ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

I'm currently eating cereal for brunch, and using milk dated 21st June.

It was opened a few weeks back and still pases the look/sniff/taste test.

Its a large bottle and I'm only halfway through (don't have milk in my tea/coffee and very little on cereal as I found it gives me rebound indigestion), so I'm wondering how long I can make it last.

What's the oldest food in your fridge?

tony de wonderful

Apparently honey is good for 1000's of years.

CREWJ

I don't bother reading the dates just wing it like you

We did have 18 year old brown sauce. Only noticed after using it though

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Honey does go a bit gunky/crystalised though.

Had some on some ice cream over the weekend that looked like it had seen better days. Best before was 2009 IIRC

Tasted OK though


Also found some vintage red sauce. Tasted ok, apart from it looked more like brown sauce :0

kingofturds

iTrader: (1)

I used some tinned peaches that were 9 years out of date

Jamie

8 day out of date milk sod that

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

I assure you Jamie, its fine.

The cheese on the other hand has seen better days though (fuzzy mould).

Jamie

Tinned food last for ages ww2 they coped

urban

iTrader: (1)

Nope, **** that.

I'll not use milk after the expiry date.
Come to think of it, I'll not use much after the expiry date with regards to either meat or dairy produce.

Myles

iTrader: (40)

Coincidentally, I just made a sarnie with egg mayo filler that is two days out of date. Tastes fine.

CREWJ

They get a nice "tang" to it eventually

Myles

iTrader: (40)

Enough pepper adeed will remove that. If I don't make it, see you all on the other side. About to make a second round!

Puff The Magic Wagon!

iTrader: (2)

My mother "dowses" suspect food with a old plumb line - if it says OK, she'll eat it, if it says NO, she bins it. She's still going strong @ 82 and its never failed her

Tidgy

milks dead easy, if it smells bad and taste bad its gone off.

we've had milk last for 2 weeks past date when kept in a cold fridge

Coffin Dodger

Indeed, the good old sniff test is usually okay for most stuff

Chip

My dad opened an old tin containing a Mackeson cake which he reckoned was about 40 years old. We ate it and it tasted fine.

I also dug up an old Corona lemonade bottle with a ceramic/rubber closure. It was full of couldy lemonade and as we opened the bottle you could hear the fizz being released.

Chip

Clarebabes

Most of the time, tins etc. are fine. Anything fresh is a bit different, but I often use tomatoes and salad stuff past its date. I think the supermarkets are too fussy. I freeze most meat, so that's not a problem. My mum doesn't put anything opened in the fridge, just in the cupboard which makes her stuff a bit more suspect. She was feeding my daughter ketchup which was a year out of date and not in the fridge either Didn't do her much harm, but I would have chucked it!

Chip

Most weeks we cook a joint of ham coateded with either sweet chillie, mustard or honey. When cold I slice it up and vac pack it which will then last about 10 days in the fridge.

Chip

CrisPDuk

Cut the mouldy bit of the outside, the bit underneath will be fine

Never done me any harm anyway

CREWJ

I did just this only this week

I'm still alive, I think

stilover

On the day it says `Use by` I chuck it.

RobsyUK

iTrader: (2)

We feed the dog raw meet and they love it after a day out in the heat stinks to **** but it really messes with my 'sniff' test on our foods. normally i bin anything the day after the date on it. But we only every buy what we are gonna eat that week so very little is wasted.

stilover

Is that wise? Walking around naked while feeding dogs raw meet is asking for trouble.

Dog might think "Oh look a sausage" and go to take a bit.
All be it a very small sausage.

CREWJ

oooooooooo, burn

Jamie

The shop for fresh milk is better

Hysteria1983

It's only a guideline for when the manufacturor feels it's past it's best. They are just covering their backs.

If it looks ok, and tastes ok, then it's probably ok

To be honest, not much goes past it's use by date in this house, but when it does, it has a full assessment to see if it's ok.

Dry cheese, ok mouldy cheese not ok.
Apply that to most things and you will do fine.

Even soggy biscuites are nice when crumbled in to ice cream with a bit of choccy sauce

Hysteria1983

I do that.

Since I started planning the meals before I go shopping, we have very little waste. And it's much easier to cook meals than throwing all the stuff we eat in the frilly and hope it makes a meal every night.

Coffin Dodger

markr1963

Milk/yoghurt - sniff test
Cheese (Cheddar, etc.) - remove enough mould/cheese until sniff test passed.
Raw meat - sniff test regardless of use by date, especially chicken
Anything with its own ecosystem - chuck it except for cheese

What's the concensus on use by dates for bottled beer? Got some 4 yr old Singha in the fridge.

tony de wonderful

I think you are supposed to seal it though.

Myth has it that Egyptologists found honey in the Pharaohs tombs and it was good to go.