I have just discovered almost a whole bag of pasilla and ancho dried chiles stored in a dark, above fridge cabinet (that I forgot about), with a “use by” date of Nov 2022. They are dry, hard, and brittle.
Are these worth keeping or should I just toss 'em?
I would use them. I don’t know why a dried pepper would go bad.
Agree. Takes me forever to get through a bag of chile de arbol. I just checked all of my various bags of chiles and none even have any kind of use/sell by dating on them.
The only reason I’d toss is if they’ve lost most of their fruity flavor. I’d rehydrate a couple, scrape the flesh off with a knife and eat/taste test.
Scott - “that I forgot about”. The top-most over-fridge cabinets are where lots of my stuff goes to become a “Missing Items” report.
They’re toxic.
Give them to me.
I am sure it is a case by case basis, but in most normal circumstnaces, your dried chilies should be fine. (it depends if they are very dried or semi-dried)
They are pretty dry and crumbly. I just broke off a piece and popped in my mouth, and on chewing it noticed almost nothing. After a bit I noticed a bit of the fruity flavor, but almost no spice.
I don’t have an immediate need for these so thought maybe I could just toast them and then pop them in the FP or vitamix and make ancho chili powder, but am guessing it would be almost tasteless.
That maybe what expiration means too… The flavor is gone. There is a expiration of flavor and expiration of health/safety. Sorry to hear, but appreciate you sharing your experience.
For example, fish sauce takes a long time to go bad from a health perspective, but fish sauce taste quality change fairly quick.
