Just because a prepackaged food is well past its expiration date doesn't mean it is no longer usable.
One person shared a useful tip with the r/preppers subreddit, a community dedicated to exchanging ideas on preparing for extreme weather events and other emergencies.
"Ramen expires fast, but the seasoning lasts," they explained in the title of their Reddit post. "Today, I went through my big box of ramen from 2020 and swiped all the seasoning packets to use with my rice and beans. All the noodles were very stale smelling, but the seasoning is still fine."
The topic prompted several commenters to debate the safety of consuming instant noodles that have expired or have an off-putting odor, prompting the OP to mention that food can be hard to prevent from going rancid since they "basically live in a swamp" because of their region's high humidity.
A few people contended that eating stale noodles has never bothered them, especially if they needed to in an emergency situation. Others noted how the type of oil the noodles were fried in can cause them to spoil and therefore become potentially hazardous to eat.
Regardless, the simple yet practical idea of saving sealed seasoning packets is a great way to flavor food, especially when other means of making your meals tasty might not be readily accessible in the event of a natural disaster.
And with Earth's overheating fueled by human-caused pollution leading to more extreme weather patterns, handy suggestions like this one can help individuals prepare for hurricanes, wildfires, and more. Other preppers have suggested learning basic skills, packing only the essential tools, and reusing old pill bottles for a firestarter kit.
"My wife and I make our own 'ramen' and don't use all the seasoning that comes with the noodles, I save them for just this reason," one person commented on the original post. "... We have a quart Ziploc filled with ramen seasoning lol."
"I actually have a recipe that just uses the noodles and no seasoning from ramen," another said. "I have a whole Ziploc filled with packets. They're great for flavoring soups, and/or when you just need a quick 'chicken broth.'"
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