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

gayleygoo

I would probably use use as long as it smells okay. My butcher told me that bacon lasts for ages, even when the packet has been opened as it has been cured and preserved that way (not indefinitely of course, but for a fair while). If there is a smell, wash the bacon and dry with kitchen roll to see if the smell goes. If there is no weird smell, then I'd cook it. Boiling it could be an option, it will kill pretty much any bacteria and the bacon could be fried after for a crispy finish if that's what you're after.

Mojisola

ruthber wrote: »

Open it and try it! I would definitely try it. You will know if it is off.
I have eaten yogurt and eggs 2 weeks after best before date and they were perfectly OK. Bacon is usually very salty so it inhibits bacteria.

Yoghurt just gets a bit more sour and with eggs, it's very clear when they've gone past eating.

Meat can be different - any bacteria can be killed by cooking but the toxins released into the meat by the bacteria won't be affected by cooking and those can make you really ill.

Old fashioned bacon would last indefinitely. My Gran used to have a huge lump of bacon which lasted all winter but that had been through a traditional cure of days in a salt bath. Modern bacon doesn't get that treatment.

aliama

ruthber wrote: »

Open it and try it! I would definitely try it. You will know if it is off.
I have eaten yogurt and eggs 2 weeks after best before date and they were perfectly OK. Bacon is usually very salty so it inhibits bacteria.

Uh, no, not necessarily. Food can smell perfectly fine and still contain enough bacteria to make you sick.

Which is not to say that the OP definitely shouldn't eat it. I've already said I wouldn't risk it personally, but everyone has to make their own decisions, especially if you're not cooking for young children/elderly people etc.

Just be aware that just because it smells fine, doesn't necessarily mean it's okay to eat.

dandy-candy

Thanks for all the replies, I think I won't risk it!

hermum

I'd eat it, it will feel different as well as smell different, if it's gone off.

HappyMJ

I'd eat it...preserved meats last much longer than the date displayed. Preserved meats last for many months.... (subject to smell and feel test of course)

annie123

As someone who used to buy food before best before or use by dates were introduced, I'd say if it doesn't smell off it's OK to eat.
Many on here will have eaten food when they were kids without dates on it, mum and dad just used their eyes and nose.

Re eggs; If an egg floats in cold water it's off, if it doesn't, it's fine doesn't matter what the date on the box says.
In date eggs can be off so can out of date eggs.

zippychick

now merged with food safety

Zip

Pandora_2

annie123 wrote: »

Re eggs; If an egg floats in cold water it's off, if it doesn't, it's fine doesn't matter what the date on the box says.
In date eggs can be off so can out of date eggs.

Ooh!! Thankyou!! Had just come on here to find out how to check if eggs were still ok to eat, and I didn't even have to search! Here's hoping for non floating eggs!!

Gonzo1987

Okay to use? I need 6 tablespoons for my curry and forgot to buy some so found this at the back of the cupboard.