630248 Mon Jun 22 07:08:32 -0700 2009 22 33 Food Media and News 0 4794290 Just ran across this site (http://www.stilltasty.com) that provides info on how long all sorts of foods stay edible with different methods of storage - a one-stop source for answers to all those "Is my X still good to eat after I left it out on the counter all night?" questions that pop up here periodically. It seems pretty well-informed and is actually a bit addictive - though not nearly as much so as Chowhound, of course! Mon Jun 22 07:08:32 -0700 2009 14386 BobB 1 4794373 That is excellent! Thanks for posting! Mon Jun 22 07:35:55 -0700 2009 4794290 137495 dagwood 1 4794432 Pretty interesting. As one who is definitely not a religious observer of expiration or "best if consumed by" dates, I was admittedly prepared to have a look at this and write it off thinking that the estimates would be too conservative. However, it looks like most of them are right on the money based on my own experiences. I'll have to delve deeper into the list and see if that assessment holds. It looks like a "common sense" list. Mon Jun 22 07:54:34 -0700 2009 4794290 116047 The Professor 2 4794455 I agree - any site that says you can still eat a chicken that's been frozen for two years (while advising that it might be best used for a soup, not a roast) is no nervous nellie! Mon Jun 22 08:03:29 -0700 2009 4794432 14386 BobB 3 4794699 But they also advise not eating a cooked brisket after 3-4 days! That is not very long at all. Mon Jun 22 09:09:23 -0700 2009 4794455 10195 KTinNYC 4 4794724 I wouldn't know, no brisket has ever lasted that long in my house! ;-) Mon Jun 22 09:18:10 -0700 2009 4794699 14386 BobB 4 4794829 agreed, but keep in mind they probably still err on the side of caution for legal reasons. I'm sure they don't want to be held accountable for anyone getting sick. (case in point, they say an unopened carton of OJ will be good a week past it's date, I just opened one here 3 weeks past it's date and all are still healthy in casa dagwood.) Regardless, it's still more reasonable than most other info out there. Mon Jun 22 09:55:44 -0700 2009 4794699 137495 dagwood 1 4794735 What a great site - thanks! Mon Jun 22 09:21:13 -0700 2009 4794290 10532 LindaWhit 1 4794824 I've seen this before, but wondered "who" they are? There are no credentials displayed. Do you have any idea where they get their info? ~TDQ Mon Jun 22 09:54:59 -0700 2009 4794290 12005 The Dairy Queen 2 4794931 Good question, TDQ! I've just sent an Email to their comments@ Email address asking what their credentials are and if they have a food safety background of any kind and where they get their info. Let's see if anyone responds. Mon Jun 22 10:26:20 -0700 2009 4794824 10532 LindaWhit 3 4794936 Great idea, thank you! ~TDQ Mon Jun 22 10:28:22 -0700 2009 4794931 12005 The Dairy Queen 4 4795215 Got back a canned response: "Thank you for your recent email. We value your feedback and appreciate the time you've taken to write. We do read every email we receive. Sometimes, due to the volume of mail, we're not always able to provide a personal response or answer all questions. However, we will make every effort to incorporate your questions/comments in future site content. Thank you again for writing and best regards, The StillTasty team" So who knows if I'll get an actual response. Mon Jun 22 11:41:21 -0700 2009 4794936 10532 LindaWhit 2 4795538 If you visit this link on their site they talk about their sources of information. http://www.stilltasty.com/fooditems/food_storage_info Mon Jun 22 13:06:11 -0700 2009 4794824 14445 swamp 3 4795553 Oh very interesting, thank you. I'd still like to know who they are, though. It seems like a very professionally-produced site--I'd like to know who funds them and, therefore, whose interests they are trying to serve. ~TDQ Mon Jun 22 13:12:08 -0700 2009 4795538 12005 The Dairy Queen 3 4795598 Wow - not sure how you found that - still can't find it in searching through their links - but thanks! Like TDQ, it would be nice to know if they're independent from any companies who might have their own interests at heart. Mon Jun 22 13:20:52 -0700 2009 4795538 10532 LindaWhit 4 4795849 According to Justin Fox Time's business columnist the web site creator is a retired food safety expert with the Canadian government. Of course still does not mean it is not industry sponsored. I guess we just wait and see if a response is received. http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/2009/03/25/we-interrupt-our-regularly-scheduled-programming-to-bring-you-important-news-about-bacon-storage/ Mon Jun 22 14:27:40 -0700 2009 4795598 14445 swamp 5 4824607 Never did get any real response other than the canned EMail mentioned above. Thu Jul 02 10:09:13 -0700 2009 4795849 10532 LindaWhit 6 4824750 Makes you wonder whether it's being maintained or was just set up and left to sit on its own. Thu Jul 02 10:46:06 -0700 2009 4824607 14386 BobB 1 4794907 That sight is a great resource! My fridge went on the fritz last week...now I don't have to bother anyone with the "is my mustard still good?" questions. (and, yeah! It is.) Mon Jun 22 10:20:24 -0700 2009 4794290 57199 clamscasino 1 4796122 I am constantly calling my parents to ask them those questions and then ignoring their responses, so this website looks great. Mon Jun 22 15:57:23 -0700 2009 4794290 23771 JRSD 1 4823044 I dunno about this.. It says a watermelon is only good for 2-3 days at regular room temperature. I don't know about you, but theres no way in hell the watermelons being sold at Sobeys were picked less than 3 days ago.. how does that work? hell, i've seen the same batches of watermelons for WEEKS sometimes... Wed Jul 01 19:00:54 -0700 2009 4794290 115105 duckdown 2 4823369 An uncut watermelon is good for more than a few days at room temps...but a cut watermelon will start to go off pretty fast. Once I cut a melon, I try to use it up in 3 days even if refrigerated. It may not be technically bad, but it starts to taste odd. Wed Jul 01 21:15:51 -0700 2009 4823044 116047 The Professor 1 4824463 What a FANTASTIC site. Thanks for this! Thu Jul 02 09:31:14 -0700 2009 4794290 193813 rocks67