Author: Lou

A can of cranberry sauce sits in the pantry for a year. Then on Thanksgiving it’s open on the counter next to a pot of homemade sauce cooling on the stove. The answer changes at every step, so here is each step with its source....

There is a half-used can of cranberry sauce in the refrigerator, and a pot of homemade sauce from last weekend sitting next to it. They don’t follow the same rules, and the answers online range from 5 days to 2 years. Here is...

Yes, hot cocoa mix can go bad, but a printed best-by date doesn’t automatically mean it’s unsafe. Here is what the makers and the extension guides say, and where they say nothing. Does hot cocoa mix go bad? The short answer:...

A cloudy jug at the orchard stand, a clear bottle on a grocery shelf, and a pot of mulled cider on the stove all get called “cider.” They don’t all belong in the refrigerator. The answer changes with the type, so here is each...