Here’s a story that might surprise you, as it did me. My neighbour asked me how long a can of Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk lasts for.
I told her that I remember watching the show “Unwrapped” on the Food Network and they were doing a segment on Eagle Brand. I’m sure I heard the guy from Eagle Brand mention that it had a shelf life of 2 years.
My neighbour begs to differ. She says that since it states on the can “Product naturally thickens and turns caramel colour with age without affecting performance. Store in a cool, dry place. Refrigerate after opening.”, that it’s still good. She bought the cans in December 1999 !!! That’s 6 years ago!!!
She says all she has to do is cook it and it will be good as new. I opened the can and the milk is BROWN. She says there’s no smell, but I find that there’s a “hint” of sourness when you smell it. She says, it’s brown because it turned into caramel and is still good.
She’s a very STUBBORN woman and refuses to believe anything I say about this (don’t know why she asked me in the first place! LOL). So she’s agreed to go along with whatever you say.
So…after 6 YEARS, is a can of Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk that looks BROWN, is solid, has a “hint” of a sour smell, still good to cook with?
Aline,
You’ve got to be kidding!!! I wouldn’t feed any food (or dairy) product that was 6 years old to my worst enemy much less someone I liked.
If your friend does decide to use it and offers you a taste of whatever it was used in, run for the hills or at least have your local emergency room on standby with a stomach pump.
Seriously, having a friend who is a registered dietician/kitchen manager (for a major hospital) and all the rigorous training for food safety they go through, has made me mend my ways using food past its expiration date or anything (medicine included) that is out of date. You wouldn’t believe the horror stories.
Don’t be too hard on your neighbor. My husband never wants to throw anything away and always says “It’s OK!!” We eat left-overs that most other people wouldn’t touch…lol…I think it has made me have an iron clad constitution…I have to admit, I would never serve anything to family or guests that wasn’t super fresh…or in the case of cans new; however, I have used kind of cream colored sweetened condensed milk ( it was also a little thicker than the new stuff) and I never had a problem. I would only do this for my husband and myself, but didn’t really notice any difference in the outcome of the final product. Again I would never use it for company.
Dainty Dish
According to Eagle Brand Canada, the cans were purchased in 1997 and 1998. LOL Unreal!!! I saw her throw the cans out, although it did seem to pain her a little…hehehe too funny!
Hi Aline,
This is what i was told about it i hope this helps.
It’s natural for some products to change slightly in color, consistency and flavor when stored for long periods. As sweetened condensed milk ages, it progressively caramelizes, meaning that it gets darker and more caramel colored. This does not mean that the product is spoiled or presents any health hazard. If the sweetened condensed milk becomes unusually thick, stir briskly before using. For best results, store the product in a cool, dry place and use before the date stamped on the metal lid of each can.
[FONT=Arial]We do not recommend using the product after the 2 year shelf life. We recommend using before the “best used by†date stamped on the can. We hope this information helps! skyEyz_7[/FONT]
Aline,
Your neighbor must be related to my FIL. He goes to the salvage grocery stores and buys stuff that is “WAY” past it’s prime and tries to give it to us. No way. My family doesn’t have the emergency room/morturary on speed dial. Food poisoning is not a pretty site, so, as they say Buyer (or User in this case) Beware. In cases like this, I’m not sure who is at fault, the seller, buyer or victim (excuse me) unknowing consumer. Sure would hate to think that I had accidently made someone sick. Wonder if your homeowner’s policy would cover a trip to the ER if your guest suddenly became ill (LOL)???
At least you made a believer out of your neighbor!
Pat