# Should I eat this \[jar of capers\]? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 1, 2018, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-eat-this-jar-of-capers/811572 "2018-04-01T05:00:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2018, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-eat-this-jar-of-capers/811572/21 "2018-04-01T19:25:46Z")
Eat those little vegan anchovies! They’ll taste better at room temperature though. You might enjoy [this article](http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2013/03/aging_canned_goods_why_time_and_heat_can_make_your_canned_tuna_and_spam.html) about vintage canned food. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2018, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-eat-this-jar-of-capers/811572/22 "2018-04-01T19:45:06Z")
Some pickles just get better the older they get - chutneys in particular\* I don’t know about capers - I suspect they will lose some firmness and texture if kept too long, but if the jar is intact, there should be no real risk in trying them. \*I made a big batch of apple and elderberry chutney - somehow one of the filled jars got put back in the box of new, empty jars; the rest of the batch got eaten in the normal duration - the lost jar surfaced something like a decade later, after a house move - and it was utterly amazing. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2018, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-eat-this-jar-of-capers/811572/23 "2018-04-01T23:56:02Z")
I wish people would understand expiration dates. They mean one things, and only one thing: The seller guarantees the freshness of the product up until that date, and it is the guarantee that expires, not the product. If you bought a car with a 100,000 mile warranty, would you throw it away when the speedometer turned over, assuming you were placing your family in grave danger if you continued to drive it? Or would you use common sense? Would you continue to use a clock after the expiration date of batteries? Or would you fear that it would suddenly, on a certain date, stop telling the correct time? ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-eat-this-jar-of-capers/811572/24 "2018-04-02T00:43:01Z")
Capers are the kind of thing that either you like them, or you really don’t like them. Like the way people feel about bleu cheese or liver, but less extreme. I’ve never come to like them, myself. I once read an author (I wish I could remember who) who said that in her/his opinion, anything that tastes good with capers tastes better without capers. That said, I’ve heard that capers cured in salt (Brazilian? 🙂 ) are a whole different animal worth hunting down. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-eat-this-jar-of-capers/811572/25 "2018-04-02T02:07:53Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > Come to think of it, I don’t even know what capers are. Huh. They’re little flower buds from a particular plant (looking it up, _capparis spinosa_). ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-eat-this-jar-of-capers/811572/26 "2018-04-02T22:05:02Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > I wish people would understand expiration dates. They mean one things, and only one thing: The seller guarantees the freshness of the product up until that date, and it is the guarantee that expires, not the product. > > If you bought a car with a 100,000 mile warranty, would you throw it away when the speedometer turned over, assuming you were placing your family in grave danger if you continued to drive it? Or would you use common sense? > > Would you continue to use a clock after the expiration date of batteries? Or would you fear that it would suddenly, on a certain date, stop telling the correct time? Expiration dates are not all the same thing as one another. Expiration dates are worth observing fairly closely when they are short to begin with - fresh meat, dairy, etc - manufacturers/vendors calculate them based on a number of factors, and one of those factors is the risk that someone will get sick from eating it and make a claim - they tend to err significantly on the side of caution, but for fresh foods with short expiry, the risk of something bad happening is increasing measurably. Expiration dates on canned and pickled items - which may be years long, are more about stock rotation and aesthetic eating qualities. This sort of expiration date is usually fairly meaningless in terms of safety after it has passed. ---
**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:** [April 2, 2018, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-eat-this-jar-of-capers/811572/27 "2018-04-02T22:29:39Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Yes it does. It eventually tastes unpleasantly of plastic. That happens faster if it’s stored someplace hot. It’s probably not dangerous, and I’d certainly drink it if i had no other water. (and i have) But I’ve had “too old” bottled water a couple of times and it’s unpleasant. It’s certainly “best by” some earlier date. By “bad” I meant “dangerous to drink.” We were talking about the growth of bacteria and whether something was safe to eat. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2018, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-eat-this-jar-of-capers/811572/28 "2018-04-02T22:39:12Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > By “bad” I meant “dangerous to drink.” We were talking about the growth of bacteria and whether something was safe to eat. +1. I thought it was pretty clear “bad” meant “dangerous” rather than “unpalatable.” ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-eat-this-jar-of-capers/811572/29 "2018-04-03T01:18:41Z")
Obligatory Homer Simpson reference: [tasting cookies found in attic from the 1960s] Mmmm…Turbulent. ---
**Author:** ![keturah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e95f7d/32.png) [@keturah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keturah)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-eat-this-jar-of-capers/811572/30 "2018-04-03T02:17:43Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Sidetrack, but, yes, I did. (FYI, cane sugar is non-GMO; beet sugar is always GMO.) > > Also: > > 1. Where is your Brazilian salt from? > 2. How much sodium is in the salt? > > I could go on… Continuing the sugar sidetrack a little, yes, I am aware that the source of the sugar is either genetically modified (sugar beet) or not (cane), but sugar contains no genetic material. So from a chemistry perspective the source is irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-eat-this-jar-of-capers/811572/31 "2018-04-03T02:27:19Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Also: > > 1. Where is your Brazilian salt from? > 2. How much sodium is in the salt? > > I could go on… You should inform them that there’s way more sodium in the salt you sell than is good for them, but if they want healthy salt from which all the sodium has been removed, they need look no further than the jug of bleach in their laundry room. Tell them it’s the kind of sodium-free salt solution that health food aficionados are always sprinkling on their organic non-GMO french fries carved from potatoes cultivated and blessed by Tibetan monks, and imported from Tibet – the same place Brazilian salt comes from. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-eat-this-jar-of-capers/811572/32 "2018-04-03T02:46:37Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > By “bad” I meant “dangerous to drink.” We were talking about the growth of bacteria and whether something was safe to eat. Well, I know that. But I’d already posted that I thought the stuff was safe. And I thought it was worth pointing out that “best by” dates can be about facets of the food other than safety. I’ve thrown away bottled water because it was too old, and I thought it would be unpalatable. My best guess is that the capers will taste fine, unless the texture is completely gone. > [@keturah](#): > > Continuing the sugar sidetrack a little, yes, I am aware that the source of the sugar is either genetically modified (sugar beet) or not (cane), but sugar contains no genetic material. So from a chemistry perspective the source is irrelevant. A group of friends was joking about whether there is any DNA-free food (oh, you don’t want genetically modified food? Better avoid all DNA to be safe) and sugar was one of the few items we could think of that is actually food – it has digestible calories – but has little or no DNA as purchased. ---
**Author:** ![keturah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e95f7d/32.png) [@keturah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keturah)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-eat-this-jar-of-capers/811572/33 "2018-04-03T03:05:01Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > A group of friends was joking about whether there is any DNA-free food (oh, you don’t want genetically modified food? Better avoid all DNA to be safe) and sugar was one of the few items we could think of that is actually food – it has digestible calories – but has little or no DNA as purchased. I love this, sounds like a conversation that I would get into with some of my friends. There is a gang of us that are all food scientists, and we get into bizarrely technical food discussions frequently. It’s probably unhealthy! ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-eat-this-jar-of-capers/811572/34 "2018-04-03T03:45:57Z")
> [@keturah](#): > > Continuing the sugar sidetrack a little, yes, I am aware that the source of the sugar is either genetically modified (sugar beet) or not (cane), but sugar contains no genetic material. So from a chemistry perspective the source is irrelevant. True, but try telling that to Whole Foods, which are phasing out all products which come from GMO sources. Hence, all their customers calling us up all day long to make sure they’re safe eating the sugar (as though the GMO-ness is the biggest problem with it). ---
**Author:** ![keturah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e95f7d/32.png) [@keturah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keturah)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-eat-this-jar-of-capers/811572/35 "2018-04-03T04:11:05Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > True, but try telling that to Whole Foods, which are phasing out all products which come from GMO sources. Hence, all their customers calling us up all day long to make sure they’re safe eating the sugar (as though the GMO-ness is the biggest problem with it). Preach! My biggest problem comes from “experts” with little or no scientific training with a large online following who perpetuate misinformation as if it is fact. The food babe comes to mind. It is an absolute travesty, and demonizes the food industry for the bloggers own profit disguised as science. It’s shameful. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-eat-this-jar-of-capers/811572/36 "2018-04-03T13:32:23Z")
When in doubt, throw it out. We’re talking about an easily replaceable, 3+year old $4 condiment, not a $40 bottle of wine. If the wine tasted funny, no one would blink about pouring it down the drain. Sure, the capers probably pose almost no health danger, and quality is probably going to be OK, but why bother using such a cheap item when it can be replaced so easily with a fresher one? Especially if there is any doubt at all about safety or quality (the OP concern)? Replace it. ---
**Author:** ![expectopatronum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/expectopatronum/32/173_2.png) [@expectopatronum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/expectopatronum)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-eat-this-jar-of-capers/811572/37 "2018-04-03T15:08:00Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > I once (cautiously) ate a snack pack of canned tuna salad and crackers that were _six years_ past its best by date. It was highly unappetizing, especially the crackers, but no ill effects ensued. [This guy](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2I6Et1JkidnnbWgJFiMeHA) routinely samples rations packed decades ago and is still alive. He does exercise common sense, like not eating a bulgy can of Viet Nam-era [canned beefsteak](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swa-CZsfKnI&t=926s). He does exercise common sense and he doesn’t eat things which are moldy, etc, but he’s gotten food poisoning a couple of times and ended up in the hospital once. Although never for eating out of date capers. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2018, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-eat-this-jar-of-capers/811572/38 "2018-04-03T16:39:48Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > Thanks for all the replies. I figured it would be okay, but I wanted a second opinion. I trust the consensus here and will probably make my piccata tonight. It’s a really big jar I bought to make piccata years ago but never did, so waiting another night was no biggie. I realized anyway I didn’t have any wine, so… > Yeah, they actually do look pretty mushy at the bottom. Probably won’t bother with the bottom third of the jar. I’ve never had capers, so I don’t actually know what they are supposed to taste like. I expected them like little salty peas. Come to think of it, I don’t even know what capers are. Huh. > > I’m going to give it a shot tonight and see how it goes. Thanks, **Colibri** , for fixing my posting errors. You people are a great help! So … how was the piccata? You dead yet? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-eat-this-jar-of-capers/811572.md?page=1)