My grandma's 30 year old mustard collection is still in her fridge

I was cleaning out her fridge last weekend and found jars of mustard from the 1990s, all crusted over and turned dark brown. She said she kept them because 'they still have flavor' and wouldn't let me toss a single one. Anyone else got relatives who treat their fridge like a time capsule?

3 comments

3 Comments

foster.tessa18d ago

My aunt still has pickles from 2008, insists they're 'aged to perfection'...

blakestone18d ago

@foster.tessa What exactly does "aged to perfection" mean when you're talking about pickles? Are they still crunchy or are they basically pickle soup by now? I have to ask, has anyone actually tried them in the last 15 years? I'm pretty sure those pickles are just a science experiment at this point, not food. At some point pickling stops and decomposition starts. That jar might be more valuable as a historical artifact than a condiment.

pat_moore18d ago

Man, I feel your pain! I had to talk my dad into tossing a jar of salsa from 2015 last summer, the stuff had turned into this weird orange sludge with floaty bits. @blakestone is right on the money about that whole "science experiment" thing, I swear that salsa looked like something from a lab, not a kitchen. What finally worked for me was just quietly tossing one jar at a time when he wasn't looking, he never noticed because there were like 10 of them in there. Also told him I'd take him to the store and buy him one fresh jar for every one he let me toss, that sweetened the deal.