Can a stick of unopened butter 4 months past its expiration date (June 11, 2017) still be used? It looks (and smells) to fresh to throw away 6 sticks of them.
Butter 4 months past its expiration date
- Thread starter Chetlaham
- Start date
Help Support :
Has it been in the fridge or freezer? If frozen, yes it's fine.
If it's salted and refrigerated it should last a long time. If it starts to turn dark on the edges it is going rank.
Salted and refrigerated
No rank or dark. Tastes fine and smells good.
No rank or dark. Tastes fine and smells good.
So keep one or two sticks in the fridge and put the rest in the freezer!
Yes, it will be fine
Have for yonks purchased butter (unsalted) in job lots when on sale and stored in freezer for months past expiration date. Remove one stick at a time (or what is required say for baking), and allow to thaw in refrigerator until needed.
Your nose and eyes will tell you; butter is dairy and one assumes you know how spoilt milk looks and smells. If the stuff looks off and or has a whiff, chuck it.
Have for yonks purchased butter (unsalted) in job lots when on sale and stored in freezer for months past expiration date. Remove one stick at a time (or what is required say for baking), and allow to thaw in refrigerator until needed.
Your nose and eyes will tell you; butter is dairy and one assumes you know how spoilt milk looks and smells. If the stuff looks off and or has a whiff, chuck it.
I have never noticed butter going bad. Although I usually freeze it, I never think to look at the expiration date on it. Now I am concerned.
I seem to have good luck w/ my butter/margarine--nothing ever went extremely bad, and I always freeze mine (right down to trying to cut a frozen, or just-out-of-the-freezer one) so really it would depend on how it tastes...
Butter and Margarine is something I go through so much of, that I run out of quickly & enough to make me wonder how/why I ever had to return a three-oak just to see it had to be thrown away (a single pack, I also returned just to build up to a two-pack, also did once too) when I brought it back cold & unused!
-- Dave
Butter and Margarine is something I go through so much of, that I run out of quickly & enough to make me wonder how/why I ever had to return a three-oak just to see it had to be thrown away (a single pack, I also returned just to build up to a two-pack, also did once too) when I brought it back cold & unused!
-- Dave
If it smells good,
It is good.
We're mammals. One of the very few things we do smell well is dairy - so, if it smells good and tastes good, it is good.
Expiration and sell-buy dates are useful for things which spoil easily. Butter is not one of those things.
It is good.
We're mammals. One of the very few things we do smell well is dairy - so, if it smells good and tastes good, it is good.
Expiration and sell-buy dates are useful for things which spoil easily. Butter is not one of those things.
vacerator
Well-known member
I've seen butter
kept at room temp. to stay soft. It takes a long time to go rancid.
I use poly unsaturated spread for my toast, etc. If left out of the fridge too long, it goes too soft. You can't brown well with it, so I compromise elsewhere, and do cook with real butter.
kept at room temp. to stay soft. It takes a long time to go rancid.
I use poly unsaturated spread for my toast, etc. If left out of the fridge too long, it goes too soft. You can't brown well with it, so I compromise elsewhere, and do cook with real butter.
Yoghurt is another
Dairy that last longer than shelf life stamped on packet.
Have consumed yoghurt weeks past sell by date with nil ill effects. Of course again one's nose and eyes would tell before consuming if the thing was off.
So much food both in North America and Europe goes to waste by being chucked because it is near or just past sell by/expiration date. When in truth many things are good for a few days or even weeks past.
Problem is stores will not sell for fear of lawsuits, and many consumers have been brainwashed into religiously following whatever date is stamped on packages.
http://www.stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/16649
Dairy that last longer than shelf life stamped on packet.
Have consumed yoghurt weeks past sell by date with nil ill effects. Of course again one's nose and eyes would tell before consuming if the thing was off.
So much food both in North America and Europe goes to waste by being chucked because it is near or just past sell by/expiration date. When in truth many things are good for a few days or even weeks past.
Problem is stores will not sell for fear of lawsuits, and many consumers have been brainwashed into religiously following whatever date is stamped on packages.
http://www.stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/16649
I keep eggs for quite a while too.
I keep a small amount of butter in the cupboard because I like it to be soft for spreading on bread, etc. Sometimes it will be several weeks (I don't use a lot of butter) and I have never had it go bad.
Gary
Gary
Launderess, I totally agree with you about consumers having been brainwashed regarding 'best before' dates.
When Hubby's family were visiting last summer I was horrified at how his nephews refused to eat anything that had a best before date 3 days or less after the current date. The amount of perfectly good food they tossed was scandalous. I have also found that butter, yogurt, and eggs (within reason) are most often just fine days and even weeks after the 'expiry' date.
Now, sunblock is another matter entirely... got good and fried in Oz using sunblock that was over a year past it's best before date...
When Hubby's family were visiting last summer I was horrified at how his nephews refused to eat anything that had a best before date 3 days or less after the current date. The amount of perfectly good food they tossed was scandalous. I have also found that butter, yogurt, and eggs (within reason) are most often just fine days and even weeks after the 'expiry' date.
Now, sunblock is another matter entirely... got good and fried in Oz using sunblock that was over a year past it's best before date...
Update
Awesome advice! I used it for cooking, and in so far no problem. I will stick the others in the freezer.
Awesome advice! I used it for cooking, and in so far no problem. I will stick the others in the freezer.
norgeway
Well-known member
If its bad
You will smell it as soon as you unwrap it!
You will smell it as soon as you unwrap it!
Glad SMELL was brought up! It nearly slipped my mind, that I can keep MILK past its expiration date, and every sniff so far, has deemed it drinkable, (though my wife & daughter still avoid it like the plague!) until my recent purchase--from Save-A-Lot!
The Whole Milk was passable (date was 9/26), but the 2% reeked to high-heaven! The date was 10/1, but got pretty iel-stinko! nearly retched even before I took off the lid, so not wanting waste food just took both jugs over to my dad to give to his cats (one in the house, the many others are strays)...!
-- Dave
The Whole Milk was passable (date was 9/26), but the 2% reeked to high-heaven! The date was 10/1, but got pretty iel-stinko! nearly retched even before I took off the lid, so not wanting waste food just took both jugs over to my dad to give to his cats (one in the house, the many others are strays)...!
-- Dave
