Reverse Meal Planning

ajmoney

I was listening to an interview on the radio a few weeks ago where they were talking about the dates on food and which you needed to pay attention to and the woman being interviewed said that pickles etc that had a "use within 6 weeks of opening" etc should be taken literally as they can be bad for you if eaten after that time.  How much notice do you guys take of this?  I have a variety of pickle jars in my fridge that have definitely been open longer!

Baileys_Babe

ajmoney said:

I was listening to an interview on the radio a few weeks ago where they were talking about the dates on food and which you needed to pay attention to and the woman being interviewed said that pickles etc that had a "use within 6 weeks of opening" etc should be taken literally as they can be bad for you if eaten after that time.  How much notice do you guys take of this?  I have a variety of pickle jars in my fridge that have definitely been open longer!

We don't take any notice. If the pickles are homemade that don't have best before dates so you need to use your judgement, I apply the same judgement to comercially made pickles.

rtandon27

Hello AJ - though we try to use up pickle jars within one to two months of opening, we do slip up on occasion & use the 'look, sniff, taste' test prior to using - any visible mold, strange smell or odd taste & it goes into the compost! 

I think the whole point of preserving, pickling or fermenting is to give produce a long shelf.  Thinking of Korean KimChi in particular, I can remember reading that the older/riper it is the more likely it is used cooked in rice or stew than if it's fresher/younger.

joedenise

Have got a cooked chicken breast which needs using up so have taken some chorizo from the freezer and will be making Spanish rice for dinner tonight - chicken & chorizo rice with plenty of smoked paprika.  Will add some peas for a bit of colour!

rtandon27

Yum - Spanish rice with chicken & chorizo - one of my favorite meals!

Suffolk_lass

Back from our trip and mostly sorted out now. My view on pickle is the same as others, but I also look for degradation of the metal lid (or rubber seal on clip top jars) as the vinegar causes degradation and eventually rust (as I found in my Mum's larder!) - I only refrigerate hm. The Branston sits there in the preserves drawer alongside jams, condiments and Worcester' sauce

rtandon27

Welcome back SL - any interesting food bits left from your trip that you'll be using up in upcoming meals?

Suffolk_lass

Not immediately from the trip but plenty of sad veg ended up being roasted last night, then sprinkled with grated cheese and toasted a bit - far too much for one meal so might have it again tonight or I might curry something as I have some leftover paste that needs using. Also enough chilli for two good sized meals. I was going to go shopping (still will) but don't need a lot

rtandon27

Melted grated cheese can do wonders!  We used some these evening with left over roast dinner - made warm cheesy pork & root veg wraps. Afters was apple and strawberry crumble with the last of some plain greek yogurt.

Suffolk_lass

Finally finished the chilli last night! It has done three meals for two of us. A total of 250g of minced beef made into spot the mince chilli! And we finished the roast veg with cheese - it was like a pizza with no crust cold!

I have been shopping this morning and bought a ys chicken that will do tonight for us, with the rest mixing with veg and thickened stock for Friday's lunch with others! I might do a "proper" roast dinner as I have loads of veg now (well Spring Greens are in at 43p a huge bag and I have picked runners this morning too