When you’re trying to save money there are few things worse than throwing away uneaten or out of date food.
Let’s clear something up straight away, best before dates can be eaten after the date on the packaging.
A 'best before' date, with the exception of eggs, just tells you how long the product will be in prime condition for, and in many cases, will taste just as good after that date has expired.
A 'use-by' date is more of a safety measure, to give you an idea of when food could be potentially dangerous to eat.
With 'high-risk' foods such as meat, fish and dairy, it's always better to be on the safe side and throw it out if the use-by date has passed - nobody wants to risk the chance of food poisoning.
Here’s our handy guide to foods that could last a really long time - if you store them correctly.
Onions
Finally, a practical use for all those completely unwearable tights covered in ladders.
As skeptical as you may feel putting this plan into action, storing onions in old pairs of tights and hanging them in a dark cupboard can make them last for up to a year.
Keeping them in a dark place and giving them as much air around them as possible is the key to making them last, so tying a knot in the tights between each onion will make this even more effective.
Potatoes
If you store potatoes at about 4C and in the dark they can last up to four months.
A dark cupboard is an ideal place to store them, just make sure you keep them away from apples and onions as both emit a gas that will ripen and rot your potatoes.
Cabbage
Fresh cabbage tastes the best, but you can keep cabbage in the fridge for as long as two months if you wrap it in plastic first.
Apples
Store your apples in a plastic bag and then place it in the crisper drawer of your fridge.
Don’t store any vegetables in the same drawer and you can enjoy your apples for a month or more before they start to spoil.
Carrots
Put a paper towel inside a plastic bag with carrots and they’ll last several weeks without spoiling.
The paper towel will absorb any moisture and help them stay fresh longer.
Pasta
You can store dry pasta in a dry, cool cupboard for about eight months.
Parmesan Cheese
You don’t have to refrigerate Parmesan cheese and it can last about 10 months.
Most people don’t eat Parmesan cheese by the handful, but it’s good to have on hand for pasta dishes or sprinkling on your vegetables.
Rice
You can keep almost all varieties of rice for two years or more.
Brown rice will keep just as long if you keep it in the refrigerator or freezer - once you open a bag or box of rice, make sure you store it in an airtight container.
Peanut Butter
You can keep peanut butter for about two years provided it is kept in a cool, dry place. It may separate, but stir it well and it’ll be as good as new.
Nuts
When you buy nuts still in their shells, they will keep for as long as a year.
If you buy nuts that are packaged without their shells, they will keep for about four months.
