Out of Date Flour - Safety

NeedWillpower

Can't find any information on this anywhere, apologies if I have missed something.

How safe is it to use out of date flour please?

Does it make a difference if it is plain or seeded/granary?

pink_princess

It is fine as long as you do not have weevils in it.

Butterfly_Brain

I have used flour a year out of date and have never had a problem.
It could have something to do with being a child of the 70's, when there were no date codes on stuff.

McKneff

No problem about it being out of date but seive it all in case of creepie crawlies. If you find any, chuck it all out, the flour and the creepy crawlies, they will have shat in it.

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

BitterAndTwisted

The wheat-germ oil in seeded/granary/wholemeal flour will go rancid eventually but the smell is very distinctive, so you will know. White flour can be used yonks and yonks after the "Best Before" date. Note: it's a "Best Before" date not an "Inedible and Dangerous To Consume After" date

Toxic_Lemon

It's no good if you're making bread. I used an out of date pack last night and got a loaf about 4 inches tall. :eek:

BitterAndTwisted

Was it a bread-mix or flour well past the "Best Before" date you used for your bread Toxic Lemon? I've had problems with inactive yeast in old packs of bread-mix. I just treat it like plain flour and add the normal amount of yeast to it. I have an absolutely huge bag of dough mix here which should have been used up a very, very long time ago. As long as I add yeast and a bit of strong bread flour to it for the gluten my bread-maker likes it fine. Waste not, want not. Adapt and modify.

System

pink_princess wrote: »

It is fine as long as you do not have weevils in it.

This is only a problem if the end product is destined for a vegetarian, weevils bake very well.

Just_Plain_Jane

!!!!!! wrote: »

This is only a problem if the end product is destined for a vegetarian, weevils bake very well.

Just look at them as added protein. :rotfl:

Hezzawithkids

Just open the bag and leave it for about 10 mins. Any weevils will have crawled to the surface by then.

Smokemeakipper_3

I've used out of flour lots of times and never had a problem. Though I was led to believe that, like bread mixes, self raising flour gets inactive after long enough. Someone correct me if I'm wrong though.