My ML and I were chatting last night and I was talking about needing almond extract she said she had some and it was going to expire and she was going to throw it out. I told her that I never knew that extracts expire.. I have had some mexican vanilla for 5 years and it never losts it's flavor .... and have had others for 2 years and it seems fine to me..Well I brought the bottle home and told her I would ask other cake decorators opinions on this so what do you think? I also have some syrups chocolate hazelnut vanilla expired? thanks

Hi, if there is an expire date, after that date I don't use it. straight in the bin.

Some products may still look or smell fine after they have expired but that does not mean they are still good. I throw anything expired in the trash. Things have an experation date for a reason.

sometimes extracts last for a couple of years, although 5 may be pushing it.

With the exception of bread, I can't even bring myself to use things on their expiration date. I don't know why I am so picky, but everything goes in the trash on the expiration date or the day after.
Just my 2 cents.

A friend of mine made my recipe for mint bars one time and brought them to work. This was a long time ago but I will never forget the taste- the peppermint extract had gone rancid and the bars, for me, were inedible. Others ate them- what is it about a group of people at work who will eat anything put before them? The baker said the extract WAS really old and smelled a little funny. It was a disgusting taste. Because of that I pretty much use them for no more than a year- course I buy vanilla all the time so it doesn't matter for that.

You're right... expiration dates are there for a reason... and sometimes that reason is because they want you to throw it out and buy more


Its flavoring. If it still tastes good, I'd use it. The peppermint flavoring would go rancid if it was peppermint oil.

KoryAK flavoring. If it still tastes good, I'd use it. The peppermint flavoring would go rancid if it was peppermint oil.ote]

Does the oils go bad too? and syrups? I tried the hazelnut in my coffee and it was still very yummy? I just don't use it fast enough and 5 years on the mexican vanilla no exp date it was a very large bottle but is also very yummy... maybe I don't know the diffrence since in has been so long??? lol [/quote]

Cheap, large-bottle Mexican vanilla is such a crapshoot that using older product rather than newer product is the least of your worries.

If you are using pure extracts i wouldn't worry about the expiration date as long as it looks good and all. Lets face it i could have a bottle of booze sitting in the cupboard for years and it would still be fine. And what is vanilla extract but vanilla beans and alcohol?

as a chemist, I can tell you that expiration dates are established based on the longest shelf life at which they can experimentally demonstrate product stability. That doesn't mean that it's not fine after that, it just means that they couldn't get consistent results beyond that. I don't know what the requirements they are under, they may be able to just max out at 2 years or something for sales purposes. I agree with the last poster on the stability of alcohol, as for syrups, I don't know, sugars change over time.

When I ordered a flavoring from an online store i got an email telling me that the flavorings were to expire within the week. i asked if it's still okay to use. they said yes but that you'd need more than usual because the flavor would have weakened.

I go thru stuff so fast at my house (especially milk) that I can't remember the last time I looked for an expiration date!

Interesting that this topic came up. I just purchased a bottle of the Princess Cake & Cookie Bakery Emulsion from a local cake supply store. I removed the seal so I could see what it smelled like since I have never used it. I then noticed on the back it had as Best By date of 3/08. So it's almost a year beyond that. Think it would be ok to use yet? I might call the supplier and ask their opinion although I think I know what they're going to say.

Maybe it is from being raised in a single-mom income household, but we use everything past it's expiration date. Just check it and make sure it doesn't smell or look funny. Heck, the clearance meat is just starting to get good! Give it a good wash and use it the same day you bought it. The only thing I can't do is milk - I'm highly sensitive to it going bad and can taste it days before anyone else in my house can.

If you're using it for cakes being sold or given to the public why would you want to take a chance with an expired product? I would toss it and wouldn't take a chance on making clients or family sick. If I kept an expired product in my shop, my inspector would be all over it. There are expiration dates for a reason and a reason health inspectors look for expired products during an inspection. Why gamble? Toss it.

Yea, I agree. If it didn't matter they wouldn't date stuff......especially things like baking powder/soda this can completely screw up your leavening if it's past the date on the can or box.

About the Mexican Vanilla. It's the one thing besides Kahlua that I always bring back with me when we visit Playa Del Carmen each year. The custom agents, if they're doing their job correctly will ask about the vanilla we declare on our customs forms. It has to clearly be marked with THIS PRODUCT DOES NOT CONTAIN COUMARIN in order for it to be allowed in the States. I've used Mexican Vanilla for years and I've noticed in the last 10 yrs that many of the shops sell the bottles that are not marked with this alert. You have to be careful about the ones you are purchasing. When you find the "good one" you can tell the difference, and it's not cheap like the others are.

Ah, excuse me, I wasn't thinking when I answered previously. If I baked professionally, I wouldn't take the liberties I do at home. I wouldn't use expired product (or allow my kid to lick the spoon while she's mixing. )