Expiry dates on food

[Efour]

1 or 2 days after is usually fine if stored in its proper conditions. Maybe longer for certain product types.
Common sense is usually evoked. If it doesn't look or smell right, that's usually a pretty good indicator.

A lot of things rapidly degrade only after opening and introduction of a bacteria/microbe lick of man germs etc.

 

[itchy]

Bread that is starting to go mouldy has a very unpleasant and sharp smell.

Yes if its crawling out the shelf, but you get on it before then by sight.

 

[Efour]

Im pretty sure everyone has eaten toast then gone back to the packet of bread and seen green mold spots and though "oh crap" (but has lived.)

 

[valve90210]

Bread that is starting to go mouldy has a very unpleasant and sharp smell.

Yes if its crawling out the shelf, but you get on it before then by sight.

I find I can smell the bread is going off before there is any mould visible.

 

[Haggisman]

Hi, are there any food items which can be used even after their expiry date has elapsed? For example a loaf of bread or a point of milk, can they be used a day or two after the expiry date? Also if bread is frozen and then defrosted, how long will it last and does it have to be kept in the fridge after defrosting. Can milk be frozen? thanks

Without taking how it is stored into account, expiry date is sort of irrelevant, e.g. milk which is left on the side in a warm kitchen will probably go bad before the expiry, whereas left in a very cold fridge can easily be fine for days after.

 

[MikeTheNative]

Without taking how it is stored into account, expiry date is sort of irrelevant, e.g. milk which is left on the side in a warm kitchen will probably go bad before the expiry, whereas left in a very cold fridge can easily be fine for days after.

This is what I try tell my GF, use common sense over blindly what it on the label.

 

[Hagar]

Bread does not smell bad but if you not careful it will produce ergot, which is an alkaloid so trippy days so to say.

Allegedly one cause for the Mary Celeste crew disappearences.

I thought that it was Rye bread only, as in Ergot of Rye, I may be wrong.

 

[ubersonic]

I always save up my OCUK Haribos for Halloween, obviously this results in some ending up out of date, haven't had any complaints of it making kids sick yet.

 

[Efour]

I've read that most (id love to believe this) of the dark ages/middle ages wheat and rye supply was infected with ergot or a similar hallucinogenic fungus. Everyone was tripping balls most of the time

 

[Randomface74]

If it looks alright. Smells normal. And hasn't grown new life forms. Then I'll eat it anyway.

 

[bliss]

I recently binned a loaf of Hovis best of both that while showing zero signs of mold and only being 2 days past the best before date smelled heavily of nail polish remover. Never smelt anything like it before, even with bread much older. Was that the mold starting to creep in? Or something else?

 

[Dan103]

never pay much attention to to expiry dates. if it doesnt stink and looks okay will risk it

 

[Glaucus]

Everything. Expiry dates have margin built in. Unless it was stored incorrectly, packaging broken etc, it should easily still be good past use by dates.
Also just use your senses. Mold, smell etc all are pretty easy to tell when things are bad.

Same with the stupud need to refrigerate and use within several weeks statements on ketchup. Both are absolute rubbish. Also cold kethup is horrible.

 

[x-st]

I've been ignoring dates on food for a long time and it's yet to cause me problems even with the "dangerous" categories. As has been noted numerous times, if you rely on your nose and taste you should have a fair idea of something being bad. I regularly eat meat that's about a week or so (or sometimes more!) beyond the use by date, and tend to set the fridge to the colder settings and store stuff in the bottom. Same goes for yoghurt. If it looks ok and tastes ok I think it's fair game. In real terms dating food is a pretty recent phenomenon and not liking to waste stuff I tend to ignore it as much as I can. (and I eat the core of apples, and pick stuff up off the floor!).

 

[d_brennen]

This is what I try tell my GF, use common sense over blindly what it on the label.

My misses wont even drink a bottle of water opened the day before

 

[toprock]

Talking of condiments, Salad cream, mayo, BBQ sauce, ketchup, french dressing all tend to say consume within 4-6 weeks of opening, and refrigerate after opening.

I've had some bottles for 6 months plus and still use lol! Whats the reason for the 4-6 weeks? Many sit on warm supermarket shelves for an age, and I can't see many microbes being introduced in the act of squirting some ketchup through a small nozzle. Is this pure health and safety gone a bit OTT?

 

[wolfie138]

Allegedly one cause for the Mary Celeste crew disappearences.

I thought that it was Rye bread only, as in Ergot of Rye, I may be wrong.

and villages. ergot can give some pretty horrific symptoms so anyone tempted to try it for the "trippy" experiences would do well to read up on it first

 

[wolfie138]

Talking of condiments, Salad cream, mayo, BBQ sauce, ketchup, french dressing all tend to say consume within 4-6 weeks of opening, and refrigerate after opening.

I've had some bottles for 6 months plus and still use lol! Whats the reason for the 4-6 weeks? Many sit on warm supermarket shelves for an age, and I can't see many microbes being introduced in the act of squirting some ketchup through a small nozzle. Is this pure health and safety gone a bit OTT?

they should be air-tight on the shelves though, i believe the adding of air when you open it is a catalyst to many things going off/growing,

 

[Daaaavvveee]

If it states Best Before: you can eat it after the date, however taste and quality may have been lost.

If it states Use By: then you aren't suppose to eat it after the date.

+1, I tend to give it a smell and see how it looks then just go for it.

 

[ltron]

I always follow 'Use by' without exception. 'Best Before' is only a guide and I'm very relaxed about this as I don't care if it doesn't taste quite as good.