I’m a big believer in preparing big meals and then having leftovers the next day for breakfast, lunch, ordinner. Adding leftover chicken or steak to your omellette the next day is a great way to spice up your meals and add variety to your food intake. But what about the other things lurking in your kitchen pantry or fridge?

The need to dispose of unrecognizable leftovers in tupperware, which by the way now looks like a science experiment gone bad, is a pretty standard business. Ditto for anything well past its best-before or consume-by date on the label. But in the absence of such information, deciding what food items are still safe to eat and what should be thrown away can be an exercise in itself.

{This means its time to throw it away!}

Just how long have those half-filled bottles of salad dressing and jam been lining the back of the refrigerator shelves? And exactly when were those cans of soup, kidney beans, lentils or diced tomatoes, actually purchased?

Here are some guidelines that can help you know how long various food products are safe to eat.

1. Condiments (Ketchup, Pickles, Mustard, Relish)

Because these items contain vinegar, which acts as a preservative, the product can maintain its quality after being opened for at least a couple of months. It’s important for these items to stay refrigerated as much as possible as removing it from the fridge and letting it warm up to room temperatuve can lead to bacterial growth. As with any rule there is always an exception: mayonnaise. Yes, it contains vinegar but it also contains eggs which makes a perfect breeding ground for bacteria.

2. Foods Packed in Oil

These can include a wide variety of vegetables such as artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes. In this environment, your safe for a year because bacteria does not grow well in oil, but it’s very important that everything in the jar remain below the oil line. Margarine, which is 80 per cent oil, can last four to five months in the fridge; butter lasts about four months refrigerated, although it may get an unpleasant-tasting surface oxidation, which can be scraped off.

3. Jam or Jelly

The acidity of the fruit and the sugar content act as preservatives that should keep them edible for up to eight months when stored in the fridge. In the pantry, unopened glass jars of jam will maintain their quality for 12 to 18 months, as long as they are kept away from light, which can cause oxidation.

4. Canned Foods

This is a category with a wide ranging shelf life. Various health agencies in North America suggest for items such as tomato products, canned fruits and other high-acid foods should be used within 18 months. Low-acid foods (such as canned vegetables) have a shelf life of up to three years. Cans should be stored in a cool, dry place away from hot water pipes, the stove, other heating sources and sunlight, and should be kept dry to prevent rusting, which causes cans to leak and food to spoil. And any can that has been dented should be tossed out as the seams on the can may permit air or contamination to come in.

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