Nutrition; Use by dates!

[gbnz]

Tired of my healthy cycling diet of dishes based on lentils & dried beans over the last four weeks, taken so I can drop weight and cycle more quickly (Nb. In combination with an extreme exercise regime; it's worked!) I treated myself to a chicken today

Incredibly I failed to notice the use by date. It's TODAY!

Anyone know whether it's safe to eat meat after the use by date, if it's been cooked? The thought of having to chuck all that free range protein (Nb. Sorry, chicken) in the bin is devastating....

[thirdcrank]

If you are saying you have a fresh chicken which has been properly stored in the fridge since it was bought than it will be OK to cook up to the date shown and once properly cooked, it will be OK for several days more if kept in the fridge.
(My timing which always works is from Nigel Slater: heat the oven to No6 for fifteen minutes then cook chicken 20 mins per 500g + 30 mins. Allow to rest at least 15 minutes before carving. ie a two kilo chicken needs 110 mins 4 x 20 = 80 + 30 = 110 )

[Eyebrox]

"Use by" is not specific enough for food items. "Sell by" and "eat by" are the terms I'm familiar with - and some products have both. Go canny and "use by" within two or three days of the deadline. Come back and share your experience but, if we don't hear from you, we'll quite understand.

[rjb]

Best before and use by dates explained here.
I would be inclined to return the chicken to the store and ask for a refund or at least a substantial discount.

http://store.approvedfood.co.uk/page?na ... fore-dates

[thirdcrank]

A fresh chicken, sold from a refrigerated display etc is never going to have a long date on it. The date on a chicken isn't "best before" - it's when it should still be safe to cook, if it has been properly stored.

It needs proper food hygiene:-

Don't store raw meat where it can come into contact with cooked meat. Wash your hands before and after handling meat. If chicken isn't thoroughly cooked (this has never occurred with the timings I've quoted) give it longer.

[gbnz]

A fresh chicken, sold from a refrigerated display etc is never going to have a long date on it. The date on a chicken isn't "best before" - it's when it should still be safe to cook, if it has been properly stored.

It needs proper food hygiene:-

Don't store raw meat where it can come into contact with cooked meat. Wash your hands before and after handling meat. If chicken isn't thoroughly cooked (this has never occurred with the timings I've quoted) give it longer.

Thanks, I'll now risk it

Bought at approx 11.00 this morning, refund rejected by Sainsburys at approx 15.15, now thoroughly cooked and partially eaten, I'll trust it'll be ok over the weekend -I normally never fall for buying end of "sale" produce, with potentially toxic side effects such as this! (Nb. My only experience of food poisoning having come via a chicken!)

[thirdcrank]

I began cooking after I had retired and my wife was still working. She trained people working in care homes and one of her subjects was food hygiene and she kept me on my toes. Now she's retired too so we share the cooking but any sort of roasting is my job. A decent-sized chicken will provide us with several days meals. I like Nigel Slater recipes because he keeps it simple - like me.

[Lance Dopestrong]

I'm working my way through some vegetable based protein shake powder that expired in 2015.

Tastes fine, and I'm not dead yet...urrggh....arrgghhh...gurgle....thump.

[Cyril Haearn]

The Grauniad reports on a new wonder food called soylent
Does it come from the Solent?

[Lance Dopestrong]

The Grauniad reports on a new wonder food called soylent
Does it come from the Solent?

Ah, I recently saw an infomercial for that. Charlton Heston was in it.

[rjb]

The Grauniad reports on a new wonder food called soylent
Does it come from the Solent?

Ah, I recently saw an infomercial for that. Charlton Heston was in it.

Charlton Heston

I thought he was well past his sell by date.

[Cyril Haearn]

Use by?
Enjoy by?
Best before?

The Grauniad reported a while ago about a bottle of home-made chutney that had been rediscovered after several decades maturing at the back of a cupboard

It was examined in a laboratory: "fit to eat, with an unusually strong taste"

[gbnz]

: "fit to eat, with an unusually strong taste"

Try a chicken on it's use by date, transported home via a hot bus 8-9 years ago

Tasted fantastic, smell free, organic, free range, Sainsburys chicken - after effects approx. 36 Hr's with fluids running from both ends, bed ridden and an utterly incoherant state. If anyone had been around, I'm sure a trip to hospital would have been undertaken

That said, I'm still happy to use out of date lentils and various herbs & spices (Checke dthe other day, some of date in 2014)

[Cyril Haearn]

One should try to maintain fifo, rotate stock
..
Read about a couple who grew courgettes on their allotment, they took some home to make a delicious stew

It did not taste right at all, the wife did not finish hers but the husband stuffed it down

Both were taken to hospital, she recovered, he died
..
Just enjoying lentil soup I made yesterday

[gbnz]

Bought at approx 11.00 this morning, refund rejected by Sainsburys at approx 15.15

Got a result! Sainsburys have agreed that a refund was in order and have offered a voucher to the price of TWO chickens

Thankfully they haven't asked for the decomposing remains of the original to be returned