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

Cheapskate

It's only 3 days over - wouldn't worry! As long as things are well-cooked/reheated until piping hot, there's not normally anything to worry about. We've eaten yoghourts 4 or 5 days over, used home cooked meats a week & more after cooking, cooked very dodgy-looking veg into soups etc, & I've never poisoned any of us yet!

AudreyHepburn_2

Try this to cool a pan of food quickly,cheaply and safely:

Run a sink or washing up bowl half full of cold water and stand the pan in it for 5 mins, then empty the bowl and refill with fresh cold as it first lot will have warmed up as it take heat out of the pan. Repeat this a couple of times and you should have the pan contents down to room temp.

Adding hot food to the fridge or freezer temporarily raises the inside temp and uses more power to keep temp at thermostat setting and cool the food.

yorkshirejen

I won't tell you how old the yoghurts are that I've eaten, even the children know not to throw them away for aaaages after their date!! :eek:

Mazzarati2000

It's not good for the other food in there either....so agree with OP about not putting it in till it's cooled. Good point about cooling in the sink though, might try that next time. I think I remember my aunt doing that in a dublin sink with iced water!

vixtress

just re-read the thread, do you think there may be some truth in the myth of 'tight yorkshire folk' sorry, couldnt resist...........if it smells ok and tastes ok, chances are is is ok is deffo my view

buxtonrabbitgreen

I buy jars of Pesto and keep them in the fridge. My ds likes pesto on fried egg sandwiches. He can tell immediately if it has gone off by the smell. It only seems to last about a week once opened.

FamilyTree_2

The only thing you need to watch out for is if you get a really bitter taste in your mouth up to a few days after you've eaten it and all your food tastes horrible. This is caused by the pine nuts in the Pesto going off.

I ate some pesto last week that had been opened but tasted okay and the next day the taste in my mouth was awful, I couldn't drink water at all it tasted like poisen (sp?). I looked it up and discovered that some people have this reaction to pine nuts from China or pine nuts that have went off.

I eat alot of pine nuts in salads and in pesto and have never had it before so I guess the pine nuts must have went off in pesto.

Queen-Bee_2

Hi All - just turning out my store cupboard and have come across some packets of dried beans with a BB date of 1999. Now there's thrifty and chancing. Are they too old do you think?

mrbadexample

I'd eat 'em, as long as there's no thingies crawling about in the packets.

ariba10

The only problem you might have is that some dried beans will mot soften when cooked if they are too old.

We would be inclined to cook a few first to see.;