Use By / Best Before dates...

[faust.dtc]

Use By / Best Before dates...

Do you follow them?

[wub]

Sniff test. Smells like you shouldn't eat it, don't eat it. Simple.

[Kochari]

Nope. Dumpster diving has taught me that best before dates are a load of shit, and the waste they cause is absolutely criminal.
Wub's got it, if it doesn't look/smell right, it probably isn't, otherwise, go for it.

[deadly_habit]

usually good a couple days after, but yeah sniff and look at test
heh though if you leave oj out for a bit or oranges you have half a fermented drink

[magma]

+1 for the sniff and look.

Eggs can be a bit tricky.... if I'm not sure, I do the float test.

[Amber Trichome]

i manage a bakery and my local health department says up to 7 days after fixing/opening. i tend to follow this rule at home too.

[deadly_habit]

heh i tend to hardboil half the carton when i buy em, the rest are for breakfast or cooking. eggs are a bitch to tell if good or not and i'd rather be short when cooking than use bad ones

[Forum]

Ive used spices before that must have been 15 years past the best before

[wub]

+1 for the sniff and look.

Eggs can be a bit tricky.... if I'm not sure, I do the float test.

Float test as standard for eggs...my old housemate had an annoying habit of consolidating half full egg boxes, so you never knew if the date on the box corresponded to the content or not, plus some of the date stamps on the eggs themselves were illegible.

[PinUp]

I go for the sniff test as well, if you can't tell that your food is off before you eat it then there's something wrong with you!

I used to work with a girl who wouldnt eat anything within a week of it's sell by date. You should have seen her face when I ate a yoghurt that was 2 days beyond

[deadly_habit]

+1 for the sniff and look.

Eggs can be a bit tricky.... if I'm not sure, I do the float test.

Float test as standard for eggs...my old housemate had an annoying habit of consolidating half full egg boxes, so you never knew if the date on the box corresponded to the content or not, plus some of the date stamps on the eggs themselves were illegible.

i must have missed out on an essential part in life as i have no clue what the float test is... can someone inform me?
also that sounds like the type of roommate i'd punch in the face.

[wub]

i must have missed out on an essential part in life as i have no clue what the float test is... can someone inform me?

Put egg in a glass of water, enough to cover it plus a bit more. If the egg 'stands up' at the bottom of the glass, it's fine. If it floats, it's gone bad and should be chucked.

also that sounds like the type of roommate i'd punch in the face.

Yes, I have mentioned his 'habits' on here before.

[deadly_habit]

heh my parents didn't teach me right then i guess they taught me pretty much every egg recipe from deviled to you name it but never got taught that test

[gwa]

milk is the one thing i follow by the date rule. generally speaking its true to its date.

everything else gets nommed regardless

[deadly_habit]

milk is def a smell and observe

[Forum]

Tesco milk is usually good for at least 4 days after

[PinUp]

If cheese/bread has mould on it will you just cut that bit off and carry on eating the rest?

[wub]

If cheese/bread has mould on it will you just cut that bit off and carry on eating the rest?

Depends on the level of mould...I'd stop short of using the bread if it's got that fine level of mould 'dust' all over it. Though in that case, you could always pick off the bits you could see and toast it to kill the bits you can't.

[deadly_habit]

If cheese/bread has mould on it will you just cut that bit off and carry on eating the rest?

cheese yes, especially on a piece of expensive i rarely use
bread depends on the level of mold
seems like any whole wheat i buy that i don't consume within a week starts to get a layer of mold

heh free antibiotics and penicillin

[wub]

seems like any whole wheat i buy that i don't consume within a week starts to get a layer of mold

I always suck the air out of the bag before I tie it back up to create a sort of vaccum seal for the bread. That and keeping it in the fridge (especially considering the current climate I find myself in) means it lasts a lot longer.