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Sour cream - a month longer
yogurt - a month longer
eggs - couple weeks maybe?Baking mixes? To me, one month is the same as "still good" - I'd use it easily 6 months later, I'd just taste a pinch dry to make sure it doesn't taste stale. No point in wasting all the effort of cooking something.
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I keep most things.....
For eggs I use the water test...if it floats upright then it is bad. As eggs spoil they will come closer to floating upright which looks like they are standing on their ends. This is because the shells aren't air proof -air gets in and the membrane inside begins to separate.
The story with flour is that it doesn't necessarily go bad but goes through a process called Millard Browning -the flour darkens in colour. This also goes for things like mixes and milk powder.
I drink milk untill it separates which I test by pouring a litle into the sink.
Yogurt is pretty safe unless the top is really blown up and puffy. The good bacteria in yogurt pretty much prevent any funky ones from growing.
Jenna
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re: j2brady
Caitlin McGrath
Jul 17, 2006 07:57 PM
Whole grain flours and cornmeal do go bad, though - that is, they go rancid because of the traces of fat in their bran. Their life may or may not have anything to do with they date on their packages, but more to do with their freshness when actually purchased and their storage conditions.
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The Ranger
Jul 15, 2006 03:06 AM
For me, I keep pretty much everything after it's expired date has come and gone. I still use my nose as a barometer but it's not infallable.
SWMBO is an Expiration Date Fiend. It doesn't matter that most manufacturers build slop into their dates; if it's dated to expire "today" out it goes...
It's one of the few areas we argue like siblings over.
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Expiration dates are widely misunderstood. Is something that the food industry depends on. Except for infant formula and baby food, dates are only based on the quality of the food, not safety or nutrition. Dates can be useful and should be noted but only as a guide.
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/...
Wes
I go to sea for three months, come back and eat the yogurt out of the fridge. (But I never tell anyone)
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Das Ubergeek
Jul 14, 2006 03:42 AM
Fish sauce.
"Wait," you say, "fish sauce doesn't expire."
Mine does. It (Squid brand) has a date stamped on the label. It was two years ago. It's absolutely fine.
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MollyGee
Jul 13, 2006 11:09 PM
I give milk and eggs a week's leeway past their expiration, so long as the milk smells ok. I'm really disinclined to use flour, cereal and other baking ingredients that have expired; most of those things have expiration dates that are way way past their manufacture date and so they're just not going to be fresh and may be buggy. I absolutely would never, ever use canned goods past their expiration date. That's just....creepy.
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re: Biggie
Ruth Lafler
Jul 13, 2006 06:07 PM
Did you see my answer? I'm not a guy! When this topic has come up before, there have been guys who have been just as picky -- or more so -- about stuff like this as women.
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Ruth Lafler
Jul 13, 2006 05:39 PM
Almost everything. "Expiration" dates are pretty meaningless. In fact, they have no specific meaning -- they mean different things for different manufacturers and different kinds of products. Most of the dates you see on food products aren't "expiration" dates at all -- they're "pull" dates, which are dates after which the manufacturer doesn't want the product sold because they can't guarantee the quality (not the healthfulness, which is a different issue).
Baking mix? It could be stale, and the leaving in it might not work, but there's no way it's going to harm you!
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re: Ruth Lafler
Agreed with the leavening. I tried to use some corn meal pancake mix that was easily a year old, and the pancakes came out flat and chewy. I buy fresher and don't stockpile for as long. I don't go by the use by date, I go by the can I remember when I bought it and how long I've had it date.
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sivyaleah
Jul 13, 2006 05:32 PM
I try not to keep anything - it's the only thing I'm a bit obsessive about.
However, prepared mixes are probably in my cabinets too. Last night, my husband asked me why I'd bought more Kraft Mac & Cheese (I know, not "chowish, but it's one of those childhood leftovers which make me feel good when I'm feeling down). I said "why?" He says, because there was still some here. I looked at the date - it expired 6 months ago. Ummm, not so sure if it's going to be ok or not - the macaroni will be but the powdered mix? Guess we'll find out!
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