Do you take any notice of use by dates?

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  • gemma-the-huskygemma-the-husky Posts: 18,116
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    milk

    my dad used to put milk on a windowsill till it soured, then ate it.

    called it smetana (although looking at it, this seems more sour cream, than sour milk)

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smetana_(dairy_product)
  • callmedivacallmediva Posts: 1,862
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    I have a bottle of Glenmoranie 10 year old, it has a BB date for in 4 years time.

    I also have a bottle of 16 year old Glenmoranie. Does that mean it's out of date already? Should I throw it away?

    :D:D
  • Utopian GirlUtopian Girl Posts: 8,275
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    c4rv wrote: »
    I believe the float test does not work on eggs that have been stored in the fridge

    I'm not a believer in eggs stored in fridge either - why do manufacturers keep supplying parts to put eggs in? Eggs should be kept at room temp. Hot weather an exception.
  • burton07burton07 Posts: 10,869
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    callmediva wrote: »
    I have a bottle of Glenmoranie 10 year old, it has a BB date for in 4 years time.

    I also have a bottle of 16 year old Glenmoranie. Does that mean it's out of date already? Should I throw it away?

    :D:D

    Yes it is out of date and very bad for you. Send it to me and I will dispose of it safely.
  • RuthStarRuthStar Posts: 5,729
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    I suppose It depends what it is, Fresh things like Milk/Bread/Dairy stuff really, you'd have to be careful about, but things like Biscuits and Cakes, cupboard food essentially, If it looks/smells right, I think it should be ok.
    I had 2 months out of date Coca Cola last week, and I'm fine.. =)
  • callmedivacallmediva Posts: 1,862
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    burton07 wrote: »
    Yes it is out of date and very bad for you. Send it to me and I will dispose of it safely.

    :D:D
    I was waiting for a response like that :D
  • brangdonbrangdon Posts: 14,092
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    Cheese doesn't go out of date.. you just cut the green bits off and eat it.
    It depends on the cheese and the mould. Some moulds send filaments all through the cheese. The visible bit on the outside of the cheese is just its reproductive organs.
  • rivercity_rulesrivercity_rules Posts: 24,270
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    Only really pay attention to it on Fresh Meat, Dairy and Bread.

    Packaged vegetables etc I don't pay any notice to at all.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 8,345
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    I apply a 25% rule to Use By dates. Because I have fridge thermometer and know my fridge is below 4C almost all of the time, I take the Use By date and extend it by about an additional 25% from when I estimate it was delivered to the supermarket to decide when it is fine to use. I might extend that further to maybe 30-40% or more depending on the product in question.

    The above is all dependent on any additional use by restrictions once the packaging is opened, which I interpret as meaning "within about double the length of time they say you should use it in after opening". So a pack of bacon will be fine by my reckoning a week or two after the Use By date, but once opened should be finished off in under a week (which I tend to find very easy to do :D )

    It all comes down to common sense really, Use By dates are designed to protect companies from being taken to court by people who are killed or made ill by consuming the product before that date. There's a considerable safety margin built into that date to allow for less than ideal storage and distribution, which is why if you know your own fridge or whatever is at the correct temperature, you can be very liberal with the dates.

    As for Sell By dates on tinned foods and the like which have a shelf-life of a year or more at room temperature, they are mainly there to remind shops how long it has been on the shelf. A tin of beans that is a year or two, or five, or even ten or more years past its Sell By or Best Before date will almost certainly be perfectly fine (provided the tin has remained intact). That said, I'd recommend if you have a lot of tins in the cupboard to put any new ones in at the back so as to prevent something at the back languishing there for decades.

    Please note: I am not a food hygiene expert and none of the above comments are based on professional advice and are therefore not recommended to be followed (hopefully that should be enough to cover me in case someone dies and they then try to sue me).
  • ChoccyCaroleChoccyCarole Posts: 8,867
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    The main things I may keep an eye on ~[the use by date]
    ~~~~would be bottled milk and chicken meats and sea foods

    I am not worried about ~such things as yoghurts becoming out of date ~if they are still sealed and kept in the fridge

    If something looks and smells OK..... then I will eat it
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 639
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    No, I have yoghurts, milk, chicken all past use by/best before dates. I even buy milk at dinner, leave it under my desk at work, only when I get home will I put it in the fridge, and it still tastes fine after best before date.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,028
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    I bough a pack of chinese coated chicken. You know, the five-spice spare rib type mixture.

    Opened and cooked it at least two days before the use by date. Smelled ok. Being covered in the chinese marinade, it was hard to tell. There was no obvious sign of anything nasty lurking.

    I cooked it completely. And consumed the whole lot, and it was very enjoyable. However, what followed over the next two weeks at least, was the worst bout of food poisoning I've ever had. It was awful. I was so ill.

    My point is. when you have a pack like this where the meat is covered in a marinade. It can be harder to tell if it's all ok. Also maybe just one piece of chicken could be off, and the rest could be fine. The way it's packaged doesn't mean to say it will all have the same shelf life. I can imagine it's possible for the odd piece to slip through, and be packed with other pieces with a longer date on them. Which is what I think happened here.

    I enjoy cooking, and this was just something I fancied, as I like that Chinese marinade. Normally I would rather cook. So believe me when I say I know what chicken that is off smells like. And if you've smelled it, you'll know. My God, you'll know.

    Sell by dates. i use my discretion. Use by dates. I generally don't mess with.
  • Raquelos.Raquelos. Posts: 7,734
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    brangdon wrote: »
    It depends on the cheese and the mould. Some moulds send filaments all through the cheese. The visible bit on the outside of the cheese is just its reproductive organs.

    WTF:eek::eek::eek::eek:

    This is only cheese on Dr Who right??
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,181
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    EStaffs90 wrote: »
    I have a rule - if it smells funny, then I don't eat/drink it. I currently have yet to come to harm.

    If it was good enough for granny, it good enough for me
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 95
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    I am very paranoid about sell by/best before dates due to once having campylobacter? food poisoning. I have no idea if eating out of date food was the reason I became ill but I'm not taking any chances.
  • whoever,heywhoever,hey Posts: 30,992
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    D2BD wrote: »
    I am very paranoid about sell by/best before dates due to once having campylobacter? food poisoning. I have no idea if eating out of date food was the reason I became ill but I'm not taking any chances.

    You should trust your nose and eyes more because even food in date can actually be off, still giving you food poisoning!
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