Peanut Butter shelf life

[EricTheRed]

So everything I can find on the wonderful wide web says like a year or so past the expiration date is max. I just found a plastic jar dated best by Aug 06, (unopened), and in the name of science popped the top. It smelled fine, so I ate some. It tastes fine too. I am aware of the differences in taste buds detecting rancidification. But FWIW this stuff was still creamy, emitting PB aroma, and actually made me hungry.

What's the longest you have let this stuff sit? Assuming I am alive tomorrow to receive an opinion (I have no reason to think I won't be) does anyone have any real world estimates for an actual shelf life? I figure this could be a good place to ask since maybe there are some military types who got issued 20 year old PB and may have an opinion.

Thanks all.

[duece71]

Tagged for more info on this. I don't eat a lot of PB, my daughter has a PB allergy so we use sunflower nut butter which, once you get used to it, the taste is not that much different. I have heard that some foods consumed past the date will make someone sick, while others just lose a lot of nutrients but are still safe to eat. April 2006 for PB?? Amazing if so.

[smoe806]

I opened a plastic jar of crunchy Walmart brand Yesterday . It had a date of 10/11/12 . Tasted fine to me . I put it away after I read (listened) to One Second After in November of 2011 . Good Luck .

[alienb1212]

I love PB and it's one of the few good things in MREs.

I ate one that was about 8 years old once.

The oil had separated, and it was more cake-y than it would have been. Tasted ok, maybe a bit chalky. I did not get sick.

I didn't think to try to re-mix the oil in to the rest of it.

[RalphK.]

Sugar is a natural preservative and lack of water or any humid environment will preserve just about anything.

You can even skim the top mold off and eat what's below...I wouldn't practice it everyday but if that's all you've got after everything goes boom you'll be gtg.

[flyfishnevada]

Most of the "best before" dates and the like on food are voluntary and more about taste, texture and color more than the actual edibility. Lots of foods have been heated to temps during the packing process that will kill most bacteria and then vacuum sealed. Even if bugs did survive, they are deprived of oxygen and cannot grow or reproduce.

MRE's have dates but how they are stored makes the actual shelf life vary greatly. They aren't packed any differently that a lot of food in the grocery store. Store you peanut butter on shelf in your garage in the summer exposed to light, it might not even be edible before the date. Keep it in cool, dark location it might be good years after it's "expired".

[PA PATRIOT]

Hell for $2.29 a jar I would just rotate it with in six months of its expiration as long as it was never opened. I have read a few different opinions about PB and shelf life and none of them gave any indication that it can be stored safely much past one year if frozen.

[Guilty]

I only buy Adams natural peanut butter, none of the sugar added brands for me. Anyhow, I have found that I have to rotate these within 6 months, not because of the peanut butter going bad, but because the peanut butter seperates from the peanut oil and it becomes difficult to stir and make it creamy again.
I have stored it up to 15 months and the taste is fine, it just gets more difficult with time to stir so it is easy to use. For long term storage brands like Jif or Skippy will last for years although I prefer natural peanut butter if I am going to have peanut butter as a part of my regular menu.

[grendelbane]

Much depends on packaging and storage. Last year, I opened a pouch of peanut butter from MREs which had been purchased about 20 years previously.

It looked and smelled just like it was fresh. Might not have tasted good, but I couldn't see any reason not to eat it.

The next package had not survived however. Not a very large sample, I know. The one that survived may have been a one in a million freak, for all I know.

[kmrtnsn]

Grendelbane,

How were the other items in your old MREs? I just ordered and received a couple of new cases as the old, 10-12 year old MRE's I keep out in the garage seemed to be getting a little long in the tooth. I opened a spaghetti, which smelled and tasted fine, however, a chow mien wasn't so great. I may get another couple cases, who knows when the next quake will hit.

K

[PA PATRIOT]

For long term storage brands like Jif or Skippy will last for years.


Can you link to were you got this information? Everything I was able to research indicated a much shorter shelf life.

[grendelbane]

It's been about 6 months since I opened 3 that I had left. I had opened some cans of Mountain House that was even older, so I was in food shelf life testing mode.

As I recall, all of the crackers survived. 50% of the peanut butter survived. There was one sample of cheese, and it didn't make it. The entrees suffered 33% casualties.

All of the drink mixes, whether coffee, generic kool-ade or hot chocolate survived.

In the Mountain House can, everything made it. The color was a bit off, but the taste was OK. Tasted too salty, but I suspect it tasted too salty when it was brand new.

I don't think any adults today are going to outlive properly stored MH foods in the #10 cans. MREs don't hold up nearly as well. I would consider their shelf life to be years, not decades. Though, some food did survive for 2 decades in the MREs.

The MREs are not going to tolerate rough handling and temperature swings. They are convenient, but for decades long storage MH is the king.

[Southern Cross]

I use a lot of peanut butter in my stores. I've eaten peanut butter that is old as dirt. My grandmother would buy and store tons and tons of food. Particularly canned foods, peanut butter and honey. I can hear her now. Don't worry about the dates...canned foods are good as long as as there is no rust, dents or swelling in the can. Peanut butter is good as long as it doesn't smell oily. Honey will last forever.

That said...the peanut butter granny fed me had to be at least 10 years old judging by the looks of the paper. It was the '80s and the jar had a distinctive '60s look to it! I didn't die and I remember it tasted like what we used to call potato candy. The peanut butter was more like a really dry fudge. I was pretty young though. In any event PB is a good food store. Add the jars to your regular food rotation. When the shat hits the fin you'll be eating crunchy peanut butter loaded with protein while your neighbor is choking on his dusty MREs.

[tpd223]

Anyhow, I have found that I have to rotate these within 6 months, not because of the peanut butter going bad, but because the peanut butter seperates from the peanut oil and it becomes difficult to stir and make it creamy again.
.

Every once in awhile flip the jar upside down and let it sit that way, then it settles in the other direction and keeps the contents in more of a mixed up state.

[Guilty]

Every once in awhile flip the jar upside down and let it sit that way, then it settles in the other direction and keeps the contents in more of a mixed up state.

I use this practice but the oil tends to slip around the bulk of the PB and the inside core of the PB gets dry and hard. I have stored the Adams PB up to 2 years but I find a 6 month rotation works better for ease-of-use for me anyhow.

[EricTheRed]

Thanks for the info all. It didn't kill me :lol: or even make me sick, so I guess I'll keep eating it. I usually eat Adams but I was out and found this jar in the back of a cupboard, where it's been (cool and dry) since I bought it- I'm not real good at rotating my food I guess. It's a generic Safeway crunchy, so it probably has more added to it than the Adams, helping it to stay close to the proper texture and taste.

[Javelin]

I make my own. It's not that hard as there are only like 4 ingredients and I can use organic peanuts and void all the pesticides and rat shit found in commercial PB.

[twistedcomrade]

I always figure it is GTG for up to two years after expiration. With a 6 and a 9 year old, I haven't had to test that theory yet.

[Jack-O]

I've had some sitting for close to 10 years (skippy type not the natural stuff) and ate it just fine. I will say that it had lost some of it's taste and kinda got hard to spread. it didnt go "bad" but it wasnt very good either. Honestly after that jar I went to a 5 year rotation or less and chucked the rest of the 10 year stuff. ITSHTF it would be OK to eat at that point tho.

I consistently eat 3-4 year old PB now and it's just fine. very very little degradation.

[blake g]

The year I joined the military I ate a can of peanut butter (from the old C-Rats) that was dated Oct 1944. It was separated and after stirring it to smooth it out it went down my neck. It tasted fine to me at the time, granted my taste buds were pretty non-discriminatory at that time...


blake

[reaver22]

I have opened cans of veggies and other canned foods up to 3 years past the date and have been fine, if the can or jar is structurally fine and no cracks or punctures then it should be fine.

but I count it as luck and so far my luck is good

[Vic303]

If you are really worried about PB going bad, you can get PB powder from Emergency Essentials. Great for cooking, and you just add water to mix up PB for spreading. Simple, and no sugars added. Might even be salt free--not sure on that.

[Roklok]

Had peanut butter that was 20 years old in C Rations. Tasted fine.

[shootist1970]

Get "Peanut butter powder" that you re-constitute as needed...problem solved.

[williejc]

For three years I was a health inspector. Our state regs were based on federal guidelines. As stated, expiration dates address taste issues. The exception is baby food which must not be sold past the E date.

Canned goods should not have dents at the top where its opened. A severe dent anywhere on the can is reason for discard. When stocking up, check closely. Choose no dents.

Anaerobic bacteria thrive in the absence of oxygen. One example is the botulism organism.

Some pathogens produce toxins that are not destroyed by heat including boiling temps.

Chicken and other poultry products are big time nasty germ wise. This fact includes eggs.

I hate butt scratchers and nose pickers who do it and handle food at the same time.

People are unclean. I seldom eat out.

[EzGoingKev]

Peanut butter has an expiration date?

[Shao]

Peanut butter has an expiration date?

Obviously you've lived a privileged life. Old peanut butter tastes like mold.

[EzGoingKev]

Actually, it is quite the opposite. My peanut butter can sit around forever and I never tasted any difference.

[Shao]

Actually, it is quite the opposite. My peanut butter can sit around forever and I never tasted any difference.

When I was trapped in a second story apartment for two weeks during Ike, I had my fill of moldy peanut butter. It doesn't taste good.

Here's a little knowledge to scare you:

The peanut plant is susceptible to the mold Aspergillus flavus which produces a carcinogenic substance called aflatoxin. Since it is impossible to completely remove every instance of aflatoxins, contamination of peanuts and peanut butter is monitored in many countries to ensure safe levels of this carcinogen. In 1990, a study showed that average American peanut butter contained an average of 5.7 parts per billion of aflatoxins, per the U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines of 20 parts per billion.

[Airhasz]

I never payed attention to PB longevity until this thread. Now I will buy the smallest name brand jar and toss it if not used up in a couple of months...:shout:

[EricTheRed]

So then the aflatoxin will increase over time? Will that be evident with a corresponding "moldy" taste? That's an angle I knew nothing about, thanks.

[Saltcreek]

We are eating Jif we purchased in Jan 2005 right now. It's not even separated. Stored on wire storage shelves in the dark cool pantry area of our basement we have walled off. Looks and tastes like we just bought it. We mark everything with the month and year we purchased it even if there is a use-by date. Been doing that since 1998. I can tell you pickle relish in jars lasts at least 12 years too.

[EzGoingKev]

My grandmother used to buy the natural stuff and it would have oil on top. They lived through the Great Depression and NEVER threw things away.

IIRC she told me to look at the oil on top and if it was not discolored then the peanut butter was good and to mix the oil in.

[dudley0]

I just finished the last of my MRE's from the late 80's. All tasted as fine as they did back then.

I squeezed the PB in the tube before I popped it onto a dry cracker.

Seemed fine, even though these were stored in a non-climate controlled garage, an attic and a basement over the life time.

[Shao]

The mold must only propagates after the peanut butter has been opened, IE it's an aerobic mold. I've definitely tasted it on more than one occasion.

[lunchbox]

I make my own. It's not that hard as there are only like 4 ingredients and I can use organic peanuts and void all the pesticides and rat shit found in commercial PB.Whats the longest you've let one go, or have any exp. about homemade self-life vs store?

[EricTheRed]

The mold must only propagates after the peanut butter has been opened, IE it's an aerobic mold. I've definitely tasted it on more than one occasion.


Good to know

[Armati]

PB is fantastic survival food. Unless you have an allergy it is almost mandatory to have on hand. Keep it in your EDC bag. It has fat, protein, and lots of calories per gram. Many modern varieties are vitamin fortified.

For practical purposes it really doesn't 'go bad', especially if kept sealed in the original package.

[m1a_scoutguy]

I'm a little late here,,but this is a website that I use to find out all kinds of stuff about shelf life !!!
http://www.stilltasty.com/

[MAC6792]

Peanut butter that is all natural (just peanuts) is good for a few years if stored in glass. If its stored in plastic then it gets rotated out after 6 months as the oil begins to get rancid. Plastic is porous while glass is not. If its your standard Jiff for Skippy or other name brand peanut butters with hydrogenated oil then its good for many many years

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[they]

I heard that peanut butter was discovered, still fresh, in King Tut's tumb :eek:

[PA PATRIOT]

I heard that peanut butter was discovered, still fresh, in King Tut's tumb :eek:

No that was a Twinkie they found, still as fresh as the day they baked it. :blink:

[lunchbox]

I heard that peanut butter was discovered, still fresh, in King Tut's tumb :eek:I thought it was jars of honey that was still fresh, that was found?.? Probably both, PB tastes better with honey than jelly.:p