How long past the "best by date" is acceptable?

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Buck98

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We went over this in another thread not too long ago. Expirations dates are merely suggestions and best by dates are for store shelf rotation. Like @Bocephus123 said, smell it. It's what all our ancestors did before the Gov came up with expirations datres. I don't pay much heed to them.
Smell and taste test are usually the best indicators it seems. Out of all the guidelines, fresh juices and the like have a short shelf life so they need to be consumed fairly quickly after opening, which makes sense. I'd still do a smell/taste test on it.

I just watched a Mexican dude on the u tube that makes cheese out of his expired milk...pretty good idea.

WRT your guests, I guess it depends if you like them or not and do you think they'll sue you. lol

Might be useful for those pests that don’t seem to know when they have overstayed.

Wife fixed a box of hamburger helper the other night that was 16 months past its date. It had been sitting in the back of the pantry and had gone unnoticed. Some things just last longer than others I guess.
Some things just last longer than others.
 

Frank Pope

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As the title states but in two parts. How long past...

1. Is acceptable to serve guests?
2. Is acceptable for me to eat?

For bruams milk it is usually good up to at least one week after the date.
Depends on whether it is the "Reasors Surprise". They wrap a layer of fresher ground beef around older beef, so you never know what you have in the first place.
 

John6185

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Asisde form all the discussion about "best by dates," we didn't have them stampe don food containers when I was kid. How did we make it to this stage in our lives. maybe some of our friends who have gone on can attribute their demise to the lack of not having the best by dates... but on the other hand, I don't think they can attribute anything at this point...
 

C_Hallbert

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I smell stuff before I eat it. If it isn’t right, the dogs get it. I’ve seen my dogs eating soupy, rotting turtles and a stinking turkey vulture carcass….bones and all. Obviously, they ain’t house dogs…..// I don’t go by the expiration date on medicines unless theirs a visible physical change (swelling of capsules; crumbling of pills). For all liquids (medicines, soft drinks and/or juices), I won’t ingest them if there’s clouding, flocculation, or visible separation of the contents. In the days when wild ducks were marketed, it was common practice to hang them out in cool weather until mold was visible inside their bills indicating that they would be tender.
 

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