shelf life of grits
 

I have an unopened box of grits in my pantry that says it expired in
September. Anyone think it might still be edible, or should I toss it?
(I'm in no position to be throwing away food atm.)

--

saerah

"Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a
disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice."
-Baruch Spinoza

"There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly
what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear
and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There
is another theory which states that this has already happened."
-Douglas Adams

shelf life of grits
 

i don't see what cvould go bad in abox of grits. most grains are good
for a long time. Have you noticed that they're putting expiration dates
on water now?

eat the darned grits!

shelf life of grits
 

Jude wrote:
> i don't see what cvould go bad in abox of grits. most grains are good
> for a long time. Have you noticed that they're putting expiration dates
> on water now?
>
> eat the darned grits!
>

I wasn't sure whether they would be likely to be rancid or not- I've
only cooked grits a few times, so I'm not sure what they are supposed to
smell like or whatever. I've got a ton of eggs; maybe I'll cook the
grits up up tomorrow with some butter and cheese, and have it with fried
eggs.

--

saerah

"Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a
disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice."
-Baruch Spinoza

"There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly
what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear
and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There
is another theory which states that this has already happened."
-Douglas Adams

shelf life of grits
 

On 2005-12-02, sarah bennett > wrote:
> I have an unopened box of grits in my pantry that says it expired in
> September. Anyone think it might still be edible, or should I toss it?
> (I'm in no position to be throwing away food atm.)

I'm no grits expert, but aren't there two kinds of grits? Natural
grits, stone ground white corn, and hominy grits, grits ground from
nixtamalized corn. Maybe someone can clear that up. Anyway, it's
been my experience that stone ground cornmeal is high in corn oil and
is therefor prone to becoming rancid over time. I keep freshly ground
cornmeal from health food stores in the fridge and use quickly. Not so
sure about grits, but it would seem to be a similar potential problem.

nb

shelf life of grits
 

notbob wrote:
> On 2005-12-02, sarah bennett > wrote:
>
>>I have an unopened box of grits in my pantry that says it expired in
>>September. Anyone think it might still be edible, or should I toss it?
>>(I'm in no position to be throwing away food atm.)
>
>
> I'm no grits expert, but aren't there two kinds of grits? Natural
> grits, stone ground white corn, and hominy grits, grits ground from
> nixtamalized corn. Maybe someone can clear that up. Anyway, it's
> been my experience that stone ground cornmeal is high in corn oil and
> is therefor prone to becoming rancid over time. I keep freshly ground
> cornmeal from health food stores in the fridge and use quickly. Not so
> sure about grits, but it would seem to be a similar potential problem.
>
> nb

quaker "old fashioned" (I may not be a southern gal, but I still know
better than to use instant grits :>) white grits. Ingredients are "white
hominy grits made from corn, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate,
riboflavin, folic acid. Does the processing of corn into hominy/grits
remove the b-vitamins? I thought the whole point of making hominy/grits
way back whenever someone invented it was to keep from getting pellagra!

--

saerah

"Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a
disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice."
-Baruch Spinoza

"There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly
what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear
and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There
is another theory which states that this has already happened."
-Douglas Adams

shelf life of grits
 

On Thu 01 Dec 2005 06:24:46p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it notbob?

> On 2005-12-02, sarah bennett > wrote:
>> I have an unopened box of grits in my pantry that says it expired in
>> September. Anyone think it might still be edible, or should I toss it?
>> (I'm in no position to be throwing away food atm.)
>
> I'm no grits expert, but aren't there two kinds of grits? Natural
> grits, stone ground white corn, and hominy grits, grits ground from
> nixtamalized corn. Maybe someone can clear that up. Anyway, it's
> been my experience that stone ground cornmeal is high in corn oil and
> is therefor prone to becoming rancid over time. I keep freshly ground
> cornmeal from health food stores in the fridge and use quickly. Not so
> sure about grits, but it would seem to be a similar potential problem.
>
> nb

It really doesn't matter what kind they are. Rancidity can be easily
detected by either smell or taste. In either case, they're not poisonous.
Since it's only a couple of months past the date, I doubt seriously if
they're rancid. I would smell/taste test the grits and if no off taste or
odor is detected, cook some. Taste again. I agree, don't waste them if at
all possible.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________________________

A chicken in every pot is a *LOT* of chicken!

shelf life of grits
 

"sarah bennett" > wrote:
> quaker "old fashioned" (I may not be a southern gal, but I still know
> better than to use instant grits :>) white grits. Ingredients are "white
> hominy grits made from corn, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate,
> riboflavin, folic acid. Does the processing of corn into hominy/grits
> remove the b-vitamins? I thought the whole point of making hominy/grits
> way back whenever someone invented it was to keep from getting pellagra!

Grits have expiration dates? That was news to me.

I know I have exactly the same brand and type you mention, Quaker Old
Fashioned. So I went down to the kitchen just now to check. Sure enough,
there's a date on it. On the bottom of the container is says "BEST BEFORE
SEP 02 02L3". My guess is that was 2002... so if you think you are having
problems! ;-)

It probably was best before September 2002, but I can't taste any
deterioration, but maybe it's happening so slow I don't notice. Maybe there
are subtle differences, but after the hot sauce on the eggs, I can't tell!
;-)

I'm sure it's safe, and if you're talking September 2005, I'm sure it's fine
taste-wise too. I guess if the storage conditions are questionable, with
really high temperature and humidity conditions, it could go downhill
faster. I have an air conditioned house where temperature and humidity are
always under control.

--
( #wff_ng_7# at #verizon# period #net# )

shelf life of grits
 

wff_ng_7 wrote:
> "sarah bennett" > wrote:
>
>>quaker "old fashioned" (I may not be a southern gal, but I still know
>>better than to use instant grits :>) white grits. Ingredients are "white
>>hominy grits made from corn, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate,
>>riboflavin, folic acid. Does the processing of corn into hominy/grits
>>remove the b-vitamins? I thought the whole point of making hominy/grits
>>way back whenever someone invented it was to keep from getting pellagra!
>
>
> Grits have expiration dates? That was news to me.
>
> I know I have exactly the same brand and type you mention, Quaker Old
> Fashioned. So I went down to the kitchen just now to check. Sure enough,
> there's a date on it. On the bottom of the container is says "BEST BEFORE
> SEP 02 02L3". My guess is that was 2002... so if you think you are having
> problems! ;-)
>
> It probably was best before September 2002, but I can't taste any
> deterioration, but maybe it's happening so slow I don't notice. Maybe there
> are subtle differences, but after the hot sauce on the eggs, I can't tell!
> ;-)
>
> I'm sure it's safe, and if you're talking September 2005, I'm sure it's fine
> taste-wise too. I guess if the storage conditions are questionable, with
> really high temperature and humidity conditions, it could go downhill
> faster. I have an air conditioned house where temperature and humidity are
> always under control.
>

my kicthen is a wee bit on the warm side with crappy ventilation, but it
was at the back of a cupboard,away from the stove. Normally, I would
just use the stuff, but I'm not that familiar with grits :)


--

saerah

"Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a
disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice."
-Baruch Spinoza

"There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly
what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear
and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There
is another theory which states that this has already happened."
-Douglas Adams

shelf life of grits
 

In article > ,
sarah bennett > wrote:

> I have an unopened box of grits in my pantry that says it expired in
> September. Anyone think it might still be edible, or should I toss it?
> (I'm in no position to be throwing away food atm.)

As long as they don't smell stale and there are no bugs in them, they
will be fine!

Expiration dates are a guidline.

I found an _unopened_ pint of heavy cream that had gotten shoved to the
back of the refrigerator a couple of weeks ago that had expired in
August. Other than being very thick, (I had to open the top of the
carton and spoon it out), it was fine. :-)
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

shelf life of grits
 

In article > ,
sarah bennett > wrote:

> I have an unopened box of grits in my pantry that says it expired in
> September. Anyone think it might still be edible, or should I toss it?
> (I'm in no position to be throwing away food atm.)

Cook and enjoy unless you see wildlife in motion. Put it in a glass
jar, BTW.
--
http://www.jamlady.eboard.com, updated 11-28-05 - Sam I Am! and Hello

shelf life of grits
 

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> In article > ,
> sarah bennett > wrote:
>
>
>>I have an unopened box of grits in my pantry that says it expired in
>>September. Anyone think it might still be edible, or should I toss it?
>>(I'm in no position to be throwing away food atm.)
>
>
> Cook and enjoy unless you see wildlife in motion. Put it in a glass
> jar, BTW.

I put all my opened grain products in glass jars or in the fridge, after
a particular gross encuonter with a few critters in my cornmeal. After
it was cooked. ick!

--

saerah

"Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a
disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice."
-Baruch Spinoza

"There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly
what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear
and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There
is another theory which states that this has already happened."
-Douglas Adams

shelf life of grits
 

On Fri, 2 Dec 2005, sarah bennett wrote:

> I have an unopened box of grits in my pantry that says it expired in
> September. Anyone think it might still be edible, or should I toss it?
> (I'm in no position to be throwing away food atm.)
>

If they don't have weevils and they haven't accumulated any moisture, they
are fine. Because it is so hot here, I
keep mine in the frige. I've never known of them "spoiling". They are like
rice, dried beans, dried pasta, etc. They will keep for a long, long time.

Elaine, too




> --
>
> saerah
>
> "Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a
> disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice."
> -Baruch Spinoza
>
> "There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly
> what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear
> and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There
> is another theory which states that this has already happened."
> -Douglas Adams
>

shelf life of grits
 

On Thu, 1 Dec 2005, notbob wrote:

> On 2005-12-02, sarah bennett > wrote:
> > I have an unopened box of grits in my pantry that says it expired in
> > September. Anyone think it might still be edible, or should I toss it?
> > (I'm in no position to be throwing away food atm.)
>
> I'm no grits expert, but aren't there two kinds of grits? Natural
> grits, stone ground white corn, and hominy grits, grits ground from
> nixtamalized corn. Maybe someone can clear that up. Anyway, it's
> been my experience that stone ground cornmeal is high in corn oil and
> is therefor prone to becoming rancid over time. I keep freshly ground
> cornmeal from health food stores in the fridge and use quickly. Not so
> sure about grits, but it would seem to be a similar potential problem.
>
> nb
>


"Grits" was (is?) a miller's size of grind exactly like "flour" or "meal".
You took your grain to a mill and ordered the grind that you wanted.

So, there could well be a number of products called "grits" as there are
with flour and meal. However, it common product eaten in the Southern US
called "grits" is neither of the products described above. They are,
indeed, hominy grits.

Hominy is a product made from dried corn. The corn is soaked in hot water
and with the aid of a product (lye, when my gram made it at home) to
soften the husk, the solid corn center puffed up and "popped" out of the
husk. Made of white corn, it is white. Made of yellow corn, it is yellow.

The hominy was (is) then dried and ground at the mill into "grits". When
the grits are reconstituted by cooking, one has a product much like cream of
wheat (soft and fluffy like rice cooked in water [not in a steamer]; soft
like oatmeal).

Grits are often confused with Polenta, which is ground corn (regular corn
meal with a Spanish name).

nixtamalized: I had to look this up. Having done so, the answer is no.

Elaine, too

shelf life of grits
 

"sarah bennett" > wrote in message
t...
> wff_ng_7 wrote:
> > "sarah bennett" > wrote:
> >
> >>quaker "old fashioned" (I may not be a southern gal, but I still know
> >>better than to use instant grits :>) white grits. Ingredients are "white
> >>hominy grits made from corn, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate,
> >>riboflavin, folic acid. Does the processing of corn into hominy/grits
> >>remove the b-vitamins? I thought the whole point of making hominy/grits
> >>way back whenever someone invented it was to keep from getting pellagra!
> >
> >
> > Grits have expiration dates? That was news to me.
> >
> > I know I have exactly the same brand and type you mention, Quaker Old
> > Fashioned. So I went down to the kitchen just now to check. Sure enough,
> > there's a date on it. On the bottom of the container is says "BEST
BEFORE
> > SEP 02 02L3". My guess is that was 2002... so if you think you are
having
> > problems! ;-)
> >
> > It probably was best before September 2002, but I can't taste any
> > deterioration, but maybe it's happening so slow I don't notice. Maybe
there
> > are subtle differences, but after the hot sauce on the eggs, I can't
tell!
> > ;-)
> >
> > I'm sure it's safe, and if you're talking September 2005, I'm sure it's
fine
> > taste-wise too. I guess if the storage conditions are questionable, with
> > really high temperature and humidity conditions, it could go downhill
> > faster. I have an air conditioned house where temperature and humidity
are
> > always under control.
> >
>
> my kicthen is a wee bit on the warm side with crappy ventilation, but it
> was at the back of a cupboard,away from the stove. Normally, I would
> just use the stuff, but I'm not that familiar with grits :)
>
>

Use 'em Saerah, they're fine. Trust me.

kili

shelf life of grits
 

On Fri 02 Dec 2005 03:31:56a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it kilikini?

>
> "sarah bennett" > wrote in message
> t...
>> wff_ng_7 wrote:
>> > "sarah bennett" > wrote:
>> >
>> >>quaker "old fashioned" (I may not be a southern gal, but I still know
>> >>better than to use instant grits :>) white grits. Ingredients are
>> >>"white hominy grits made from corn, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin
>> >>mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid. Does the processing of corn into
>> >>hominy/grits remove the b-vitamins? I thought the whole point of
>> >>making hominy/grits way back whenever someone invented it was to keep
>> >>from getting pellagra!
>> >
>> >
>> > Grits have expiration dates? That was news to me.
>> >
>> > I know I have exactly the same brand and type you mention, Quaker Old
>> > Fashioned. So I went down to the kitchen just now to check. Sure
>> > enough, there's a date on it. On the bottom of the container is says
>> > "BEST BEFORE SEP 02 02L3". My guess is that was 2002... so if you
>> > think you are having problems! ;-)
>> >
>> > It probably was best before September 2002, but I can't taste any
>> > deterioration, but maybe it's happening so slow I don't notice. Maybe
>> > there are subtle differences, but after the hot sauce on the eggs, I
>> > can't tell! ;-)
>> >
>> > I'm sure it's safe, and if you're talking September 2005, I'm sure
>> > it's fine taste-wise too. I guess if the storage conditions are
>> > questionable, with really high temperature and humidity conditions,
>> > it could go downhill faster. I have an air conditioned house where
>> > temperature and humidity are always under control.
>> >
>>
>> my kicthen is a wee bit on the warm side with crappy ventilation, but
>> it was at the back of a cupboard,away from the stove. Normally, I would
>> just use the stuff, but I'm not that familiar with grits :)
>>
>>
>
> Use 'em Saerah, they're fine. Trust me.
>
> kili

Are you gonna pay for her funeral?

Nah, they're okay.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________________________

A chicken in every pot is a *LOT* of chicken!

shelf life of grits
 

"Wayne Boatwright" > wrote in message
...
> On Fri 02 Dec 2005 03:31:56a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it kilikini?
>
> >
> > "sarah bennett" > wrote in message
> > t...
> >> wff_ng_7 wrote:
> >> > "sarah bennett" > wrote:
> >> >
> >> >>quaker "old fashioned" (I may not be a southern gal, but I still know
> >> >>better than to use instant grits :>) white grits. Ingredients are
> >> >>"white hominy grits made from corn, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin
> >> >>mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid. Does the processing of corn into
> >> >>hominy/grits remove the b-vitamins? I thought the whole point of
> >> >>making hominy/grits way back whenever someone invented it was to keep
> >> >>from getting pellagra!
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Grits have expiration dates? That was news to me.
> >> >
> >> > I know I have exactly the same brand and type you mention, Quaker Old
> >> > Fashioned. So I went down to the kitchen just now to check. Sure
> >> > enough, there's a date on it. On the bottom of the container is says
> >> > "BEST BEFORE SEP 02 02L3". My guess is that was 2002... so if you
> >> > think you are having problems! ;-)
> >> >
> >> > It probably was best before September 2002, but I can't taste any
> >> > deterioration, but maybe it's happening so slow I don't notice. Maybe
> >> > there are subtle differences, but after the hot sauce on the eggs, I
> >> > can't tell! ;-)
> >> >
> >> > I'm sure it's safe, and if you're talking September 2005, I'm sure
> >> > it's fine taste-wise too. I guess if the storage conditions are
> >> > questionable, with really high temperature and humidity conditions,
> >> > it could go downhill faster. I have an air conditioned house where
> >> > temperature and humidity are always under control.
> >> >
> >>
> >> my kicthen is a wee bit on the warm side with crappy ventilation, but
> >> it was at the back of a cupboard,away from the stove. Normally, I would
> >> just use the stuff, but I'm not that familiar with grits :)
> >>
> >>
> >
> > Use 'em Saerah, they're fine. Trust me.
> >
> > kili
>
> Are you gonna pay for her funeral?
>
> Nah, they're okay.
>
> --
> Wayne Boatwright *¿*

You dork! <grin>

kili

shelf life of grits
 

Jude wrote:
> i don't see what cvould go bad in a box of grits. most grains are good
> for a long time.

The company may have had problems with insect infestation... I would
suggest removing such products to a sealed glass/metal container as
soon as brought home.

> Have you noticed that they're putting expiration dates on water now?

Bottled water definitely spoils, it's no different than your own tap
water, bacteria levels increase over time to where it's no longer
potable. Most bottled water is not sterile. Even bottled distilled
water is typically not sterile. Even if you specifically buy sterile
distilled bottled water it will have an expiration date because of how
it is packaged, only if hermetically sealed (like water on life boats)
can it have a long shelf life, and even then it will go bad after say
five years or so and needs to be replaced. Even sterile medical saline
solution expires, anyone who wears contact lenses knows this. Why
would you think water doesn't spoil... water is not vodka.

Sheldon Eternity

shelf life of grits
 

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
> On Thu 01 Dec 2005 06:24:46p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it notbob?
>
> > On 2005-12-02, sarah bennett > wrote:
> >> I have an unopened box of grits in my pantry that says it expired in
> >> September. Anyone think it might still be edible, or should I toss it?
> >> (I'm in no position to be throwing away food atm.)
> >
> > I'm no grits expert, but aren't there two kinds of grits? Natural
> > grits, stone ground white corn, and hominy grits, grits ground from
> > nixtamalized corn. Maybe someone can clear that up. Anyway, it's
> > been my experience that stone ground cornmeal is high in corn oil and
> > is therefor prone to becoming rancid over time. I keep freshly ground
> > cornmeal from health food stores in the fridge and use quickly. Not so
> > sure about grits, but it would seem to be a similar potential problem.
> >
> > nb
>
> It really doesn't matter what kind they are. Rancidity can be easily
> detected by either smell or taste.

Not in my experience. I have never been able to smell rancidity.
A number of times over the years I have used things that smelled
fine, but upon eating the result found that they were rancid. I
wouldn't count on being able to smell it. Maybe some people's
noses are more sensitive than others and they can smell it.
I've had masa harina go rancid and whole wheat flour - those
are 2 that come readily to mind.

> In either case, they're not poisonous.
> Since it's only a couple of months past the date, I doubt seriously if
> they're rancid. I would smell/taste test the grits and if no off taste or
> odor is detected, cook some. Taste again. I agree, don't waste them if at
> all possible.

Storage conditions have a lot to do with it. Something stored
on a shelf at room temp is more likely to go rancid. And I assume
most people don't store things like grit in the fridge or freezer.
Also, the amount of oil in the item is what really matters. It's
the oils that turn rancid. I've never had regular Quaker yellow
corn meal go rancid and I would assume that Quaker grits would
also keep as well. I don't think they're very high in oil.

Kate

shelf life of grits
 

In article >,
Kate Connally > wrote:

> Not in my experience. I have never been able to smell rancidity.
> A number of times over the years I have used things that smelled
> fine, but upon eating the result found that they were rancid. I
> wouldn't count on being able to smell it. Maybe some people's
> noses are more sensitive than others and they can smell it.
> I've had masa harina go rancid and whole wheat flour - those
> are 2 that come readily to mind.

I know my dad can't taste/smell freezer burn as easily as I can.....
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

shelf life of grits
 

On Fri 02 Dec 2005 12:07:04p, Kate Connally wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> Wayne Boatwright wrote:

>> It really doesn't matter what kind they are. Rancidity can be easily
>> detected by either smell or taste.
>
> Not in my experience. I have never been able to smell rancidity.
> A number of times over the years I have used things that smelled
> fine, but upon eating the result found that they were rancid. I
> wouldn't count on being able to smell it. Maybe some people's
> noses are more sensitive than others and they can smell it.
> I've had masa harina go rancid and whole wheat flour - those
> are 2 that come readily to mind.

I must have one of "those" noses. :-) I can usually tell by one whiff.

>> In either case, they're not poisonous.
>> Since it's only a couple of months past the date, I doubt seriously if
>> they're rancid. I would smell/taste test the grits and if no off taste
>> or odor is detected, cook some. Taste again. I agree, don't waste
>> them if at all possible.
>
> Storage conditions have a lot to do with it. Something stored
> on a shelf at room temp is more likely to go rancid. And I assume
> most people don't store things like grit in the fridge or freezer.
> Also, the amount of oil in the item is what really matters. It's
> the oils that turn rancid. I've never had regular Quaker yellow
> corn meal go rancid and I would assume that Quaker grits would
> also keep as well. I don't think they're very high in oil.

Yes, you're right. Storage conditions make a difference. Also, as you
said, products like Quaker meal and grits are very low oil and would have a
lnger shelf life. I buy stone ground meal and grits that still have the
germ of the grain and, of course, higher oil. I keep them in the freezer
along with my whole grain flours.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

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