 2008, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-foods-that-dont-go-bad/450067 "2008-05-21T03:55:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-foods-that-dont-go-bad/450067/21 "2008-05-21T13:00:03Z")
Honest, I’m not trying to be cute on a GQ question. Seriously, don’t fruit cakes fall into this category? I saw a show on, maybe, the Food channel or Discovery, about them, and I think they had examples from 50-60 years ago that were still not bad. Leaving out the obvious jokes about their being the only thing left of our civilization millions of years from now. But maybe the flour/cake base would eventually be unsafe to eat at some point in time, I dunno. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-foods-that-dont-go-bad/450067/22 "2008-05-21T13:20:51Z")
> [@](#): > > When I was growing up, Mormons used to strongly preach about having a two-year supply of food to last out anytime. Almost everyone I knew had barrels of wheat, which will last a long time. We would seal them after putting in dry ice to displace all the oxygen. > > Despite popular expectations, the end never came, so I don’t know who much of that wheat is still good. Mormons always try to have a two year supply of food, it’s true. I think it’s based on their own experiences on the move West. The managers of my apartment house in Salt Lake City had a tiny apartment to themselves, but damned if they didn’t have their two-year supply, neatly packed up in consistently-sized boxes and jammed into the back room of their already too-small apartment. A lot of LDS families also have things like wheat grinders for making their own flour. In theory, they’re supposed to eat the older stuff at regular intervals and replace it. Salt Lake cartoonist Bagley has a priceless cartoon of an LDS family eating stuff out of a box labeled “Watermelon Rinds”. With no enthusiasm on their faces. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-foods-that-dont-go-bad/450067/23 "2008-05-21T13:26:37Z")
[QUOTE=aldiboronti] Honey has been found in ancient Egyptian tombs, still edible. [/QUOTE] I’ve thrown out honey that solidified into something immobile at the bottom of a closed jar after about a year. How’d the Egyptian honey manage to be edible? Or is there a standard way of re-liquefying honey that I’m ignorant of (maybe adding a bit of water and heating it up)? ---
**Author:** ![Septima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Septima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Septima)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-foods-that-dont-go-bad/450067/24 "2008-05-21T13:32:16Z")
> [@](#): > > Would canned food eventually go bad? The cans be eaten through by whatever chemicals are in the foods in the cans? Or would canned food simply lose any real vitamin and nutrient value? Or would I be able to eat 30 year old Spaghettios? The norwegian military used to have a kind of canned meat casserole as field rations\*. As far as I know, the youngest can in existance is over 25 years of age. You can still eat them. They aren’t expected to start loosing flavour for another 20-30 years. They canned a truly ungodly number of them, too. \*They are usually reffered to as RSP, which is short for the norwegian phrase _Rester av Sprengt Personell_ = Leftovers from Exploded Personell. No idea what the real name is. Only ate it once, it was good. Although it was slightly weird eating food that was older then me. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-foods-that-dont-go-bad/450067/25 "2008-05-21T13:49:58Z")
[QUOTE=robardin] I’ve thrown out honey that solidified into something immobile at the bottom of a closed jar after about a year. How’d the Egyptian honey manage to be edible? Or is there a standard way of re-liquefying honey that I’m ignorant of (maybe adding a bit of water and heating it up)? [/QUOTE] Yup, or just pop it in the microwave. They ancient Egyptians frowned on the latter. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Weird\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-foods-that-dont-go-bad/450067/26 "2008-05-21T13:52:16Z")
[QUOTE=robardin] I’ve thrown out honey that solidified into something immobile at the bottom of a closed jar after about a year. How’d the Egyptian honey manage to be edible? Or is there a standard way of re-liquefying honey that I’m ignorant of (maybe adding a bit of water and heating it up)? [/QUOTE] Your honey crystalized, but it was still edible. I love crystalized honey, but it takes a long time and my honey doesn’t usually make it that long. From [this site:](http://www.honeyrunapiaries.com/honey_faq.phtml) > [@](#): > > Nearly all honey will crystalize over time. Just how fast depends on the floral source of the honey, the temperature it is stored at and contaminants (wax/pollen) in the honey. Some types of honey crystalize very slowly and others will crystalize before it can be removed from the beehive requireing special equipment for harvesting it. Crystalized honey is not bad and can be liquified by heating it in a hot water bath. A microwave or direct heat is not recommended because the honey can quickly be overheated and burnt. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-foods-that-dont-go-bad/450067/27 "2008-05-21T13:54:26Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] Honey and salt. That’s about it. [/QUOTE] I love the episode of _Good Eats_ where Alton lines the bottom of a grill pan with salt and comments, “It won’t burn … _it’s a rock_.” ---
**Author:** ![cwthree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-foods-that-dont-go-bad/450067/28 "2008-05-21T14:13:33Z")
Matzah. It’s too dry to go moldy. ---
**Author:** ![puppygod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@puppygod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puppygod)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-foods-that-dont-go-bad/450067/29 "2008-05-21T14:15:51Z")
[QUOTE=Internut] More importantly than anything.. what’s the NUTRITIONAL value of them at a couple decades? Is it worth munching on or will it have degraded to simply some off tasting carbs? And wikipedia says 3-5 years depending on the conditions, for MREs… But I KNOW I’ve eaten ones in the several year range that didn’t kill me (though, again, I don’t know how nutritionally valuable they were) [/QUOTE] From [this site](http://www.longlifefood.com/mre.html#Shelflife): [QUOTE=Long Life Food Depot] 2) The shelf life determinations were made solely on the basis of taste, as it was discovered that acceptable nutritional content and basic product safety would extend way beyond the point where taste degradation would occur. This means that MREs would be safe and give a high degree of food value long after the official expiration of the products as determined by taste. [/QUOTE] They also have nice chart of MRE storage life depending on temperature, it’s like 55 months in 90 F or 130 months in 60 F. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-foods-that-dont-go-bad/450067/30 "2008-05-21T14:38:03Z")
[QUOTE=robardin] I’ve thrown out honey that solidified into something immobile at the bottom of a closed jar after about a year. How’d the Egyptian honey manage to be edible? [/QUOTE] Pyramids. Good for razor blades, honey, and the undead. Si ---
**Author:** ![masterofnone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@masterofnone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/masterofnone)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-foods-that-dont-go-bad/450067/31 "2008-05-21T14:45:37Z")
When I was in the Army from 89-91, the MREs we had at my post had expired in '83. They didn’t tasted significantly different any other MRE’s I had, and I lived on them for weeks at a time with no problems. What about sugar? Is there any way for it to go bad? It’s antibactierial because of it’s osmotic properties. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-foods-that-dont-go-bad/450067/32 "2008-05-21T14:49:09Z")
Hot sauce has a long shelf life. ---
**Author:** ![Vorpal\_Blade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/9de0a6/32.png) [@Vorpal\_Blade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vorpal_Blade)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-foods-that-dont-go-bad/450067/33 "2008-05-21T15:03:59Z")
[QUOTE=Freudian Slit] Twinkies? [/QUOTE] Maraschino cherries? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-foods-that-dont-go-bad/450067/34 "2008-05-21T15:04:29Z")
[QUOTE=masterofnone] What about sugar? Is there any way for it to go bad? It’s antibactierial because of it’s osmotic properties. [/QUOTE] As long as it remains too dry for bacterial growth, it should be OK. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-foods-that-dont-go-bad/450067/35 "2008-05-21T15:07:37Z")
Heh, up at our family cottage in the far north of Quebec (originally built by my grandfather) we’ve begun taking the step of putting year dates on non-packaged food, because there were containers of beans and pasta and the like in glass jars we couldn’t date to the nearest _decade_. :smack: Some dating back to the 1950s (we assume). Most of which seemed perfectly edible, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-foods-that-dont-go-bad/450067/36 "2008-05-21T18:32:07Z")
[QUOTE=Malthus] Heh, up at our family cottage in the far north of Quebec (originally built by my grandfather) we’ve begun taking the step of putting year dates on non-packaged food, because there were containers of beans and pasta and the like in glass jars we couldn’t date to the nearest _decade_. :smack: Some dating back to the 1950s (we assume). Most of which seemed perfectly edible, BTW. [/QUOTE] Yeah, dried pasta should last pretty well indefinitely IF it’s kept dry and ideally sealed. My grandmother died in 2003. When we cleared out her house we found sealed jars of her home-made pickled onions that were carefully labelled with the date they were bottled. Dates in the early- to mid-1980s. Damn those were some strong pickled onions, but they were good! ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-foods-that-dont-go-bad/450067/37 "2008-05-21T19:04:11Z")
One word. Spam. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-foods-that-dont-go-bad/450067/38 "2008-05-21T19:10:48Z")
Dehydrated foods packed for long-term storage and properly stored can get a 10-20 year window without any degradation in taste, quality or nutritional value. See [these guys](http://www.aaoobfoods.com/aaoobsbest.htm#PLATINUM) for some products. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-foods-that-dont-go-bad/450067/39 "2008-05-21T19:31:22Z")
> [@](#): > > Are there foods that don’t go bad? \ {Adjusts tie …} Have you tried my wife’s cooking? \ ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-foods-that-dont-go-bad/450067/40 "2008-05-21T23:56:46Z")
[QUOTE=TokyoPlayer] When I was growing up, Mormons used to strongly preach about having a two-year supply of food to last out anytime. Almost everyone I knew had barrels of wheat, which will last a long time. We would seal them after putting in dry ice to displace all the oxygen. Despite popular expectations, the end never came, so I don’t know who much of that wheat is still good. [/QUOTE] Thanks for saving me the trouble of starting a GQ thread. I was going to ask about this. I just (re)read a book\* where after a rather major disaster, our plucky heroine conveniently gets access to a recently deceased Mormon couple’s huge food cache. I was wondering whether this was an actual LDS practice or if it was just something the author threw in there. - Dies the Fire, by S.M. Stirling. Of course. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-foods-that-dont-go-bad/450067.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-foods-that-dont-go-bad/450067.md?page=3)