Five Expired Pantry Items You Should Throw Away

If you are like most home cooks, there are secrets stashed away in your pantry. Perhaps, it is a jar of dried oregano you bought in 1997, or maybe brownie mix that expired during the last presidency. Many pantry items are fine to use long after their expiration dates if they are stored in a dark, dry place. Certain items, however, should be used up quickly and thrown away after a certain period of time. Here are five popular pantry items that you should purge if you can't remember when you bought them.

1. Baking powder

Baking powder is a common ingredient in baking. Its purpose is to create a rise in cakes, cookies and biscuits in which you do not use yeast. Most baking powders are made of baking soda, an acid, and a starch. When mixed with water, these elements create gas bubbles which results in a lighter, airier baking product. The baking soda element loses its effectiveness over time and will not create the necessary rise. This is the main reason for ditching old baking powder. Also, the acid is usually an aluminum sulfate and old baking powder often imparts a metallic taste to foods. These reasons also apply to old baking mixes, like biscuit and cake mixes. They simply won't rise properly or taste the same.

2. Yeast

Dry baker's yeast lasts a long time in the pantry but will also lose its potency over time. The best way to tell is to stir a teaspoon into a cup of lukewarm water with a teaspoon of sugar. If the yeast is still potent, it will begin to bubble and froth within fifteen minutes. If nothing happens, it is dead and should be thrown out. If you do a lot of cooking and baking, the best place to keep your yeast is in the freezer in a tightly-lidded jar, where it will last for several years.

3. Nuts and seeds

Nuts such as walnuts and almonds are common in desserts and most home cooks have a half bag sitting in the back of their pantry. Nuts and seeds have natural oils in them and these oils will go rancid at room temperature over time. It is easy to tell if your nuts and seeds are rancid because they will have an unpleasant bitter taste. Store all of your nuts and seeds in the freezer to prolong their life and allow them to warm to room temperature for an hour before using them in cooking.

4. Baking chocolate

Chocolate used in baking is a combination of real chocolate, sugar, and milk solids. Although baking chocolate won't go bad, it will change in its consistency and texture over time, taking on a mottled appearance and becoming bitter. Use fresh chocolate for your baking and, if you don't use it often, store it in the freezer.

5. Condensed milk

Condensed milk is a shelf-stable product that is created from evaporating milk and adding sugar to it. It will go bad eventually if stored long past its expiration date. Even after a year, it will begin to take on a darker coloration and not have the same taste. Check the expiration dates on condensed milk and do not use if more than three months past the date. If the can is bulging, remove it from the pantry carefully and throw out. Do not try to open the can.

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