If you're concerned about using something past the expiration date, you can call the company, usually an 800 no. on the label or e-mail them, and ask them how long a product is good past the date. I buy tofu by the case through a co-op(it's so much cheaper), and had a few past date, when I called the nice lady answered my question before I even finished asking it. Said it's good for 10 months past date.

-- Cindy (SE. IN) (atilrthehony@hotmail.com), December 12, 2001

Answers

With the exception of some medicines, most items are good past the posted date. You just start loosing nutritional value as it gets older.

-- Gary (gws@columbus.rr.com), December 12, 2001.

I had this trouble lately with a galon of milk that accidenatlly got pushed to the back of the frig. they started using a new gallon before the old gallon. It did smell slightly "off" so we didn't drink it. Is there any good use for bad milk? Is it dangerous health wise? I have never had any go bad before. So I didn't want to take any chances.

-- Melissa (me@home.net), December 12, 2001.

Milk that has gone off on taste is great to use for making buttermilk, yogurt. Don't throw it away--use it in your cooking because it is still good!

Sour Milk is just sour milk! You won't tell the difference.

-- Ann Markson (tngreenacres@hotmail.com), December 12, 2001.

Seems there was an article in Cs a couple of years ago said that milk never spoils.

-- Cindy (SE. IN) (atilrthehony@hotmail.com), December 12, 2001.

Not even all "medicines" are created equal: some lose their potency rather rapidly (tetracyline, as I recall) others, like salt, do not.

-- charles (cr@dixienet.com), December 12, 2001.

Raw milk never spoils, it grows. I used to take my extra raw milk and set it in the sun for a day to make clabber milk bread, bisquits and cornbread. Just adjust the recipes like for buttermilk bread.

Pasturized milk, on the other hand, rots. As far as I know, there is no use for rotted milk. I have a hard time with store bought milk because it has that rotted taste to me.

Yesterday was my monthly shopping trip. My first stop is the bread outlet, but they don't seem to have any good deals anymore. I purchased the "livestock" bread. for $7 I got a 55 gallon drum full of bread that was only 1 or 2 days past expiration date. Only half of it is chicken food because we don't care for white bread. The rest of it is the expensive whole grain kind that would have an expired expiration date when I pulled it out of the freezer anyway.

What about Syrup of Ipicac? If you use it past the expiration date, will it make you sick? My pharmacist says that the potency increases with age.

-- Laura (LadybugWrangler@hotmail.com), December 12, 2001.

Sour milk, feed it to the chickens, they love it!!!

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), December 13, 2001.

Does milk stored in a plastic container go bad faster than when stored in the paper container? I've noticed that the milk in the plastic container starts to get funky a couple of days before the xp date. Are the cows screwing with us?

-- Binh Ngo (binh.ngo@shaw.ca), October 09, 2002.