Buying Beyond Best Befores...official MoneySavingExpert.com discussion

ThinkingOfLinking

maskiflynn wrote: »

i have eaten out of date eggs before and they were ok, However if i am ever in any doubt that they might be dodgy i do this test 1st:
fill a tall glass (such as a pint glass) or suchlike container with cold water
gently drop the egg in
if the egg sinks to the bottom, it is OK to eat
if it floats at all, or rises to the top, DON'T eat it.
i can't remember where i learnt this from, i must have heard it from a grandparent when i was a child.
the reason the bad egg floats or rises to the top of the water is because when it starts to go bad there is a gas released inside the shell

i have never though found an egg that floated, and then broken it to smell if indeed it was bad LOL! i am not brave enough for that!:rotfl:

You know, a Chinese delicacy is Century Egg Congee - a 100 year old putrid egg with clay and stuff in it. Never tried it but that's one of the record holders for OOD food I am sure, :rotfl:

Damzel_In_Distress

Im sure i will get beaten with a stick for saying this but i cannot do this at all ...even if i no that it is ok,and that it smells fine,and even after ive been told it tastes fine...no no no no no no noooooo! lol !:rotfl: i can even taste it-but weather it is ok or not..i will CONVINCE myself that it tastes terrible and that ive now caught smallpox!! :eek: i cant drink or eat anything at all that is past its "best before" date....i have tried,but i end up feeling physically sick..and literally gagging... _pale_

minniemorris

@ Damzel ~ it is a case of mind over matter

COOLTRIKERCHICK

i must admit before the thread started here for approved foods i would only eat things a day or so passed their best before dates. this includes use by dates too.

but then i worked in a swwet factory for one day.. that used to buy marshmallow sweets that were passed their best before date, re-package them and add another best before date that was another 18 months... and sell them to very high profile shops in London.

I reported them to the local authority and was told they were not breaking any rules etc.. as it was only best before dates..and the lady explained to me about its only the quality/taste that will deteriate and is still ok to eat.

since then i have eaten things past their best before, and recently since ordering from approved foods saved ourselves quite alot of money , plus in reality all that food potentially could have been landfilled, which is a total disgrace.

there were never any best before dates and use by dates up until recent years.... so how the heck did our parents and grandparents used to manage?

northampton-ben

love food hate waste have some information about best before dates, and they have some really good ideas on how to save money when it comes to shopping and cooking.

Martin's 'downshift challenge' and love food hate waste have helped me save loads of money. My shopping and eating habits have definately changed for the better!

vodkawitch1

Really disappointed with my order from approved foods received today. 2 boxes of Bakin boys cakes, charged for but not in box, I case orange juice charged for but not in box. email about 2 other items out of stock but money refunded on those items.

I think they now have too many order to manage and I will be reluctant to order again.

Steph112

Was just leaving my flatmate's room when I spied some choccie muffins in a bag. I had a look and I was like, ooh! He said, they're like, days out of date! I had a look and it said best before so I picked one up and took a bite. Tasted absolutely fine! Still moist, not dry at all! He called me a tramp. Although perhaps he was still remembering when I took a crisp from a bag on the floor which he'd warned me not to cause they'd been there for three days. It was like eating plastic lol!

poppy10_2

Cheese is one thing I can't eat out of date - couldn't imagine just cutting the mould off and eating the rest

Sarahcat

dunhillbabe wrote: »

On 5th January i finished some Sainsburys 'taste the Difference' Cranberry style coleslaw with a use by date of 24/12/08 (of course I got the other half to do a 'fizzy check' on it first!)

Yes that seems to be the only problem with coleslaw. My OH loves it but if it gets fizzy and believe me Tesco's does within days of the date then he turns his nose up and who can blame him!
Just wanted to say that I make all my jam from garden gooseberries, raspberries, blackcurrants and chutney with the Bramleys. At the moment we're eating 2004 rapberry jam-no mould! Great for Xmas presents too-otherwise what would I do with it all! Yes there are some in the freezer too.
Only item I find I can't eat too late are mushrooms-look and smell disgusting after just a few days!
I do turn out my freezer and larder occasionally but only in order to decied what really does need to be eaten soon!!
I do so agree with everything that's been said-look, smell and taste is what my Grandmother and Mum used to do and I try to follow their example. :rotfl:

Kimitatsu

Where I live in Lincolnshire we can tell which stalls shop at approved food in the market :rotfl:saves me the postage! Recently one of our shops has had IAMS cat food at £1.89 rather then the £6 is it is Tesco. Now I have to ask this is dried food already so what is going to be wrong with it?

Personally we have chickens that are free range and they dont print a best before date on the eggs as they lay them (dont tell the EU though or there will be uproar!) so we do the egg test all the time, I have no way of knowing if they were laid yesterday or last week and I have been blind!

I buy potatoes from the feed merchant in 56lb bags, all I know is that they are this years crop not when they are best before. A degree of common sense needs to be called for here, best before dates are a marketing ploy and personally there is very little I have had that has been short dated or out of date that has been no good. Almost all of it has been perfectly good and with two rugby playing boys in the house who empty the cupboards and fridge as soon as it is filled its a good way for me to keep my food costs down.