A guide to eating safely while minimising waste
CHEESES: Hard cheese is fine to eat long after the best-before date. If a mould has formed on the skin, trim it off with a sharp knife: the cheese underneath will be quite safe. Much more care should be taken with soft cheeses, such as Brie, Camembert or creamy goat’s cheese.
Toxic bacteria can be present – including listeria – that can be fatal to vulnerable groups including the elderly and unborn children.
Never take risks with soft cheeses. DRIED FOODS: Drying preserves food almost indefinitely. Pulses and rice can sit in the cupboard long after the best before date. They may taste a bit stale and take longer to cook but they won’t harm you.
Dried spices are practically everlasting. They may be a bit flavourless – nothing is as aromatic as freshly ground spices – but using up old stocks can’t hurt you. CANNED GOODS: If the can isn’t damaged and you store it out of direct sunlight then whatever is inside – whether it’s beans, vegetables, tomatoes or fish – will be fine to eat a good few years from now, regardless of the bestbefore date. BREAD AND BISCUITS: Many loaves of supermarket bread last much longer than the label implies and there are so many good things you can do with stale bread: toast, breadcrumbs or bread-andbutter pudding.
Biscuits go soggy, especially if left in an open packet, but a little moisture isn’t dangerous. To revive them, warm them in the oven. When they have cooled, the crunch will be back.
FROZEN FOOD: Providing your freezer is working properly, there’s no need to throw out food. As long as the food was thoroughly frozen in the first place, you won’t be able to taste the difference after it is cooked if you’ve stored it for three months or six months. Over time, it is possible it will deteriorate, affecting taste and texture.
Never thaw and refreeze food, though – that’s a recipe for food poisoning.
POTATOES: There’s no need to throw out a whole bag of potatoes just because one or two have started to sprout eyes. Core the eye or cut away a wedge. Keep cutting it back until you find a normal potato colour.
Other vegetables, such as celery or leeks, go soft or turn brown and dry as they age, but they’ll taste just as good as stock for soup or savoury cooked dishes. Strip off tired leaves and proceed as usual.
BAGGED SALADS: These often have short best-before windows, but whole heads of lettuce put in the fridge will keep for days, provided they were fresh to start with. Limp lettuce is ideal for liquidising and heating in soup.
Tomatoes taste better if you mature them a bit – always store them outside the fridge so they ripen and redden. BANANAS: Never throw them out just because the skins are going black. The softer the fruit, the better it tastes in banana cake.
EGGS: Unless eggs smell pungently rotten when you crack them, you can use them in any savoury or sweet recipe that heats them above a steady simmering temperature. They’re great for soufflés, frittatas, custard and cakes. MILK:
Homogenised milk will stay drinkable in the fridge for days after it has been opened. If it’s so old you don’t trust it, use it in a recipe that requires simmering – such as a cup of cocoa. Sour milk is fine for baking and any recipe that calls for buttermilk.
PRESERVES: Anything vinegary keeps long after the best-before date. The acid in the jar of pickles at the back of the fridge makes it impossible for bacteria to grow. The same applies to salty liquids, such as olives in brine and fermented products including yoghurt, as well as sauerkraut and kimchi.
FISH AND MEAT: Raw fish and meat need to be ultrafresh – and if they’re not, you will smell it. If there’s any off smell, however slight, throw it away. BACON: The salt content and preservatives in bacon helps preserve it. If it looks and smells okay, and you’re going to cook it very thoroughly, it should be safe.
HONEY: While the sugar may crystallise into lumps over time, it’s not harmful and it will taste just as delicious. The same applies to jam. CRISPS AND CHOCS: Soggy crisps aren’t ideal, but they’re safe – the high salt content sees to that. Chocolate exposed to air has a white “bloom”, caused by the fat rising to the surface as it melts. It’s safe to eat. – Daily Mail