A can-do Internet user checks shelf life

Dear Heloise: I read your column about comments on canned foods that might have been in the pantry for a while and guidelines on shelf life.

Recently, I noticed a can of salmon we had in the pantry for some time and thought I might make some salmon patties, like my mother used to make. So, I asked the wife about the salmon, and she suggested that it might not be good due to old age. I just got on the good old Internet and searched the salmon factory/brand and found a Web site. There were directions for checking the codes on the can bottom to determine the age and the shelf life.

I appreciate the cannery that lets us have easy ways to check for important dates like that. It would be nice if in the store as we pick up a product, we could glance at the “best used by” date.

Many of us guys did not learn this stuff as young men, so your column is pure gold to us. Ken Middleton, via e-mail

Ken, thanks for the kind words! I’m here to help both young and old. Sometimes trying to find expiration dates on products is like being a salmon and swimming upstream! Heloise

Dear Readers: Peanut butter — should it be refrigerated or not? Well, here is what a leading manufacturer had to say: Unused or opened jars do best when stored at room temperature. Temperature fluctuations, hot or cold, can change the peanut butter, but it’s still safe to eat. Now I’m hungry for a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, with a little shredded apple for crunch. Heloise

Dear Heloise: I love hot tea with both milk and lemon, but the lemon curdles the milk, so I discovered that if I put a scant teaspoon of lemon extract in the cup of hot tea, I can enjoy both flavors without the curdling. Wanda, Denton, Texas

A cup of hot tea or flavored coffee is so comforting on a cold winter day. Want to make a different-flavored tea or coffee? Some simple, delicious hints and many quick, easy recipes are in my coffee and tea pamphlet. Send $3 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (58 cents) envelope to: Heloise/C&T, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. If you like your coffee to stay hot, warm the cup up first in the microwave by putting some water in the cup and microwaving for 30 seconds (or longer, depending on your microwave). Pour out and add the coffee. Heloise

Dear Heloise: Here’s a way to keep your outdoor garbage can from smelling: After the trash is picked up, leave the can out in the sun for several hours with the lid off. Then the first thing that should be thrown away is a newspaper (if you don’t recycle — Heloise). This will ensure that all the garbage comes out when it is emptied. Karen McVay, Colorado Springs, Colo.

XSend a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to (210) HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

King Features Syndicate