OSDIY

[JCinFLA]

Ok it ain't best but dat still don't make it "bad" in my book.

That's actually what the canned food industry says, too. The "Best By" date is only a suggested date to have the contents be "the best they'll be", (ie. freshest tasting, at their peak of flavor), etc.. It doesn't mean that after that date..."they're bad", as in they're spoiled and will make you sick if you eat them. Not at all! They said specifically that the only canned food to absolutely discard at any time (before or after any date of any kind on the can)...are cans that have tops or bottoms that have a bulge to them, or cans that have visible rust on them.

There was a whole show on TV once, and the info. is online, too, about the "Best By", "Use By", "Sell By" designations...and what each really means...healthwise to consumers.

 

[Kenna]

Thanks! Checked and says use by March, 2017. Looks like the clock is ticking. Should juice made with them best be used before their "use by" date?



I got marshmallow and maple. No idea what I might use them in since I already have quite a bit of marshmallow.





Thanks! Will have to see if I can come up with something to mix them with before the end of March.

That expiration date is a ballpark date that the maker thinks they'll be good till. The flavors might be good for longer or start to fade or change. Give them a sniff test or taste a drop. It won't kill you.

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[Kenna]

LOL! Chels yer as bad as my Mrs! I don't even SEE "best by" dates. My wife cringes every time she sees me open a can of anything that's 4 years past "best by"! Ok it ain't best but dat still don't make it "bad" in my book.[emoji38][emoji38][emoji38]

Amen! I'm old enough to remember when there was no such thing. If it's green or smells bad, toss it out.

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[dannyv45]

Do you have a favorite out of the ones I mentioned?

Chocolate mint

 

[JCinFLA]

If it's green or smells bad, toss it out.

Yep! See...since I was a little kid, I always knew canned spinach wasn't any good to eat!

ETA: And that'll be my last off-topic post on here.

 

[dannyv45]

Ah which flavors did you get? I got cinnamon roll and black walnut along with the usual goodies.

My 2 free LorAnn samples were coffee and grape flavor. One expires This month and the other in march. I don't think the expiration date is much to worry about. I have flavors 2 - 3 years past expiration and there fine. Now if it says you will expire if used after this date then you may have something to be concerned about

 

[kiba]

What % do you mix the Holy Vanilla at?
Thanks

It all depends on the mix, I use it at like 2%, with other stuff in a base.

 

[tazzle]

I got some Blue Note in the mail yesterday and mixed it at 10%, but not really getting much from it (no steeping yet, of course) ... I figured that unless it *really* improved with steeping, I could just use it to blend with other blueberry flavors to get a more layered blueberry taste in recipes.

But I see Kenna mentions upping to 13%, which I think I'll try. I have a 30 ml bottle mixed at 10%, and have used about 1 ml, so I'm thinking of adding about 1 ml of the concentrate to my existing mix. Does that sound about right?

 

[OlderNDirt]

I have a 30 ml bottle mixed at 10%, and have used about 1 ml, so I'm thinking of adding about 1 ml of the concentrate to my existing mix. Does that sound about right?

If my math is correct, 1ml divided by 29ml equals 3.45% plus 10% comes out to 13.45%. Close enough or if you can, add .87ml to equal 13%.

 

[tazzle]

Close enough or if you can, add .87ml to equal 13%.

I can! Thanks to ECF member advice, I have my very handydandy precision digital scale. I'm going to upnote my blue note right now!

 

[zoiDman]

I got some Blue Note in the mail yesterday and mixed it at 10%, but not really getting much from it (no steeping yet, of course) ... I figured that unless it *really* improved with steeping, I could just use it to blend with other blueberry flavors to get a more layered blueberry taste in recipes.

But I see Kenna mentions upping to 13%, which I think I'll try. I have a 30 ml bottle mixed at 10%, and have used about 1 ml, so I'm thinking of adding about 1 ml of the concentrate to my existing mix. Does that sound about right?

Just Me.

But I don't like to Tweak a New Recipe until it has sat in a Cool Dark Place for At Least 3 Days. Especially if I am considering Adding to the flavoring percentage.

 

[Kenna]

I got some Blue Note in the mail yesterday and mixed it at 10%, but not really getting much from it (no steeping yet, of course) ... I figured that unless it *really* improved with steeping, I could just use it to blend with other blueberry flavors to get a more layered blueberry taste in recipes.

But I see Kenna mentions upping to 13%, which I think I'll try. I have a 30 ml bottle mixed at 10%, and have used about 1 ml, so I'm thinking of adding about 1 ml of the concentrate to my existing mix. Does that sound about right?

Go for it. I'll probably go to a 6% next batch.

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[tazzle]

6%, Kenna, or 16%? (did you find it too strong at 13% after steeping?)

 

[Kenna]

6%, Kenna, or 16%? (did you find it too strong at 13% after steeping?)

Not strong enough. Blueberry is not an easy flavor. I'm going to 15% on the next batch. Ivll use 5he rest of this bottle, but won't get it again.

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[ChelsB]

None of my bottles other than the samples have expiration dates on them. Does anyone know how long flavors usually last for?

 

[JCinFLA]

Does anyone know how long flavors usually last for?

I wondered the same thing, when I started DIY and was thinking about what size bottles of flavorings to buy. I didn't want to buy larger bottles if there was any reason not to. So I asked Kimberly, from OSDIY.

IIRC - She told me that most flavorings, kept out of direct sunlight and in a fairly cool place...should remain the same for at least about 8 months-a year. Said they won't ever "go bad", as in spoiling, because of the bases they're in (ie. PG, VG, alcohol, etc.). However, there may be a minimal change in their potency for some, as time goes on past that.

Personally, I've had many flavorings for longer than a year, kept according to how she said, and I haven't noticed any difference in them yet. Others may have had different experiences with theirs though.

 

[ChelsB]

I wondered the same thing, when I started DIY and was thinking about what size bottles of flavorings to buy. I didn't want to buy larger bottles if there was any reason not to. So I asked Kimberly, from OSDIY.

IIRC - She told me that most flavorings, kept out of direct sunlight and in a fairly cool place...should remain the same for at least about 8 months-a year. Said they won't ever "go bad", as in spoiling, because of the bases they're in (ie. PG, VG, alcohol, etc.). However, there may be a minimal change in their potency as time goes on past that.

Personally, I've had many flavorings for longer than a year, kept according to how she said, and I haven't noticed any difference in them yet. Others may have had different experiences with theirs though.

As always, thanks, you're so helpful!

 

[IDJoel]

Personally, I've had many flavorings for longer than a year, kept according to how she said, and I haven't noticed any difference in them yet. Others may have had different experiences with theirs though.

I share your experience. I have more than a few flavors that are about 2 years old that still work the same way as when they were first purchased. I have others that were gifted to me that are even beyond that. They are stored in a cool dark pantry when not in use. I am not worried about it until they fade to a point they are no longer useful. though, I must say, I am kind of curious as to what time-frame that might end up being.

 

[OlderNDirt]

Since this pertains to the OSDIY flavors I recently received, hope it is OK to post/ask this here:

With my recent acquisition mentioned above, I set up to do some mixing today. Mixed 3, multi-flavor recipes. First time doing compound recipes using a total of 9 flavors. I quickly came to the realization that the 30ml bottles the flavorings came in are simply capped, no drop means. Luckily I had a couple twist caps and glass droppers I could use, but not enough to get through the session without needing to stop and do some cleaning. So that all started the gears turning in my atrophied brain....what is the best way to avoid this "problem?"

Let me first say, due to essential tremors, syringes and pipettes are NOT my friends. So those are completely out of my equation. I checked OSDIY and saw no options when purchasing, except a twist top if buying the 120ml size, and that ain't happening anytime soon. So the options I have come up with are:

1. I've got several empty store bought glass bottles with glass droppers. I can wash out the droppers and use those. I would just use, wash, then store. Unless there is a problem of not keeping the same dropper with a certain flavor, probably my best/cheapest option.

2. Wash the used bottles and droppers, then transfer my flavors into those bottles. I'm not sure if flavors are better stored long term in glass, but if so, that kills two birds with one stone (actually more considering what I included in #4 below). Downside is, I lose the labeling on the original bottles.

3. Buy some glass droppers. I can't see as I gain anything more then the elimination of the first cleaning of my used droppers. Not to mention, the cost of the droppers is not that much less then buying new bottles with glass droppers. Which leads to:

4. Just bite the bullet and buy some tinted glass bottles with droppers and refill as needed. That would eliminate having to clean droppers after each session, easily keep the same dropper with its specified flavor, and where/how to store individual droppers. But one again, I lose the precise labeling.

I chose mixing by weight, not only because of the difficulty using syringes and pipettes, but minimizing or eliminating altogether the clean-up. A little added expense now for an everlasting benefit is acceptable to me.

So whadayathink? What is my best option or have I missed the boat entirely and you have a better way/solution (going back to only store bought not considered )?

 

[Kenna]

Since this pertains to the OSDIY flavors I recently received, hope it is OK to post/ask this here:

With my recent acquisition mentioned above, I set up to do some mixing today. Mixed 3, multi-flavor recipes. First time doing compound recipes using a total of 9 flavors. I quickly came to the realization that the 30ml bottles the flavorings came in are simply capped, no drop means. Luckily I had a couple twist caps and glass droppers I could use, but not enough to get through the session without needing to stop and do some cleaning. So that all started the gears turning in my atrophied brain....what is the best way to avoid this "problem?"

Let me first say, due to essential tremors, syringes and pipettes are NOT my friends. So those are completely out of my equation. I checked OSDIY and saw no options when purchasing, except a twist top if buying the 120ml size, and that ain't happening anytime soon. So the options I have come up with are:

1. I've got several empty store bought glass bottles with glass droppers. I can wash out the droppers and use those. I would just use, wash, then store. Unless there is a problem of not keeping the same dropper with a certain flavor, probably my best/cheapest option.

2. Wash the used bottles and droppers, then transfer my flavors into those bottles. I'm not sure if flavors are better stored long term in glass, but if so, that kills two birds with one stone (actually more considering what I included in #4 below). Downside is, I lose the labeling on the original bottles.

3. Buy some glass droppers. I can't see as I gain anything more then the elimination of the first cleaning of my used droppers. Not to mention, the cost of the droppers is not that much less then buying new bottles with glass droppers. Which leads to:

4. Just bite the bullet and buy some tinted glass bottles with droppers and refill as needed. That would eliminate having to clean droppers after each session, easily keep the same dropper with its specified flavor, and where/how to store individual droppers. But one again, I lose the precise labeling.

I chose mixing by weight, not only because of the difficulty using syringes and pipettes, but minimizing or eliminating altogether the clean-up. A little added expense now for an everlasting benefit is acceptable to me.

So whadayathink? What is my best option or have I missed the boat entirely and you have a better way/solution (going back to only store bought not considered )?

Try using the droppers you have on the bottles you just got. They won't reach to the bottom. Or #2 above.

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