The week I discovered half my fridge was just expired condiments

Last Tuesday I pulled out a jar of pickles from 2022 and realized I've been storing a science experiment, not food. How many half-used jars of mustard does one person really need before they admit they have a problem?

2 comments

2 Comments

rivera.holly5d agoMost Upvoted

But hold on, I gotta jump in here and defend the expired condiment stash. In my experience, mustard and pickles are basically immortal, they don't go bad in a way that'll hurt you, they just lose a little zip. I've got a bottle of soy sauce from 2019 that's still perfectly fine, your mileage may vary of course. The real problem isn't having too many jars, it's not using them up in rotation before you buy the next one. So maybe the real issue is you're not cooking enough things that require three different kinds of mustard at once, that's a you problem not a fridge problem.

jamie_clark5d ago

Actually what nobody's talking about is how condiment hoarding is basically a form of time travel insurance. You keep that 2022 pickle jar cause part of you thinks maybe someday you'll invent a time machine or at least find a way to eat pickles from two years ago without dying. But here's the real kicker - I think it's actually about not wanting to admit you bought something on impulse and it didn't work out. Like you bought that fancy truffle mustard for one recipe, used it once, and now you're stuck with a jar that's basically a monument to a decision you regret. So it sits there, taking up space, reminding you every time you open the fridge that you're not the adventurous chef you thought you were. And that's way harder to deal with than just throwing out expired pickles.