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The "use by" date

Keep in mind that most of the "Use/Sell By" dates are just as much litigation-minded as food or drug safety, not to mention profit-oriented. Essentially, they're playing the law of averages against the cost of a lawsuit. I ignore the dates completely. If it looks/smells/feels/tastes the least bit off or otherwise unusable (rubbery celery!), I chuck it without a second thought. Otherwise I use it until it's gone.

In over fifty years, never the least bit of gastrointestinal distress from my own kitchen. Evolution set me up pretty well to keep from poisoning myself. For me, the old ways are best. I really have no need for a government agency that is overly nannyish, nor a food producer hell-bent on maximizing profit while claiming interest in my well-being.
 
I'm the "taste tester" in our house. If someone in my family has any doubts about any food, they come to me.

Needless to say, I have had some pretty horrible experiences. *shudder*

I say if it looks good, taste it. If it tastes good, eat it. Simple.
 
For me if it is expired I toss it ESPECIALLLY dairy products... I think I am more anal just because of my heath problems (born with bad heart, weak immune system etc)

but I do believe that somethings are just fine when expired by a day or two.
 
I give the suspicious food to my dog. If the day after that she's still alive, I'll eat it myself. If she's dead, I'll eat her instead.
 
I don't want to speak to prescription drugs but I know from people inside the industry that OTC drugs are good for a minimum of 12 months after "expiration". Some will go as far to say that they're 100% safe and just as effective 3-5 years after expiration.

But don't tell the drug companies I told you so.
 
The "Use By" dates are just a rough guideline to give one an idea of when the product was manufactured and when it would be wise to "think about" throwing it away, in all cases, "When in doubt, throw it out".

I'm a "CDT" for Sizzling Platter LLC (Sizzler, Red Robin, Little Ceasars, ect) and our "Use By" dates are pretty much the same thing. Although I train new cooks to throw most things out, we first need to physically inspect the food item in question. Like steaks for example, they have a usable life of about a week. We say four days to be safe, most of the times the steak is still good after those four days. If there are any signs of discoloration or a foul smell, it's time to throw it out. Don't live religiously to those standards.

The only thing I can think of that you should throw away before the expiration is Sour Cream, when it gets all watery and stuff, uck...

Plus, most household items with a "use by" date won't kill you or get you very sick to begin with. I just think it's odd when watered bottle has an expiration date, must have something to do with the chemical breakdown of the "enhancements" in the water.
 
devilot said:
See, meds I actively throw out if expired. They have active ingredients and I don't personally know enough to know whether or not 1) it could do harm or 2) be absolutely useless and I could keep taking it not knowing why I see no improvement.
Click to expand...

Recently I was at a friends' house and took a few Tylenol for a headcahe.... I then realized they expired in 1992. They didn't work at all. :D

I usually do a smell/taste test though. I hate the thought of throwing out food.
 
We have medications that are all long since expired. Neosporin? Like the above poster, 1992. I think the average age for most stuff is expired in 05 or 06. There are a few newer, a few older.

Food is tougher, since I like to buy and freeze if I have the space, so I have eggbeaters in the freezer that expired in mid-06, but are still ok (I normally just use natural eggs). Homemade items, like mayo and tomato sauce generally get two weeks, but it depends on where in the fridge and how they look and smell. If they are in the back, they may get a few extra days; in the door, they may lose a couple. The final determining factor is current preparation. Raw meat gets fewer days than cooked; cooked fewer than preserved (smoked, salted, etc).
 
For medication this article pretty much sums up what I've always heard. Basically, it boils down to two things:

1. The expiration date is required by law in the United States.
2. With a handful of exceptions -- notably nitroglycerin, insulin, and some liquid antibiotics -- most drugs will degrade slowly but are safe to use well past their expiration date.
 
I find it to be a "sell by" date. It can last longer or less time depending on what it is, also depends on what your fridge temp is set to. Dairy is usually pretty close to the date. Boxed goods usually quite a bit longer, especially since they sit in a warehouse for weeks anyways.
 
For me, and many others, it depends what the food is. I only throw away certain foods if it is a day past the date and that is food like milk, eggs, yogurt etc etc.
 
A lot depends on storage and handling BEFORE you get it.

Milk for example .....

We have two places close by where we can buy milk.

Milk from Store A can be good for 14 days past it's " Use by " date.

Milk from Store B will expire on the " Use by " date.

This difference is the storage temp, Store A refrigerates well below the temp of Store B.

Then it depends on how it is store AFTER you get it.

Many things are " photoreactive ", that is they deteriorate when exposed over time to light. I believe this is why medications come in color tinted bottles.

We just finished off a bottle of Motrin that we 4 years out of date. It like all of our meds is kept in a locked dark cabinet and in a 'cool dry ' location. We do NOT keep them in the bathroom medicine cabinet because of temp and HUMIDITY variations.
 
I'll keep milk until it's sour, and in the rare event I allow the cheese to go moldy I just cut off the mold and, voila, a new block of cheese! Also, bread is kept until the first signs of mold and any other dry foods are kept until visibly bad. Meat, on the other hand, is tossed as soon as the date is reached or if I think it's been open too long.

Basically, I'm willing to sacrifice taste, but if there's a chance it's dangerous it's gone.
 
This thread reminded me of my middle school days and Cheetos. A couple friends and I would have a back of regular crunchy Cheetos most days at lunch. After a while we noticed that the closer to the "Best if Used By" date the Cheetos got the crunchier and cheesier they were. We started going past the date and found that Cheetos (at least in the individual bags) are best a week to two weeks after the date on the bag. The flavor is enhanced somehow.

Now, for milk. My mom will get rid of it on the day that is printed on the gallon. My dad will keep it until it is gone..he had a gallon with July 27 2007 on it and it was the middle of Sept. I smelled it and it seemed fine but I wasn't going to use it. I will go a week or two at most after the date unless something seems wrong with it, but I usually finish a gallon a couple days before the date anyways.

Most other foods are fair game until I smell or taste something bad.

And to the person who just cuts the mold away on the cheese, congratulations. Most people that I know don't realize that mold on cheese almost always, if not always, is just on the surface. Who knows, it can actually make the underlying cheese even better. Cut it away and enjoy.
 
For products like milk, the sell by date is for them to sell and generally a week after the sell by date is the accepted throw out. Most people though drink it by the sell by if they can I think. When you open up a thing of milk near the sell by date it tends to smell... iffy. This usually isn't because of the milk in the container though. It's often times because of the milk that was left around the top of the container outside the carton. If you pour the milk in a glass the smell goes away because the smell is on the container.

Most condiments and other things that you don't have to put into the fridge until opening last 3 months after opening (unless of course you exceed the use by date after opening!). Packaged meats are supposed to be used a week after opening.

There was something on NBC/ABC/CBS or something a few weeks back I watched that told me this... although I think the segment was bought by BIG GROCERY to keep people buying ketchup. >.> <.<
 
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