Box Mac-n-cheese Expiration Date?

[Britesea]

My mom is French, and during WWII times were lean indeed. She never completely lost that, and I can remember any time we had chicken you were expected to eat every vestige of edible, including the cartilage. To this day, I don't really like to eat chicken in public, because people get a little weirded out when I eat a chicken wing, lol.

 

[CLSranch]

As far as how long. I'd say until the bots get in. Best used by ???? is mostly preventing lawsuits. I had a friend who got bread not for human consumption (we ate it). It couldn't be sold for human use. I'd feed my store brought bread to the horses and get some of his. It's was months fresher than mine.

Another use is to add it hamburger helper. I don't like hamburger helper.

 

[tortoise]

Freezing sounds good. I am thinking the sauce packet could get rancid. And it will prevent any bug problems too.

I like the idea of separating, but I think we'll eat it fast enough that it wouldn't be worth the work.

 

[flowerbug]

Way back in the day, when I was a child (forEVER ago) when we would go camping my mother would make this "stuff." She'd cook a box of mac and cheese, then dump in a can of chili, and a can of mushroom soup and mix it up and call it "camping casserole." I'm trying to remember if it had a can of tomato soup in it. Seriously can't remember. But, we scarfed that stuff up.

tuna slop was a big thing here. can of tuna, package of frozen veggies and a box of mac-n-cheese. we ate so much of that for years that while i like it and could eat it again, do i really have to? nope. i'll make something else instead. like we'll easily eat just plain macaroni and tomatoes.

 

[tortoise]

Way back in the day, when I was a child (forEVER ago) when we would go camping my mother would make this "stuff." She'd cook a box of mac and cheese, then dump in a can of chili, and a can of mushroom soup and mix it up and call it "camping casserole." I'm trying to remember if it had a can of tomato soup in it. Seriously can't remember. But, we scarfed that stuff up.

My XDH's family made "cowboy casserole". Box of mac n cheese, can of diced tomatoes, pack of cheap hot dogs chopped up. It feeds the kids when you are broke. XDH liked it.

 

[Hinotori]

We had a lot of casseroles. Bechamel sauce is cheap and easy to make. Then add cheese for a cheese sauce. Tuna noodles, chicken noodles, beef noodles, deer or elk noodles.

Ate a lot of potatoes growing up. Great uncle farmed them and would give 50 lb boxes. Mom still goes up and gets her 6 boxes for the winter. So we had potatoes every day almost. Gravy is cheap and any that was left over after potatoes were gone could be lunch of bread and gravy.

Dad will not eat mac and cheese. They ate it too much when he was a kid.

Hubby won't eat canned ravioli because of a cruise where they served it every day for months. I don't know if the Navy got a deal on it or what. Usually the carriers had better food options.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I tried a box of Mac&Cheese that was 4 years old - it was not good.
I tried a box of the cooked butterscotch pudding that was 4 years old and that was bad also.
I found a box of food stuff that was never unpacked and used up after we moved, so that is why the 4-year mark was hit. Now anything over 3 years old that has dairy type ingredients is automatically thrown away. Over 1 year is used with caution.

 

[tortoise]

DH bought 2 more cases of mac n cheese boxes. 🤣 We have used most of a case - in 2 weeks. 🤣

 

[wyoDreamer]

Last week I saw Mac & Cheese was $2.50 a box, this week the store has a package of 10 for $15 (so $1.50 per box).
I bought a 12 pack a month ago for $12. That may have to last for the rest of my life, lol. In reality, DH loves the stuff so I will have to continue to stock it in my pantry for those nights we need a quick and easy meal.

I can't eat just Mac & Cheese for a meal, it gives me a gut ache. I have found that if I add alot of frozen veggies I can tolerate it better. So far the best is thawed peas, but broccoli and cauliflower are good too.

 

[baymule]

I found two old boxes of pasta shells and sauce packet. Dogs loved it mixed with their kibble.