How much attention do you pay to the expiration date?

[Jeff B]

I know that expiration dates are largely used for the store's purpose. Yet, count me as one who is always taking the milk with the farthest advance date (if two dates are present in the stock). Same with a package of hot dogs, ground beef or whatnot.

Jeff

[GeoCWeyer]

On canned fruit, canned elsewhere in the world I always check on the date. Some of the small ethnic specialty stores seem to have a lot of expired or near expired canned stuff on their shelves.

[Carrie L.]

With meat, I follow them extremely closely because I feel the stores actually push the envelope. In my opinion, most of the time, if you open on the "sell by" date, it's already a little past it's prime.
With milk, I use the sniff test. You can easily tell if it's past, but I find that it very rarely will be good even one day past the date on the carton.
Yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese, etc... I think these can go a little beyond. Especially if it's never been opened.
Eggs? If they are just a little past, I will hard-boil them.

[Jeff Grossman/NYC]

I check the dates only on things that go off fast. In NYC, it is well-known to be careful with the dates on milk cartons. (I'm basically on plan with Carrie.)

I am perfectly willing to use "old food" if I think it's fine. For example, baking chocolate keeps almost forever if it's kept from light and heat.

[Cynthia Wenslow]

I only sometimes check.

Since I only buy fat free milk, it's not as crucial to me as to others, even though I don't use it very fast (it's a cooking/baking ingredient). It lasts much longer than milk with higher fat content.

[Jenise]

With meat, I follow them extremely closely because I feel the stores actually push the envelope. In my opinion, most of the time, if you open on the "sell by" date, it's already a little past it's prime.

Ditto. And I look on milk like you, reaching toward the back for the newest delivery. Same for breads. Canned goods and tooth paste? Never.

[Tom Troiano]

I had three boys at home for a long time (2 are now in college) and a gallon of milk lasted 1-2 days so I never checked the expiration date. I check now.

[Carl Eppig]

Depenz.

[wnissen]

I only check it on things that are likely to go bad before I consume them. We don't drink milk very quickly, so I do get the most recent one I can find. For other stuff it's mainly a reminder, but the nose knows. Cream that spoils in the fridge won't hurt you, so it's mainly a matter of taste. I've used ultra-pasteurized cream several months after the date. For sauces, typically, not ice cream, for example.

Part of the problem is that there are three types of dates. "Best by" is a recommendation to consume by a certain date, but the quality depends a lot on your storage conditions. There's no safety issue in consuming canned food that's a decade old, but boy will it probably be bland and mushy by then. (Actually, there's more evidence that the BPA can liner is unsafe from day one.)
The second type is "sell by." Milk has this, and I have read that for best taste you should drink within seven days of opening or the sell by date, whichever is sooner.

Finally, we've got "use by," which is the closest to a true expiration date. These I pay more attention to, because that bagged lettuce is can get really digusting even a couple days past. Ditto for chicken.

Walt

[Robert J.]

If it makes me sick then I don't eat or drink it again.

rwj

[Bill Spohn]

Depenz.

Naw, I don't think there's an expiry date on those, Carl......