I am moving in a few weeks and so the process has gotten me sorting through places and things that normally don't see much action. Today, I examined the back of the pantry. I found LOTS of oatmeal, grits, rancid nuts and beef jerky that might be acceptable during an emergency. Why do I have 8 packages of oatmeal? I was never a big fan, but I stocked up on it during hardcore early stages of dieting. If given the choice between oatmeal and anything else, I will likely choose anything else. Unless the oatmeal has brown sugar, butter and raisins. But that defeats the purpose of dieting. Oatmeal is just a means to an end. It is a vehicle for other things we'd rather be eating more of--like cream, berries, honey, brown sugar and nuts. In it's greatest form, it is the base for a wonderful cookie. I can't imagine any one liking oatmeal plain.
So now I have boxes and boxes of oatmeal to remind me of all the Phase 1's of my dieting lifespan. I don't want to throw out all this perfectly semi-edible food. After some research I found that oatmeal never really goes bad. However there is a point when it probably starts to taste like wet sawdust. I guess the important factor is taste since palatability seems to disappear way before edibility.
Someone actually suggested tasting the oatmeal while it was raw. That way you can taste it to see if it's stale AND check for weevils. yay.
