To eat "out of date" food

[ReallyTired]

For most food if it passes the sniff test and tastes OK its generally OK. However I am wary of some foods being out of date like Chicken.

Am I unreasonable to ignore dates on supermaket food and eat slightly out of date food?

6/12 months that is

I buy most meat, fish and cheese from the local market and it has no use by date on so we just use our common sense.
Same with eggs, DH gets given them from a farmer client, I just try and remember how long we have had them and do the floating thing if in doubt.

I did once serve some chilli in taco shells that tasted a bit ming, on inspection of the box they were 6 years out of date

Whatever5 so you have an apple which is past it's use by date, I still feel fresh and when cut it still fresh..... You would really throw it away.

Apples don't have a use by date do they?? I have never noticed anyway. I was thinking about meat and I didn't say that I throw anything away. I just cook it by its use by date.

Posted that too soon, I have had food poisoning twice. Once from chicken satay sticks from Sainsburys Deli counter and once from spaghetti carbonara from a restaurant. Never from my own kitchen.

Whatever - you are being ridiculous, and wasteful.

You're the one being ridiculous (and patronising).

No she's not whatever. With meat and fish I'm careful. But milk and cheese you know immediately if it's gone off. Eggs just put them in a glass of water and you will know very quickly if they're okay.
Bread, again you can tell yourself if it's gone off, or if it's just a bit stale and will taste find when toasted.
Butter will taste rancid if gone off (usually a lot later than the use by date on the wrapper.)

I have seen best before dates on pepper cannisters, pickled food and other stuff that has huge longevity.

It's just common sense. Most food will develop a fungus or sour smell or be black and rotting if it's not fit to be used.
Like I said, I'm careful with meat and fish but would welcome a sensible rule of thumb way of assessing it, as I hate throwing out food.

whatever never eat in my house with your views. I am never asked what the dates on the food were and I'd never tell and I've never given anyone food poisoning. If it looks and smells ok, I cook it. Things can be 'off' and still be within their use by date.

I am in the middle of consuming yoghurt from a large pot with a use by date in May - it is fine. Smell it and then cook it properly is my motto.

I've had cabbage at least 3 months after its best before date and it was fine

whatever it's people with attitudes like your's that cause this panic reaction and people throwing out good food, that they often can't afford to discard. Seriously, if you ate a nice meal in someone's house and were perfectly fine afterwards, you would be annoyed that they used something that had a 'use by' label on it, often slapped on totally unscientifically and just to satisfy some 'rule'?

Fruits usually much tastier after it's out of date

We (although dh doesn't know as he's funny about dates) had part baked baguettes tonight that were 4 weeks past date.

Opened the sealed bag and they looked, smelt (a little off/yeasty but have never smelled them when fresh so assumed that was ok) and once baked tasted fine.

Conversely, someone at work was leaving and found an old can of Diet Coke in their desk and gave to me. I chilled then later that day drank from the can and it was awful, tasted of flat brown water, but to be fair when I checked it was dated 2011!

No she's not whatever.

It is ridiculous to assume that people who eat things by the "use by" date are wasteful. We drink/eat milk, cheese, butter and bread long before it goes off in our house and I always make sure that meat and fish are cooked by the "use by" date. I wasn't referring to fruit, veg or pickled food when I said that I eat things by the "use by date" as this food doesn't have a use by date.

As I don't throw food away, I don't need a lecture on "common sense" or not being wasteful by twits who can't organise themselves to eat food before it goes off. Not all of us have healthy immune systems and want to risk food poisoning.

I just can't even reading this makes me feel sick. Yes I maybe throw out *£30 of food a month that's past it's use by but I just couldn't. It makes me gag just thinking about it.

I eat after best before no problem but I'm very picky with use by and eat within x days.

whatever never eat in my house with your views. I am never asked what the dates on the food were and I'd never tell and I've never given anyone food poisoning. If it looks and smells ok, I cook it. Things can be 'off' and still be within their use by date.

You wouldn't necessarily know. It's not really the done thing to phone up hosts and tell them that they made you ill is it?

I rigidly follow 'Use By' dates.
I treat 'Best Before' dates as guidelines.

I very rarely throw out food, because I shop with a list, and don't leave stuff at the back of the fridge then suddenly notice the date and throw it in the bin.

I also don't let myself be seduced by '3 for 2' offers on stuff with a short date. I reckon the 'food wastage' is more about supermarket marketing ploys than people's choices about using or not using by the date on the label. They encourage us to buy extra-large botles of fizzy drinks which go flat, and multipacks of salad which go pink and slimy.

Whatever what a ridiculous post. No matter how 'organised' you are, you will sometimes end up with food in the fridge that's past it's use by/best before date. At that point, common sense needs to kick in.

Oh, and I follow AmuminScotland's rules, but you will sometimes end up with a stray egg/can of sundried tomatos/half carton of milk that is a few days past its use by date. Can people seriously not follow their own noses rather than a random label allowing the manufacturer masses of leeway to ensure no litigation?

I know I'm being completely over cautious and crazy but I never eat out of date foods... my family do and I'm sure they sneak foods past their date onto my plate!! If I'm in a logical mood, I reason with myself as I know their must be a huge margin with supermarket days!

Whatever what a ridiculous post. No matter how 'organised' you are, you will sometimes end up with food in the fridge that's past it's use by/best before date. At that point, common sense needs to kick in.

I would disagree that it's impossible to not end up with food past its "use by" date by being organised as we manage it very easily. I never buy large quantities of meat, fish or diary produce in one go so it doesn't hang around at the back of the fridge until it goes off. I didn't say that I eat food before it's "best before" date as that is not the same thing. You shouldn't lump the two together.

I am very happy to use my common sense with food, I think the dates put on food still has several days safety. However i would not push that view on a person who is unwell. So any meals I cooked for them would be within date.

Since completing my food safety level 2 I no longer eat out of date yoghurt, the course leader said this is a no go, but I can't remember why? so eat on!

I'm quite fussy with yogurts after my friend's DD ate one that was 3 days past its use by date & was vomiting all night. So maybe a day or two out of date & that would be it. But most other stuff, if it smells ok I'll have no hesitation in eating it. I once ate a fish pie which I bought fresh, then froze, and when I finally got round to eating it, it was about 9 months past its use by date even thought it said to eat within 1 month of freezing! It was delish and I was fine.

Freezing stops the bacteria though, the guidelines for how soon you should use frozen food are just because the tase and texture may not be so good. They don't go 'off' in the freezer.

I dont adhere to dates,i look,smell,handle the product.that tells me if its edible