Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Best if used by date

If it stinks, don't eat it.

Exactly, amen.

I keep all our fridges in the 32° - 33° range .... matter of fact, meat kept in the bottom drawers are stiff, almost frozen, and they last well past expiration dates and red meats age really well at those temps without being frost bitten.

One has to learn how to properly manage their fridges at those temps, especially with some fruits and veggies like cucumbers and zucchini but, once you get the hang of it and fully understand that cold goes down ... the closer the fridge is to freezing, the better.

The milk thing someone else mentioned ... somehow milk producers seem to have that down to a science but I'll still use soured milk to cook with.

Lately I've gone to this Fairlife milk and I love it plus it lasts well past its best by date for some reason. I've not figured that out yet. Same with certain cheeses and yogurts. One thing I've learned about block and hoop cheeses is I quit storing them in plastic zip lock bags and instead I've gone to wrapping them in wax paper or parchment paper and keeping them in a cheese box (not provolone or harvarti).

Or just cook it a little longer.

I've used medications that are 14 years past their date. I usually take 3 instead of 2 - figuring the potency has decreased. I'm still around and vertical.

Same here except the milk part and I was the dad. The 1st thing right off the bat is to ensure that the seal has not been broken and go from there.

.... matter of fact, meat kept in the bottom drawers are stiff, almost frozen, and they last well past expiration dates and red meats age really well at those temps without being frost bitten.


Water freezes at 32%, meat freezes at 27-28%
Industry professional keep meat coolers at 28%, it doubles the shelf life again compared to 32-33%

Back to women, I see?

The only thing I pay attention to is skim milk. Usually the best to use date is fairly accurate. Seems skim milk will go south quicker than 2% or whole milk.

The food bank around here will take canned goods 2 years past the “best by” date.

I noticed this back in the 1980s. Skim milk is crap, anyway. It's what used to get thrown away or fed to the pigs after making cream. They found a way to sell it like it was a health food. It's sugar water as far as your body is concerned.

I finished a gallon of 2% milk last night that the use date was 7/20. My fridge is set at 33 degrees.

Jim

I tell her it’s “Best before” not “Bad after”.

That's the winning line. Thanks Wannabe. Time to throw some gas on the fight

Damn straight!

Our DIL is paranoid about dates.
If you buy organic milk it won’t go bad in any reasonable time.

Dad always said "It's just a suggestion......"

Got 3 - 3lb boxes of a private label brand name American cheese a couple of weeks ago. Something I thought was a bit unusual was they had a "Sell By" instead of a "Use By" date and instead of being on the outside of the box it's printed on side of the vacuum sealed cheese package INSIDE, so obviously you'd have to open the box and remove it first to even see the date.

Forehead? Who looks at her forehead?

I bought a gallon of milk two days before it's "expiration", or best used by (I forgot which) date a while back, opened it the next morning.

I drank the last of it nearly a month later, and it's taste was off just a bit- starting to turn, but palatable.

Public school kids in the cafeteria, partaking of "free" or reduced price meals are the worst about this "I can't drink this- it's expired".
For one thing, they do not differentiate between "best used by", and "expiration". Indoctrination works!

Most of them have other unfounded issues as well....

I'm like you - I don't toss anything unless it smells bad, tastes bad or it LOOKS like chit (i.e, deviled eggs. But I digress. )

Even two years is way too soon for canned food.

I use the expiration date as a marker, not a deadline.