Use within X days of opening - how much mind do you pay?

[anonymous-user]

[redacted]

[cuprabob]

I've never been in the situation where I've opened something I can't finish there and then never mind by the "use by" date

[21TonyK]

At home very little, if it looks okay, smells okay, chances are it is okay.

At work max 5 days on any product, I mean anything apart from unprepared veg or fruit. If its not used within 5 days I've ordered wrong and it either goes in the bin or home with staff.

[HTP99]

I just base it on how it looks or smells; looks and smells ok then I'll eat it.

[C0ffin D0dger]

Yep, I just use my judgement. If it looks, smells and tastes okay then it probably is. Pretty sure on ketchup it says to use within 14 days or some such nonsense, you've have to have a serious habit for that

[RizzoTheRat]

I'm loving whatever system determines advert placement on PH. It's spotted the thread title and shown me an advert for Marmite, probably the product that remains open the longest in out house, I wouldn't be surprised if we keep a jar on the go for a more than a year

We have loads of stuff open past their dates, if it looks and smells ok it's probably fine.

[LordGrover]

In ye olden dayes, when I were a lad, my Nan used to scrape carpets of mould off jam and cheese - I hardly ever died.

[Fastpedeller]

This one is a 'family favourite' story - during a house move my wife binned a bottle of unopened whisky because it was beyond it's use by date
I didn't know this until it was too late to be retrieved

[boyse7en]

These use by dates confuse me at times.

I just opened a jar of Chilli Gherkins (yum)
The label says to refrigerate after opening and use within 14 days...
Surely the point of pickling something is to preserve it? We use to have jars of homemade pickled onions for years.
Why has modern vinegar lost its preservative properties??

[motco]

I had some hot chilli sauce so old that it faded from red to brown. Yum!

[LordGrover]

My guess is it's not so much drying out, as other baddies getting in.
They assume a worse case scenario and your fridge is already full of germs and stuff. Maybe.

[cbmotorsport]

They also want the product to be enjoyed at it's best, so generally put once opened use within time on it - it won't kill you after this but probably will start to deteriorate gradually.

[Fastchas]

I had a glass of red wine friday night that had been opened for 3-4 weeks. I did notice it wasn't a particularly nice glass either and I had a headache till Sunday which is really unusual for me. But I'm not throwing away booze.

[HTP99]

I love it when you have Parmesan cheese which has been aged for 36m; must be eaten within 14 days of opening!

Regardless of whether it goes off or not, know one can eat a slab of Parmesan in 14 days.

[Alex]

I won't risk chicken beyond its use by date, but for everything else, if it smells OK, I'll eat it.

[motco]

There's a big difference between 'use by' and 'best before'. Obey the first, ignore the second.

[Fastchas]

HTP99 said:

I love it when you have Parmesan cheese which has been aged for 36m; must be eaten within 14 days of opening!

Regardless of whether it goes off or not, know one can eat a slab of Parmesan in 14 days.

Why doesn't 'Mild' cheese become 'Medium' and then 'Mature' if you don't eat it? Or is it the taste it refers to rather than the age?

[PF62]

motco said:

There's a big difference between 'use by' and 'best before'. Obey the first, ignore the second.

I recently found some Branston Pickle in the back of the cupboard with a 'use by' date in the last millennium. It tasted fine.

[Type R Tom]

I never pay any attention to dates, I use my senses to guide me. If it looks, smells and feels ok then it usually is

[227bhp]

I had some German or Polish sausage in the fridge the other day that had been opened a bit too long and smelled a touch ripe, I just sliced it and fried it up to kill any nasties. It was fine, but a stark reminder of how much saturated fat is in these things.