You buy a pack of delicious edibles – but life gets busy and you can’t consume them all – how much time before they need to be tossed?
Wine can age well and vodka and other liquors can last on a shelf for ages making them generally worry free product if stored correctly. Now cigarettes, once opened and exposed to air, usually last about two days before going stale. But what about marijuana edibles? When are they too old? It depends on the type of edible and how it is made.
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The basic rule is to treat edibles like any other food items. If it has dairy in it and has been left out for more than a few days, you’ll want to smell it before taking a chance and even that’s not foolproof.
If it’s vegan and made with a stable oil like coconut, it’s more likely to still be good, though it may have gone a bit stale.
The best thing to do with edibles when you get them is to put them in the refrigerator or freezer, depending on how many you have and how long you want them to keep. Generally, a dairy filled goodie will last around a week in the fridge, while you can keep many edibles for up to six months in the freezer.
“I wouldn’t go longer than 2 weeks! The cocoa butter will oxidize and if the temperature isn’t stable it can cause the chocolate to become untempered and the texture starts to feel mealy” says celebrity chef Justin Khanna who is a YouTuber, podcaster and the founder of the modern hospitality education company Repertoire.
Maybe even more than spoilage, however, you’re wondering about the potency of the edible and if it’s going to hold its mettle. The answer is a resounding yes. Some people even claim on social threads that the edibles they have get more potent the longer they go without being eaten.
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Hard candies and gummies likely last the longest without refrigeration or freezing. The gummies might lose their chewiness over time, but they’re not likely to spoil. Hard candies are the edible to stock up on if you’re going on a trip where you can’t be smoking, but still want to be elevated.
For the most part, you’re just going to be using common sense with the aging edibles. If you see any mold? Toss it and get or make some more. If it’s stale? That’s you and your palate’s call.
The smell test is another tried and true way – if it has a weird smell, toss it!
