Do things really go out of date really quickly once opened?

LillyLisa

I am a student so everything I cook is just for me and I'm finding it difficult to not waste food and save money!
I already cook meals (curry, tart, pasta bake, stew, pasta sauce etc.) and freeze them to eat for about 4 different meals which saves me money and time (I try to have at least 4 different options frozen and ready to defrost and heat up at a time so it's not always the same as well).
The problem I'm having is with breakfasts and lunches... bread doesn't last that long (and I don't have room to freeze it and my evening meals), milk goes out of date after 3 days of opening, juice in 4 days, wraps in 24 hours, most meats in 24-48 hours... Do I really have to stick with this? I'm so confused :eek:
Like, I just used 2 wraps and have 6 left that need to be used within the next 24 hours... that's just not going to happen.. so am j really going to have to just throw them away? :eek:

ariba10

I was lucky enough to be brought up at a time before "Use by" or "Best before" dates were thought of.

I rely on my eyes and nose.

I was in a supermarket a week ago and they were selling bagged potatoes with a use by eight days later.

Eric_the_half_a_bee

bread doesn't last that long (and I don't have room to freeze it and my evening meals), milk goes out of date after 3 days of opening, juice in 4 days, wraps in 24 hours, most meats in 24-48 hours...

They all last much longer than this if kept in a fridge

sarah1972

LillyLisa wrote: »

I am a student so everything I cook is just for me and I'm finding it difficult to not waste food and save money!
I already cook meals (curry, tart, pasta bake, stew, pasta sauce etc.) and freeze them to eat for about 4 different meals which saves me money and time (I try to have at least 4 different options frozen and ready to defrost and heat up at a time so it's not always the same as well).
The problem I'm having is with breakfasts and lunches... bread doesn't last that long (and I don't have room to freeze it and my evening meals), milk goes out of date after 3 days of opening, juice in 4 days, wraps in 24 hours, most meats in 24-48 hours... Do I really have to stick with this? I'm so confused :eek:
Like, I just used 2 wraps and have 6 left that need to be used within the next 24 hours... that's just not going to happen.. so am j really going to have to just throw them away? :eek:

Bread should last the week (mine does)
Milk goes at least 4 days after the date on the carton.
Never seen meat with 2 days life on it, I get my shopping on a Thursday and all of my meat has dates into the following week on them.
Wraps last a week as long as they are tightly wrapped after you have opened the packet.

Carrot007

Eric_the_half_a_bee wrote: »

They all last much longer than this if kept in a fridge

Except the bread. That will go off faster in the fridge. Just ensure it is resealed and stored in a cool place.

CommitedToChange

" milk goes out of date after 3 days of opening, juice in 4 days, wraps in 24 hours, most meats in 24-48 hours."

Where have you read this nonsense?

Milk is in date until the date on the label regardless of when you open in as long as it's in the fridge - and often a few days after, just use your nose.

Wraps last at least a week if tightly rewrapped - often longer. They've gone off when's hard or mouldy. Same for bread. You can also freeze both.

Meats are in date until their use by date regardless of when you open them - just cling film them to keep fresh. If it's hit it's use by date cook it - then you get a few more days or split up larger packs and freeze some (well labelled) for another time.

Main thing is to check dates before buying to make sure they have a long date on them.

Also check out the old style board here for ideas for left overs etc.

redfox

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Eric_the_half_a_bee

Carrot007 wrote: »

Except the bread. That will go off faster in the fridge.

You learn something every day!

PasturesNew

You've not said by which measure these things aren't able to be eaten.

Because the packet says so?
Because they've gone green/you've tried them?

There will be answers and work rounds available to you but you need to take each item one by one and analyse what's going on. Are you buying stuff with dates too close to the purchase date? Or over-buying and not getting round to those items for awhile? How do you store the item once opened/can you do that differently/better? Do you "believe" the date on the packet absolutely? Could you buy something similar instead that fares better? Can you store things differently to extend their life?

At the moment your question is too broad for you to get answers and nail it.

suki1964

I'm using a loaf opened Saturday and it's still soft and no mould spots. It will do me till Saturday no problem

Packet of cooked ham opened Monday is still in use and will be till its used up

Wraps I seriously don't think they ever go off. I had an open packet in the larder for a month and they were still edible

Milk is also open for a week or more. Only gets thrown when it curdles


Are you reading the ' once open use within X amount of days' instruction by chance?

That's there for supermarkets. You throw away perfectly good food and go buy more which keep the tills filling.

Best before date means the food is at its best. It's still perfectly edible after that date but say as in a cake, it may start to be going dry

Sell by, that's for the supermarkets stock control. Means nothing other then you may get lucky and buy it yellow stickered on the sell by date

Use by, that's the only date you need to worry about. Us older generation still prefer the sniff and taste test but food agencies do say ignore that date at your peril. I've not died from ignoring it

Fruit/veg/raw meat/fish don't suddenly become poisonous at the stroke of midnight on a date selected by the supermarkets

CRANKY40

There's two ways of dealing with the milk depending on your usage. If you have one or two hot drinks a day then buy a 1 pint carton and freeze it when you buy it. Once frozen, put it back in the fridge. It will defrost slowly, giving you enough milk for a couple of drinks a day and last for ages. If you use more than that - cereal, multiple drinks then it's worth buying a large carton of filtered milk. I'm currently using B.O.B. It lasts until we finish it and we use about 4-5 hot drinks worth a day.