Can I Eat It: Almond Extract Version
September 6, 2015 7:12 AM   Subscribe

I'm at my mom's house, baking a cake for my grandma's birthday. The recipe called for 1 tablespoon of almond extract. checked the bottle after using it, and it says "Best by Sept 19 13H 2304." Am I going to kill my family with this cake?

My mom's pantry is a scary place, but I gave the extract the sniff test before using it, and it smelled like almond extract, which smells sickly/bad to me at the best of times. I know extracts are mostly alcohol, which should preserve them, but could the almond oil have, I don't know, degraded into pure cyanide or something?

Obligatory disclaimer that I can't believe I'm using a question on this, but I would hate to kill my grandma on her birthday.
posted by coppermoss to Food & Drink (15 answers total)
 
I would assume that means Sept 2019, and the "13H 2304" part is just some random manufacturer's code.

Best before dates for things like almond essence are not specified to the exact day, it's usually just month and year.
posted by tinkletown at 7:19 AM on September 6, 2015 [9 favorites]


I vote no. Extract is usually mostly alcohol and so it lasts a long, long time and does not readily harbor nasty microbes. "Best by" probably indicates that it will lose a lot of its flavorful compounds over time, but not that it will poison you. Note that it just might not be as powerfully flavored as you're expecting.
posted by Miko at 7:20 AM on September 6, 2015 [5 favorites]


Yep, use it without fear
posted by jshort at 7:27 AM on September 6, 2015 [1 favorite]


Totally fine. If it's old it might just be a bit weak.
posted by JPD at 7:29 AM on September 6, 2015 [1 favorite]


Do you mean 2004 rather than 2304?
posted by amtho at 7:42 AM on September 6, 2015 [2 favorites]


It's good until 2304! :D
Seriously tho, IIRC "best by"(for stuff that goes stale/flavorless) is different than "use before"(which is used for stuff that degrades into pure cyanide)...you should be fine.
posted by sexyrobot at 7:48 AM on September 6, 2015 [1 favorite]


I'm looking at my Publix bottle. "BEST BY MAY 30 16H 21:50" (the colon is very hard to see). I too had assumed it meant September 2019 but now I'd say it's a date. With that said, "BEST BY" means it's going to degrade a little after that, not that it's not food safe. I'm certain it's fine to use.
posted by ftm at 7:49 AM on September 6, 2015 [1 favorite]


If there's anyone else around, put a tiny amount in some coffee or milk to see how it tastes. The only bad result I might expect from a very old flavoring is an off flavor, and it would be a drag to bake something and have it taste not so great. You might be able to just judge if the label looks kind of older in style, or other signs of age. Happy birthday, Grandma!
posted by theora55 at 9:31 AM on September 6, 2015


I'd use it without hesitation. If anything, the flavor could be weakened or slightly off, but I'd guess it was still fine.
posted by quince at 10:35 AM on September 6, 2015


Yep, that format means "Best used by midnight on the last day of September 2019" and the other numbers are the manufacturer's lot number. Even then, the "best used by date" is not an expiration date: it means literally "best used by", not "do not use after this date". You can use your almond extract safely.

If you actually have any left in this bottle past September 2019 it will still be safe, but may have lost a little flavor (see Miko's explanation above). Happy baking!

P.S. The characteristic flavor of almond extract is from benzaldehyde, which doesn't break down to cyanide. Benzaldehyde isn't something you want to chug straight from the bottle, but don't worry about poisoning your family with a tablespoon of almond extract.
posted by Quietgal at 11:53 AM on September 6, 2015


My mom and grandma have/had similarly scary pantries. I'm 32 years old and my mom has some spices that are older than I am. I have eaten countless cakes made with ancient extract. You'll be just fine.
posted by gatorae at 4:21 PM on September 6, 2015


I would use it no question.
posted by Carillon at 5:28 PM on September 6, 2015 [1 favorite]


Heard a snippet of some NPR food show earlier todayinwhich they tested vanilla extract longevity, one bottle was 10 years old and was fine because it has so much alcohol. The alcohol content for McCormick's is 32%. You'll be fine.
posted by mareli at 5:38 PM on September 6, 2015 [1 favorite]


Almond extract is going to be an ethanolic solution of benzaldehyde. If it were cloudy or had a solid precipitate on the bottom I would try to filter it, but otherwise although aldehydes are "rather reactive" sitting in a cupboard the major byproducts are going to be benzoin (the aforementioned solid) and maybe some ethylbenzoate via a disproportionation reaction.


In otherwords no worries.
posted by koolkat at 5:25 AM on September 7, 2015


Response by poster: Had a slice after dinner last night and again for breakfast this morning with no ill effect. Thanks for setting my mind at ease!
posted by coppermoss at 8:59 AM on September 7, 2015 [1 favorite]


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