Sunday, January 26, 2014

Aerosol whipped cream expiration date - is it bogus?

Lots of info on the web, generally very conservative..."use no more than 3 weeks after sell-by date"

Well, I found a full can of ultra-pasteurized Reddi-Whip aerosol that has been sitting patiently in my fridge for a couple of years!

Yes, the sell-by date reads Oct 2012.

So after some research, I decided to give it a shot. The best guiding principle is "use your senses". Smells bad? Looks wrong? Tastes sour? Then throw it out. Geez, if you feel squeamish about it in the first place, don't do it.

Sprayed it into a bowl. No separation, no funky smell, no odd yellowish color. Pure white, like when it's new.

Next step: dip my finger and taste.

It tasted fine! Just goes to show that if it doesn't look moldy or gross, you should try to trust your own senses to determine if something is bad or not. In this case, it tasted bad IN NO WAY.

I've had containers of buttermilk 3-4 weeks past the expiry date still be fine.

Those expiration dates are often just a guideline...use your senses to figure out what's good and what's not.

10 comments:

ridge said...

We just bought can of rediwhip whip and it had a off taste like it was rotten has anyone noticed the trediwhp original tastes really bad. Thank you

ridge said...

Bad tasting sour tasting rediwhip

Unknown said...

I can't smell.....bad sinuses; but I can taste. Today is Easter Sunday, April 1st & this is no April Fool's joke! I found a can in my fridge that expired last July. I did the test suggested. It looked like it should & tasted like it should, so, I am using it & eating it!

Unknown said...

Today is Feb. 10th 2019. Just opened a can of Land O Lakes whipped cream dated Oct. 22nd 2018. Looks great! Tastes great! It's goin on top of hot chocolate.

Unknown said...

Jan 26, 2020 :( Just opened a can of fat free Reddi whip printed with sell by date of Mar 29, 2019 and put it on my sugar free jello...now I'm eating it straight out of the can. Still creamy, white, sweet with no off color, smell or taste, but it's not quite as thick or firm (maybe less nitrous left in the can?) Also, it was kept in an old, rarely used fridge on the patio in Texas and the temp inside reached over 50 during the day all summer long.

Strangytie said...

Feb 3 2020. Just had some from a can that was supposed to be sold by May 2018. Tastes and looks and smells fine!

Strangytie said...

Feb 4 2020. Had stomach pains for a few hours and an upset stomach. Could have been worse but... oof.

Christine 'Topher said...

TheTrekhippy here, it is common for unseeable, unsmellable stuff to grow in your foodstuff. That is why most information says to only use it up to 3 weeks after the due date. Unless you froze it solid, not even slightly semi solid but truly arctically solid. Very rarely can you cook out these microbes fully without burning your food to inedible quality. These microbes are what cause your stomach upset and diarrhea and while those symptoms may not be severe or a problem for a young healthy person, they can be devastating to anyone with any kind of health issue, known to them or not. PLEASE go carefully when resorting to taste testing. Better to wait on that sweet treat which your waist may not really need, spend a few extra dollars to get a fresh one, than to give yourself severe diarrhea and get dehydrated to a point where you end up in a trauma center.

Unknown said...

How would a sealed, pressurized aerosol can of whipped cream go bad unless it was already contaminated? I have two aerosol cans of whipped cream that have been in my refrigerator since purchased at around 36 degrees. One has been used and the other has been sealed. I sprayed the contents into equally sized bowels and both look and taste the same. Today is
March 16, 2023 and the "best by date" is Aug 8, 2022. The opened can was first used on
Thanksgiving day of 2022. I am no scientist but I am a very picky eater and unless someone can explain why they taste, look, and smell identically, but are unsafe to use, I maintain that the "best buy date" should be ignored unless you leave an open container out of the refrigerator for hours or the aerosol goes flat.

www.tanktronic.com said...

Is that the designated food poisoning fridge?