Archive:Quick Questions on food safety / sell by / use by dates

glitterycloud

hi just a quick question, I apologise if it has been asked before I have searched the forum but could not find any thing to help me.

I have found in my cupboard paella rice with a best before date of Feb 2008 it is a sealed bag in a box, will this still be ok it looks fine, I want to use it at the weekend but won't if it will make us ill.

Bongedone

It will be fine.

Pink.

Agreed, it shouldn't cause any problems. I'll add your post to the Quick Questions on food safety thread later as your query may help others.

Pink

Swan_2

I'd certainly use it

it's a 'best before' date which means the product might, but only might, not be at its best after that date, but won't be harmful

& something like rice won't deteriorate after just a few months

glitterycloud

thanks Bongedone we have recently returned from Spain and had paella for the first time, when I was looking through my cupboard I came across a pack I had bought ages ago, we are now planning to have paella to reminese about our holiday!!

Verianna

We have no kitchen at the moment, since last Tuesday to be fact. We have a cave, a cooker and a sink. As I type the kitchen units are being fitted in :T :T :T so hopefully I can go back to my usual cooking from scratch which surprisingly I enjoy and have missed.

As a result this last week we have had a lot of 'bung in the oven' frozen crap

I've just looked in the fridge to see what has gone to waste out of last weeks shop and there is an awful lot of veg ie leeks, mushrooms which is the best part of a week past its best before date. They look fine, don't smell and don't feel slimy would I be ok to bung them in the slowcooker tomorrow?

Pink.

Hi Verianna,

They should be fine to use. With vegetables especially, if they look and smell fine I would use them irrespective of the use by date.

I'll add your post to the Quick Questions on food safety/use by/sell by dates where you'll be able to read what other people do.

Pink

cheap_charlie

I probably just need a little reassurance here...I bought 10 tins of Cross & Blackwell condensed soup as it was on 5 tins for £1 in Instore but I just noticed the best before date is the end of this month.

Am I correct in assuming it should be fine to use for the next couple of months?

TIA!

parsonswife8

If the tin isn't blown, as in enlarged and the contents don't smell bad and there is no signs of deterioration or discolouration on the inside of the tin
and
dry goods, if there are no weavils and the contents have not disintegrated,

WE EAT THEM

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

Still around to tell the tale

oystercatcher

Am currently working my way through a bag of flour , use by 2004 ..it's fine, I don't bake much !!
I have found a few things go off eventually. There was a small jar of pasta sauce that I was given as a free sample, didn't get used as it was too small for the family. Smelt foul when I finally opened it a couple of years later !
A Christmas pudding I bought as an emergency extra turned out to be like a cannonball after three years!!
Spices, icing sugar, pasta loads of stuff keeps for ages!

Oystercatcher