Expiration Dates

[winodj]

I know that usually you have a few days leeway on expiration dates for food (although I have bad luck with milk)

So here's my question. I have some eggs that reached their best buy date over the weekend. How long do you think I'd have until they would be definitely be bad? And further, how can you tell if eggs have started to go bad?

[britcook]

Well I had two boiled eggs yesterday that were two weeks past "best by" date and I'm still here to post about it. That has also been my experience in the past although I wouldn't like to bake with older eggs, they don't seem to work as well.

When an egg is off you can smell it as soon as you crack the shell, it's not for nothing that hydrogen sulphide gas is said to smell of bad eggs.

With most "best by" dates the manufacturers/suppliers give themselves a fairly wide margin for error and assume that the product will last at least to that date in eatable form even if it has been distributed and stored in poor conditions. If you have bought from a reputable supplier and kept the produce/product under the proper conditions you nearly always have at least a few days leeway, except for very short dated products that need to be eaten within a day or two. In today's litigious climate suppliers cannot take the risk of being sued for supplying "bad" food.

[polly]

You could also try the fun egg freshness test:

Place the egg in a jug/deep bowl of cold water.

If it lies on it's side on the bottom of the bowl, it's fresh.

If it stands up in the water it's not so fresh, but still fine.

If it floats, it's off.

[awbrig]

I heard if you drink milk the day after the expiration date that you might die...I wouldnt do it...

[snowangel]

Part of expiration date has to do with how the item is stored. I never store eggs or milk in the door of the fridge. They go toward the back, where the temp is more controlled and consistent. Some things are obviously bad (veggies) based on appearance, some based on smell, and some things you can't tell based on either of these criteria. If you aren't comfortable with it, toss it.

I do remember, however, cleaning out the fridge at work after Diana was born. There was an unopened tub of Philly cream cheese that had expired before I was even pregnant with her (and I had a 4 month maternity leave). The tub was shaped like a baseball! And, someone had the nerve to suggest we open the tub to see "make sure it wasn't edible." Yikes!

[Suzanne F]

My cynical opinion is that "expiration dates" are put on a lot of items just to make us throw out (perfectly good) food and buy more of the same. I mean, crackers?

[Bux]

There are all sorts of "expiration" dates. Some are best eaten before and may indicate a date after which quality or taste may begin to fade, while others are relevant to health concerns. All generally err on the side of safety with good margin. Nevertheless, I have had milk go bad well before the sell by date approached. Generally, they are indications of reasonable freshness and keep things from getting lost for periods of time in the chain of delivery to the consumer.

You'll know a bad egg when you see or smell something funny--not ha ha funny.

If you have bought from a reputable supplier and kept the produce/product under the proper conditions you nearly always have at least a few days leeway,

That exlains the bad milk.

I will however offer my version of the conversation I had with the cheese manager of a chain of NYC "gourmet" shops. I will even preface my story by saying I understand that wrapping a nice cheese in platic wrap can have the same effect on cheese that wrapping a baby tightly in plastic mattress cover can on it. Nevertheless, one has to go out of one's way to find cheese handled with care in most NYC neighborhoods. I was annoyed to find a second wrap with a label from France indicating a date well back in history in relationship to both my purchase and the date on the outside wrapper placed by the local store in question. Inside the second wrap was a cheese that smelled like you'd expect of living thing wrapped in Saran wrap for a good month. The cheese monger was happy to refund my money and offer a second cheese on the house in return for my displeasure, although he refused to offer an opinion on whether the cheese was over the hill. He said they put a date on the package in France because they have to by law, but it's a fictional date. He added that the retailer in America was supposed to evaluate the cheese and place a realistic date on the package for the consumer. That would explain why, when I happened to speak with an exporter in France, he told me that some of his cheesemakers were upset by the condition of their cheese for sale in the US, when they visited.

One of these days I'll stop ranting like that, but I'm afraid it'll only be after I have worse stories to tell.

[Bux]

By the way, many cooks will break eggs one by one into a separate bowl before combining them with other ingredients so as not to ruin good ingredients with bad eggs.

[Stephanie]

I think that one's refrigerator also might be a factor in determining expiration dates. My fridge (slightly over 5 years old) seems to keep things remarkably well, and it takes a long time for food in there to go bad.

[Suzanne F]

Bux, you raise a good point. I took over the receiving for many kitchens in which I worked, simply because I couldn't stand that others were accepting past-date goods without even checking. It's one thing to take the chance at home; it's quite another when the product will ultimately go to a paying customer. I once had to send back about one-third of a delivery of cheese because when I opened every case, I found that much already moldy (and it was tubs of soft goat cheese!). Even well before the expiry. So many factors.

But for home use, I will buy reduced-price last-day-of-sale meat as long as it isn't green and doesn't stink. "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger" yet again.

[pjs]

Sour cream seems to last well past the expiry--like two weeks past or more. Don't try this with milk or cream cheese though.

PJ

[elyse]

Well, it seems I'm late in replying again. I'm new, and excited to be here. It'll ware off and I'll be replying to newer threads soon.

Personally, I really push it with expiration dates. If milk smells (a little), I portion it and put it in the freezer to use in macaroni and cheese or something well cooked.

Eggs, I never check the date, but I do turn the carton every week. I heard it keeps them fresher. I also heard that it you coat them in shortening and put them in a polystyrene carton, they'll keep for up to a year, for those who like to buy a ton on sale. Er... I've never tried this, so experiment at your own risk. And I do crack my older eggs individually to make sure they're fresh.

Mold, I pick off of bread and cheese. Crackers etc., I crisp in the oven if necessary.

I would never serve this stuff to someone else, and I wouldn't even recommend it, because I've probably built up a tolerance. But if it's not entirely rancid, I'll use it. I hate waste.

Elyse

[lindag]

This is a very old thread.

Yesterday I wanted to make a very simple recipe for scalloped potatoes that uses Cream of Mushroom Soup.  I had a couple cans in the pantry, one of which was a regional brand.

When I opened the can the contents were a rather dark, odd color.  As it often happens, I couldn't read the expiration date on the bottom of the can.  It smelled fine, just looked a bit funny.  Anyway, I used the soup and the resulting potatoes were really excellent.  

I will definitely use that recipe again, most likely with a fresher can of soup.

[BeeZee]

@lindag, who knows, perhaps the "aged" soup was the secret to the recipe! Yesterday I threw out a large can of diced tomatoes that had a "best by" date in 2016 (which means likely it was purchased in 2014-2015). It had gotten pushed to the back of the pantry and forgotten. The can looked fine, but I have "newer vintages" and frankly for the $1. it probably cost me at the time, had only a momentary moment of guilt. If I had to cook something and that was my only can...I'm sure I would have used it no problem. I'm trying to do better at not over purchasing canned goods since I don't use them much.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I have a Cross & Blackwell plum pudding I purchased on sale from Grand Union circa 1995 when the chain went bankrupt and was going out of business.  I was going to inquire about the expiration date.  But now that I looked it doesn't have one.  I assume that means like most plum puddings the product keeps forever?  There is some sort of lot number on the bottom of the package.

 

[Anna N]

48 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I have a Cross & Blackwell plum pudding I purchased on sale from Grand Union circa 1995 when the chain went bankrupt and was going out of business.  I was going to inquire about the expiration date.  But now that I looked it doesn't have one.  I assume that means like most plum puddings the product keeps forever?  There is some sort of lot number on the bottom of the package.

 

 I think that the inclusion of expiration dates on canned goods is a fairly recent development.  

[JoNorvelleWalker]

52 minutes ago, Anna N said:

 I think that the inclusion of expiration dates on canned goods is a fairly recent development.  

 

Thanks!  I was worried for a moment.

 

[teonzo]

14 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Thanks!  I was worried for a moment. 

 

Please tell us if you'll get any new superpowers.

 

 

 

Teo

 

[chromedome]

As long as the can remains sealed, its "food safety" date is essentially unlimited. Its "do you still want to eat this stuff?" date is variable, and subjective.

[demiglace]

So there are people who have trouble throwing outdated food away. They clean out their cupboards and donate the food to homeless shelters and food banks. Please don't do this. A lot of people who get this food are ill, many with compromised immune systems. They can't afford to take risks with their health. If you know anyone who does this please do what you can to stop it. Thanks. 

[IowaDee]

Our local food pantry will accept outdated food but not include it in the boxes they give out.  Instead they have a special area for it and tell people to help themselves at their  own risk so to speak.    

[liuzhou]

I remember being very confused by 'expiration dates' when I first came to China. Everything pre-packaged seemed to be out-of-date. Only after a few months did I work out that the dates on the packaging was actually the date of production, so of course they were all past that date.

 

This is still largely the practice although unfortunately, expiry or best-before dates are beginning to creep in. The are most often a con, designed to make you overcautious, bin stuff and re-buy. Fortunately not much food is pre-packaged here.

 

Worth repeating this example from the Food Funnies topic again.

Edited December 27, 2018 by liuzhou (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

8 hours ago, demiglace said:

So there are people who have trouble throwing outdated food away. They clean out their cupboards and donate the food to homeless shelters and food banks. Please don't do this. A lot of people who get this food are ill, many with compromised immune systems. They can't afford to take risks with their health. If you know anyone who does this please do what you can to stop it. Thanks. 

 

I am of mixed feelings.  Some years ago when I was out of work and food and income a friend gave me some past dated food that was inedible.  Even considering.  She also gave me a $50 bill.

 

[demiglace]

22 minutes ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I am of mixed feelings.  Some years ago when I was out of work and food and income a friend gave me some past dated food that was inedible.  Even considering.  She also gave me a $50 bill.

 

That is a nice friend.