Monday, August 23, 2010

Eating to Deadline

Last night, I had macaroni and cheese for dinner.

Why? Because that was the expiration date on the box. As I told Emily, I had until midnight (presumably EDT, since I'd also bought it around here) to cook and eat it. Her response: "You're a braver soul than I."

I pointed out that in any case I did have some wiggle room, since the box said to sell it - not necessarily eat it - by August 22.

In any case, I got it all done and eaten before 11pm. Go me!

PS: Just one niggling question - do bacteria have accurate calendars and watches? So far so good, 21 hours later....

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like to think that the date shown is more of a guide, than one to be feared. Of course ideally, one should consume the product as soon as possible after purchase. Anyway, i am certainly more like you than your wife, who seems to be overly cautious, and unnecessarily so!

Kei said...

Just stumbled on your blog, and although this post was quite a while ago, I thought I'd provide some insight on food expiration dates.
I've been cooking/baking for 24 years, 12 of them professionally.

Sell by date: Will usually be fine for around seven days after the date.

Use by date: This is popular for dairy and meats. Use the item by that date. You may squeeze out an extra 24 hours, but don't push it.

Jeff Deutsch said...

Hello,

Anonymous, as the Bartles & Jaymes folks were wont to say, thank you for your support!

Kei, thank you for your insight! (Also, I enjoy your curmudgeonly postings, especially about all the disgusting things some customers do!)

If I may ask, how did you find Building Common Ground?

Jeff Deutsch