issue 19 / volume 40

Moo!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Waste not, without rot

 

» Understanding food shelf life to save on your grocery budget

Sharon Miki

. = Humour Editor
4 humour
@theotherpress.ca

Wwe I first moved

out of my parents’
house, I thought life would
be a glamorous romp of
independence. Indeed,

living alone meant lots of
new, thrilling sensations: I
began a love affair with fancy
food ingredients and not-
so-winsome wastefulness.

No longer held back by my
mother’s grocery rules (“Name-
brand cereal is for rich people

 

to cook.

The only problem—
aside from the occasional
small kitchen fire—was that
cooking adventurously for
one inadvertently led to a lot
of abandoned leftovers and
forgotten ingredients in the
trash. Which led to spending

groceries—until I learned how

: long foods can last and still be
: both safe to eat and tasty.

The first cardinal rule of

: not wasting groceries is to shop
: carefully. If you're cooking for

: yourself, buying large quantities :
: of fresh food might seem like

: a healthy choice; however, if

: you can't eat your groceries

: fast enough and you're forced

: to throw them away, then

: you're wasting money and

: food. Consider buying frozen

: vegetables when you can’t finish
: fresh produce.

If you buy fresh, it can

: bea balancing act between

: staying food safe and avoiding

.. ” : waste. Learn to understand the

and television stars!”), [learned : Lo ,
: expiration dates so you don't

: throw anything away when it’s

: still safe to consume or just

: because youre unsure of its

: lifespan.

There is a difference

between “sell by,” “best by,”

: and “expires on” dates on fresh
: foods. “Sell by” means that

: stores should sell the product
way more than I should have on : bya certain date, but it can

usually still be consumed

: in your home for days after;

: “best by” is a date from the

: manufacturer that implies that
: the product will be at its best

: quality (not necessarily that

it is unsafe to eat it after that

: date); “expires on’ dates mean
: that a food is not only of lesser
: quality, but that it is not safe to
: consume after the stated date.

Many foods that you buy

: fresh but can’t finish before

: their expiration dates can be

: frozen to extend their lives. If

: you can usually only eat halfa

: loaf of bread before it starts to

: mould, pop the other half the in
: the freezer right away and use

: the rest for toast for months to

: come. According to the shelf-

: life experts at StillTasty.com,

: other perishable foods that can

: be frozen to stay fresh include

: milk (which can last for three

: months in the freezer), nuts

: like almonds (which can last for
: one to two years in the freezer),

: and butter (which can stay fresh
: for six months when kept in the
: freezer).

life & style // 11

Vi
Mh

 

 

Still need help planning what to buy, keep, and cook in
order to stop wasting groceries? Here are some typical
shelf-life timelines for common foods that you might
be unsure of (though, of course, always use your best
judgment to ensure your own food safety}.

 

Raw chicken:
Typically lasts one to two days after purchase when properly
refrigerated and stored in its original store packaging.

Fresh broccoli:
Typically lasts three to five days in the fridge when kept,
unwashed, ina plastic bag.

Gin:

Typically lasts as long as you like, though it might eventually
lose some of its flavour. Store in a dark area like a cool
cupboard with the lid closed to keep taste as long as
possible.

Apples:
Typically last three to four weeks when stored in the
refrigerator.

Yogurt:
Typically lasts for about one week after the printed date once
opened.

~

 

S