Should I bin my scones?

totally!

Calendargirl I totalky agree. Very wasteful. I have improved. To be fair I think its partly because we have to get deliveries and sometimes I'm not well enough to cook or bake. But also I'm not sure when food is safe. I will know in future with vegetables. Thanks. Think I'll take Lemongrove's advice on the eggs.

I never use any out of date dairy products or meat, asking for trouble!
Eggs are binned also ( but are rarely wasted here as I do a lot of baking.)
Your scones look very good, but it’s not always about how things look.

I think that the people who complain of stomach upsets etc have not allowed themselves to acclimatise to any bugs. Best before dates mean it will still be edible but not in its prime, use before means just that!

nadateturbe

Oh my goodness Calendargirl! I would not be brave enough.

I have just binned a tray of mushrooms that looked fine but a bit soft. Ditto soft broccoli, and an open tub of garlic butter.
Have out of date unopened box of eggs use by 1st Feb. I assume they need to go too.
I think I need to plan better.

Oh nadateturbe, I don’t want to upset you, but it just sounds so wasteful! The mushrooms and broccoli would be fine, even if soft, as long as not slimy and nasty. The garlic butter, unless old and rancid, I would not hesitate to eat.

As for the eggs, I know they seem quite out of date, but if baking, scrambling or frying say, I would break them into a cup and check they look and smell ok. If they ooze and look watery, then I wouldn’t eat them.

Honestly, my DH and I seem fine with how I do things.

To me, all these people who complain of stomach upsets and food poisoning at every touch and turn probably don’t wash their hands thoroughly before handling food and eating.

Calendargirl - you and I are cut from the same cloth

If jam has mould on it, I just take it out with a spoon and merrily continue eating it. I cannot remember the last time DH or I had any kind of upset stomach.

(I do have more respect for fresh/chilled products, but rely on smell/sight rather than dates.)

I have often wondered how (for example) chopped tomatoes in a tin know that at 23:59 on a Monday, they must not kill or injure users, but that at 00:01 the following day, it's "no more Mr Nice Tomato".

Best before dates are just that. A arbitrary date placed on an item's packaging to indicate that the item is in pristine condition. Once past that arbitrary date, the item doesn't then turn into a killing machine. It may (not definitely) start to lose some flavour, or colour. But it's perfectly safe to eat/use.

How on earth did we manage before these arbitrary dates were added to products. And how will we survive if (hopefully when) they are no longer used

Oh my goodness Calendargirl! I would not be brave enough.

I have just binned a tray of mushrooms that looked fine but a bit soft. Ditto soft broccoli, and an open tub of garlic butter.
Have out of date unopened box of eggs use by 1st Feb. I assume they need to go too.
I think I need to plan better.

Another update.

Added remains of a jar of whole grain mustard to some mash when making a fish pie - January 2020. (Did this today)

Oh, and on Monday, used a packet of onion sauce mix which had languished hidden behind other stuff - June 2019.

DH and I still here.

Sarnia - I still use sour milk for scones, as do my adult children.

My Granny would only use sour milk when making scones. Nobody seemed to have any after effects.

Good luck Calendargirl

Late addition to this thread.

Half used jar of Tesco Finest Lemon Curd in fridge.

May 2020.

Quick taste, fine, no mould, might have some on my pancakes.

?

nadateturbe

Thanks for your thoughts. I think I'll just bin them. Don't want to risk tasting them. I get nauseous very easily.
But don't they look nice?

Chop them up for the birds! ???

V3ra I would like to know if they're safe too.?

NotSpaghetti I have sent you a pm ?

Thanks V3ra.
Obviously if correct there are some I shouldn't be using (let alone using more because they aren't as strong as when new)!

She's checking a few details and will get back to me NotSpaghetti.

Hi V3nr I'd be really interested to see the evidence of toxicity in "old" spices as I do have quite a few older ones (expect most of us do).

I've just spent half an hour on Google Scholar and can find nothing. Lots of evidence they lose potency and volatile oils but nothing about toxicity.

I hope you can help.

Maybe I'm having an off day. Are you still in touch with your friend?

Thanks V3ra.

nadateturbe herbs lose their potency (flavour), some spices can turn toxic.
That's what I was told by someone who works in the food industry.

Sarah48

^My husband has tried one. I'll wait and see^

That made me laugh! Is he ok? [grin{

That so reminded me of my Mum. If she dropped anything in the kitchen she would give it to Dad because she said he had a strong stomach and never got sick! She was a shocker like that. She was right ,though, probably immune to all the germs.

MaisieD thanks for your post, and others. I shall try to be braver in future, and not waste so much. What about herbs and spices anyone? Are they safe past use by date?

The local McVities factory used to put different "best before" dates on packets of biscuits from the same production run, depending on where they were being shipped to.
The ones destined to go abroad had a date three months later than the ones sold in this country.

I look as if I'm speaking on sound bites.

Time for
Which reminds me, we do have some very, very old tea in the cupboard, should I use it?