What is that strange smell? My advice to my kids today is to never never,(no matter how frugal you are trying to be,) keep food around as long as me and dad do. I know some of you have teased us in the past but the past few meals I have made really take the cake. I want to say I'm sorry to all of you who came over for dinner today and a couple weeks ago. I promise I was not trying to kill you. OK now for the advice...WHEN IN DOUBT , THROW IT OUT!!
Here's How Long Some Popular Foods Should Be Kept
PRODUCT STORAGE PERIOD:
In Refrigerator In Freezer
Fresh Meat
Beef: Ground 1-2 days 3-4 months
Beef: Steaks and roasts
3-5 days 6-12 months
Pork: Chops 3-5 days 4-6 months
Pork: Ground 1-2 days 3-4 months
Pork: Roasts 3-5 days 4-6 months
Fish: Lean (such as cod, flounder, haddock)
1-2 days up to 6 months
Fish: Fatty (such as blue, perch, salmon)
1-2 days 2-3 months
Chicken: Whole 1-2 days 12 months
Chicken: Parts 1-2 days 9 months
Chicken: Giblets 1-2 days 3-4 months
Cured Meats
Lunch meat 3-5 days 1-2 months
Sausage 1-2 days 1-2 months
Gravy 1-2 days 2-3 months
Dairy Products
Cheese: Swiss, brick, and processed 3-4 weeks *
Milk 5 days 1 month
Ice cream, ice milk - 2-4 months
Eggs: Fresh in shell 3 weeks -
Eggs: Hard-boiled 1 week -
* Cheese can be frozen, but freezing will affect the texture and taste.
Sources: Food Marketing Institute for fish and dairy products, USDA for all other foods.
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The Facts About Food Product Dating
Food product dating tells people certain information about specific foods, but there is no uniform or universally accepted dating system in the United States. Except for infant formula and some baby foods, product dating is not required by federal regulations. The following definitions should help you understand the dates that are voluntarily printed on various food products:
"sell by": Tells the store how long to display the product for sale. Consumers should not buy the product after this date.
"best if used by" (or "before"): Tells consumers how long the product will retain its best flavor or quality. (This is not a purchase or safety date!)
"use by": Tells consumers the last date that is recommended for using the product while at peak quality. The manufacturer determines this date.
"closed or coded": Represents packing numbers for use by the manufacturer to track inventory, rotate stock, or locate the product under suspicion of a problem. These dates do not indicate freshness or quality of the product.
5 comments:
So 15 year old meat, 25 year old Asprin, and who knows how old of spaghetti noodles are NOT ok??
AND I AM CHANGING MY WAYS AS OF TODAY MONDAY THE 19TH OF JAN. AND DAD CANT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT... ha ha
well, I took your advice and cleaned out your freezer here... you had some really interesting stuff. I took pictures. I will post about it soon :)
I will never forget the tin spice cans we found in moms spice cupboard while they were on their mission. They were ancient and were worth pencil shavings. Who did you almost kill?
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