'Use-by' dates.. do you use them
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'Use-by' dates.. do you use themSo apparently tonight my housemates ended up having a big argument about throwing out food after one of them binned a bunch of fruit/veg past the 'use by' date or whatever that didn't belong to her. The ethics of throwing out another persons food are debatable, but where do you stand on the matter of 'use by' dates? Do you 'use' them?
Are there particular items you'd NEVER eat past use-by? If you don't ever eat anything past the use-by date is it because of safety issues? or just because of taste, nutrients, etc?
How are the use-by dates set, do manufacturers make them up or is there an actual science to it?
I don't really know where I stand on the matter myself. After my supermarket-waste discoveries last week I'm really disturbed by the amount of food waste out there and I really want to cut back, but I have a hard time trusting my own judgment when it comes to looking at/smelling food for freshness
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Re: 'Use-by' dates.. do you use themBasically, I ignore them for things like bread, fruit, veg etc. and take them with a pinch of salt for meat and other perishables. It's usually easy to know when something's off though.
Also, it's a bit of a no-no to throw away other people's food although sometimes it does get a bit ott and anything that's growing mould or liquidising is probably fair play on the throwing away front. -
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Re: 'Use-by' dates.. do you use themmy principle is even if it is past the use by date, if it smells and looks normal i'll eat it. with meat/poultry im a little more conservative but if it is only 2-4 days i'll cook it thouroughly then eat it.
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Re: 'Use-by' dates.. do you use themIf it's something like cake, then I don't mind if it's a few days after its use-by date. If it's something like meat and ham, I'll throw it out when it smells off or is past its use-by date. It's your gut feeling, I guess.
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Re: 'Use-by' dates.. do you use themTbh, I pay no attention - if something looks/smells off, then it's a far better indicator than using that date they've stuck on.
My housemate chucks out EVERYTHING if it's one second past the use by, and it drives me mad. Even cheese ffs! -
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Re: 'Use-by' dates.. do you use themIf it says "best before" I'll use it for maybe a few more days depending on what it is. If it's "use by" then I'll generally not eat it- but I'm pretty good at checking dates in the supermarket and I only buy things that I know I'll have the chance to eat.. that's just silly.
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Re: 'Use-by' dates.. do you use themI've thrown out a housemate's stuff.
Tomatoes that had gone mouldy, beans that had gone black, baked beans that had grown fur...
Whilst I wouldn't chuck something out because it's past its use-by date, I'd chuck it if it smelt... don't want it affecting my food... -
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Re: 'Use-by' dates.. do you use themMouldy cheese(Original post by psychocustard)
Tbh, I pay no attention - if something looks/smells off, then it's a far better indicator than using that date they've stuck on.
My housemate chucks out EVERYTHING if it's one second past the use by, and it drives me mad. Even cheese ffs!
I can't be bothered to worry about dates, if it looks ok its good to go! -
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Re: 'Use-by' dates.. do you use themThere is a science to it but it's not a dead cert, only an estimate so I'll eat it past the use by date if it looks/smells OK. Milk usually lasts 2 days after it at least for me anyway. My mum is so annoying, she won't eat anything past the best before date
It pisses me off to see her throw stuff out if it's a day past the best before date!?
I have thrown out a flatmates tub of tuna before but tbf it must have been there months, the little tub was swelling up at the sides, you could see it was mostly mould and I was scared to open it lol -
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Re: 'Use-by' dates.. do you use themBut cheese is fine for months unless it's dried out! And even if it's mouldy you can just cut out the mouldy bits...(Original post by Funkss!)
Mouldy cheese
I can't be bothered to worry about dates, if it looks ok its good to go!
Some people are crazy -
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Re: 'Use-by' dates.. do you use themI was talking about the blue stilton cheese, the blue bits are from mould.(Original post by psychocustard)
But cheese is fine for months unless it's dried out! And even if it's mouldy you can just cut out the mouldy bits...
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Re: 'Use-by' dates.. do you use themAh, didn't think of that. Anything other than cheddar/parmesan/mozarella/edam is a no no for me, though(Original post by Funkss!)
I was talking about the blue stilton cheese, the blue bits are from mould.
