Use by dates - a con?

[trueblue]

Just opened some cheese. There's nothing like a nice slice of mature cheddar... but according to the packaging I have to eat the whole lot within three days or bin it. Even though, unopened, it was going to last until mid-January. I don't especially want to have a heart attack by Sunday, so I was quite hoping it might last a bit longer.

Now, I can understand with stuff like chicken that you can't mess about. But cheese? Is this just a swizz so Tesco can make more money by selling more 'fresh' stuff?

How long do you keep food once you've opened it?

 

[Titanic]

Trust your nose and your taste buds.

 

[Muhammad - I’m hard - Bruce Lee]

depends what it is...

i once got told you could keep a chicken in the freezer for 5 months.
TOTAL BULLSHIT...i put one in on monday, and it was dead by tuesday

 

[Billy the Fish]

Trust your nose and your taste buds.

Is the right answer. Food companies just have to cover their own arse. I eat things that have had mould on all the time, you just cut around the dodgy bits and it's as good a new

 

[Lander]

Its like bottled water, supposedly running through the mountains for thousands of years, Best before next month

 

[BensGrandad]

I was told by a chap at a large Wine gum manufacturer, that make them for most of the supermarket chains, that by law they can only put 12 month date on packets of wine gums. When they are nearing that date they are removed sent back to factory and repackaged with another 12 months and a code to show that this is the 2nd time of packaging. They do this the following year so in effect you could buy a packet of wine gums that are in date but actually nearly 3 years old. If they dont sell by the end of the third packaging they are binned.

 

[Göttingen gull]

i cooked some chicken fillets yesterday, was nearly a week out of date...
it was delicious! never believe what they write on the packets.

 

[Kent Seagull]

I bought some Stilton today and it was mouldy despite being well within its sell by date, should I complain?

 

[Rangdo]

I never look at use by dates. If the food looks, smells and tastes ok then I eat it.

 

[Skint Gull]

i cooked some chicken fillets yesterday, was nearly a week out of date...
it was delicious! never believe what they write on the packets.

I once opened chicken thats supposed to be in date that stank to high heaven so rather you than me eating a week old!

 

[Rangdo]

I once opened chicken thats supposed to be in date that stank to high heaven so rather you than me eating a week old!

So you're proving the point that the date on the packet makes no difference then.

 

[Skint Gull]

So you're proving the point that the date on the packet makes no difference then.

Fair point! To be fair I sniff every bit of fresh food i use whether it's in date or not, but i wouldn't eat something like that a week out of date cos it only has about a weeks shelf life in the first place!

 

[Rangdo]

Fair point! To be fair I sniff every bit of fresh food i use whether it's in date or not, but i wouldn't eat something like that a week out of date cos it only has about a weeks shelf life in the first place!

I doubt I would either with chicken although I would probably have put it in the freezer a couple of days before it went out of date

 

[clapham_gull]

Grate the rest of the cheese, stick it in a bag and freeze it.

When you need some cheese on toast etc.. just take out what you need and cook it from frozen - its fine.

 

[trueblue]

Grate the rest of the cheese, stick it in a bag and freeze it.

When you need some cheese on toast etc.. just take out what you need and cook it from frozen - its fine.

Now THAT is a genius idea!

 

[Trufflehound]

depends what it is...

i once got told you could keep a chicken in the freezer for 5 months.
TOTAL BULLSHIT...i put one in on monday, and it was dead by tuesday

Have you been taking a sneak peek at the Xmas crackers?

 

[Tricky Dicky]

I was told by a chap at a large Wine gum manufacturer, that make them for most of the supermarket chains, that by law they can only put 12 month date on packets of wine gums. When they are nearing that date they are removed sent back to factory and repackaged with another 12 months and a code to show that this is the 2nd time of packaging. They do this the following year so in effect you could buy a packet of wine gums that are in date but actually nearly 3 years old. If they dont sell by the end of the third packaging they are binned.

Sounds like more hassle than making new ones to me.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

depends what it is...

i once got told you could keep a chicken in the freezer for 5 months.
TOTAL BULLSHIT...i put one in on monday, and it was dead by tuesday

I thank you.

Gee - you're a tough audience ...............

that was a good one.

 

[Brovion]

We're always eating food that's past it's 'use by' date, I maintain Worcester Suace doesn't start to get any flavor until it's sat at the back of the cupboard for six years.

I think we got the record a month or so ago when Mrs Brovian found an unopened bag of pasta in our larder with a 'use by' date of, wait for it, 1992! It was ok.

 

[Mr Blobby]

I remember a Wagon Wheel in the food bar on the East Terrace that was on sale for about 6 years. Nobody dared to buy it just in case it couldn't be replaced. Each home game we checked nobdy had bought it! Towards the end the wrapper had fadded badly!