Foods You Can Still Eat After The Expiry Date (2024)

Cake mixes are an easy way to whip up a dessert when you don’t feel like baking something from scratch. If you happened to stock up on packaged cake mix during a sale and haven’t used it all before the date on the box, don’t throw it away. You can still safely use the mix for four to five months beyond the expiry date as long as it’s been stored in a cool, dry place.

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Hard cheeses such as cheddar and Parmesan are still alright to eat even after mould has started to form. Just make sure to cut off any mouldy parts before shredding for your mac and cheese or topping your pasta. Generally, hard cheeses are okay to eat for a month past the expiration date.

Related: Cottage Cheese is Cool Again — See Our Best Cottage Cheese Recipes

Have you ever gone to make an omelette and noticed the date on your egg carton has already passed? Eggs are another staple that people don’t always use up before the expiry date. Here’s a trick to check if eggs have gone bad without cracking them open: place in a bowl of water to check the buoyancy. If it sinks, it’s still safe to eat; if it floats, throw it in the compost bin.

Related: 10 Egg Recipes You Need to Try for Dinner

The best by date on fresh bread is assuming you’re keeping your loaf sitting on the counter. But so long as you don’t see mould growing on your grains, it should be okay to make that sandwich or French toast. If you want to extend the shelf life of your bread, store it in the fridge — it can last for up to two weeks — or keep it in the freezer.

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If your butter is about to expire, pop it into the freezer to keep it fresh for longer. Keep in mind that it’s best to use it all once you’ve thawed it. Have quite a bit of butter left over? Use it for your next baking project.

Related: Are You Using the Right Butter in Your Baking? The Best Type for Every Baked Good

Pasta won’t spoil easily because it’s a dry product. You can use it well past the expiration date, so long as it doesn’t smell funny (egg pasta can produce a rancid odour). Generally, dry pasta has a shelf life of two years, but you can typically push it to three. So go ahead and make that lasagna or carbonara using the noodles you found hidden at the back of your pantry.

Related: The Definitive Guide to Alternative Pastas

Ice-cold temperatures prevent foods from going bad, so any packed frozen foods are generally safe to eat past the expiration date. If the food gets freezer burn due to dehydration caused by oxidation it won’t be very tasty. However, if you’re feeling frugal, freezer burned food is still safe to eat.

Related: A Guide to Using Frozen Vegetables

When cookies or chips get old, the stale taste is quite obvious. But as long as it doesn’t smell funky (the oils in the cookie may go bad over a long period of time) and it doesn’t crumble apart in your hand, then it’s okay to eat.

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If unopened, both smooth and crunchy peanut butter will keep for one year past its best before date whether stored in the pantry or fridge. Once it’s been opened, both are good for three to four months in the pantry or six to eight months in the refrigerator past that date. Natural peanut butter has a shorter shelf life — just two to three months in the pantry or three to six months in the fridge beyond its best before date. It’s perfectly normal for a natural separation of oil in your natural peanut butter. You can either stir it back in or pour it out and use it for cooking. If your smooth or crunchy peanut butter changed to a hard, dry texture or the colour darkens, it’s time to throw it away.

Related: Chocolate Peanut Butter Skillet Cookie

Not everyone likes the same cereal in a household. If members in your family enjoy different brands, those cereal boxes can stock up and will take longer to consume. Rest assured, cereal is OK to eat for up to six months past the best before date — so long as you can handle the stale flavour!

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Pickled cucumbers, peppers, beets or other vegetables are good for one to two years past their best before date, whether opened or unopened and can be stored in the refrigerator or pantry. They may lose their crunch over time, but are still safe to consume. How do you know if pickled items have gone bad? A sure sign is a rounded or dome-shaped top of the lid, which indicates the jar was not sealed properly. When opening a new jar of pickles, you should hear a pop when the seal breaks.

Related: 10 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Pickle, From Avocado to Okra