What should you do about old canned goods?

Dear Heloise: I’m sure you have addressed this question many times, but I have missed the answers. What is the rule of thumb on discarding canned products? Stuff like canned pineapple, peaches, cherry-pie filling, etc., as well as mushrooms and chili. So many items have no “use/best by” date on them. I have nothing in bulged or ruptured cans, just some two years old and some not dated. I would appreciate any guidelines on when to throw away. Thanks for your column, I enjoy it very much. A Reader, via e-mail

Hmm — good question, and more important today, since we all are watching our budgets! First, call the manufacturer’s toll-free number. Have the can handy when you call so you will be able to read the code that is on the can or label. Ask how to interpret the coding system so next time you will be able to figure out the expiration code yourself.

According to the Canned Food Information Council, most food is safe to store for two years or longer if stored properly. But for the best flavor possible, open the can by the “best if used by” date, if there is one. To get your money’s worth, don’t buy cans that are dented, bulging, leaking or have a close expiration date. Heloise

Dear Heloise: It’s again time to break out our hard box of brown sugar. Many words of advice have been offered.

I never have a brick of brown sugar these days, because as soon as I open a new box, the remainder is placed in a glass jar with a good seal from store-bought spaghetti sauce, sauerkraut, pickles, etc. So simple! Grandma H., in California

Aloha, Heloise: I like to make different flavors of iced tea, but I always throw in a couple of bags of green tea for the antioxidants, and also a squirt of liquid ginseng. I love your site and your articles in The Maui News! Mahalo. Christina from Maui, Hawaii

Here in South Texas, we love our iced tea, too, but buying designer teas and coffees can get expensive. Why not make your own flavored teas or coffees at home using recipes from my money-saving four-page pamphlet? Just send $3 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (59 cents) envelope to: Heloise/CT, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. To make hot tea extra special, add a spoonful of maple syrup as a sweetener, or add a small amount of raspberry jam to flavor it. Heloise

Dear Heloise: To avoid fold lines in larger tablecloths, after pressing, fold lengthwise twice. Take the two ends and clip into a skirt or trouser holder. Voil ° — no fold across the middle! Faith, via e-mail

Dear Heloise: Rice cakes go stale very quickly, so I keep mine in the freezer, and they stay fresh! Jeanette Pitcher, Wiscasset, Maine

SBlt Send 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