I can attest that the best-by date has indeed passed, that the quality of the product remains static versus what it was during at least the 60 days prior to that date, and that you probably are better off not having bought any unless you like fiddling with adding ingredients to bring the flavor up to a palatable level. I’ve been able to render it inoffensive at worst, almost decent in at least one instance, but never excellent. (Except the Zesty version; that stuff just hits me wrong no matter what I do, though some reportedly like it.)
@werehatrack Agreed. Still edible. In fact just opened another one this morning. While not the most exciting hummus ever, still love the ingredient profile. Can be doctored-up to suit. If I remember the product highlight correctly, they use some aseptic production technique to keep it from spoiling and be shelf-stable.
I love this stuff. I eat some every day, which is a good thing, because I have a lot of it. Sometimes, I “dress” it up with things like Kashmiri chili, Kasoori methi, garam masala, cilantro, S&P, etc. I eat it with toasted homemade baguettes, roti, naan, Wheat Thins, Triscuit, celery sticks, etc.
Best by dates are suggestions, not a law, not a rule, not regulated, but are unfortunately taken seriously by far, far to many. If you are one of those, then these are not for you.
I have a relative, who shall not be named, who would throw away an unopened gallon of milk for instance if it was one day past the marked date on the container. This to me is unbelievable waste owing to ignorance and an inability to think for oneself.
I grew up well before such dates were even a thing. We somehow survived. And horror of horrors, a lot of the food we ate we canned – get that, canned – ourselves at home in Mason jars from the garden or from what we bought at old time farmer’s markets. We judged whether a food was safe by sight, smell, and if it passed those two first qualifiers, we tasted it. No one got sick. No one. Nada. Not once in my family.
Most people today do not have that sort of judgement as they never had to develop those skills. So there is a lot, and I do mean a lot of food that is wasted.
I do refrigerate a Mezete Hummus container after opening, but otherwise store the bulk of my stock at ambient. An open container doesn’t last but one or two days at max here, in any case.
@Jackinga
Are you inferring that much of humanity is not actually that smart? [That’s been my studied conclusion…]
Why not tell your nameless relative that for most food, other than things that actually benefit from aging (such as cheese and wine) the literal “Best By” date is always the date it was produced, and then various chemical reactions start degrading it. So why don’t they automatically throw that food away before taking it home since it is past its BB date?
@Jackinga@phendrick
Hate to disagree but I find that some things are better after a few days like chili and stews. I also much prefer a nice steak to Rocky mountain oysters!
@chienfou@Jackinga@phendrick@werehatrack many soups are better a few days later after the flavors have really coalesced. I also find the lasagna and enchiladas are better a few days after fresh as well.
I can attest that the best-by date has indeed passed, that the quality of the product remains static versus what it was during at least the 60 days prior to that date, and that you probably are better off not having bought any unless you like fiddling with adding ingredients to bring the flavor up to a palatable level. I’ve been able to render it inoffensive at worst, almost decent in at least one instance, but never excellent. (Except the Zesty version; that stuff just hits me wrong no matter what I do, though some reportedly like it.)
@werehatrack Agreed. Still edible. In fact just opened another one this morning. While not the most exciting hummus ever, still love the ingredient profile. Can be doctored-up to suit. If I remember the product highlight correctly, they use some aseptic production technique to keep it from spoiling and be shelf-stable.
I love this stuff. I eat some every day, which is a good thing, because I have a lot of it. Sometimes, I “dress” it up with things like Kashmiri chili, Kasoori methi, garam masala, cilantro, S&P, etc. I eat it with toasted homemade baguettes, roti, naan, Wheat Thins, Triscuit, celery sticks, etc.
Best by dates are suggestions, not a law, not a rule, not regulated, but are unfortunately taken seriously by far, far to many. If you are one of those, then these are not for you.
There are no standards, no rules, and no requirements as to how and when such dates are determined. It is up to each manufacturer/producer to set a date by whatever criteria they choose. A producer can use these dates to keep product moving from their factory into the market by having sellers voluntarily clear the shelves with the date marked items.
I have a relative, who shall not be named, who would throw away an unopened gallon of milk for instance if it was one day past the marked date on the container. This to me is unbelievable waste owing to ignorance and an inability to think for oneself.
I grew up well before such dates were even a thing. We somehow survived. And horror of horrors, a lot of the food we ate we canned – get that, canned – ourselves at home in Mason jars from the garden or from what we bought at old time farmer’s markets. We judged whether a food was safe by sight, smell, and if it passed those two first qualifiers, we tasted it. No one got sick. No one. Nada. Not once in my family.
Most people today do not have that sort of judgement as they never had to develop those skills. So there is a lot, and I do mean a lot of food that is wasted.
I do refrigerate a Mezete Hummus container after opening, but otherwise store the bulk of my stock at ambient. An open container doesn’t last but one or two days at max here, in any case.
@Jackinga
Are you inferring that much of humanity is not actually that smart? [That’s been my studied conclusion…]
Why not tell your nameless relative that for most food, other than things that actually benefit from aging (such as cheese and wine) the literal “Best By” date is always the date it was produced, and then various chemical reactions start degrading it. So why don’t they automatically throw that food away before taking it home since it is past its BB date?
@Jackinga @phendrick
Hate to disagree but I find that some things are better after a few days like chili and stews. I also much prefer a nice steak to Rocky mountain oysters!
@chienfou @Jackinga @phendrick Balls!
@chienfou @Jackinga @phendrick Pumpkin pie needs to age three eays before eating, as just one reliable example.
@chienfou @Jackinga @phendrick @werehatrack many soups are better a few days later after the flavors have really coalesced. I also find the lasagna and enchiladas are better a few days after fresh as well.
@Jackinga canning/preservation was the original supplementation of probiotics!