Vinegar is said to never go bad, as the acid content makes it self-preserving. However, if your white vinegar is no longer white, I would toss it. It's cheap enough to replace.

For better access, you might consider buying some lazy susans for your shelf. I bought these for myself this year and have become a big fan. They rotate smoothly and quietly.

OXO Good Grips Lazy Susan Turntable

Provide they are both still sealed (unopened), I would use them. Vinegar is used as a preserving agent and has an indefinite shelf life.

If you worry about using them as a food product you could consider using them as a cleaning product.

FYI "Best by" only means that the product may not be as good after that date. "Expired" means it is probably time to pitch. Some of the recommendations I see on some foods do seem a little silly.

Use them.

Absolutely use them!

"Best by" is exactly what it says. For the few dollars involved, I'd rather consume something not past it's prime. It may not be spoiled or dangerous but it's not fresh either. Many people prefer and go out of their way to have the freshest possible food, why would this be any different?

I wouldn't use them. Vinegar is cheap!

Folks, vinegar doesn't go bad :-) Not even sure why it comes with a 'best buy' date.....except that I think that is now a requirement for any processed food product.

I think you're ignoring the difference between spoiling versus changing in flavor.

Wine that has turned or oxidized is safe to drink. The flavor can be very unpleasant.

I don't know for sure but I'd expect flavor of vinegar changes with excessive storage time, which was what I was suggested with my "best by" comment above. Why give it any thought or concern, a few dollars resolves the uncertainty.

Elmer, if you do the research, unike wine, unopened vinegar does not go "off " or lose or change flavor if stored past the best buy date:

"And Here’s the Verdict – Does Vinegar Go Bad?

No, vinegar has an indefinite shelf life and can safely be used for cooking and cleaning, long after its expiration date.

Why do they even give an expiration date? To sell more vinegar, of course!

Studies have been conducted by The Vinegar Institute and confirm that vinegar’s shelf life is almost indefinite. It does not even require refrigeration. Its acid nature makes vinegar self-preserving. White distilled vinegar will remain virtually unchanged over an extended period of time. You may observe some color changes in other types of vinegar, but this is only an aesthetic change.

So, it’s good news. My three-year-old vinegar is still good – which is fantastic because we’ve already used it several times. How about you, how many bottles of vinegar do you have on hand? Stock up, because it has many uses and it doesn’t go bad."

I think there is a real difference between sealed pantry foods and refrigerated foods. I think the best by dates on sealed foods are suggestions. But I absolutely positively would allow very short windows on refrigerated foods and shorter still on foods removed from the refrigerator for consumption.

I would use the vinegar if it was in a glass bottle, but might not want to ingest it if it's been sitting in plastic for too many years. I remember when I learned to can food reading to buy fresh vinegar every year as the ph could change with storage, so I always buy fresh for that. Of course, you can use it for cleaning and if nothing else for killing weeds in walkways, etc.

I'm not liking that it changed color. I'd toss it. I just went through some of the dates of things in my fridge. I was surprised that I had things from 2016.

I like the idea of repurposing it. Clean your windows, throw it on some weeds as mentioned above.

Best by means it is at its optimum quality by that date, it does not mean that it has gone bad by then. Most vinegars last for years............what vinegar is good for almost ever and apple cider vinegar is good for at least 5 years after that date. Fancy vinegars such as balsamic do not last as long,but rarely go "bad".

I should add, I had the same question about vinegars because I've had some fancy ones for a number of years so I researched the topic several years ago.

I appreciate y'all's thoughts, I think for now I will put them back on a (visible) shelf and look at them again when I'm thinking of making something that requires them. Maybe when I'm not quite so tired, and chastising myself for letting things get so out of hand, I will have a totally different outlook on it, too.

They are in glass bottles, and they are still sealed, never opened. They are (were? ?) very good vinegars! As for replacing them, yes, it's a possibility. But personally I think "cheap" and "a few dollars" can be a subjective thing. I do use vinegar for some cleaning purposes, plain white vinegar. Can't imagine that Balsamic vinegar would be too good for that, though!

Rusty

Apparently you posted while I was typing, imdrno. So have you used the fancy outdated vinegars? How were they? I'm curious!

Rusty

gardeng, I think I clearly presented my thoughts in comments made before your latest comments. The questions you asked of me were already answered. In my opinion, of course.

Since balsamic vinegar is higher priced, much higher $100+ for a small bottle, for that which has been aged longer I would have no problem using it. While it is traditionally aged in wooden barrels some of the lower quality stuff is being aged in stainless steel. If when you open it the cap if metal does not look good then pitch.

Due to 'mobility issues', (for lack of a better term), I can no longer
reach or even see anything but the very front edge of this shelf,

I provide a solution. Just finished my 45th order for 2018. No senior should have to live without roll out shelves. :)

I have used the balsamic and the champagne vinegars after many years......they were fine. I think when people say vinegar is cheap, they are referring to white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, red and white wine vinegar. the specialty vinegars are a bit more expensive. I will also add, mine were opened. P.S. imdrno better known as Georgysmom.........having difficulty with Houzz once again!

Thank you for that bit of info, Maifleur. I'll keep that in mind!

Brushworks, the idea of roll out shelves is definitely a good one, where they would work. In this particular case, the top shelf is above my head by several inches. The second to the top is about eye level. But the way this area is built, there is no way roll outs would work. It is small, with U shaped shelves about 6 to 8 inches deep, around the sides and back. The frame for the louvered doors leave no room for anything to roll out. If I had thought things out thoroughly several years ago when we had one section of lower cabinets built, I would have had all drawers put in them, no doors at all. Talk about hindsight being 20-20 . . . . . . . .

Thank you. Imdrrno. That's good to know. I definitely feel better now about the possibility of using these vinegars sometime in the future.

Rusty

As an aside, I always write the date I opened something on the bottle. I think the best buy and expiration dates are based on unopened items. I will throw out things that have been open for a long time but not yet expired, like salad dressings.

vinegar doesn't even need to be refrigerated after it is opened. IMO "best by" dates are just to get people to toss perfectly good food items and buy new when it's not necessary.

ever notice nothing has a "do not USE after" date?

"ever notice nothing has a "do not USE after" date?"

That is what 'Use by' dates mean.

At least that is my understanding of the difference between "Best by;" and "Use by:"

Rusty

Am I the only one who thinks vinegar tastes "off" after a while? I suspect it oxidizes, especially when the bottle gets low. I especially notice this with red wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar. They are probably fine, but will have a little bit of a dirty foot odor. I'd toss the discolored vinegar and smell/taste anything else for quality. If they taste off, would you really want to consume them?

"Am I the only one who thinks vinegar tastes "off" after a while? I suspect it oxidizes, especially when the bottle gets low."

No, you're not the only one. I agree completely. Many missed this exact nuance of when I said above " I'd rather consume something not past it's prime. It may not be spoiled or dangerous but it's not fresh either. ".

If the botte is still firmly sealed then the chances of it oxidizing is low to none. Quite different from an opened and partially used one!!

btw, I have never noticed any sort of "off" taste with an opened bottle of vinegar.....vinegar just tastes like vinegar, even old vinegar :-) And I am not sure I understand how vinegar could ever be considered 'fresh' - it is fermented and distilled. Nothing 'fresh' about that process!!

No matter what experiences or preferences people have, gardeng, you'll try to refute it. So no need to discuss further.

I agree with you about not bothering with something past its prime, Elmer. Especially when it comes to something that is low cost, no reason to take chances. I'm a little surprised that more people don't seem to experience the same breakdown in vinegar quality that I do here. Maybe it is something about my environment that makes the vinegar extra strange after a while?

FWIW, I can tell a big difference between a new bottle of ACV and one that has been open for a month or two. I've used ACV for health reasons on and off over the past few years and just dilute it in a glass of water to drink. A fresh bottle tastes very good, after it's been open for a month or two, it is a little hard to power down. I tend to buy vinegar in the smallest bottles possible because of this.

As do you Elmer, as do you :-)

I agree than an opened bottle could lose the proper taste over time or that oxidation could occur. But the original question was about unopended bottles. And that situation is unlikely to happen with anything that has not had its seal broken or exposed to air. This is not just my opinion.....it is the statement made by the Vinegar Institute. If they don't know or understand their product, then who are we to contradict them?

Just received an article in my mailbox from My Recipes titled Does Vinegar go bad? How timely. According to the vinegar institute, vinegars last for years and years........many years after use by date. It may darken in color, get cloudy or have sediment in it but none of those things are harmful for consumption. The article said some sherry vinegars are aged for 75 years. I used a champagne vinegar the other day that had some sediment in it but since it was just for DH and me (and I was not at all concerned about the safeness of it) I didn't really care about the looks.

Life is too short to use out of date vinegar in any dish worth preparing.

"I agree than an opened bottle could lose the proper taste over time or that oxidation could occur. But the original question was about unopended bottles"

Don't be silly. There's air in unopened bottles too, just look at the neck above the liquid. If your "thought" about it were true, wine in an unopened bottle would last indefinitely and of course it doesn't because the air in the bottle causes oxidation and spoilage/degrading of the wine.

Well I guess we have two camps here - those who actual believe the industry and other published literature or their own experience that the shelf life of vinegar is indefinite and those who insist that it must be "fresh", whatever the heck that means. You pays your money and you takes your pick :-)

More silliness, you know what fresh means. And yes, personal experience also applies for me, vinegar ages and loses its fresh flavor.

It is not silliness at all! There is nothing "fresh" about a product that is fermented, distilled and often.....wait for it........aged!! None of those fit any recognized definition of what 'fresh' means when it comes to a food product.

I'd submit you are the one being silly, insisting on these arbitrary date rules or perceived taste changes on a product that does not deteriorate over time and in fact, often improves as it ages!

Now go ahead and insist on having the last word...as if that makes any difference at all.

''Now go ahead and insist on having the last word...as if that makes any difference at all."

So you get to decide when a discussion is over and make it look like anyone who makes a further comment is a jerk? No, I don't think so.

If you don't discern or care about the changes that take place with items that aren't fresh, fine. That doesn't mean that there are no differences nor that others don't taste them or care about it.

Now go ahead and insist on having the last word...as if that makes any difference at all.

Doggone it people! C'mon, PLAY NICE! ! ! !

I asked a simple question, I expected a number of opinions and got them. And I appreciate them! But for goodness sakes, why, oh WHY do some of you have to get contentious and start throwing barbed comments around? So-o-oo-o-oo child-like, unkind, unfriendly and unnecessary. SHEESH! ! ! !

Rusty