Okay, I havea couple of Miso questions ...

1.  I take TKL advice and use two types of Miso in my soup - barley and white.  Because of this, it's taking me a long time to get through my two jars of Miso, which I store in the fridge.  I'm coming up on a month with miso left in both containers, and I am worried because I can't find any info about how long miso is actually good for!  Can I just keep eating it until it is used up?  It still tastes and smells as it always did...

2.)  No matter how much stirring and mixing I do, I still have some "lumpies" in my miso at the bottom.  In the last week I have been straining it, because I don't love the consistency at the end of the bowl- but am I missing out on any major nutrition?  Are the lumpies beneficial?  Or can I keep on straining?

Thanks all - I love this forum!

Hi Aleri,

Isn't miso fantastic!!!  I don't know if there is an official use-by date for it or not - I put mine into a container when I open the pouch it comes in, so I can keep it airtight (and in the fridge), so I don't have the pack to check the use-by date.  However, I reckon that because it's fermented, it probably doesn't matter anyway :-)  I've had my current container open for a couple of months, and it's still fine.

Yes I'm the same with some small lumps, it seems to take ages to dissolve, but I don't mind the lumps - just maybe stir it a bit more perhaps?

I've had a container of miso for about a year now.  It doesn't seem any different than when I bought it.  I agree that it being a fermented product probably helps with natural preservation.  I use a tiny whisk or fork to stir the miso with some hot water before I add it to the soup; there usually are few, if any, lumpies left. 

There are tons of other recipes using miso, so I'm sure you'll find a way to use it up. 

Here are a couple of yummy looking recipes using miso:

Broiled Tofu with Miso

Miso Eggplant Canapes with Shitake Mushrooms

I think because of the salt & it's fermented it keeps a long time, I've had some for a year & beyond (threw some out when it began to get mold forming, ick) As for your lumpies: using a very small bowl take about a tsp - tablsp of your broth/water/dashi & add your miso to that (instead of adding it to the whole pot of ingredients) & then press it w/the back of a spoon, keep doing that until it's an even consistency (like a thick cream). Now u can add it to your pot of soup....hope this helps....d