The other day Huzbun says I am keeping the leftovers too long, and that and this got me thinking about how to know when food is no longer good. After some googling, I found this. So we may or may not have been eating food that was a bit on the "old" side.
After a more intense review, I am definitely freezing more of the leftovers from now on (yikes!). Well I guess it's true what my mom says "You and your dad have stomach's made of cast iron!" The good news here is that I don't recall getting sick, despite my lack of fridge cleaning skills - and hey I guess I saved some money?! Anyway, before anyone points to many fingers - I don't think too many items saw an over 10% increase in "time kept".
Anyone have any good stories on food they ate - a little past the "deadline"?
I use the smell/look test... if it smells and looks fine I eat it, if I can't breathe because of allergies it depends on the item. Fish no more than 2 days usually, veggies/fruit as long as they are still firm and not slimy (brown bananas become banana bread, yum) and meat/dairy usually get tossed/eaten within 7 days of cooking. I find expiration dates more guidelines than anything as they are legally required to put it on there and just use my best judgment... it's worked so far.
ReplyDeleteThere was one time I was made a sandwich by someone else and contracted salmonella from the turkey which tasted fine but obviously was not... so it's wise to be careful (and not trust other people's food-management skills)
ReplyDelete@Shana - The smell/look test has always been my previous method, but now I am wondering if that is up to snuff? I also think brown bananas make the best banana bread. I have a few in the freezer now. I too have been in the awkward position of being offered food that may not past the "sniff" test. Sorry to hear your story, glad to hear you got better.
ReplyDeleteI find that when it crawls around the container and has developed its own language... time has come for leftover disposal.
ReplyDeleteI really need to be better about cleaning out the fridge. :-)
I routinely eat stuff that most people would think needed to be thrown away. P, on the other hand, sometimes sneaks into the fridge and throws away stuff I think is just fine. :)
ReplyDelete@Allie - I am an advocate whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger... and in the name of that have eaten some food other may not consider. However, Huzbun mentioned that maybe even if I didn't feel sick, it might not be good for me. On one hand I think this is a recipe for paranoia... but on the other hand I could stand to be more cautious. All that said, it really pains me to throw out food.
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