What Do Hamburgers and King Tut Have In Common?
The key to preservation well past their expiration date is dessication.
One of the best things about the Internet is that urban myths don't circulate very long before someone who learned how to think critically puts the smack down on a specious claim. A perfect example is the claim that McDonald's hamburgers aren't "real food" because they don't rot. See e.g. "McDonald's Happy Meal Resists Decomposition for Six Months" and, for the use to which a 12 year old unrotted McDonald's hamburger is put, see: "1996 McDonald's Hamburger".
It didn't take long for someone with critical thinking skills to ask the right question: is a McDonalds'hamburger any more resistant to rot than a homemade burger.? In "The Burger Lab: Revisiting the Myth of the 12-Year Old McDonald's Burger That Just Won't Rot (Testing Results!)" a simple experiment answered the question. McDonalds hamburgers are no more resistant to decay than one made by hand from ground beef and fresh buns from the grocery store. Mummies and hamburgers that dry out and are kept away from moisture last a long time and for the same reason.
The efforts to demonize food prey on the gullible. Stay skeptical.
