Food past its sell by date

[feral]

.. would roasted pumpkin seeds be safe to eat 2mths past their sell by date?

[tabitha]

chuck em in the bin I would.

[feral]

Darnit! I've two packets at £2.50 each... hubby was gonna risk it but I don't fancy spending the night listening to him blowin holes in the porcelain.

[tabitha]

Im no expert. Im just a bit paranoid about out of date things (ironic really since Im a bit past me sell by date...)

[feral]

Aaaww no you're not girl, you're a fit, healthy vixen in your prime!

[Risker]

I'd eat them, how long was the sell by date originally? if it was a year or more then I can't see how another 2 months can make much difference, especially if it is a sell by date rather than a use by date.

[feral]

Well it's best before 01.03.06 and they've been lurkin in the kitchen for about 5mths so I don't know how long of a best before date they usually have..... they're the clearspring organic roasted pumkin seeds... I was just wondering if seeds are prone to toxic fungus like nuts are?

Thanks for your opinions guys.

[sugarmouse]

if it was me i would probably eat them if they tasted ok-i hate wasting food..but then i do not want to be responsable for your trots! so its up to you.is it 'sell by' and not 'best before' or 'use by?'
'use by' is the one that realy matters.

[feral]

It's best before sugarmouse... it'll be hubbies trotts lol I'll maybe just stay at my friends if it goes down that way hehe

[sugarmouse]

lol yeh stayout the way!y
ou are usually ok with best before...all it means is the product literally reached its 'best' before said date.i tink it would be ok as long as they dont smell,look, or taste off.:)lol

[Wildflower]

If they look OK, and it wasn't stored in warm conditions, I would think they would be OK.

But don't listen to me...last Sunday I broke down and ate some soy cheese that was 5 months past the expiration...it was all sealed and everything still and when I noticed the date, I lost all control and ate some of it anyway:o . Then I realized I was incredibly stupid and left the other half of my meal for later to see if I got sick or died or something. LOL - I was fine, and now I am thinking of making pizza with it, since it was opened, I feel like I have to use it fast! :p

LOL - God what was I thinking! Soy cheese cravings just took over!

How embarrassing...i shouldn't have shared that! :D

[fiamma]

I've got some tempeh that's a few days past its sell by date - do you think it's OK to use or is it best to be safe and chuck it?

[luaps]

ive used it a week or so out of date.

[owen]

I let my nose decide most things in these matters. If it smells like it's going off I don't eat it; if it smells OK it's OK.

The only exception that I can think of is cooked rice -- I don't like eating that if it has been cooked more than a day ago despite being stored in the fridge.

[fiamma]

What's the general rule regarding sell by/use-by dates?

Actually it's the use-by date I'm interested in, and for dry food like beans, rice and grains. I was clearing out my kitchen cupboards today and have found various packets of the above that are past their use-by date, periods ranging from 2 or 3 months to a year and a half :eek:

Anyone?

[Risker]

If they've been kept dry then they should be fine, I'd eat them 10 years past their use by.

If you die from my opinion I take no responsibility.

[fiamma]

If you die from my opinion I take no responsibility.

Having watched Ghost Whisperer last night, I'm quite sure I can let you know either way :p

[harpy]

I would have a good look at them to check they're not mouldy. If not I would imagine that they would be OK although I would like to invoke the same disclaimer as Risker :D

I do remember reading that the longer dried beans have been kept the more cooking they require as they get tougher with age, but I don't know if it's true.

[Ruby Rose]

They found dried beans in the pyramids, didn't they, that sprouted up a treat. So I err on the side of indolence when it comes to chucking away dried pulses and the like. So long as they're dry, they smell okay, and they don't taste weird when I cook 'em.

As for the pumpkin seeds, I'd eat them. And then spit them out if they taste GAH!. Most likely they'll just have dried out a bit, and feel a bit gritty in the mouth.

(Oh, I'm supposed to say that if you die, it wasn't me, it was the others... right?)

[green woman]

A few months past the sell by date should be ok for dried foods but I wouldn't chance a year and a half.

I've found that soya yoghurt can keep for months beyond the sell by date and still be perfectly edible.

[herbwormwood]

Dried stuff tends to be ok as drying is a preserving method. Same for foods sealed in jars or tins.

[Zero]

If things look and smell ok, then I eat them. Canned, packaged and frozen stuff is fine way past the date in my opinion.

I've got an M&S stir fry in my fridge thats almost 2 weeks past its date and its fine, better have it very soon though.

I doubt you will die from old food, so I am going to apply the "If you get sick don't blame me" disclaimer lol.

I think just being sensible is the key really and checking things over.

[Ruby Rose]

^ I'd just like to point out that Zero's new avatar might well be a pic of him dead on the floor after eating a two-week-old stir fry!

[Zero]

^ I'd just like to point out that Zero's new avatar might well be a pic of him dead on the floor after eating a two-week-old stir fry!

Haha :D

Not quite dead, only slightly comatose.

(is he dead on the floor or crawling on the ceiling? :p)

The stir fry did come out of a bin at M&S too!

[Roxy]

We have some Belsoy vanilla puddings that "expired" in June. My partner and I both ate one yesterday. There's absolutely nothing wrong with them and we're not sick or dead.