J. Kenji López-Alt – The Food Expiration Dates You Should Actually Follow – The New York Times

By J. Kenji López-Alt

Jan. 24, 2023

5 MIN READ

Cooking  Feast on recipes, food writing and culinary inspiration from Sam Sifton and NYT Cooking. Get it sent to your inbox.

Have you been reacquainting yourself with the forgotten spices and fusty beans from the depths of your pantry? How fusty is too fusty? When is the right time to throw something out? And what about fresh ingredients? If I’m trying to keep supermarket trips to a minimum, how long can my eggs, dairy and produce keep?

Here’s the first thing you should know: Expiration dates are not expiration dates.

Food product dating, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture calls it, is completely voluntary for all products (with the exception of baby food, more on that later). Not only that, but it has nothing to do with safety. It acts solely as the manufacturer’s best guess as to when its product will no longer be at peak quality, whatever that means. Food manufacturers also tend to be rather conservative with those dates, knowing that not all of us keep our pantries dark and open our refrigerators as minimally as necessary. (I, for one, would never leave the fridge door open for minutes at a time as I contemplate what to snack on.)

Let’s start with the things you definitely don’t have to worry about. Vinegars, honey, vanilla or other extracts, sugar, salt, corn syrup and molasses will last virtually forever with little change in quality. Regular steel-cut or rolled oats will last for a year or so before they start to go rancid, but parcooked oats (or instant oats) can last nearly forever. (Same with grits versus instant grits.)

How to Cook a Whole Chicken in an Instant Pot – Fresh or Frozen – Kristine’s Kitchen

How to cook a whole chicken in an Instant Pot. This rotisserie-style Instant Pot Whole Chicken recipe is easy to make. The chicken is so tender and juicy!

Source: How to Cook a Whole Chicken in an Instant Pot – Fresh or Frozen – Kristine’s Kitchen

Is Natural Wine Actually Better for You? – The New York Times

By Jesse Hirsch

Sept. 23, 2022

“Natural wine is one of the hottest categories in booze right now, and the health claims are equally intoxicating: Drink natural wine, proponents say, and your headaches and hangovers will be less severe; you won’t feel as dehydrated; your gut health will improve.

“There’s a wide perception that when you’re drinking something cleaner, you’re drinking something healthier,” said Anita Oberholster, a grape and wine industry expert at the University of California, Davis. But, she said, “there’s no clear proof of that.”

So is natural wine actually better for you than its conventional counterparts, or is that just a bit of savvy marketing? We looked at some of natural wine’s most common health claims, and asked experts if they had any science to back them up.”

” . . . . . . Claim 2: Less severe hangovers

There’s a sense among aficionados that natural wine is less harsh or damaging to your overall constitution — “gentle on one’s system,” as Simon Woolf, a journalist and wine expert, said in a 2020 interview with Wine Scholar Guild.

Alice Feiring, a celebrated wine writer in New York City, said, “I don’t want to sound like other fanatics about this, but natural wine really feels better in your body,” though she was careful to note that this was not a scientifically backed claim.

Because natural wine tends to have a lower alcohol by volume (A.B.V.) level than conventional wines, some say, it’s easier to process the next day.”

Good Ariticle, great comments, and , there is a respectful reference to Alice Feiring, a famous member of Half Moon Sword.

18 Best Nonalcoholic Drinks of 2022 | Reviews by Wirecutter

“Pentire Adrift (about $40 for a 700-mL bottle at the time of publishing)

How we’d drink it: We’d make a Pentire Adrift and tonic to revive us on steamy days. This stuff is a natural substitute for gin, but it can also stand alone. As corny as it sounds, when we drank this concoction, we felt as if a sea breeze were washing over us.

Tasting notes: For something with such a simple ingredients list, Pentire Adrift dazzles. It’s subtly briny, and the verdant and citrusy notes—we tasted rosemary, sage, juniper, pine, and lemon—complement the salinity. Thin and lacking sugar, Pentire Adrift has the appearance of water or a clear liquor. It stands up well on its own over ice. And when Pentire Adrift is served with tonic, the result is a close dupe to a gin and tonic—and the herbal flavors still sparkle. (The company doesn’t call this an imitation gin, but Pentire Adrift does have some characteristic gin flavors.) The bottle’s chic, minimalist design makes Pentire Adrift feel especially fancy, like something you’d display on a bar cart. An extra perk: You don’t have to refrigerate this one.

Ingredients: water, British sea herb extract blend, lemon juice from concentrate, natural flavors, malic acid, Cornish sea salt, potassium sorbate

Serving suggestion: Serve 2 ounces over ice with a light tonic or soda, and garnish with citrus peel.

Servings per bottle: 12″

How Long Does Pasta Sauce Last in the Refrigerator? | Martha Stewart

Learn how long marinara sauce and alfredo sauce last in the refrigerator. Plus, get tips for storing and reheating them.

“Most jarred pasta sauces have a shelf life of about one year. However, once they’re opened, they should be used quickly. “After opening a high-acid canned food, like a tomato sauce, it can be stored safely in the refrigerator for five to seven days before being used,” says Shelley Feist, executive director of partnership for Food Safety Education. Aside from mold, there are no other visible signs that tomato sauce is past its peak. “You can’t see, smell, or taste the bacteria that can cause a foodborne illness,” says Feist. She recommends always reheating sauce to 145 degrees before using it to kill any bacteria that is a result of mild spoilage.

One way to retain the life of marinara sauce is by removing it from its original packaging. “While it is safe to store the food in the can, it will retain better flavor if transferred to a glass or plastic storage container,” says Fiest.”

Source: How Long Does Pasta Sauce Last in the Refrigerator? | Martha Stewart

David Lindsay:  I got food poisoning from the meat and vegetable marinara I made last night, and I’m confident that the culprit was the 8 day old marinara sauce. I asked google if I could wash the meat and vegetables, and reuse them with new marinara. Google couldn’t process this level of complexity.

I called my doctor, Robert Henry’s office, and it was 10 minutes before closing. I was put through to a nurse, but she didn’t take my call. Henry’s office is all business, and no customer service.

I called Dr. Bill Fischer, who hasn’t practiced in 26 years, and he said the question was weird, but he had no idea, but he eats old and out of date food all the time with out ever having any consequences. He recommended I leave the questionable food out  in the compost, or near the compost for the animals.

I then called Dr. Susan Gobel, and the pathologist thought it was an excellent question. She said, “The most common causes of food poisoning are killed by heat: salmonella, E.coli etc.  Blast everything with heat. Broil the remains in a flat pan at say 500 degrees till it all turns a little crispy.”

I will report back with the results of this little almost scientific experiment. As they say in Star Trek, Live dangerously and Prosper.