DS Forums

 
 

Is it ok to use old flour?


Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 24-02-2010, 20:47
Clank007
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,680

Hi,
My sister has just called me saying she has to bake a cake but the only plain flour she has to hand has a best before date on it of october 2009.

Would it be ok to use this flour as it has a 'best before' date rather than a 'use by' date? Or is the flour too old and dangerous health wise to use?
Clank007 is offline   Reply With Quote
Please sign in or register to remove this advertisement.
Old 24-02-2010, 20:58
MagiGirl
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 524
Because it's so long after the best before date, it will very likely have flour weevils (little insects) in it. I kept a bag of flour for too long one time and when I looked inside it, it was crawling with the things. If you Google "flour weevils, you'll see what I'm talking about. I eat almost all foods long after the best before date, but never flour. I wouldn't recommend using it.
MagiGirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-02-2010, 21:00
MagiGirl
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 524
Oh hold on, I was thinking it was over a year out-of-date but that's only four months. I'd take a close look at it and if I didn't see any insects then I might be tempted to use it.
MagiGirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-02-2010, 21:08
HALibutt
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Not far from that there London
Posts: 8,233
YUK!
I'm checking my cupboards and slinging it all out!

Now I know why I never eat anything past it's dates!
HALibutt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-02-2010, 21:22
MagiGirl
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 524
Flour weevils don't come from outside and invade the flour by the way - the weevil eggs are already in there when you buy it. If you use the flour before the recommended date then they don't have enough time to hatch, but if you keep it far beyond that date then the eggs will hatch and the flour ends up crawling with them. I remember them as being just a millimetre or two in length and they were very dark in colour, so they're easy to see against the whiteness of the flour.
MagiGirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-02-2010, 21:35
neon tiger
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Belfast, Ireland
Posts: 2,716
I'm really scared about flour weevils now!
neon tiger is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-02-2010, 21:39
Erlang
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Was UK now EU
Posts: 3,158
They used to hatch really fast in the Med, so we only bought flour when we needed it and chucked it after a couple of weeks if not used up.

Full of protein though
Erlang is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-02-2010, 21:57
Clank007
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,680
Flour weevils don't come from outside and invade the flour by the way - the weevil eggs are already in there when you buy it.
Thanks for your replies.
I just called her to say dont use it as there will probably be weevils in it - she screamed and threw the cake she has now baked in the bin.
I never knew there were weevil eggs inside every bag of flour - think i'll avoid all flour when I can in future as that sounds rank!
Clank007 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-02-2010, 22:22
MagiGirl
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 524
Provided you keep an eye on the best before date and always check for weevils - even in fresh flour - then they aren't really a problem. While this thread was in progress I had a loaf baking in the oven - it turned out so well that I just made some more dough and I'm now baking another. Being confronted by the bag full of weevils that one time hasn't deterred me from enjoying the pleasures of home baking.
MagiGirl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-02-2010, 11:08
HALibutt
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Not far from that there London
Posts: 8,233
Extra protein - again, YUK!!

If you can spot them in white flour how about wholemeal?

Even though I've heard about these critters I thought the main prob with using out of date flour would be it losing it's raising power (obv if its S Raising)

I think I read somewhere that these creepy crawlies are in other dried foods too if theyre not stored properly - and that they can get INTO your actual cupboards - is that true? Am I going mad? May have seen it on Kim &Aggie's show.

Time to clean out the food cupboards again!
HALibutt is offline   Reply With Quote
 
Reply




 
Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 17:28.