Prepping for Brexit thread

maryb

Lidl's bread flour is OK. I can make quite good sourdough with it which didn't work with another brand very well (think it was Allisons). I always used to think I needed to use organic in case the flour had any glyphosate residues in which would not be very good for the bacteria, but I can honestly say I don't notice any difference. Lidl's is Red Tractor standard which says they can't spray within a certain period before harvest so that may be why

GreyQueen

Hi VoucherMan, I'll happily eat OOD stuff in tins and packets unless it seems 'off' when I open it. Haven't come to any harm thus far, or haven't noticed it if I have. My mother was a shop girl in the 1950s and tins and packets did not have dates on them at all - staff had to rotate the stock and (occasionally) dust it because it had sat there for so long. Our grandparents and parents generations were not noticably dropping like flies from OOD food poisioning.



Back when I baked bread, I accidentally let a few pkts of dried Allinsons yeast go badly OOD, as in one year + over. They worked perfectly, don't know if that was because they were in sachets or a happy accident.


Have added another 5 blocks of butter to the stash, these are going into the freezer, whcih will be an interesting exercise of my Tetris superpowers.


Lyn, yes - bravo. When I hear people kicking off online, I call to mind the wonderful Americanism - Keyboard Warriors. Have you ever noticed that when, on the rare occasions that some vile online troll is dragged out into IRL and prosecuted, that they seem to be the most pathetic little inadequates you could ever imagine?

Mr_Singleton

maryb wrote: »

always used to think I needed to use organic in case the flour had any glyphosate residues in which would not be very good for the bacteria

BACTERIA????

Oh, of course that makes sense..... matey above said Aldi had to clear their shelves of the ultra-cheap flour . The reason being it contained the e.coli bacteria. Cheap food eh!

[Deleted User]

Best before dates are for the shops own stock control mechanisms for re-ordering and on tins, jars and dried packets I ignore them completely. We have used jam I made in 2008 this year and it's perfectly good and there is no taste or texture difference between them and this years newly made jam.

Use by dates I take semi seriously especially on fresh meat and fish products but as others have said the sniff test and taste if that first mouthful is 'off' is the best indicator of whether or not things should be thrown out. The use by dates on salad leaves and lettuces I disregard altogether as I've found many of them are unusable well before the use by date even gets here.

maryb

Yes Mr Singleton, bacteria. A sourdough starter is what is known as a SCOBY - a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. The bacteria are one of the lactobacillus type and that produces lactic acid which is what gives the bread its sour taste

grunnie

Best before dates are just a guide.Was at a coffee morning this morning and running the raffle. All the items were all nicely laid out to temp you. I checked all the eat buy dates! Found one box of after8s bb aug 19 so 15 days out of date. One helper said I'll bin them and the lady next to me said we will sort it. I was taking the cellophane off when she said" you're not going to eat that are you". They were lovely and a few customers who were offered them ate them too.And we did say out of date chocs help us eat them!

[Deleted User]

Oh deary me Grunnie, chocolate keeps forever well done on common sense prevailing!

AndyCF

grunnie wrote: »

Best before dates are just a guide.Was at a coffee morning this morning and running the raffle. All the items were all nicely laid out to temp you. I checked all the eat buy dates! Found one box of after8s bb aug 19 so 15 days out of date. One helper said I'll bin them and the lady next to me said we will sort it. I was taking the cellophane off when she said" you're not going to eat that are you". They were lovely and a few customers who were offered them ate them too.And we did say out of date chocs help us eat them!

Yes perfectly correct.

"Best Before" , the clue is in the first word. I think they base some of that (depending on product type) on what the taste testers make of it after x days.

Same as "Display Until" which is as far as I am aware for the shop to use.

It is again as far as I am aware the "Use By" one that is -important- . I would personally be quite wary of using anything past this, but it would depend on what the item was too.

I know there are some products (eggs?) that you have to be more careful of but it is all simply common sense I think, and the old adage of "if in doubt ask" as there are bound to be people who can assist and advise.

I went through a jar of coffee that was nearly a year out without realising once! I could not tell. Same with crisps I've had that were a couple of months 'past' without noticing at the time.

unrecordings

GreyQueen wrote: »

Lyn, yes - bravo. When I hear people kicking off online, I call to mind the wonderful Americanism - Keyboard Warriors

I prefer the Dave Gorman term "the bottom half of the internet". As soon as I hear that Handel in my head it's my cue to walk away - FACT !

DryTheRain

Quick heads up on flu jabs - the graun recently warned that there could be shortages come November, so do try and get yours early if you're in an at risk group, or live with/look after someone who's vulnerable.

Boots got their supplies in this week, and I got mine done yesterday. The pharmacist (in a strongly leave area with significant elderly population) said I was the first in so far, but that they'd only been sent 30 units and didn't know when there'd be more in. I still have the shakes from the jab (always do) but it's a helluva sight better than the horrors of full blown flu. So don't delay on this one, it might be the most important prep you do