Do nuts go bad?

19 years ago

I'm so terrible about rotating my pantry items.

Did I post about the canned vegies from 2002?

The Bisquick "best if used by November, 1996"

Or the honey from 1987?

I've got three huge bags of almonds and walnuts in there. Probably at least five years old. They haven't been opened. Think they are still good?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (18)

lindac
19 years ago
I am afraid not....nuts get rancid and taste bitter and awful.
Open one and taste some....
You can try putting them out for the birds...but if they are too bad even the birds won't eat them.
The Bisquick will be awful...but the noney will be fine.
In the future keep things that may go rancid in the freezer.
Linda C
centralcacyclist
19 years ago
Ditto what Linda said. In my house, things like nuts and Bisquick will not only be rancid but may have bugs as well. I keep nuts in the freezer and flour as well if I'm not in a frequent baking mode or I buy large amounts.

Canned veggies will probably be safe but the flavor quality might not be as good.
Related Discussions
Do mufflers go bad?
Q
Comments (5)
Thanks guys for the replies. I removed the muffler and shook it and didn't hear anything rattling around. It looked a bit rusty but nothing unusual. One thing I couldn't figure out was what is the purpose of the 3 small holes on the front face of the muffler, near the edges that are distinctly different in location from the grid of holes for the exhaust gases (see URL for pic). Great idea about the gasket. I didn't see one. But I don't see one on Sears exploded diagram of the engine either. I'll have to check that one out further. Thanks. Here is a link that might be useful: picture of muffler
...See More
Bad US nuts this year...
Q
Comments (6)
Konrad, I can't speak much to the empty hazel nuts, but for the pecan and walnuts, it does sound like a storage issue. Pecans and walnuts have a high oil content. As you mention, that oil will go rancid with time. Freezing will slow that process. In the Midwest, they store nuts in cave storage. These are controlled temperature storage, but because the price of pecans has been low for the past couple years, the storage is pretty much full. The caves in Kansas City are all full (according to my wife's kin, who own a pecan orchard). I wonder if the nuts you purchased were stored w/o controlled temperature. As far as the hazel nuts, I know with pecans they are run through a machine which blows a stream of air across the hopper as the pecans drop. The airstream blows out the empty (lighter) pecans, while the full (heavy pecans drop down). Of course the empty pecans are then discarded. I assume the same equipment is available to hazel nut growers. Each truckload of pecans is sampled randomly by a probe which is shoved down into the pecans. If there are too many empty pecans, the grower is docked significantly. Based upon what I've been told, there is a strong incentive for the grower not to have very many empties. It sounds like this Golden Boy brand you purchased has no quality control whatever.
...See More
Raised bed garden going bad? Where do I buy compost?
Q
Comments (6)
Before purchasing anything labeled "topsoil" think about what it is you expect it to be. Since you already returned something being sold as "topsoil" since it was 80 percent clay would you expect other sources of "topsoil" to supply anything much different? A good garden soil will have about 92 percent mineral and about 8 percent organic matter which can be compost, leaf mold, shredded leaves, etc. I would not rely on the sellers assurances that what the seller is selling is what I want and have asked for about a 1 cup sample to test myself using this simple test. Soil test for organic matter. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. For example, a good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top
...See More
Do bulbs go bad?
Q
Comments (8)
Now I really have a problem. The seed company has finally mailed my tuberoses to my daughter's house in Austin. I had resigned myself to giving her a shipment of glads since I bought a package in Jan. plus have located sellers at the local Tuesday Market. However the tuberoses I have found locally have no scent. I am not going to be in Austin untiL late August and I really would love to have these........ There really isn't a cool place in Austin to hang bulbs in untill August. I won't do this again since they mail so late even based on Texas planting times.
...See More
marge727
19 years ago
Better yet, put some out for the birds now and see what happens. If they peck at them and walk away--throw them out. If they fall over, you may want to bury the stuff.
To solve the storage problem-- try what we did when remodeling. Don't shop for a month--use up everything in the house even if you end up with weird combos for dinner, or evaporated milk for your cocoa at breakfast. We all store too much.
Terri_PacNW
19 years ago
Yeah one taste and you'll know..LOL
Daisyduckworth
19 years ago
Safer not to do the taste test. Just toss them. Except the honey. It'll be OK.
BeverlyAL
19 years ago
I don't know about the Bisquick. I know the nuts definitely will not be good. I always keep mine in the freezer too.
lindac
19 years ago
Nothing un safe about tasting old nuts..... I wouldn't want to eat a serving of them...but a taste to prove they are bad or not is OK.
Linda C
diana55
19 years ago
kframe19
19 years ago
Honey, according to several sources I've seen, is about as indestructible a food as there is.
readinglady
19 years ago
Yup. Honey found in Egyptian pyramids is still fine. (Not that I'm recommending keeping it thousands of years!)

Carol
sigh
19 years ago
Ever since we had an infestation of those drugstore beetles that was so bad we couldn't get rid of them until we gutted the kitchen (not that I'm reccomending this...we were gutting the kitchen anyway) I keep all flours in the freezer or fridge.

Nuts get rancid. Taste one & you'll know. You may even be able to tell from the smell as soon as you open the bag. I keep them in the freezer now.

Nina
msafirstein
19 years ago
I'd toss the bisquick and the nuts and check to see if there is anything else tucked into the pantry that needs to go.

I had a very bad infestation of pantry moths about 15 years ago. I bought a bag of dog food at a Nursery one time and I think it was the culprit. But I never could rid my kitchen of the darn bugs again. After I discovered the bugs everything was put into tupperware or zip lock bags and I mean everything. I sprayed, I bleached, I repackaged, I washed everything in the house including taking all the pictures off the walls. I did everything possible and still moths were flitt'n around.

We finally moved and I tossed so much food fearing I would carry the moths to our new home. Gives me the willies just thinking about bugs in my cupboards....YUCK!

Michelle
livingthedream
19 years ago
If the nuts are in their original airtight packaging they may be in a nitrogen atmosphere which would delay rancidification (and the hatching of bugs). However, five years is a long time for plastic packaging to keep out oxygen.

Keeping fats chilled delays rancidification, but it doesn't prevent it. So fats can go bad in the refrigerator or even the freezer, but it takes considerably longer.

Bisquick contains shortening -- in other words, fat. If they used a shortening that didn't go rancid after a decade, it probably shouldn't be eaten at all. However, if they were still using coconut or palm or other tropical oils back then, it could be safe, but it's unlikely the leavening would still work.

As long as the can isn't leaking or bulging, open it and check the inside for any sign of the lining breaking down (discoloration of the interior or the contents). Canning requires foods to be so overcooked in the first place that as long as the can is intact, chances are there would be no noticeable difference in quality or nutrition.
denise8101214
19 years ago
Sometimes I'm naughty, but I wouldn't say really bad.

:)
diana55
19 years ago
Denise...........I thought they were talking about me too. LOL Diana55
Carol_Ann
19 years ago
Ditto what others have said, with one more note: nuts kept in the freezer can dry out, so try to use them within a year. They'll often keep longer than that but the difference will be noticeable.
hellpaso
19 years ago
vacuum seal the nuts before freezing, and they'll keep even longer.
lowspark
19 years ago
I'm pretty surprised this thread hasn't deteriorated further. Especially with comments like:

Nothing un safe about tasting old nuts

and

You may even be able to tell from the smell

Where's Jessy?

Do nuts go bad?

Comments (18)

lindac

centralcacyclist

Related Discussions

marge727

Terri_PacNW

Daisyduckworth

BeverlyAL

lindac

diana55

kframe19

readinglady

sigh

msafirstein

livingthedream

denise8101214

diana55

Carol_Ann

hellpaso

lowspark

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US