How seriously do you take product expiration dates?

[Tommy]

Picked up some ground beef, nice red/pink on the outside. Break it up and everything inside is brown and dry.
(I think) Sticker said I had 3 days. hmmmmm. Going to be digging out my grinder again...so much better.

Ground beef naturally turns brown or gray after a short time when oxygen is excluded from it. This is a natural process and normally has nothing to do with the safety or quality of the meat. The same can happen with steaks when they are layered in the store's meat case. Not a safety issue.

Our local market grinds/cuts their own so we rarely buy pre-packaged meat.

 

[hollydolly]

I don't worry too much about dried or powdered things
and packaged food is full of preservatives, same for tinned
stuff.

I always reckoned that the date was at least half of the actual
age when it did start to go off.

One of our Supermarkets here, Lidl, for a while last year, stopped
dating soft fruit, like strawberries, etc., but they have started again,
they must have got into trouble as the dates are required by the
Government.

I was told several years ago that if you could keep a burger from a
famouse burger chain, (no name), for at least six months uncooked
and keep insects etc., away from it and not in a refridgerator, then
it would still be edible because of the additives!

Mike.

In a certain Spanish supermarket I can buy a dozen budget small Ice cream cones for a couple of euros. If I take one of those bad boys and put it in the sink to melt without running hot water on it, and even if it's 30 degf in the house I can almost guarantee that it will still not be melted the next day... !! WTH is in that stuff ??

 

[StarSong]

In a certain Spanish supermarket I can buy a dozen budget small Ice cream cones for a couple of euros. If I take one of those bad boys and put it in the sink to melt without running hot water on it, and even if it's 30 degf in the house I can almost guarantee that it will still not be melted the next day... !! WTH is in that stuff ??

Whatever it is, I'd be afraid it would take up permanent residence on my hips...

 

[Camper6]

I don't worry too much about dried or powdered things
and packaged food is full of preservatives, same for tinned
stuff.

I always reckoned that the date was at least half of the actual
age when it did start to go off.

One of our Supermarkets here, Lidl, for a while last year, stopped
dating soft fruit, like strawberries, etc., but they have started again,
they must have got into trouble as the dates are required by the
Government.

I was told several years ago that if you could keep a burger from a
famouse burger chain, (no name), for at least six months uncooked
and keep insects etc., away from it and not in a refridgerator, then
it would still be edible because of the additives!

Mike.

Not in my refrigerator. I could sell that refrigerator to the medical industry.

It seems to make penicillin overnight. Don't trust additives to keep stuff from going moldy.

On leftovers now which I hate. I put the date on it. And then out it goes container and all.

I don't even know why I save it. If leftovers are not eaten by the next day, they should go out.

I hate throwing food away but once you prepare it you can't save any money on it by keeping it in the freezer for months.

 

[CeeCee]

I usually follow expiration dates or best by dates...especially on fresh items.

Not so much on spices and I’m even embarrassed to say this but I was cleaning out my spice cabinet and found a big bottle of Mesquite barbecue seasoning that I bought at Costco...it was almost empty and was going to throw it out anyway but when I looked at the best by date...YIKES!

2011...seems like only yesterday that I bought it.

 

[Catlady]

I usually follow expiration dates or best by dates...especially on fresh items.

Not so much on spices and I’m even embarrassed to say this but I was cleaning out my spice cabinet and found a big bottle of Mesquite barbecue seasoning that I bought at Costco...it was almost empty and was going to throw it out anyway but when I looked at the best by date...YIKES!

2011...seems like only yesterday that I bought it.

I used to have my spices inside a cabinet and when I needed one I had to look at everyone of them to find the one I wanted. So, I bought a spice rack at Amazon and organized them and that's when I realized how old some of them were. One of them expired in 2008!!!! I bought this spice rack because my spices come in different sizes and shapes, some that I use very often are big jars. This one is roomy for all different size jars.

https://www.amazon.com/Standing-EZO...qid=1580665499&sprefix=spice+,aps,282&sr=8-18

 

[Catlady]

I hate throwing food away but once you prepare it you can't save any money on it by keeping it in the freezer for months.

It's only me, so I cook a full recipe, eat one serving that day and freeze individual portions of the rest. I HATE throwing food away for financial and ethical reasons. I won't throw anything out unless I absolutely hate the recipe (very rarely). And those frozen portions get eaten within a month.

 

[hollydolly]

It's only me, so I cook a full recipe, eat one serving that day and freeze individual portions of the rest. I HATE throwing food away for financial and ethical reasons. I won't throw anything out unless I absolutely hate the recipe (very rarely). And those frozen portions get eaten within a month.

I'm the same CL...I'm the only carnivore in the house so I make food for me, use one portion and freeze the rest for another day.

Also I buy fresh meat and as soon as I get it home I freeze it in literally one person portion. Lamb chops for example, and if I eat one lamb chop a week with veggies..., 3 pounds lasts me weeks, I usually get about 10 out of that weight...

 

[Camper6]

I'm becoming an expert at single portions. No leftovers most of the time.

 

[fmdog44]

I always pull perishable items from the rear of the shelf and produce from the top or furthest away from the isle. I compare expiration dates because sometimes I buy something then never get in the mood to eat it. Canned goods will last for a hundred years. The Randalls store near me offers 50% off meats and lunchmeats that look near rotten and are discolored. Never bought any.

 

[OneEyedDiva]

Not that seriously. There's a way to tell if eggs are still good to use. Using that system I've used eggs that were almost a month past dates. Some usage can be extended significantly by refrigerating...such as with nuts (pistachios and coconut-vanilla almonds lasted longest), wheat flour and Ritz crackers. Many products have "best by" dates now instead of expiration dates. Remember when canned goods didn't have expiration dates? If the can bulged or was extremely dented, you threw it away. With certain items, it's a matter of using your senses to see if they should be tossed.

 

[GoGlo]

Depends on what it is. Our apt. fridge does not keep things as fresh liked.

 

[Ruthanne]

I take expiration dates pretty seriously especially for meat and poultry and eggs. With vegetables not as seriously and I rely on how fresh they look.

 

[MarciKS]

I see them as guidelines rather than commandments. I use my best judgment, bearing in mind that manufacturers have financial interests in consumers discarding perfectly good products and buying fresher versions.

Depends on the product. Most milk and yogurts are ok past the date. Milk will keep up to a week beyond the date. Skim does better for that. Almond Milk has kept for a month for me. 7 days on deli meats. At work we date most everything 5 days out. I date my home things 7 days out. Tofu is pretty much the only thing I'm a little weird about.