HELOISE: Check expiration dates on food cans

Dear Heloise: I was visiting my 95-year-old neighbor, and she mentioned that she had lots of food (canned and dry) left over because we did not have any bad hurricanes this year. She showed me her pantry. I picked up a can and read the expiration date: 2002! I told her she could not use it or even donate it, because it wasn’t any good. Upon further checking, half of it was more than five years old! I cleaned out all of the items that were expired.

I can’t help but wonder how many elderly people are stocking up on food and not watching the expiration dates! Somebody should be checking elderly family and friends and their supply of food, don’t you think?

Alice in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Alice, how right you are, and how wonderful to be so neighborly. Here’s the “scoop” on safe storage of staples: The United States Department of Agriculture states that canned food that is highly acidic (e.g., grapefruit, pineapple and tomatoes) has a shelf life of one year to 18 months.

Canned meat, fish, poultry and other low-acid foods will keep for two to five years. The ideal storage is in a clean, dry, dark and cool place.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: This is in regard to the hint about using glass cutting boards on refrigerator shelves. The tempered glass in our refrigerator broke. I went to my local hardware store and got a piece of acrylic cut to the shelving measurements. It fits perfectly, will never break, is easy to clean and is clear/see-through. Plus it was way cheaper than a new glass refrigerator shelf.

Kristen Watson, Gorham, Maine

Dear Heloise: Our toaster quit working, so in a pinch, I put a slice of bread in my Belgian waffle maker, pressed the lid down and waited. It came out just fine after about two minutes.

Bill in Salem, Ore.

Dear Heloise: When covering food with a coffee filter in the microwave, if the filter keeps blowing off, just dampen it, and it will stay put! Plus, the moisture can keep your food from drying out.

Martha C., Houston

Dear Heloise: We all get mail in business envelopes. I save these to use for shopping. I write the name of the stores on the outside, with the list of articles to be purchased for each store. Inside the envelope are all of the coupons or sales ads, as applicable. Sure keeps things together, and I don’t have to buy memo pads for shopping lists.

Dale Doerr, via e-mail

King Features Syndicate