Use by dates for food

[Danny]

I generally tend to ignore these, but have friends and relatives who treat them as religious gospel.

What is everyone else's attitude to use by dates?

 

[Willow]

I'm in the same boat as you

 

[Dave5N]

Sniff it and see.

 

[mr_cellophane]

Never look at them. My daughter would follow them religiously if I let her. She was going to throw away some tinned food last month until I told her that tinned food never goes off and that the use by dates were pointless.
I head for the bargain bucket in my Tescos and pick up some nice food cheaply which have to be sold by that day. I either use them during the next week or put them in the freezer for latter.

 

[Chromatic]

They are a load of bollocks. I do as Dave5N does.

 

[hackbike 666]

Eggs never used to have a sell by date.

 

[ColinJ]

It depends what it is and how it has been stored.

Milk left out of a fridge - I'd chuck it away. Rice - I don't even think about how old it is. Fruit & Veg - I'd inspect before deciding what to do. I don't eat meat any more, but if I did, I'd be very fussy about that.

 

[Sittingduck]

I'm pretty anal over these. If it's past the use by date the duck don't use it! B)

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Sniff it and see.

Yep. If it looks and smells ok, it probably is.

 

[jonesy]

Fine for meat, poultry, dairy products; but very silly when on packs of potatoes, apples, cabbages etc when you can see whether they are OK to eat. Particularly annoying to see bags of apples being collected to be thrown away when passed their date, only to be replaced by another bag that will have been stored for just as long.

 

[Steve Austin]

I'm currently roasting a chicken that is 3 days past its best before.

It will be fine B)

 

[thomas]

I don't care as long as it looks safe...sometimes (with best before dates) the food is still fine, just, potentially not as tasty as it would be if it was in date.

 

[gavintc]

A relative is a nightmare - absolutely a sell by date fanatic and lectures us on our 'slovenly' habits as we keep things in the fridge until it looks a bit dodgy.

 

[HLaB]

It depends on what it is and how its been stored. I pretty religious about not eating meat or dairy product after the use by date but with other items I'm not really bothered if it a few days out.

 

[Cubist]

Why does sour cream have a sell-by date?