Do you observe "use by" dates all the time?

Spanish Eyes

Maybe this has been asked before, but I did a search!!

These days many of us are economising. Now I know we sometimes buy too much food (guilty), but I have a friend who goes through her fridge every couple of days and chucks out stuff if it is ON THE USE BY DATE... she is afraid of food poisoning. I have managed to salvage lots of grub from her over the years. She gives me a terrible time about e coli and all the rest of it, but honestly none of the stuff has caused me any grief... so far.

This just got me thinking. I am not a great observer of use by dates for certain things. If its raw meat and I don't think I will use it by the date, into the freezer with it. All my bread is in the freezer in four slice freezer bags. Cheese and milk close to the date in the freezer too, although it's not ideal, it means I don't throw it out. Handy in an emergency!

I find fresh milk lasts a good few days after the use by thing, my fridge is cooooold. Eggs, hmmm they are grand for ages. If I am suspicious I do the dunking test. Put the eggs in a large bowl of water. If they sink they are fine, if they float, well out they go.

I could go on, but you know what I mean. Far too much food is wasted because of blind adherence to the use by date. I'm not mean, or unsafe with food, just use my common sense.

But anyway, WHO decides a piece of meat will be gone off in 5 days or whatever... same for everything. Some person is sitting in a room making loadsa money for the suppliers. If you throw it out, you have to buy more!!

John_Rambo

I look, smell and taste! I haven't ever given myself food poisoning.

Thoie

I generally use the sniff test on meat, and if I'm in any way doubtful I'll get rid of it, regardless whether the use by date is tomorrow or was last week. Milk gets the sniff test too. Other dairy products I'm more likely to throw out a day or two after the use by date as I don't want that rancid whiff.

Like you, if I buy meat/fish but then my plans change, I'll bung it in the freezer.

The use by dates on things like dairy in particular are calculated by bacterial growth I believe. So say 1000 bacteria are harmful to humans, and we know that on average a litre of milk will start off with 50 bacteria, and the number doubles every day. On day 5 we can estimate there'll be 800 bacteria, but on day 6 there'll be 1600 - harmful to humans. So they'll set the use by date as 5 days away.

Vegetables will depend on what I'm doing with them. If I'm making soup and boiling the bejaysus out of them for ages, I'll use the soft carrots. If I plan on steaming the carrots to go with dinner, I'll only use nice firm, crisp ones.

ElleEm

I am so bad! I throw things out on or before the "Use by" date just out of paranoia. I'll often bin milk if it's been open over two days and sometimes when I get that yeasty smell off bread when it's been open a couple of says I'll throw it out too.

Willbbz

Thanks for the tip on the floating eggs

Also I generally only check the use by date after I've eaten some of whatever and go "thats not right :eek:"

nompere

I'm the same. I would never throw out an unopened packet of anything without opening it and checking carefully. I'm still here to write this.

The roast chicken I had earlier this week had just a little whiff to it when it came out of the fridge.

I reminded myself that game birds used to be hung by the tail feathers until they dropped off before they were reckoned to be ready. They were seriously high by that stage. Modern taste does prefer meat a little less gamey.

Anyway, into the oven went the chicken, and two hours later I had some quite delicious, juicy roast chicken.

To my mind "best before" dates are a guide when I'm in the shop, and "use before" dates are a guide when I'm taking things out of the fridge. Lots of things get split from the original packaging when I bring them home, so I don't even have dates on lots of food.

A less cynical view is that the supplier is protecting himself in these litigious times - and building in a safety margin as well. I think the profit-boosting motive comes into it as well!

xzanti

Depends on how hungry I am tbh

dudara

I use common sense more than dates. Have a look and a sniff - your instincts will tell you if it's OK to eat.

I've had milk that's gone off a day after being opened, despite being "in date" and other milk that has been good for a week after the date. Printed dates are really just guidelines.

Caliden

Use by I definitely observe and on it's final day it gets a good inspection
Best before is just that, it's best before the date but ok for a few days after.

emeraldstar

No way. I use my eyes, nose and taste buds. Best Before dates, and even Use By dates, are very conservative.

MissFlitworth

I don't look at use by dates at all, I check food to see if it'll be good to eat. A lot of what I buy wouldn't have a use by (meat from butchers, veggies from greengrocers etc). I also hate food waste so won't throw something out unless it really is past eating

Meteoric

Common sense is key, as was said before best before is based on what they can prove by tests, if something is green but in date don't eat it. So if I buy a steak and it goes beyond date I smell it, look at it, would not use it for steak tartare but if I'm cooking it well as in for a long time, well then I'd cook it and eat it if it seems good, cooking kills bugs.

(disclaimer: Be utterly careful with Mince has so many surfaces where bacteria can grow)

Hogzy

The only use by dates that you should pay strict attention to are those on condoms.

murphym7

Best before I generally ignore, Use by dates I will use on the day, not after - ever.

MagicMarker

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Cheese and milk close to the date in the freezer too

:eek:

Defrosted cheese and milk sounds rank.

mike65

Never check best by or use by dates, if its dead and not moving its okay to eat.

the beer revolu

MagicMarker wrote: »

:eek:

Defrosted cheese and milk sounds rank.

Try it.
I can tell no difference between milk that had been frozen and fresh milk.
I freeze milk all the time - buy 2 or 3 litre bottles and freeze it in half litre bottles - always to hand and no throwing out sour milk!

borderlinemeath

Eggs are the only thing I really go by the use by date. And I do the float/drop test as well.

I tend to buy most of my meat in the butcher so there are no dates, if it's been in the fridge for a few days I'll put it in the freezer.

Veg - I never bother with the dates. I keep all veg in the fridge as well, it lasts much longer. Even when potatos start to sprout, I cut off the sprouting and make soup with them.

Bread as well lasts longer in the fridge.

I've used jars of sauce that have been 6 months past the "best before" date. It's only a best before. It's absololutely fine.

I posted this link on the consumer forum after a poster wanted to "take things further" with a shop that has sold his wife chocolate that was past it's best before date:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/4693520.stm

seamus

I generally ignore "best before" dates, though I'm constantly battling with my wife when she tries to throw out something that's past that date.

I play it by ear generally, but not eating meat helps

There are some things that I know go off relatively quickly - salsa, for example - so I'd always open and do a visual/sniff check.
Veg doesn't have "use by" dates. You know when a piece of veg is fine for eating and when it's not. Eggs don't exist long enough to go off

If it's sealed, then it's usually good for a couple of days past the use by, even milk.

In general though I know what's being used daily and what's only used even now and again. Stuff that's used on a daily basis - milk, cheese, eggs - I never bother checking the use-by because it's always eaten well beforehand. Anything else gets a sniff test, I don't really look at the dates unless I'm 50:50 about whether or not to eat it.

Bread goes in the freezer because I only really eat it at the weekend.

mike65

Jonathan Maitland lived to tell the tale

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1024879/The-best-challenge---One-man-boldly-goes-use-dates-food.html

borderlinemeath

mike65 wrote: »

Jonathan Maitland lived to tell the tale

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1024879/The-best-challenge---One-man-boldly-goes-use-dates-food.html

Don't think I could quite eat the mouldy bread!!

It's very true though, the amount of food wasted is scandalous.
I read "The Moneyless Man" by Mark Boyle last year. He lives in a world where he either grows food, it falls from a tree or comes out of a skip.
A bit extreme but worth a read.

Foleyart

I have eaten sausages that are a week out of date. I think it is good to remind people that meat actually has to be broken down in the body after you eat it, therefore the closer it is to decomposition the easier to digest. That is why a carcass is generally hung for at least 9 days before it is brought to the shop. Good hotels for example will ask the butcher to hang their meat for another week at least. Chickens however are a different matter, but generally speaking they should always be well cooked. Your nose and eyes will tell you what is ok and what isn't. Mince generally develops a sour smell after a few days, the problem is it is not always what it claims to be. Butchers sometimes put a bit of pork through the mince to give it a gloss, also other meats can be mixed with it. If in doubt, throw it out. Common sense should prevail in most cases. Trust your nose !;)

curlywurly26

Have to say, I don't pay much attention to them! One day you'll open freshly bought chicken which will be off (use by 3 days later) and the next you have yoghurt that says use by yesterday but is fine!

I generally smell everything - yes everything! My boyf laughs at me as I'll open a fresh bottle of milk and sniff it, but if you've ever taken a huge gulp of sour milk before...you'll never do it again!

On the other hand, he won't touch anything that's out of date - if I'm making dinner I literally won't tell him if something is use by the day before! He also has a problem if I'm throwing out something that isn't out of date, even if you can smell it down the hall!

CathyMoran

I am a bit rediculous in that I will not eat food on it's best before date. For things like prawns and hotdogs I am worse and will only eat them if they have a good date and within a day or two of purchase.

laughter189

Have been caught out a few times , so now always check the dates

Brendog

I go by colour.

If I open a pack of rashers and the look a little green I throw them out. My parents used to say "That means they'll taste better".

pretty sure they didn't want to waste €3

Spanish Eyes

the beer revolu wrote: »

Try it.
I can tell no difference between milk that had been frozen and fresh milk.
I freeze milk all the time - buy 2 or 3 litre bottles and freeze it in half litre bottles - always to hand and no throwing out sour milk!

Absolutely! But for those who have never put milk in the freezer before, BEWARE.. it expands in the bottle when frozen, so always leave a bit of wriggle room!!

Cheese, I take the block and slice. Put a few slices into each freezer bag Take out what you need on the day, magic.

Bread, well freezing is great. But again I just freeze four slices of wholemeal at a time. I find that defrosted bread, if not used up immediately (same for cakes etc.) goes off PDQ.

Freeze egg whites. Great for meringues. I do this when egg yolks only are used for recipes. Well if Nigella can do it.....

Cooked spud goes in the freezer too. par boiled, par roasted, par cooked wedges. If putting mash in the freezer don't use any milk, butter etc to mash, just break it up. I find if you use milk and/butter the defrosted variety is not very nice.

As you can see folks, I am a freezer freak! But it works great for me. I'm always trying stuff out to see if it freezes ok. And try to freeze small portions, you can always take out two or three of em.

Less food waste is the key. I am not mean at all, just use common sense. Look at Somalia.

wonderfulname

murphym7 wrote: »

Best before I generally ignore, Use by dates I will use on the day, not after - ever.

Is this logical though? Why would a food be okay to eat right now but poison in 3hrs time? They are conservative estimates, a use by date will be the date that safeness is last absolutely guaranteed, taking into account how you choose to store it, eggs are an excellent example, you should pay some level of attention to the use by if you don't refrigerate them, but they last a lot longer if you do.

I would smell/poke/taste anything before throwing it out rather than just assume, although I generally wouldn't buy more than I'd eat in the week anyway.

Brendog - going by colour doesn't necessarily work either, meats can discolour purely because they are vacuum packed, so in effect it can just be proof that the food is adequately packaged, sure it looks off putting but it's fine.

NoQuarter

Just used some mustard in a jar from Jan 2011 and it was fine!

watna

I used eggs that were ten days out of date the other day - I just smelled them first and they were fine. I had a good long sniff though, I think ten days is pushing it so I wanted to be extra sure!

I think you can trust your nose and sometimes sight with food.

monara

I use up to 4 days after use by dates if it looks, smells and tastes ok. Cheese I use up to a month after use by date; blue cheese can improve in flavour long after the use by date. Sweets and chocolate you can eat months after their use by dates.

I just ignore best before dates.