I notice some people sell unopened soda bottles and cereal boxes from
past decades (1950s thru '80s for example).

Although many don't want to try eating or drinking them, and the
sellers recommend not to, is the food still good.

Could a cereal box packed away for 20 years still be good? Thanks.

In article >,
Tim923 > wrote:

> I notice some people sell unopened soda bottles and cereal boxes from
> past decades (1950s thru '80s for example).
>
> Although many don't want to try eating or drinking them, and the
> sellers recommend not to, is the food still good.
>
> Could a cereal box packed away for 20 years still be good? Thanks.

Considering the amount of preservatives in some of them, I'd bet so...

as long as weevils did not get into it.
--
K.

Sprout the MungBean to reply

"I don't like to commit myself about heaven and hell--you
see, I have friends in both places." --Mark Twain

On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 01:38:26 -0400, Tim923 > wrote:

>I notice some people sell unopened soda bottles and cereal boxes from
>past decades (1950s thru '80s for example).
>
>Although many don't want to try eating or drinking them, and the
>sellers recommend not to, is the food still good.
>
>Could a cereal box packed away for 20 years still be good? Thanks.

The items are sold for the collection value not the consumption
potential. An unopened box, bottle or package of just about anything
has more value. As to being able to eat or drink it, #1. Why and #2. A
real slim maybe if it was in an air tight can kept in a vaccum vault.

In article >, Tim923 > wrote:
>I notice some people sell unopened soda bottles and cereal boxes from
>past decades (1950s thru '80s for example).
>
>Although many don't want to try eating or drinking them, and the
>sellers recommend not to, is the food still good.
>
>Could a cereal box packed away for 20 years still be good? Thanks.

20-year-old Vegemite is just getting into its prime!


Cheers, Phred.

--
LID

"Tim923" > wrote in message
...
> I notice some people sell unopened soda bottles and cereal boxes from
> past decades (1950s thru '80s for example).
>
> Although many don't want to try eating or drinking them, and the
> sellers recommend not to, is the food still good.
>
> Could a cereal box packed away for 20 years still be good? Thanks.

Cereal? I *highly* doubt it, but tins and jars of food can <cough!> remain
edible a very long time indeed.




Shaun aRe

>The items are sold for the collection value not the consumption
>potential. An unopened box, bottle or package of just about anything
>has more value. As to being able to eat or drink it, #1. Why and #2. A
>real slim maybe if it was in an air tight can kept in a vaccum vault.

Yes, I know the items are just intended for collection and not
consumption, but I'm very curious if the stuff is good to eat. I
won't try it. Just curious.

>Could a cereal box packed away for 20 years still be good? Thanks.

It seems that Big Lots sells some of those cereals.

>> Could a cereal box packed away for 20 years still be good? Thanks.
>
>Considering the amount of preservatives in some of them, I'd bet so...
>
>as long as weevils did not get into it.

My grandpa used to say that cereal has so much perservative that even
bugs won't eat them and it would last for years packed away. I'm
curious if he was right.

On Thu 28 Apr 2005 05:37:22a, Tim923 wrote in rec.food.cooking:

>>Could a cereal box packed away for 20 years still be good? Thanks.
>
> It seems that Big Lots sells some of those cereals.

ROTFLMAO! You could just be right. :-)



--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 01:38:26 -0400, Tim923 > wrote:

>I notice some people sell unopened soda bottles and cereal boxes from
>past decades (1950s thru '80s for example).
>
>Although many don't want to try eating or drinking them, and the
>sellers recommend not to, is the food still good.
>
>Could a cereal box packed away for 20 years still be good? Thanks.

Depends on the conditions of storage (dry? cool?), the packaging (air
tight?), and what you mean by "good"! (safe - probably, nutrient
levels- maybe not for some vitamins, delectable- ewwww!).

Soda- no way. Even in cans, the darn stuff goes flat in a year or so.

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

Tim923 wrote:

> Yes, I know the items are just intended for collection and not
> consumption, but I'm very curious if the stuff is good to eat. I
> won't try it. Just curious.

"Good", probably not. After a number of years the quality starts to
deteriorate. So you'd lose flavor and texture. Shouldn't kill you or
anything, would just taste worse than canned food usually does. Boxed
food like cereal is probably way beyond stale.



Dawn

Curly Sue > wrote:
> On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 01:38:26 -0400, Tim923 > wrote:

> >I notice some people sell unopened soda bottles and cereal boxes from
> >past decades (1950s thru '80s for example).
> >
> >Although many don't want to try eating or drinking them, and the
> >sellers recommend not to, is the food still good.
> >
> >Could a cereal box packed away for 20 years still be good? Thanks.

> Depends on the conditions of storage (dry? cool?), the packaging (air
> tight?), and what you mean by "good"! (safe - probably, nutrient
> levels- maybe not for some vitamins, delectable- ewwww!).

I'm with Curly Sue on this. It depends on your definition of "good."
Will it kill you? Probably not, but human beings are a lot like
rats when it comes to food. We can eat damn near anything that isn't
actually poisonous and it won't kill or harm us. Would you want
to eat 20 year old stale cereal? Not me, unless it was one of those
post-apocolyptic situations where that's all there is.

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.

"Tim923" > schreef in bericht
...
> I notice some people sell unopened soda bottles and cereal boxes from
> past decades (1950s thru '80s for example).
>
> Although many don't want to try eating or drinking them, and the
> sellers recommend not to, is the food still good.
>
> Could a cereal box packed away for 20 years still be good? Thanks.

http://www.thesneeze.com/mt-archives...ont_eat_it.php

According to Steve a 1991 box of cereal is edible. It's not the 20 years you
asked about, but I find 14 years nonetheless impressive. Check out the other
odd food reviews on this page, they are hilarious!
(I got this link from r.f.c, if I recall correctly.)

Dana

>I'm with Curly Sue on this. It depends on your definition of "good."
>Will it kill you? Probably not, but human beings are a lot like

My def -- won't make you sick and won't taste so awful that it cannot
be eaten.

One time on Usenet, "Dana" > said:
> "Tim923" > schreef in bericht
> ...

> > I notice some people sell unopened soda bottles and cereal boxes from
> > past decades (1950s thru '80s for example).
> >
> > Although many don't want to try eating or drinking them, and the
> > sellers recommend not to, is the food still good.
> >
> > Could a cereal box packed away for 20 years still be good? Thanks.
>
> http://www.thesneeze.com/mt-archives...ont_eat_it.php
>
> According to Steve a 1991 box of cereal is edible. It's not the 20 years you
> asked about, but I find 14 years nonetheless impressive. Check out the other
> odd food reviews on this page, they are hilarious!
> (I got this link from r.f.c, if I recall correctly.)

The bit about Potted Meat Food Product is a stitch!

"There aren't too many products that feel the need to reassure
you that they are, in fact, "food." Already not a good sign."

I've never been brave enough to try that stuff, looks like I'm
glad I'm food timid...

--
Jani in WA ~ mom, vid gamer, novice cook ~
"The ships hung in the sky in much the same
way that bricks don't" - D. Adams, HGTTG

Tim923 wrote:
> I notice some people sell unopened soda bottles and cereal boxes from
> past decades (1950s thru '80s for example).
>
> Although many don't want to try eating or drinking them, and the
> sellers recommend not to, is the food still good.
>
> Could a cereal box packed away for 20 years still be good? Thanks.

It's not what you mentioned above, but your post reminded me of a
segment on the History Channel where somebody opened up a WW2 K-ration
on TV. The cigarettes and some other things still looked OK. The meat,
OTOH, came out as a pile of dirt.

On Thu 28 Apr 2005 09:20:51p, Adam Preble wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> Tim923 wrote:
>> I notice some people sell unopened soda bottles and cereal boxes from
>> past decades (1950s thru '80s for example).
>>
>> Although many don't want to try eating or drinking them, and the
>> sellers recommend not to, is the food still good.
>>
>> Could a cereal box packed away for 20 years still be good? Thanks.
>
> It's not what you mentioned above, but your post reminded me of a
> segment on the History Channel where somebody opened up a WW2 K-ration
> on TV. The cigarettes and some other things still looked OK. The meat,
> OTOH, came out as a pile of dirt.

Back in the late 1950s or early 1960s on the tv show "I've Got a Secret",
the secret was that the panel had been served pieces of mincemeat pie made
from mincemeat that was over 100 years old. Apparently, the mincemeat had
been discovered in the cellar of an 18th century building in NYC. It was
used to bake a pie to serve for this purpose. The panelists deemed it
quite edible.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

> Back in the late 1950s or early 1960s on the tv show "I've Got a Secret",
> the secret was that the panel had been served pieces of mincemeat pie made
> from mincemeat that was over 100 years old. Apparently, the mincemeat had
> been discovered in the cellar of an 18th century building in NYC. It was
> used to bake a pie to serve for this purpose. The panelists deemed it
> quite edible.


Well of course that was back in the day when host Garry Moore would give
each contestant a carton of Winstons as a prize...

--
Best
Greg

On Thu 28 Apr 2005 10:23:26p, Gregory Morrow wrote in rec.food.cooking:

>
> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
>> Back in the late 1950s or early 1960s on the tv show "I've Got a
>> Secret", the secret was that the panel had been served pieces of
>> mincemeat pie made from mincemeat that was over 100 years old.
>> Apparently, the mincemeat had been discovered in the cellar of an 18th
>> century building in NYC. It was used to bake a pie to serve for this
>> purpose. The panelists deemed it quite edible.
>
>
> Well of course that was back in the day when host Garry Moore would give
> each contestant a carton of Winstons as a prize...

LOL! That's probablyi true.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

At my parents motorcycle shop a mechanic's breakfast, a McDonalds egg
McMuffin with bacon was hidden away in a pocket on a motorcycle fairing
by one of the other mechanics. (They were always being mischievious)

The mechanic forgot about his breakfast and all was forgotton until...

the fairing was retrieved from the shelf 10 or more years later to be
installed once again upon a motorcycle. The pocket was opened looking
for fairing mounts and the McMuffin was rediscovered to all's amazement.

It looked just like the day it was made. Not a trace of anything growing
on it. Was it stale? Sure felt like it. Could you eat it without dying?
Probably. Would I eat it? Hell NO! I don't eat shit like that in the
first place! Arizona's dry climate and lack of air conditioning at the
shop probably "mummified" it.

We even sent it to the mechanic that "lost" it. After all it was his.
We didn't mention it was 10 years old. No he didn't eat it.

Bart

Bart D. Hull

Tempe, Arizona

Check http://www.inficad.com/~bdhull/engine.html
for my Subaru Engine Conversion
Check http://www.inficad.com/~bdhull/fuselage.html
for Tango II I'm building.

Remove -nospam to reply via email.

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> On Thu 28 Apr 2005 09:20:51p, Adam Preble wrote in rec.food.cooking:
>
>
>>Tim923 wrote:
>>
>>>I notice some people sell unopened soda bottles and cereal boxes from
>>>past decades (1950s thru '80s for example).
>>>
>>>Although many don't want to try eating or drinking them, and the
>>>sellers recommend not to, is the food still good.
>>>
>>>Could a cereal box packed away for 20 years still be good? Thanks.
>>
>>It's not what you mentioned above, but your post reminded me of a
>>segment on the History Channel where somebody opened up a WW2 K-ration
>>on TV. The cigarettes and some other things still looked OK. The meat,
>>OTOH, came out as a pile of dirt.
>
>
> Back in the late 1950s or early 1960s on the tv show "I've Got a Secret",
> the secret was that the panel had been served pieces of mincemeat pie made
> from mincemeat that was over 100 years old. Apparently, the mincemeat had
> been discovered in the cellar of an 18th century building in NYC. It was
> used to bake a pie to serve for this purpose. The panelists deemed it
> quite edible.
>

Tim923 wrote:
> I notice some people sell unopened soda bottles and cereal boxes from
> past decades (1950s thru '80s for example).
>
> Although many don't want to try eating or drinking them, and the
> sellers recommend not to, is the food still good.
>
> Could a cereal box packed away for 20 years still be good? Thanks.

About six months ago I bought a book on Ebay called "Sourdough Jacks
Cookery".
It was printed in 1970. It came with a small plastic bag of dried
sourdough starter stapled to the inside cover. Other people in
rec.food.sourdough reported that they had revived the starter from this
book. I gave it a try and after about a week I had a jar of bubbly
starter that had been waiting 35-years to wake up. I've made sourdough
bread and rolls from this starter and they are really good. So dried
sourdough starter can be revived and reproduce after 35-years.


Rusty