Lisa
I'm a PANK!!!
Member since 5/05 22334 total posts
Name:
Professional Aunts No Kids
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OCS - Old Condiment Syndrome!!
I got this email today from Flylady and thought it was good enough to share! I just went through my refridgerator over the holidays and threw out so much stuff!!
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Ladies, are you suffering from OCS? Old Condiment Syndrome? You know
what I'm talking about. Crusty ketchup bottles, icky, old Ranch
dressing and ancient mustard?
We all have as many condiments as we do cleaning supplies. FlyLady
says she knows what's lurking under your sinks (more cleaning supplies
than a janitorial service needs). Well, I know what you have in your
refrigerator doors. Fossilized condiments! And more than a busy hotdog
stand in New York City needs, too!
Did you know the refrigerated shelf life for mayonnaise is two months?
It is! So guess what? Today is the day you get to toss that stuff and
get a new one. Listen, if you don't use it often enough, buy a smaller
jar. Even though it costs more money, it really is the cheaper way to
go. You don't need nasty old mayo in your fridge!
Here are some more items you probably have languishing in the doors of
your fridge or way in the back:
1—Mustard. Not just the yellow kind, but Dijon, honey mustard, brown
mustard and that teeny, tiny jar of gourmet mustard from the gift
basket you received over the holidays with the funky taste. No one
likes it, but instead of throwing it out, you put it in the fridge.
Why? Toss it! Shelf life: 6-8 months in the fridge; 2 years unopened
in a pantry.
2—Jams and Jellies. Yesterday, I pulled out a raspberry jam that had a
"best used by" date of 4/5/05. YIKES! I bet you have some of those
too! Time to chuck them as well! Shelf life: 1 year in the fridge; 1
year unopened in the pantry.
3—Salad Dressings. A lot of commercial salad dressings have enough
preservatives in them to embalm you. However, nothing lasts forever.
If they've been opened for more than 3 months in the fridge, they've
gotta go too. Unopened, they'll last a year in your pantry.
4—Pickles. I think I've had the same jar of pickles in my fridge since
I've had the raspberry jam. The issue for pickles is they don't last
as long as jam in the fridge! Only 1-2 months opened and in the
fridge. For the pantry shelf? One year unopened. Time to boogie your
pickles!
5—Ketchup. I don't even want to know how old my ketchup is. Let's just
say probably from the same era as the pickles and the raspberry jam.
Truth is, it's only good for about 2 months in the fridge. Unopened
and on the pantry shelf, it can last a year before it needs tossing.
6—Salsa and Hot Sauce. Guess what? Once your hot sauce or salsa is
opened, it's good for just a month in the fridge! Don't wait for it to
mold; throw it OUT! Unopened, it's good for a year on your pantry shelf.
7—Olives. Oh yes, I confess. My olives are refrigerator pals with the
jam, ketchup and pickles! Out they go today…they only last a month
opened in the fridge. They'll last a year unopened in your pantry though!
Well, that's quite a condemning list, isn't it? The question is how to
know how old everything is? One rule of thumb if there is no date on
the jar or package and if you don't remember when you opened it, it's
probably a good idea to toss it.
How can you avoid Old Condiment Syndrome? By marking your condiments
on the label with a Sharpie (it will hold up to the refrigeration
without smudging or smearing) with the date so you know. You might
want to keep this list handy too in your Control Journal so you know
how long to keep these items.
Last thoughts on this and then you can go cure the OCS in your fridge:
unless you have a huge family or you're an overly zealous condiment
using family, it's probably best to stick with supermarket sized
condiments as opposed to the jumbo sized stuff that they sell in those
warehouse stores. Bigger isn't always better.
Have fun tossing!
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