re: How careful are y'all about expiration dates?

Cooked an old pack of bacon from the fridge last week with an expiration date of Jan 2012. It was already cooked when it dawned on me this was 2013. Ate it anyway and I'm still alive.

I imagine your wife tosses things out the second they are expired or even 1 day before. Or is she even allowed to open the fridge?

quote:

---

I imagine your wife tosses things out the second they are expired or even 1 day before. Or is she even allowed to open the fridge?

---

Lucy is not allowed in the kitchen, much less the fridge. When we were dating 20 years ago I opened her fridge to find crap that had expired 5 years before. The smell was awful. I threw everything out and cleaned the interior.

When we got married it was time to sell her pathetic shack of a house. I reached down into the lower cabinets to see if there was any stuff we could use. I saw a Fry Daddy deep fryer. It wouldn't come out easily so I tilted it sideways and rancid oil spilled out.

Me: "Why is there oil in this Fry Daddy?"
Lucy: "Because I had a party and they said you could save the oil."
Me: "When did you have the party?
Lucy: "About 4 years ago."

I hope you brought the Fry Daddy to a hazardous materials dump.

quote:

---

while one of my co-workers won't eat, drink, or use anything past it's expiry date. She even questions it on the day of

---

I'm pretty much this way because of my mother. She questions things in the month of the expiration date, and smells of everything. (She has a nose like a hound.) She's overly cautious since my brother had a severe case of salmonella when he was very young and almost died. Since then, my entire family has been rather observant about expiration dates as well as cross contamination and cleanliness in the kitchen. If it's not cleaned with bleach, it's not clean.

I'm very careful about cross contamination, particularly with raw chicken, seafood, etc.

Expiration dates, otoh, just a guideline.

quote:

---

I'm very careful about cross contamination, particularly with raw chicken, seafood, etc.

Expiration dates, otoh, just a guideline.

---

Oh, I agree, especially for canned & dry foods. I still sniff of milk, out of habit, though, every time I take it out of the fridge, no matter the date.

I think it just really scared her when my brother was so ill, so she goes a little overboard, even on the expiration dates.

Depends on the product. I find that most dairy products are fine after the exp date. Milk generally lasts 3-5 days after opening if before the exp date and the same if opened on the exp date IF it's been kept cold enough. I eat sour cream, yogurt and butter some days or longer after the exp date. I'm more finicky about meats.

quote:

---

I'm more finicky about meats.

---

don't let 2 tamales freezer burn..

The tamales are well protected.

Also, I don't serve guests expired products. When I'm cooking for other folks, I buy new products even if I think I have some that are still fine.