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'use by dates'

england Offline Taxi Dad

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'use by dates'
on: November 17, 2013, 10:00:07 PM
I've never worried too much about food going a little past it's shelf life, but I thought i'd share this true story, for any preppers among us.
a while back I had the 'late evening munchies' so had a forage in the store cupboard and found a tin of 'pilchards in tomato sauce' .... a bit of toast .... sorted  :tu:
they didn't taste that great but i'm not a quitter so I soldered on, not wishing to waste good food, besides my *cook* had turned in for the night so I wasn't getting anything else  :whistle:
then out of kindness I thought i'd clear up the kitchen for her as per previous instructions. then I notice the tin  :sa: 5 years past the 'use by date' !!!!
I can only assume they were past their date when I got them OR they have lurked at the back of the cupboard somehow and been 'missed' when I've rotated my tins (this is not a post apocalypse storage unit BTW, just a kitchen cupboard)
Anyhoo I did contemplate sticking fingers down my throat to try and regurgitate any problem, but I normally have the constitution of a billy goat, so let it run.
this all happened long enough ago that I can safely say "no harm done" I may have been a little smellier than usual for a day or two  :think: so you can eat food that's a little past it's date, though I wouldn't if I had the choice. on the other hand I wouldn't starve to death before eating whatever food was about!

*I (nor MT.O) is recommending this as 'safe' do, do so at your own risk !


gb Offline Cupboard

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #1 on: November 18, 2013, 02:37:30 PM
I tend to go on my own judgement most of the time, though I might have been a bit wary of 5 years out of date!

Does it look off? If not, does it smell off? If not, does it feel off? If not, cook it, eat it and hope for the best.

I've had to replace a load of first aid kits at work recently because things were going out of date. Some bandages and some sterile eye wash needed replacing, and it was cheaper to replace the entire kit, lock stock and barrel than it was to buy the individual things or a kit "refill". So I now have a pile of first aid boxes next to my desk whilst I try and come up with something sensible to do with them.


us Offline mtngoat

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #2 on: November 18, 2013, 04:35:45 PM
I read an article about this topic, the arthor did a study of canned food past its date.  They found a shipwreck with canned food that was 100 yrs was safe to eat.


"The steamboat Bertrand was heavily laden with provisions when it set out on The Missouri River in 1865, destined for the gold mining camps in Fort Benton, Mont. The boat snagged and swamped under the weight, sinking to the bottom of the river. It was found a century later, under 30 feet of silt a little north of Omaha, Neb.

Among the canned food items retrieved from the Bertrand in 1968 were brandied peaches, oysters, plum tomatoes, honey, and mixed vegetables. In 1974, chemists at the National Food Processors Association (NFPA) analyzed the products for bacterial contamination and nutrient value. Although the food had lost its fresh smell and appearance, the NFPA chemists detected no microbial growth and determined that the foods were as safe to eat as they had been when canned more than 100 years earlier.

The nutrient values varied depending upon the product and nutrient. NFPA chemists Janet Dudek and Edgar Elkins report that significant amounts of vitamins C and A were lost. But protein levels remained high, and all calcium values “were comparable to today’s products.”

NFPA chemists also analyzed a 40-year-old can of corn found in the basement of a home in California. Again, the canning process had kept the corn safe from contaminants and from much nutrient loss. In addition, Dudek says, the kernels looked and smelled like recently canned corn."


Like you I use my own judgement, look, smell, touch, & taste if it passes those I will carefully continue.
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter won't mind." -Dr. Seuss-


us Offline Lynn LeFey

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #3 on: November 20, 2013, 03:01:56 PM
Like Mtngoat's post, everything i've read has seemed to suggest that while you lose nutritional value over time, and color and taste go a little weird, as long as the can is intact, the food is generally safe. However, I always run anything past my nose as the final judge.

I've eaten bad food before, and generally shrug off ill effects, and I'm not paranoid about expiration dates like a lot of people I know (cough, hubby, cough).

I'm more likely to eat canned food well past its expiration date than soft packaged food just a little over its expiration date. and of course, if anything's wriggling in the food, it gets pitched. I'm not THAT brave. :D


ca Offline Grant Lamontagne

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #4 on: November 20, 2013, 03:56:01 PM
Do mushrooms have an expiry date? It seems to me that they are the result of something else past its expiry date! :D

I'm not usually too concerned about expiry dates myself but my wife seems to believe that at midnight on the date printed on the package, it suddenly expires instantly and is unfit for human consumption.

I give things the sniff test it seems okay I'll give it a shot. If it tastes funny then I toss it.

Def

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us Offline ducttapetech

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #5 on: November 20, 2013, 05:11:20 PM
Hey this mushroom tastes funny........

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ca Offline derekmac

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #6 on: November 20, 2013, 05:31:27 PM
Hey this mushroom tastes funny........

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Did you eat the magic mushrooms again Nate?


england Offline Taxi Dad

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #7 on: November 20, 2013, 05:47:33 PM
I have a very poor (almost non existent) sense of smell, so the sniff test is out ! I don't think my tastebuds are that good ....yet I do like my food  :facepalm:


us Offline ducttapetech

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #8 on: November 20, 2013, 06:54:25 PM
Hey this mushroom tastes funny........

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Did you eat the magic mushrooms again Nate?
That's what those are!
Now I feel funny.
:))

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gb Offline Dr Gonzo

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #9 on: November 22, 2013, 12:48:35 PM
Use by dates are just a guide...I trust my nose with things well out of date.
There are usually signs if its off like the tin/pouch blowing (expanding) or mold inside when you open.
There was a story of a guy who ate a 50 year old tinned chicken that was left over from his wedding :o

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/4693520.stm

He survived ;)
There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.


no Offline Grathr

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #10 on: December 15, 2013, 09:40:20 AM
When I was a kid, my father once brought home a few tins of the old Norwegian combat ration nicknamed "dead man in a can".  They had gone 10years beyond their expiration date, but still tasted great.
Also when I was in the Army we sometimes got combat rations that had expired by as much as 4 years. The tubed cheese tasted a little funny, but the rest was OK.

I often buy food that is close to its expiration date, as they will usually give me a heavy discount on it at the store. If it looks good, smells good and tastes all right its probably safe.
Eggs for instance is good up to two monts past expiration if you store it cool. I have also noticed that the new screw lid milk kartons here makes the milk last up to a week past its expiration, depending on when I opened it the first time.
I dont even look at the exporation dates on tinned and dry foods.

Only problem is that the wife does not agree.  She once threw away a 1000 bags of my favourite tea, that had gone out of production,just because it was a year past its expiration. I was not happy about that. :rant:
-Knívleysur maður er lívleysur maður.
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us Offline Lynn LeFey

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #11 on: December 15, 2013, 03:48:52 PM
I think I have tea that's like 5 years past expiration, and still fine.

But, like I said, I'm one that's more likely to trust my nose than anything else.


us Offline Pacu

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #12 on: January 04, 2014, 01:45:01 AM
after food poisoning in scouts I am the most paranoid person when it comes to dates and look/smell of food. I check seals, cans for dents, and rotate my pantry.

Also worked at a grocery store for a number of years ..saw my share of bloated cans, fuzzy food, and meat that crawled.  :skull: :skull: :skull:

I fired an old woman for not throwing away the food in a deli case that went out overnight. She said it was still good. The stuff was room temperature when i discovered it.  :facepalm:
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ca Offline Gallows

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #13 on: January 04, 2014, 02:54:03 AM
I find milk in a carton is fine the day it is opened past the expiry date but has a sour smell the following day. Not worth getting sick over IMO.


gb Offline Cupboard

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #14 on: January 09, 2014, 09:50:29 AM
My milk doesn't come with a use by date, and has usually been kept well over fridge temperature for the majority of its life before I get my hands on it :D


au Offline gregozedobe

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #15 on: January 09, 2014, 10:27:24 AM
My milk doesn't come with a use by date, and has usually been kept well over fridge temperature for the majority of its life before I get my hands on it :D

Does the container make a "Mooo" sound at times ?   :pok:

If so, it probably tastes much nicer (and has more cream) than the white liquid I buy  ;)
babola: "Enjoy your tools and don't be afraid to air your opinion and feelings here, but do it in courteous and respectable way toward others, of course."


gb Offline Cupboard

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #16 on: January 09, 2014, 11:12:37 AM
Yup :)


no Offline Steinar

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #17 on: January 09, 2014, 11:56:43 AM
*sigh* Been years since I've had fresh, unhomogenized milk, it tastes so much nicer than that... white liquid thing. When I drink milk, it's mostly drink fermented milk anyway, I like the taste and as a bonus it keeps better. (Kefir and soured milk.)


us Offline ducttapetech

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #18 on: January 09, 2014, 12:29:12 PM
My milk doesn't come with a use by date, and has usually been kept well over fridge temperature for the majority of its life before I get my hands on it :D

Does the container make a "Mooo" sound at times ?   :pok:

If so, it probably tastes much nicer (and has more cream) than the white liquid I buy  ;)
Oh hell ya its better. The stuff in the store tastes like water.

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au Offline gregozedobe

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #19 on: January 09, 2014, 12:50:41 PM
It might be just my mind playing tricks on me, but I have fond memories of the milk from the Jersey cow we had as a "house cow" when I was a young'un (I was one of 7 kids and not a lot of money, so we grew/caught a lot of our own food).  The milk tasted much better, but the cream was to die for.  Left in the fridge overnight there would be over an inch of cream on top, and on the very top would be a thick crust of yellow "super cream" that we would all fight over to have, with mulberries (in season) or jam (the rest of the year).  I've put on weight just thinking about it  :rofl:
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gb Offline Cupboard

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #20 on: January 09, 2014, 02:32:38 PM
I've put on weight just thinking about it  :rofl:

:D Me too!

Our milk doesn't actually separate out that much by itself.
I definitely wouldn't say I disliked shop-milk, in fact I love it, but it's completely different from the proper stuff.


no Offline Steinar

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #21 on: January 09, 2014, 02:35:19 PM
I think I have tea that's like 5 years past expiration, and still fine.

But, like I said, I'm one that's more likely to trust my nose than anything else.

+1 for trusting your nose.

Some of the problem is people trusting the date stamps and no longer knowing how to recognize spoiled food, so huge amounts of perfectly good food is thrown away. Lot of knowledge has gone down the drain. Food colouring, controlled atmosphere in packaging to change color and stuff like that makes the problem even worse. I am reminded of the old first aid rule, which roughly translated from my own language to English would be something like "Look at, talk to, touch." If your food talks back to you, it's time to cut back on the alcohol, though...

Before we used to have the date stamp "will keep pretty much forever if stored correctly" for stuff which... you know (used for things like crackers, flour, etc), but that disappeared with some nanny state regulations. Probably an EU directive or something.


us Offline ducttapetech

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #22 on: January 09, 2014, 02:36:57 PM
I've put on weight just thinking about it  :rofl:

:D Me too!

Our milk doesn't actually separate out that much by itself.

Holsteins?

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no Offline Steinar

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #23 on: January 09, 2014, 02:51:52 PM
A question: Over here we have "Best før", which means basically "best before", and "Siste forbruksdag" (roughly "last day for consumption"). The former is more of a guideline than the latter, i.e. it is always safer to ignore "Best før" than "Siste forbruksdag", what's the corresponding phrases in other countries (if the distinction is used)?


gb Offline Cupboard

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #24 on: January 09, 2014, 03:19:44 PM
I've put on weight just thinking about it  :rofl:

:D Me too!

Our milk doesn't actually separate out that much by itself.

Holsteins?

sent from Nate's mobile

20% Holsteins (white water), 80% Brown Swiss. The Brown Swiss are among the highest yielding non-elite cows and they're still producing 90% of the milk of a Holstein but they're a much more robust animal.

Much better for cheese too, more cheese per litre  :tu:


us Offline ducttapetech

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #25 on: January 09, 2014, 04:45:22 PM
I figured you would have some Holsteins and mainly swiss.
I remember when they started making a big come back.


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us Offline NutSAK

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #26 on: January 09, 2014, 05:34:52 PM
I have a very poor (almost non existent) sense of smell, so the sniff test is out ! I don't think my tastebuds are that good ....yet I do like my food  :facepalm:

Well, there's no way that you have a good sense of taste if you have a poor sense of smell...

I'm with most of the others.  I am sensitive to smell and rely on olfaction to determine whether food is fit to consume.
- Terry


gb Offline Cupboard

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #27 on: January 09, 2014, 10:31:18 PM
I figured you would have some Holsteins and mainly swiss.
I remember when they started making a big come back.


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They're pretty unusual in the UK, 90% of the herds you see are black and whites of some description.


us Offline Lynn LeFey

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #28 on: January 10, 2014, 06:09:35 AM
This is only kind of related, but in the U.S., folks very often buy their cheese pre-grated. I buy mine in blocks or wedges. If grated cheese gets a little mold, ALL of it has to be pitched. If a block gets a little mold, you can shave off the outer bits, and the rest is still good. I tell people this and they look at me like I've lost my smurfing MIND. Heck, when I was a kid, my grandparents didn't even refrigerate their cheese and butter.


no Offline Steinar

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Re: 'use by dates'
Reply #29 on: January 10, 2014, 10:12:32 AM
This is only kind of related, but in the U.S., folks very often buy their cheese pre-grated. I buy mine in blocks or wedges. If grated cheese gets a little mold, ALL of it has to be pitched. If a block gets a little mold, you can shave off the outer bits, and the rest is still good. I tell people this and they look at me like I've lost my smurfing MIND. Heck, when I was a kid, my grandparents didn't even refrigerate their cheese and butter.

Yeah, remove about 1.3 cm into the cheese from the mold for hard cheeses and the rest should be fine. Same with hard vegetables if there's only a small spot affected. Fruit and soft cheeses should be thrown away, though. Another advantage of buing blocks or wedges is they are more hyigenic and have less chance of going moldy in the first place (lower surface/volume ratio, have been handled less, etc).

I double checked my memory when writing this, and learnt an interesting tidbit: Some molds do not produce mycotoxins if growing in low temperatures (like in the fridge). Since it does not go for all molds it's not that useful for food safety, but still interesting.


 

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