Emergency :: Does Top Ramen ever go bad..?
I have a case that is few years old. My hunch is that it never would go bad. The expiration date has long since passed. But age ain’t nothing but a number.
This is pretty much I all I have to eat and I am starving and I am not putting on pants tonight to walk to Subway.
If I have a few packets will I die?
I’m going to eat the shit in a hour even if I don’t get some sort of confirmation. So if this doesn’t turn out well it was lovely knowing you.
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18 Answers
Biggest risk world be the oils going rancid. If it doesn’t smell awful when you open it, I’d say it is probably fine. Might turn out mushy, but it won’t kill you
As long as the package stayed sealed, you’ll be okay.
Just skip the salty msg packet.
How about replacing the oils with your own cooking oil? I do it all the time for old ramen.
When I was in Boy Scouts, we opened this case of ramen that expired three or four years ago, and it smelled like cardboard. We ate it anyway, and it tasted just as it smelled. We didn’t die. These were the instant lunch cups.
Survivalist do not rate Ramen highly as a good long term storage “survival” item as they are noodles precooked in Palm oil that appear to go rancid not long after the expiration date.
If you do eat them make sure you are not going to be around anyone who will be pissed that you are so gassy.
Keep it in a cool, dry place and, if the bag has no holes in it, I would think it would last a VERY long time!
I’ve kept ramen in the pantry for years and haven’t had trouble with any go rancid. I’ve kept Top Ramen, Sapporo Ichiban and Maruchan on the shelf for rotation and not had any troubles.
I’m too late to this party but I’m guessing you lived.
I’ve eaten those way past expiration. 3 years? More? My nephew was throwing them out so I took them.
I figure the boiling water kills anything.
To be honest I didn’t notice a difference in taste. I doubt you did, too,
I recently finished a 15 year old MRE Beef Teriyaki . The candies were disgusting. The crackers were like cardboard but edible. Everything else worked fine for me.
Top Ramen is like consumer MREs. Every home should have a few on the shelf in case of emergencies.
@dxs ” we opened this case of ramen that expired three or four years ago, and it smelled like cardboard. We ate it anyway, and it tasted just as it smelled.”
So basically it was pretty much normal?
I should add, my basement is a relatively stable 56–58 F, 15C, year ‘round. I think that helps increase the shelf life of everything.
including: epoxy, spray paint cans, solvents, rubber tubing, etc. That is both a blessing and a curse. It is hard for me to throw stuff out when it still works – or is edible.
Use your senses.
If the look/smell/taste doesn’t repulse you, eat some.
If it tastes okay, eat away.
I know people that have eaten home-canned goods out of a root cellar, not knowing who canned them, or even what decade.
Trust your senses.
No.
As it was never good.
It is actually fantastic if you cook it right and then smother it in the cheap kraft Parmesan cheese until it becomes a gooey mess of delicious. Cheese nuggets on the bottom of the bowl are the best.
Damn, @johnpowell. Too bad you’re not local…I bought 10 pounds of grated Parmesan cheese yesterday for $4. lol
@johnpowell I pour a little olive oil over the noodles and then add the cheese! Sometimes I’ll sprinkle it with a few flakes of hot pepper flakes or other spices that outdated years ago. You’re right. It is delicious!
Right now I am using up poppy seeds from 2013. Toast, butter and poppy seeds for breakfast. And coffee made in a Keurig with a refillable cup – packed tight with grounds from 2 used ones. When that is finished, I dump the grounds in the paper grocery bag I use for burnable trash and it all goes in my woodburning stove to make BTUs.
A loaf of bread, 18 eggs, a pound of salted butter, a bottle of olive oil and a cabinet loaded with outdated spices and I’m good for a long time.
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