Relax, I'm talking about "out-of-date" merchandise, generally speaking food, that you may or may not find on a shelf in any given grocery or convenience store. I guess the only other non-consumable item that could go out of date would be batteries.
But food in general, is so well packaged, and so well processed, does it really "go out of date"? There is a store in town that sells "out-of-date", vacuum-packed beef jerky. OMIGOD...but think about it. It's vacuum-packed! And it's jerky! If there's no air getting to it, and it's not gonna get "freezer burn", what's it gonna do? Not a darn thing! Worst case scenario is that some of the nutrition is lost. But is there any nutrition in jerky?
Ther are so many people who absolutely won't buy anything that might have a close "sell-by" date on it. A really big example would be milk. Nowadays milk is ultrapasteurized, so it lasts even longer than it used to when I was a kid, and the cream still separated! I've seen people who would not buy milk if it was within 4 or 5 days of the expiration date. Folks with an houseful of kids. Heck, the milk's probably gone in a day or two, at the most. And I'll tell you a secret, I've kept milk a week past the expiration date! And even drank it! When I was a child, the way to tell if the milk was no good, was to smell it. Sour milk is stinky. Another secret... I've kept sour cream even longer...
If you read the fine print on the packages that have "sell-by" dates, you'll read that it says "some nutrition may be lost," or "best if used by..." Does not say the package will self-destruct and send you to the doctor immediately, for a long hospital stay!
You want a good tip on how to spot really spoiled, packaged food? Throw away the cans with the bulging tops! Now those are probably, truly tainted. That's my motherly advice on Day 96!
But food in general, is so well packaged, and so well processed, does it really "go out of date"? There is a store in town that sells "out-of-date", vacuum-packed beef jerky. OMIGOD...but think about it. It's vacuum-packed! And it's jerky! If there's no air getting to it, and it's not gonna get "freezer burn", what's it gonna do? Not a darn thing! Worst case scenario is that some of the nutrition is lost. But is there any nutrition in jerky?
Ther are so many people who absolutely won't buy anything that might have a close "sell-by" date on it. A really big example would be milk. Nowadays milk is ultrapasteurized, so it lasts even longer than it used to when I was a kid, and the cream still separated! I've seen people who would not buy milk if it was within 4 or 5 days of the expiration date. Folks with an houseful of kids. Heck, the milk's probably gone in a day or two, at the most. And I'll tell you a secret, I've kept milk a week past the expiration date! And even drank it! When I was a child, the way to tell if the milk was no good, was to smell it. Sour milk is stinky. Another secret... I've kept sour cream even longer...
If you read the fine print on the packages that have "sell-by" dates, you'll read that it says "some nutrition may be lost," or "best if used by..." Does not say the package will self-destruct and send you to the doctor immediately, for a long hospital stay!
You want a good tip on how to spot really spoiled, packaged food? Throw away the cans with the bulging tops! Now those are probably, truly tainted. That's my motherly advice on Day 96!
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