Old power bar

[katematt]

I just broke out my old panniers the other day and found a power bar with an expiration date of '95.

Since I never throw anything away I am trying to figure out what to do with it. Chocolate flavor.

[dauwhe]

Send it back. Let the factory do some experiments on it. Maybe they'll send you a new one, but that's a risk you have to take. ;)

Dave

[keevon]

eBay. For real.

I thought about auctioning ice the other day.

[rwsaunders]

Nothing beats the shelf life of a Twinkie.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . and lay it on a table in good light. Watch it very carefully. If it does not move by itself after a few minutes it should still be edible.

If it DOES move, THEN pursue the eBay route. :D

BBD

[TMB]

I just broke out my old panniers the other day and found a power bar with an expiration date of '95.

Since I never throw anything away I am trying to figure out what to do with it. Chocolate flavor.

Feed it to your kids ( or significant other ) and watch for any "effects"

Document them.

Share here later.

[katematt]

Feed it to your kids ( or significant other ) and watch for any "effects"

Document them.

Share here later.

Quick search on ebay.....doesn't appear to be any competition in the category so it should go high, even if I open it up and feed my family half of it.

[39cross]

I remember reading a story as a kid where the Pilgrims used them as fertilizer in their corn hills. Apparently though it's only a myth.

[chuckred]

use it as a door stop?

Ever try to eat one when the temps are below freezing? - might as well try to eat a cube of frozen epoxy.

[crossjunkee]

Ha, I agree with Chuckred! They were never edible. Who knows, maybe like wine, they get better with age?

[VeloSlug]

I just broke out my old panniers the other day and found a power bar with an expiration date of '95.

Since I never throw anything away I am trying to figure out what to do with it. Chocolate flavor.

If you have a chance, would you post a picture of your found treasure? Powerbar changed the wrapper graphics so frequently - I'm just curious to compare your bar with mine.

I have two old bars - one apple cinnamon, the other peanut butter (iirc) I think these are among the original flavours. A friend and I have often joked about putting them on eBay, no kidding!

Ah, what great fun in the Serotta sandbox...vintage Powerbars!

[chuckroast]

I bet the half life of that thing is 20 years. Eat it and report back.

[bozman]

I bet the half life of that thing is 20 years. Eat it and report back.

I am inclined to agree. Call Powerbar. They might get a kick out of it!

[medici]

I've eaten them 4 yrs past the expiration and lived to tell about it.
Didn't taste any different from the current ones. Scary.

Push the envelope. Scarf it down.

I think malt nut and chocolate were the first two flavors?

Pete

[PacNW2Ford]

Powerbars are food? I thought you were supposed to mold them into little boomerangs and use them to hunt for small critters to eat.

[Louis]

Think of it this way: In a blind taste-test how likely is it that you would be able to differentiate between this one and a PB fresh off the shelf? I say it's 50-50.

[Ti Designs]

Ever try to eat one when the temps are below freezing? - might as well try to eat a cube of frozen epoxy.

I've used a power bar as a tire lever on a winter ride. With gloves on they work better than real tire levers.

[johnnymossville]

pour yourself a tall glass of milk, sit down, unwrap that sucker, dip it, and enjoy. it's probably as fresh as the day it was made.

[VeloSlug]

Most of my current bunch are past the expiration date; well past in some cases. There's no change in texture. As to deterioration in flavor, the Oatmeal Raisin & Chocolate Peanut Butter were pretty much the same as ever. Vanilla got a little stronger flavor. Mixed Berry turned darker and got a funky taste, but was still edible with no ill effects--anyway, I had no choice on that particular ride.

On a related note, I it never ceases to amaze me that all of the new flavors are chocolate this n that or nut something or other. Chocolate and nuts are the last thing I want when I've been going hard with many miles to go. No light, fresh flavors like some simple fruity stuff. Many of the flavors I did like got discontinued like the lemon and raspberry. Later I found out that Nestle now owns Powerbar, so I guess that explains the chocolate connection. I guess "flavor central" at Powerbar-Nestle hasn't yet distinguished between those that use food during athletic actitity and those that sit around sucking on a Nestle Crunch. Same deal with Luna bars, although I never liked them very much, I would occaisionally have one pre-ride just to get some calories in.

Groan.

[mgm777]

Speaking of Powerbars...
I have noticed the latest incarnations actually work! I have used a few during long rides recently, and to my surprise, they re-energized me. In the past I simply thought they tasted like cardboard and sawdust with some glue to hold everything together. I never felt the energy renewal I so desperately needed. Now, that's all changed. I am a believer, again.