Is It Good?

Those dates on foods can get a little confusing for some people. I sometimes get calls from people asking me if they can still eat something that’s past the date on the package. So, I thought I’d share some basic guidelines.

There are two basic types of dates. The first is an expiration date. You’ll particularly find these on dairy foods. Generally speaking you shouldn’t eat foods past their expiration date. The exception is if you’ve frozen the food. For instance, I routinely buy extra milk when it’s on sale. I especially stock up in the winter in case I get snowed in. The milk I know we won’t be able to drink right away I pop in the freezer. It will be good there for several months. Of course, when I take it out of the freezer it’s well past its expiration date. The general rule of thumb is to use that up within a week of thawing.

The other, more common, type of date you’ll find is one that says “Best if used by.” This date simply indicates that if you eat it after that date it might not taste as good. It could be stale. It could have less flavor. But, it should be perfectly safe.

Of course, if you notice that any food has an off appearance or smell, don’t eat it. The one exception I can think of to this rule is chocolate. If chocolate gets too warm and then cools it develops bloom. This simply means that some of the cocoa butter rises to the top. It looks a little funny, but it’s still good. If you melt it for use in a recipe no one will ever know. And, if you simply want to eat it, go ahead. It will taste just as good. Hey, it’s chocolate.



Rae Bates is an independent consultant with The Pampered Chef. She welcomes questions about food, nutrition, and entertaining, as well as suggestions for future blogs.