[DisgruntledOne]

Hello everybody. I have been trying out different recipes. I feel silly even asking this but....
Polenta. I made it last week and still have some left. I bought the kind that is already made and comes in a tube. Kinda like saugage is in. I have opened it and wrapped it in a freezer bag(didn't freeze it but thought maybe the bag would keep it longer). How long do you suppose it will last?
Brown rice not instant. I recieved it from someone who doesn't like it. Will it go bad?? I put in a glass container. There is a bit of a smell when I opened the container but I can't determine if its cuz the rice is rancid now or if brown rice just smells like what I am smelling.

Thanks for the help!!

[Lizzie2010]

I think a lot of the expiration stuff is overexaggerated. I frequently eat stuff that's probably older than is "acceptable" and I never get sick. But then again, I've got a great immune system (lol so which came first the chicken or the egg...). Polenta should be fine. The brown rice, however, shouldn't smell. Was it already cooked? Or is it just dry brown rice?

[DisgruntledOne]

it was just dry. It came from a place that gives out commodities. I didn't even look on the plastic bag to see if it had a date on it. I'm like you. I always consider the date on the package as more of a sell by date and my nose determines if something is bad or not. But I didn't really smell the rice when i transfered to to the glass container to know if it was suppose to smell or not.

[CyndiM]

I regularly shop at a place that sells dry goods that are near, at, or even past (marked with a red tag) expiration date. I've never had an issue with any of those items. I'm more cautious with things that contain oil but they usually smell off when they get too old.

As far as stuff in the fridge, if it smells good and looks good we usually eat it. The one exception to that is things made with eggs (though not eggs themselves). I would be more conservative if we ate things made with meat, especially poultry.

ETA - is it possible your glass container actually had a leftover odor? I often package dry stuff in glass but am very careful about the original contents. For example, pickle and salsa jars get dried veggies I use in stews. Dried apples only go in PB jars.

[Jennifer 3FC]

Suzanne just posted this today:

http://stilltasty.com/

[Primm]

Brown rice does smell different to white rice. It has a more husky odour, I think.

Hubby and I have a standing disagreement about use-by dates. He comes from a single child, wealthy family, restaurant management background. The use-by date is gospel to me. I come from a large family and grew up on a farm, so most of our food didn't even have use-by dates. He threw out my yoghurt the other day because it was 3 days post-dates. Seriously, it's yoghurt! That's SOUR MILK, how much worse is it going to get?

I have been known to take perfectly good cheese and other goods that are a few days post-dates out of their original packaging and put them into unmarked plastic bags so he doesn't throw out "perfectly good" food...

[Jennifer 3FC]

Primm, I'm not even going to tell you how old some of my husband's cheese is. He's still alive after eating it, and that's all that's important.