We all know that there's a bit of leeway in the 'best before' dates of food, that it's possible to eat the remnants of whatever it is you didn't finish in time before it actually goes bad.
That piece of salami that's a couple days old? Should be fine. Broccoli looking a little haggard? It probably won't kill you. Rich Tea biscuits tasting a bit stale? Dunk them in tea and they'll be normal.
On the whole, it's guesswork and intuition that's been telling us what we can and can't eat (or drink) when something is out of date - you obviously don't go near milk that smells off or is chunky.
But, now, FoodEnvy has provided a set of guidelines to help you work out if your out-of-date food will kill you or not. Or at least give you the runs.
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Dairy, as we said, is an easy one to gauge, but one to two weeks after the expiry date should be okay - if you're keeping it in the fridge, that is. Keeping milk at around a temperature of 1 degree Celsius should give it a shelf life of an extra week or so.
Soft cheese is apparently fine until mould starts to appear on it and hard cheese is even more durable - just cut off any bits of mould that might appear and you're good to go.
Eggs, too, last longer than you might have thought - as in two weeks past their expiry date. If you want to be certain, though, place whatever questionable egg you're being tempted by into a glass of water. If it floats, it's rotten, but if it sinks, you're fine.
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By comparison, crisps and cereals last pretty much forever - they're generally good up to one year after the expiry date. It helps if you keep them airtight.
Salad and greens are a little more unpredictable, but if they're slimy and moist then throw them out - even if they technically haven't expired yet.
And as for meat - don't mess with meat. If it smells a little odd - whatever the expiry date - get rid of it. It's not worth it. And don't say we didn't warn you.
Featured Image Credit: The Simpsons / FOX