I found a jar of ground turmeric at the back of a kitchen cupboard from when I used to make up my own curry dated 1994. I subsequently found that Patak's paste was better and use that all the time now, but was curious how long the stuff would keep. A short search turned up this website:
http://stilltasty.com/
I think it's a great idea and very useful. Did you know for instance that you can keep nuts in the fridge and they'll stay fresh for months?
Oh, the turmeric? Two years then it starts to lose its flavour so my 15 year old jar has been binned. Oy Vay...
I better not look at that site (though I will) - since i just ate a pot of yoghurt dated 'best before Dec 07/09 - which STPD tried to throw away when she came home in fear I would get food poisoning - all ok so far so I will start the other one tomorrow 
My rule is the Sniff Test - if it doesn't whiff I eat it. If it only whiffs a little bit Mr Merry gets it (well boiled.)
How do you boil a yoghurt? 
That site sounds useful, will go and have a look I think.
Merry's right, though - if it smells all right, it goes in the pot! 
I have some Black Pepper and that is at least 20 years old but could be older as it was given to me second hand then.
It is only supposed to last 3 according to the site. I have had it so long shame to throw it out now though.
It is re assuring that bread and milk last 3 months in the freezer though as this is my latest plan to fill the freezer with bread and milk and not ice cream, then I can go shopping less often and also eat less ice cream.
Sugar keeps indefinately. 
Unfortunately lobster lasts longer than I hoped, I have a frozen one from Lidl sitting in my freezer from about three years ago. 'I'm sure I can throw this out now' I thought but no, the use-by is June 2010. So back in it went 
Couldn't you just have thrown it out anyway and lied to Mr M about the use by date, he probably wouldn't have checked the bin.
Lobster stir-fry? Ooh, how about lobster paella!
The trouble with things with shells on, though, is that they have shells on. Which is why I'm happy to daydream about lobster, but would shrink from actually tackling one in reality! 
I don't do much of the cooking around here, just plenty of eating .....