What are your rules about expiration dates when it comes to food? My mayonnaise is 2 days past expiration, and I'm going try to make sandwiches, potato salad all next week to use up all the jar (from costco)

If it has been opened for a while I wouldn't.

>>21476722 (OP)
the nose knows.

there's talk about removing outlawing putting dates on packages because it causes excess food waste
there's no such thing as an expiration date
the sell by date is printed just to force stores to rotate the stock and buy more, it has nothing to do with the consumer
best buy date is a guarantee to the consumer that the product will not be stale

none of it has to do with food safety, the best thing you can do is use your own senses. As long as your mayo looks, smells, and tastes as it should then its fine

>>21476722 (OP)
If it doesn't smell funny and doesn't taste funny it's usually perfectly fine to eat. Expiration dates are conservative "protect my corporate ass" estimates, not "definitely poison" dates.

I've never had an experience where the date on dairy products where wrong. It's ALWAYS been right.

>>21476742
My 6 month "expired" buttermilk was fine and I even used it without making anyone ill but mom still threw it out the next day because it was past thr date.

>>21476742
my milk from costco expired a week and still taste fine

>>21476737
fun fact: all the dates on food are "best by" dates and are just the date that the producer can guarantee freshness, given proper storage. the only food that has an expiration date is baby formula.

Okay, I'm gonna sound absolutely disgusting here but:
I finished a squeeze bottle of mayonnaise last year or so that I bought when shortly before my son was born. He'll be eight in six weeks. I never checked the date but I'm sure six years on is well past expiry. The missus and kiddo wouldn't eat it so it took me a while to work through it all on the occasional sandwich. I wasn't "allowed" to add it to salads meant for family consumption lmao
So yeah: I couldn't give a fuck about expiry.
>>21476742
That's the opposite of my experience.
Okay, so while expired mayonnaise is beyond my wife's comfort zone, expired milk is not. We just taste a small but before adding it to something. In fact, recently polished off a gallon of milk that was meant to have expired on the 11th but lasted through the 14th, when my son and I finished it. The only exception is the lactose free garbage the missus drinks. Once it's opened, if she doesn't finish it in four days, that shit turns into a chemical weapon even though it supposedly stays good for seven days after opening.

>>21476767
>six years on is well past expiry

mayo is like $3-5 bud. why take the chance? I understand if it was a few day or a week, maybe.

>>21476732
>looks good?
smell it
>smells good?
taste it
>tastes good?
eat it

this will work with 99.9% of foods that aren't from the ocean. don't fuck around with old seafood

>>21476772
Honestly? I don't really know. We had other mayonnaise in the house that the missus used in/on things and that I used for my spice rub for Thanksgiving turkey but I just didn't wanna throw that other one away until I finished it.
>>21476777
>don't fuck around with old seafood
Trufax. One of our fridges broke and its freezer mostly held seafood so what we couldn't jam into the other freezers got eaten immediately and what we couldn't eat was given to the neighbour lady and what she didn't take was just thrown out. I don't fucks with old seafood.

>>21476722 (OP)
Expiration dates are irrelevant. Anything containing any amount of fat is bad within days of production.

>>21476793

I don't know how it is over the ocean, but over here in Europe we have best-before and expriation dates. Most food apart from meat and stuff has a best-before which simply means the quality can't be guaranteed after that date. (flavor, color, structure changing...). It doesn't mean it's bad. For risky stuff like meat, seafood and such actual expiration dates are used and you shouldn't mess around.

>>21476722 (OP)
>joshua tree alone

>>21476866
That the fucking fridge from Cowboy Bebop?

>>21476722 (OP)
expiration dates are always a conservative estimate just to avoid liability. All food is going to still be good for a while after the date. It's case-by-case thought so meats obviously won't be good for weeks after but you get the idea.

My jar of kalamata olives had mold in it today. Was bummed.

>>21476722 (OP)
For mayo I look around the jar and If I see any mayo starting to turn clear I just throw it away, Also I try not to leave mayo open for more than 2 weeks so I've since stopped buying it and just make small amounts myself.
>2 eggs
>Glob of mustard (I use Guldens spicy brown)
>a bunch of oil probably about a cup if I had to guess I dont measure
>Splash of lemon juice
>salt and pepper and if you want some garlic powder or whatever else you want to add.
>Stick blender that shit starting from the bottom and pull it to the top
Make sure whatever you do this in can fit the head of the stick blender

>>21476733
While you're kind of right, there's more to it than that, and you probably know it. There are plenty of companies that put more than a little time and effort into determining the shelf life of their products. That's why if you buy a gallon of milk, use some, let it sit... Well what do you know! About the time the use by date rolls around it's starting to go bad! To imply that for every product there was a board meeting where someone waved their hands in the air and pulled a number out of their ass is disingenuous at best. And no, I didn't care about "This one time when I bought..." Fuck off with that shit.

>>21476722 (OP)
For me if it looks, smells and tastes good it's good. Date is irrelevant

>>21476742
I've had dairy expire a full week before the printed date.

>>21476722 (OP)
no rules. just trust your senses. look at it, smell it, taste it.

>>21476742
I've had yogurt last months past its expiry date.

just let it ride bro. use it if you want to use it. pick one up at the store when you go, and then toss it

i really believe one of the best traits of a chef is to reduce waste in the kitchen, but when something is expired it IS wasted. you can use it for now if it still tastes okay but you should treat yourself, and whoever you're serving food to, right, and get a fresh jar

>>21476742
It's always really conservative for heavy cream and yogurt. For milk it's normally right to within a day or two either way.

>>21477012
It is true that milk seems to have the most accurate expiration date. Maybe because its is so quick to go bad relative to everything else?

>>21476742
Yogurt, sour cream, heavy cream and such can last way past the date. Unless you've been reckless and contaminated it with other food so it'll mold faster.

meat is such a high risk item that if it looks wrong or smells a bit, specially after the date in the box I trash it.
I've had some accidents where I grab a packet from the store without inspecting it and turns out the best by date was the day after when its on average 4-6 days after and I lose the meat since I didnt immediately cook it after the shopping trip.
Similar to meat if I have fresh dairy I prioritize using it asap instead of letting it sit forever in the fridge.

eggs I simply smell since the date on the box isnt very accurate, its similar for all items where the stuff is airtightly sealed preventing bacteria contact
bread just depends on if I see mold, if theres any the entire pack is trashed. Im not worried about mold existing on pre-visible stage since the mold particles are in the air anyway and If Im going to get sick its from their excessive waste toxins.
Dried stuff I dont care as long as its not super old and I heat it up to destroy living organisms. Dried items aging mostly impacts their quality but not safety.
Condiments and sauces keep pretty well in the fridge thanks to vinegar and such, if kept at room temp you're just fucking yourself over.

For some reason my mother has huge amount of super old foods she never clean from her fridge and cabinets. Like if she offers me something I have to check the date every single time and ask when it was opened.

>>21476722 (OP)
There are expiration dates (milk), and there are best by dates.

Expiration for milk is pretty spot on, it sours/curdles pretty much on the mark, maybe a day prior or after. You can make it last a wee bit longer with sealed no-air containment.

For best by dates, sometimes I ignore these, but I store my canned goods in a pantry in dark/cool temps. So shit won't go bad fast. I have yet to open anything and see/smell rotten stuff inside.

But I have tossed stuff that was 2-3 years past the date because I forgot about it. And that's just because I never used it, so I'm tossing it because I will never use it later, and it's wasting space.

As for opened stuff - I watch for mold and weird goop formation: if it looks wrong, it gets tossed.

I have yet to be harmed by stuff made at home - it's always fast food and restaurant stuff making me sick if something bad gets in me.

>>21476878
We have
>expiration dates
>best by dates
>use or freeze by dates
>mfg dates (mostly MREs and the like)

Properly frozen meat - specifically vac packed - can last for many years. It's when it gets freezer burned that the quality drops. I've had meat I kept froze and forgot about be perfectly fine almost half a decade later (steakburgs just as good as the day I got em). In fact, I still have some old frozen meat left that is still in great shape. But you MUST keep it frozen, doing thaw cycles is terrible for it's quality.

>>21476940
Meat use or freeze by dates are pretty much always spot on, at least for hamburger grind and steaks. Pork seems to have more time left in it, but I've only pushed it like once or twice on big hunks of meat.

It lasts forever once frozen though - if vac packed. If not, you have until freezer burn sets in, then shit goes bad.

>>21476993
Most stick blenders come with a measuring cup it perfectly fits in. Or at leas mine did, no idea what the chinesium ones are doing.

>>21477370
I think the pros timed it to where when you buy it and crack the seal it will go bad exactly on that day. So if you wait it will last longer, but once you pop the clock starts.

>>21477400
Heavy cream usually has like 2-3 months on it, and I have yet to see it go bad, despite going past it with open containers.

>>21477405
>For some reason my mother has huge amount of super old foods she never clean from her fridge and cabinets.
That is so she can "pretend" she cooks for company. But the reality is she gets fast food and takeout like all the other modern women out there. Hence why everything is expired - it's really just a prop designed to make it look like she's proper.

>>21476722 (OP)
>My mayonnaise is 2 days past expiration
don't be a weak lil sissy boi. use that mayonnaise, sissy boi

>>21476722 (OP)
I'm about to eat a jar of salsa with a 2023 best by date.
If it looks okay, it'll taste okay.
Don't fuck with Milk though.

>>21476777
trips of truth

>>21476722 (OP)
No mold ?
Its gold

>>21476722 (OP)
>best before
I usually don't care even if it's way past the date, I would still eat it as long as it smells and tastes fine
>expiration date
If it's expired by just a few days, I would sniff the hell out of it to make sure there are no weird smells, then I proceed to taste a small sample. If even the taste is ok, I'll risk eating the whole thing. I'd be extra carefull for foods like meat, fish and dairy products.
To be safe, I'll always try to regularly check the stuff I have in the fridge and consume it in time. If for some reason I have a lot of food around, I throw some in the freezer for later.

>>21477012
my milk always lasts at least 3-4 days past the use by date though

>>21476722 (OP)
If it doesn't smell and there's no visible mold or strong discoloration anywhere, I'm eating it, no matter how long past the best by date.
Our bodies are really good at determining what's good or bad.
If I'm still suspect I'll take a very small piece and taste it - if it's bad it'll taste bad.

>>21477813
you might get bacterial gut explosion from eating old meat

First give it a few sniffs then a small taste tests, then the total cram test

>>21476733
Per US labeling laws honey has dates on them. I support this label removal effort but it would also require something to prevent lawsuits.

>>21477869
True, but I can also get sick by meeting other people, yet I choose not to live the hermit life.
It's all a question of probabilities, and I find the risk with food that doesn't smell or taste weird more than manageable.

>>21476722 (OP)
>What are your rules about expiration dates when it comes to food?
rule 1 - there are no expiration dates on food.
rule 2 - food does not expire because a specific date had gone by.
rule 3 - OP is homosex
rule 4 - OP is homosex
rule 5 - there are no expiration dates on food.

>>21477889
>>21477012
listen fuck tards. they put dates on fucking bottled water! there is no reason to put a date on water.

there is no reason to put a date on ANYTHING.

>>21476722 (OP)
mayo NEVER expires. I have always used every drop of mayo in a jar, and have not once ever looked to see if there is a date you great gibbering baboon.

>>21477444
>There are expiration dates (milk)
WRONG. that is a sell by date.

>>21477581
>expiration date
show me a food with an expiration date on it.

>>21476733
>best buy date is a guarantee to the consumer that the product will not be stale
I once ate a container of yogurt 14 months past its best by date. someone at work retired and one of his yogurts was left in the fridge (unopened). I ate it. the vegan guy I worked with freaked out that I was going to die.

the yogurt was fine.

>>21476993
>mayo starting to turn clear
how? never seen that happen unless it dries out

>>21476722 (OP)
2 days for Mayo should be fine. If it doesn't smell bad it's probably safe.

>>21478943
what do you mean? perishable foods like milk, fish and meat have a more strict expiration date instead of a lax "best before" date.
Maybe you don't clearly find the term on the label and it's "use by" instead, but it's basically the same thing. Sorry, I'm not american.