So how out of date before you throw away. Got some chicken here (fresh, refrigerated), 2 days past it’s sell by date…eat or bin??

What’s the worst you have scoffed???

Eat after sniffing and checking its nor green

…or if it’s clucking??

ate a tin of rice pudding that was 3 years past its sell by date without any ill effects.
ust use your eyes and nose.

Check for smell. Cook thoroughly.

I got some chicken breasts out of the freezer a week or so ago – put them in the microwave to sit defrosting til the evening.
That evening I decided to have salmon instead.
A few days later a visitor said “It smells like something has died in here!”
Thought it was remains of salmon cooking smells…
Didn’t twig til the next day when I opened the microwave..

2 days past it’s sell by date…eat or bin??

Eat it.

‘Sell by’ is just that. And even ‘best before’ is going to be fine. It’s ‘use by’ where you have to start being careful.

Yep, smell and sight have worked for quite a long time as good methods for ascertaining food acceptability. I recommend these methods.

Chicken can be off before its sell by date.

I’ll give anything in a tin an extremely decent benefit of the doubt. Years is just fine.

Oh, worst: I used to stop at this newsagent in bradford and buy a bottle of milk every morning. One day I was particularly thirsty which is strange because I’d had plenty to drink the night before. Anyway, I was so thirsty I grabbed the bottle of milk and just tipped it into my mouth without sniffing it. It was absolutely rancid. I can still taste it now.

best before != lethal after

how do you cope with meat bough from a butcher instead of supermarket pre-packed?

sniff test

stuff like chicken usually has a use by date though not a best before.

As a student, I eat very well of reduced aisle fare several days after it’s passed its sell/use by date.

As amedias said, if you shop from a market, green grocer, butcher etc the stuff often doesn’t have a “best before” or “sell by” sticker on it.

It it looks OK and smells OK it probably will be. Just use your common sense. You do have common sense?

My best was some smirnoff ice that went out of date in oct 09. Drank it 3 weeks ago…

Judging if food can be eaten is like choosing a mate. Let sight and smell be your guide.

stuff like chicken usually has a suggested use by date though

sometimes it will last longer, sometimes it’s gone before, I would never trust the label either way, sniff and look, and if you get it wrong treat it as ‘training’ your nose 😉

Even if it was past it’s use by date, I’d still always give it the sniff test before I decide what to do with it. It’s what noses were intelligently designed for :p

It’s what noses were intelligently designed for

you’ve clearly not seen my Dad’s nose, I refuse to believe it was ‘designed’ that way, unless he was being punished for something he did in a previous life…although it should be quite good at sniffing given how much air it must be able to suck in.

for fruit & veg I ignore the dates – sight smell feel is good enough

chicken – one day over, never any longer

Best before means exactly that it usualy refers to a degradation in quality rather than spoilage. Dried herbs have a BB date they just lose their flavour.

Use by however should be more strictly adhered to, esp with chicken as it naturally contains a higher percentage of spoilage bacteria than say beef or pork. Worst case scenario you’ll visit the loo more often than normal tomorrow!

How long will chicken last in the freezer?

Depends if it was alive when you put it in .Live ones not long at all 😆

Too f in true.
Put one in last night. It was dead this morning!

It’s what noses were intelligently designed for

I prefer to think that they evolved to be able to do it, but now isn’t the time or the place.

I would much prefer to rely on my instincts than the information insisted upon by the EU.

Way too much food gets unnecessarily wasted because of them.

I quite often find inspiration looking at the food on death row in the supermarket – when you’re not sure what you fancy for supper. Student habits die hard I guess!

Best Before- no issues apart from less crunchy biscuits/ flat pop dry cakes etc
Use by- meat that is unprocessed e.g chicken fillets,steak ,pork chops then sight and smell
Use by – processed meat e.g. Sausage,mince, burgers – I wouldn’t touch it
Vegetables and fruit- sight and smell even if its in date

Tins? Last for years
Dairy- wouldnt touch it

My ten penneth

you’ve clearly not seen my Dad’s nose, I refuse to believe it was ‘designed’ that way,

Chances are you’ll end up with a nose just like your dads

Oh, food.

If it looks right, smells right. It probably is right.

n=don’t eat (where n is ‘smells like sour milk’)

Food doesn’t know it has to go off by a date on its label. As others have said,smell it,check it,then get it down you.

A good method is to use the airline pilot approach.
Cook the dodgy food and give it to the wife, you have something different.

If she’s ok the next day you can eat it too.

My best was some smirnoff ice that went out of date in oct 09. Drank it 3 weeks ago…

That’s disgusting. You drank Smirnoff?

There was an article a while back (in the Guardian maybe) about a guy who started eating out of date food as a test. He’s eat it a day after, then two days after….three days after…see how far he could get away with. In the end he was eating food weeks out out of date, allegedly with no ill effects.