"expiration dates" news and stories

We've all been there: You open the fridge, reach for the milk, and notice the date on the carton says it expired yesterday. You gingerly sniff the carton, fully expecting to be overwhelmed by noxious fumes but instead all you can smell is . . . milk.

According to University of Minnesota food scientist Ted Labuza (who spoke to Slate), perishables like milk and meat have a three- to seven-day grace period after the expiration date, assuming you are a normal person and store said perishables in the fridge and not, say, the sauna. The fact is, the "sell by" date that appears on that questionable gallon of milk serves as a guideline for stores on when they should pull products from their shelves -- not when you should indulge in a last sip. Rather than being an indicator of the product's safety span, the date implies when a food's quality -- its taste, aroma and appearance -- would be at peak conditions.

Paranoia is pretty rampant in the kitchen these days, so just about any common-sense thinking is a nice surprise. If you were ever wondering about what the deal is behind expiration dates, or have ever found yourself throwing food out the minute that date comes, I beg you to read Culinate's Expiration Dates: They're Helpful -- and Confusing.

Rather than weighing itself down with fear, it gives a good and honest guide to how expiration dates work. They note how expiration dates are more often an indication of best quality than of something going bad, the differences in terms, and even what issues expiration dates lead to -- like fresh food going to the dumpster because its shelf life isn't long enough to travel, and leading to the world of dumpster diving.

Make the most of your food, and bite your thumb at the paranoia!

A couple of years ago, I created a spreadsheet with which to track the contents of my spice rack. It had all the spices listed, along with the date on which I had purchased each one, to make it easy to know what I had and whether it was getting a little elderly. I realize that this requires a little more energy than most people want to put into their spice rack.

For those of you who want an easier solution, think about checking out Spice Island's spice registry service. You can check the age of any of your Spice Island herbs and spices by punching in the product code on the bottle. Sadly, it only works for that brand, but if you happen to have a lot of their spices, it could be very helpful.

Another way to track your spices is to mark the bottom of the jar with the purchase date with a permanent market. It's not searchable like my spreadsheet, but still gives you some idea of when you brought those spices into your kitchen.

[via The Kitchn]

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