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Old 10-03-2008, 19:59
jigsawjake
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do you throw things out as soon as it reaches it sell by date?

When my mother tidies my house she throws away everything.

Whereas i would use a can which has a date 2 months past - the food is in a can, and the date is conservative.

I would also eat unopened rice past its date.
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Old 10-03-2008, 20:16
whoever,hey
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Those dates certainly are a preventative precaution by the manufacturers. So yep i do also use over them. With fresh stuff, tend to go by the look and smell of it instead of date.

When it gets to years though i do bin it, infact just did last week. Binned 2 bottles of malt vinegar.
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Old 10-03-2008, 20:34
sunshinegirl
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I wouldn't throw a can away if it was just a little bit over it's date but I would draw the line at a year! The tin may look OK but it is possible for the seams to go and allow air in.
I would use cheese or bread(for toast) if it was out of date, providing it looked OK, but never cooked meats.


Also don't forget there is a difference between a "use by" and a "best before" date.

OH goes mad with me for throwing things away but I can only manage one shop a week and sometimes I buy things and just don't get to use them. I would rather throw them away than risk giving the family food poisoning.
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Old 10-03-2008, 20:48
Carnivegan
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The dates are just a guide to cover the shop's own backs. Use your eyes and nose, they are better judges of whether something is off or not...unless you are blind and have no sense of smell of course. Since people got phobic about dates on food the amount of waste has increased phenomenally, has everyone lost the ability to use their own senses now?
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Old 10-03-2008, 22:58
misha06
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Our fridge has a mind of its own and is like antarctica, We have had milk alledgedly 10 days past its date still fine.

I generally disregard dates and like the posters above go by my nose and eyes.
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Old 10-03-2008, 23:17
foogirl
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If something is past it's use by date, I won't use it - no matter how it smells or looks.

If something is past it's best before date, I will use it depending on how it looks or smells.

The only exception to that rule is with eggs. Why on earth do eggs have a best before date rather than a use by date? Surely there is a point at which an egg which has passed it's best, is dangerous to consume, rather than just unpleasant? After all, eggs can do you damage even within their best before date?
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Old 10-03-2008, 23:18
foogirl
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OH goes mad with me for throwing things away but I can only manage one shop a week and sometimes I buy things and just don't get to use them. I would rather throw them away than risk giving the family food poisoning.
Just an idea, but you could just, not buy them.....
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Old 10-03-2008, 23:22
whoever,hey
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After all, eggs can do you damage even within their best before date?
Er, no they cant. Thats the point. They aren't as nice. Well sucked in there.
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Old 10-03-2008, 23:30
sunshinegirl
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Just an idea, but you could just, not buy them.....
I know, but I try to plan meals for the week ahead. Trouble is things happen - one of us has to work late, another doesn't want any dinner, one is going out etc etc and I end up with things that don't get used. Obviously I freeze what I can but some things like salad stuff and cooked meats just won't keep.
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Old 10-03-2008, 23:32
foogirl
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Er, no they cant. Thats the point. They aren't as nice. Well sucked in there.
Eggs infected with Salmonella will do you damage if you do not cook them properly. Hence my comment that they "can" do you damage. I did not suggest they always would.

Not sucked in at all. I simply asked a question.
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Old 10-03-2008, 23:46
Midiboy
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I'll eat things that are acouple of days after the use before date but it depends what it is - I don't chance it with chicken, pate or sausages.
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Old 11-03-2008, 00:12
whoever,hey
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Eggs infected with Salmonella will do you damage if you do not cook them properly. Hence my comment that they "can" do you damage. I did not suggest they always would.

Not sucked in at all. I simply asked a question.
Sorry, didn't mean to be rude.

Its still a sliding scale though with infection rates. Well before the sell buy date, its less likely to have Salmonella than after.
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Old 11-03-2008, 09:04
Carnivegan
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It is the shells that carry salmonella, if any, from the chicken droppings. Give them a wash before breaking them. The stuff inside is sterile. Any contamination comes from cracking the shell into the egg and then not cooking properly. Even eggs eaten raw from a properly washed egg are fine to eat. Salmonella poisoning is the cook's fault, not the chicken's.
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Old 11-03-2008, 10:31
grassmarket
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With fresh and frozen you should pay attention to the dates. Canned or dried (ie pasta, lentils etc) stuff will last pretty much forever, this has been shown many times.
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Old 11-03-2008, 15:46
orangebird
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eyes and nose for me. Dates aren't for the consumer, they're to cover the sellers backsides.
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Old 12-03-2008, 11:55
Snikpoh
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It is the shells that carry salmonella, if any, from the chicken droppings. Give them a wash before breaking them. The stuff inside is sterile. Any contamination comes from cracking the shell into the egg and then not cooking properly. Even eggs eaten raw from a properly washed egg are fine to eat. Salmonella poisoning is the cook's fault, not the chicken's.
I was under the impression that some strains of salmonella bacteria enter the egg before the shell is formed, although I may be wrong.
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Old 12-03-2008, 12:42
Justabloke
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eyes and nose for me too.
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