Use by dates......how carefully do you stick to them ?

[Dave7]

Living on my own its difficult to stick to the warnings eg yesterday I bought a bottle of mayo which says "once opened use within 4 weeks"....yeah, as though that's going to happen.
My wife went (imo) too far and even out of date cans were binned after a while.
When i was i hospital for 3 days recently my daughter went through my fridge/freezer. She had my interests at heart and tbf much of what she binned was a bit sad BUT she also binned things that had me thinking WHY?.
Just wondering what your thoughts are.

 

[Alex321]

"use by" we will go a fair bit over if stuff still looks and smells OK. Depending to an extent on what it is, will happily eat most things a week after, some things even as much as a month after.

"Best Before", we will go even further over. I've eaten things several months after their "best before" date.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

If it is in a can and is not punctured or badly dented then from what I can see the dates are more a case of "might not taste quite as good" than anything that make you sick

If it is bread then my wife is VERY sensitive and can tell (and yes I have tested it) and thinks it is stale - often before the date - she can;t even cope with bread that has been frozen and deftosted

meat - I keep it covered but once it is past the date then I won;t use it

fish - hmm - I have had some that is on the date and stinks - so I try to keep it well within date or chuck it

fruit and veg - I keep until it seems dodgy


cheese - I am informed that mould growing on it means it has to be chucked
or you have to pay more for it
doesn't make any senses to me

although I have a Theory that the supermarkets take the out of date cheese and unpack it - leave it out for a while - then repackage it as a more expensive cheese

(no actual evidence of any kind exists to support this Theory - but it does smell that way to me)

 

[richardfm]

"use by" we will go a fair bit over if stuff still looks and smells OK. Depending to an extent on what it is, will happily eat most things a week after, some things even as much as a month after.

"Best Before", we will go even further over. I've eaten things several months after their "best before" date.

cheese - I am informed that mould growing on it means it has to be chucked

I'm pretty much the same as Alex.
When it comes to cheese I trim the mouldy bits and carry on.
Same with jam.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I'm pretty much the same as Alex.
When it comes to cheese I trim the mouldy bits and carry on.
Same with jam.

I am informed that if mold is visible then the "root" of the mould are already throughout the rest of it


clearly, my opinion on it means that this is under the category of "someone told me"
but that is what I have been told

 

[Dave7]

I always freeze my bread although it means it has to be pre sliced. I mainly have it toasted with your favourite grilled cheese on and it seems fine to me.
None frozen meat and fish is mostly agree with you although meat kept in a container in the fridge is OK for me.

 

[Dave7]

I'm pretty much the same as Alex.
When it comes to cheese I trim the mouldy bits and carry on.
Same with jam.

Yes, slice the moldy bits off.
Jam, I did scoop the mold off recently and I am still here, i think.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I always freeze my bread although it means it has to be pre sliced. I mainly have it toasted with your favourite grilled cheese on and it seems fine to me.
None frozen meat and fish is mostly agree with you although meat kept in a container in the fridge is OK for me.

I have to have Gluten free bread and that is not much different if frozen - partly as it is not that wonderful even fresh
so mine is normally frozen and I defrost it - or just toast it

My wife has to have hers fresh
which also means that we generally have to get small loaves for her - and she still chucks half or more of it out as stale

 

[SuffolkBlue]

I'm with the "common sense" brigade although there are things I am more careful with such as fish/shellfish. Appearance and sniff test and making sure your fridge is working properly and is maintaining the right temperature is important.

At the risk of being rude - you're not a spring chicken anymore and from your posts you have some ongoing ailments which might make you a bit more vulnerable. Perhaps that's why your Daughter is being extra careful and protective of you?

 

[Dave7]

I'm with the "common sense" brigade although there are things I am more careful with such as fish/shellfish. Appearance and sniff test and making sure your fridge is working properly and is maintaining the right temperature is important.

At the risk of being rude - you're not a spring chicken anymore and from your posts you have some ongoing ailments which might make you a bit more vulnerable. Perhaps that's why your Daughter is being extra careful and protective of you?

You are right there and I didnt take issue with her. As I said, she had my best interests at heart.
I am with you re the common sense approach.

 

[a.twiddler]

Use by is fairly definitive, though again common sense might stretch it a bit longer, depending what it is.

Best before, more related to the quality and taste. Stale bread can still be used for toast or bread and butter pudding, for example, though not if it's gone green. I have a feeling that tinned stuff used to be able to be kept for decades in days gone by, and some dates tend to err on the cautious side. My wife is a terror for not chucking stuff out, keeping old tins particularly, though I'm a bit more cautious.

My parents' generation used to waste very little, and I remember cutting off the outer part of elderly cheese and finding the interior to be fine. Perhaps that's the origin of the term "cheeseparing".

You only have to work in a modern people orientated job to be sent on regular food hygiene and health and safety courses to realise the horrors that can lurk in badly stored food products so it's not something to be taken lightly. Using your discretion is one thing, but common sense isn't actually a common commodity!

 

[Hilldodger]

A few years ago I worked at a local warehouse for a couple of weeks in between jobs.

The first two days I spent covering over the use by date on catering packs of Knorr curry paste with a new one 18 months hence.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I am informed that if mold is visible then the "root" of the mould are already throughout the rest of it


clearly, my opinion on it means that this is under the category of "someone told me"
but that is what I have been told

It is fine with hard cheeses but not soft. Mold finds it quite hard to get into hard cheeses.

 

[T4tomo]

I laugh in the face of best before dates and see them as a challenge.

I did have to bin what was going to be my scrambled egg lunch yday though as the 4th (in date) egg I cracked into the bowl was off.
Sniff / sight / common sense test beats dates

 

[Profpointy]

I don't worry unduly, and by and large only sling stuff that is clearly "off". Raw meat and fish smells bad if it's gone over, though I am a bit more reticent if it's already cooked or been in the warm for longer than ideal. Mouldy cheese generally just needs a trim, and (within reason) improves with age. Dry goods and tins I'll generally only sling out if it is way beyond the date.

I am much more cautious with things like cooked rice and such which can really make you ill