the once-promising, now disappointing expiration date!

[daveamkrayoguy]

I used to be able to keep milk past it's date, now seems as though it DOES spoil right then and there, even when I DO keep it in the COLDEST part of my fridge, where it seemed invincible to expiration...

First one jug put there seemed to be blamed for the store I'd bought it at not having a cooler working right, now one I'd made a disappointing pudding from wasn't put in that coldest area--but now I have no luck whatsoever with milk past it's date, regardless (& if anyone here, besides me, ever drank it, I at least could replace it more frequently!)

Mind you, the old jugs, no longer drinkable, (including this one, will) go to my dad's to feed his cats...

It's a wonder I didn't get sick from a glass I drank a little of, just to pour it back in the jug and I ate up all three mugs of pudding from it, including the first one, that didn't seem to be harmed, after I'd just made it, but I'm so overwhelmed with the disappointment of THIS, having happened!

-- Dave

 

[panthera]

Yup.

I think they pay more attention to the unbroken cool temperature chain in summer than in winter, I've noticed that out here, too.

Then again, you didn't have holiday friends going through your cupboards and throwing away super-valuable German spices and extravagantly expensive oils because they were 'past' some stupid, made up 'sell-by/use-by' date like I did, once again this year.

Arggh!

 

[appnut]

I find similar experience and it's inconsistent as to whether reaches, meets, or even sometimes (rarely) exceeds date by a day or two.  But I'm so squeamish about expiration date when it comes to dairy.  For that matter any food that's been cooked and remains in fridge.  As far as keeping leftovers in the fridge, I won't do it for more than 3 days and if not consumed, portions g4et put in freezer.  My partner will stretch things to 6 days.  But then he says he cleans out his fridge, which means it gets thrown away.  Horrible waste of food and money in my books. 

 

[imperial70]

I agree. I don't purchase much dairy milk (I've switched to almond milk, not sure I have a reason for doing it ).

I have noticed that when I do buy a quart to keep for baking or if my niece should drop by that it is gone bad the day of or day after the expiration. I haven't changed my fridge settings and the thermometer I use still is on the colder end of "safe."

 

[fan-of-fans]

I haven't had the issue as we use most of it well before the date. I did, several years ago have issue a few times in a row of milk from a particular store going bad way before the date, at least 5 days. Not sure if they got a bad batch or what, but there were other people getting refunds at the same time we did, so I don't think it was just our fridge that was the problem.

To which brings another memory, of another store in that well-known chain, around that time, that I was told all of the yogurts they had out for sale were expired and bulging!!

As for cleaning out the fridge, my family is bad about throwing things away when they are probably still fine. I guess I take a few more risks than some are comfortable with, but I microwave any leftovers until they are very very hot and I've never gotten sick. I will eat leftovers things a week after they've been cooked at times.

The fridge we got last year, if nothing else, seems far better at maintaining proper temps than the old one. With the new one, I tend to find small ice crystals in leftovers at times, and it's not even set on maximum cold. The old one, I'd have to set it at maximum cold and then when I checked temps, I'd find things at 41 at the coldest, and sometimes even mid-40s to 50. It just never got that cold.

 

[panthera]

The refrigerator temperature conundrum

I keep dairy at 33 or 34. Meat at 32. Everything else at 35/36 except butter which I (gasp!) don't put in the refrigerator if we're going to be spreading it.

The current American 'safe' temperatures are far, far too warm and just plain stupid.

 

[DADoES]

 
I keep the GE Arctica set at 34°F.  The current-temp readout typically varies from 34°F to 36°F.  34°F at the moment.  Last 1/2 gal of milk I finished was 8 days past "the date" and still perfectly fine.  I have had it go bad within a day or two of the date but has been a while since the last occurrence of such.

 

[iheartmaytag]

I have found

It depends on where it is purchased from is an indicator of how long it will last.

If I buy from Wal-Mart. It will almost always spoil before the use by date.
Dillon's and Braum's Dairy I have kept a good period beyond the date. I just used up some Braum's that was dated Use by 12-4. It was still good 20 days later.

 

[jamiel]

Around us, both Kroger and Meijer own their own dairies and supply us from Michigan. Kroger has a really good selection, Meijer less so on more esoteric items (they particularly don't ever seem to have buttermilk in smaller than half-gallons). I never darken the doors of Walmart, but suspect that at best they source milk from Deans Foods. Costco uses some odd dairy in Ohio which packages in some sort of proprietary gallon packaging which permits them to stack it by the pallet.

 

[gusherb]

I don't do dairy so I have little input about how it keeps. I also tend to like fresh foods so I'm one to err on the safe side with things but I usually just use my nose and common sense. My nose hasn't failed me yet.
Deli meats usually last about 6-7 days before they start going sour, smoked deli meats are good a bit past that. I have no scientific proof of what the fridge stays at but the setting is kept at "4" and I suspect that's around 36° based on sticking my hand in there.

 

[mattl]

The few times I've been out of town for a bit and have come back to milk that was 20+ day past expiration date it was fine. Go figure...

 

[lordkenmore]

Link to Calvin and Hobbes strip about milk expiration dates:

http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/2013/04/25/

 

[DADoES]

 
The fridge's current-temp reading is 33°F today so apparently it's cooler in the house than it seems.

 

[perc-o-prince]

(& if anyone here, besides me, ever drank it...)

If I buy a 1/2 gallon of dairy milk, I usually end up putting 1-2 8 or 12oz jars of it in the freezer. Really handy to do it that way as the recipes I use for pancakes and waffles call for 1 and 1 1/2 c milk! Rare to get spoilage here, but only because it doesn't sit to the end.

Chuck