I have an unopened box of instant mashed potatoes, and the “Best By” date is Feb. 16 2014. Almost 1 year out of date. I will expect them to not be at their best, but how bad could they really be?
Now, I am the type who won’t drink milk if the sell by date is tomorrow, but dried potatoes - my guess is they are fine. I have no experience or knowledge about food safety, though. I always eat raw cookie dough and keep the butter out on the counter unless it’s August.
They’re almost certainly fine. I’m pretty sure I’ve done the exact same thing and they tasted fine.
I appreciate the replies. It was time to eat, so I didn’t wait for a response. I added onion powder and garlic powder to the pot, and that’s what they ended up tasting like. Unless I make a habit of eating instant mashed potatoes, I may not finish this box until the 2 year mark has passed.
They’re probably pretty darn boring by now. 
Also, now that they are opened, depending on how sealed they were beforehand, they may get that delightful ‘stale’ taste.
a spoonful dry in the mouth is a chew.
How can you tell?
I’m not much of a believer in “use by” dates. Use your common sense. I’ve had milk that was a week past its date and was still good. On the other hand, I’ve had milk that still had a few days left and it was soured. In the case of fresh foods, use your nose. If it smells good, it’s likely good. In the case of instant mashed potatoes, unless they get bugs or something, I would think they could survive a nuclear holocaust and still be good. Glad to hear you used them and all is good.
Out Of Date Instant Potatoes
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