Dinner dates
How Judith Woods survived a week of eating out-of-date food
‘Aah, remember these?” I cooed nostalgically to my husband as I spring-cleaned the kitchen cupboards the other day.
“We bought them together on honeymoon in the Caribbean! I’d no idea they were still here – shall we use them?”
The appalled look on his face spoke volumes. In fairness I wasn’t talking about a pair of salad spoons but two jars of fiery sauce we’d picked up in Barbados just after our wedding. In the year 2000.
To me, it seems entirely reasonable to employ the crack-’em-open-and-have-a-sniff method and, if I’m not sent reeling, slather them over my dinner. And according to waste reduction charity Wrap, I’m not alone. A report released yesterday seeks to tackle the 100 million pints of milk wrongly thrown away each year due to an over-reliance on useby dates, which often give the impression that perfectly edible food is no longer suitable for consumption. Their analysis of 9,000 supermarket products found that useby dates had risen sharply in prevalence over the past six years, with 91 per cent of yogurts carrying the advice in 2015, compared with 57 per cent in 2011.
Meanwhile, figures from earlier this year show household food waste has risen for the first time in a decade – up from 7 million tonnes in 2012 to 7.3 million tonnes last year.
Which led me to wonder: would it be possible to live off out-of-date food for a week, saving both money and the planet’s resources? There was only one way to find out.
Day One
My husband chucks a packet of outdoor-reared back bacon in the bin, even though it is only three days past its use-by date. I discreetly fish it out again, then rustle up spaghetti carbonara. Yum.
Myth: You have to cook meat on the day you buy it.
Reality: People worry that meat goes off quickly, but you can freeze it right up to the use-by date. The three-month rule for eating after freezing seems overblown, too: I defrost a pack of sausages I stored six months back and they smell as good as ever.
Day Two
The milk forms little globules in my coffee. Instead of chucking it, I make pancakes – perfect for Shrove Tuesday, and the kids are ecstatic.
Myth: Milk should be poured away when it goes off.
Reality: Newly soured milk is ideal for cooking as the heat kills off any harmful bacteria.
Day Three
Anyone else noticed how ridiculously quickly fruit goes off in the bowl these days? I gather the sad shrunken little oranges and rustle up the most delicious clementine cake. It’s polished off in a day and a half. My withered veggies fare less well – I excise any obviously inedible areas with a sharp knife and throw the rest into the pot, but the sweaty mushrooms and wrinkly tomatoes are too old to use. Myth: You can’t freeze fruit.
Reality: Yes, you can; a good idea since one in three pieces of fruit we buy is thrown away.
Day Four
I have no compunction about hard boiling eggs three weeks after the date stamp, but the ham I planned to use is a little pungent after being open too long, so I bin it.
Myth: Out-of-date eggs are a major health risk.
Reality: Pop any suspect egg in a bowl of water. If it floats, bin it, if it sinks, start toasting those soldiers.
Day Five
Six-year-old bulgar wheat anyone? Hey, 2011 was like, yesterday. I serve it with halloumi and roasted vegetables.
Myth: Kitchen staples lose all their nutritional value once the expiration date has passed.
Reality: Dried foods will keep indefinitely but may be past their best.
Day Six
The yogurt is a week past the use-by date – I open it and have a sniff. No adverse effects.
Myth: Dairy is poisonous past its useby date. Reality: If the film lid is bulging, bin it.
Day Seven
Today I set aside for our Bajan sauce. There is no date on it but I know it is at least 17 years old. My husband refuses to eat it. I open a jar and spoon great big dollops under the skin of chicken legs and roast them in the oven. They are hot, spicy and succulent.
My conclusion after a week of unlikely dinner dates? The main ingredient in any kitchen is common sense; if it’s whiffy or iffy, bin it, but otherwise treat the expiry date as a guideline, not a commandment.