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Ido Fishman Explains Which Food Items Can Still Be Used After Expiration

Oct 7, 2020

For centuries, foods and cuisines have been one of the very important factors of the representation of a culture and its traditions. If you travel across the United States of America, you will find a variety of burgers and steaks. If you travel across Mexico, it would be different types of Tacos. Same would be the case if you travel across any city, country or even an entire continent. The cuisines and delicacies seem to change from one part of a country to another.

This is the reason why the food industry has its own position in the global economy. With so many advancements in science and technology, the food industry also made a lot of progress. At present, the food preservation business is at its top that even towers above any other food business around the globe.

Unfortunately, almost every preserved food company in the world has now adopted the ‘Best before – BB’ tactic in order to make sure that people keep thinking it to be the expiration date. Once people think that then it becomes easier to throw away the products and buy more. Although, this tactic has helped companies see a tremendous increment in their profits but it has also resulted in food wastage on a very large scale.

By now, it has become a sort of norm around the world that if any kitchen is found using products past the best buy dates, they are either ceased or imposed with heavy fines. The big names in the preserved food business have also invested in food/cooking shows where even the chefs are found encouraging people to use products before best buy.

Ido Fishman’s Disagreement with Such Standards

However, there are certain personalities around the world who have been a part of the food industry (whether kitchen cuisine or catering) and tend to disagree with such standards. Among the list of these prominent people is Chef Ido Fishman, who has been a part of the food industry since his childhood. Throughout his life, Ido Fishman has travelled around the world to experience the foods and cuisines of different continents, countries, cities and even towns.

He has also contributed in providing the internet community with information around food types, catering business and many other things related to the food industry. When it comes to food being disposed in the name of made up expirations and best before, Ido Fishman is one of the personalities who voice their disagreement with big companies. He has also shared his concern against chefs who are also promoting such false statements and claims.

Not only this, Ido Fishman has taken it upon himself to share his knowledge and experience with public to enlighten them of the items that can be used even after the expiration dates. However, we have enlisted a few for your information:

Milk

Whether it is Europe, Asia or any other continent, every house hold uses milk to drink, to make tea, to make coffee, to make pancakes and many more. It is a liquid whose consumption is second to water. Unfortunately, every house knows that they need to get rid of the milk as soon as it reaches its expiration or best before date. People tend to dispose even full cartons of milk. People do not even check if the milk has indeed turned sour or useless and throw them away.

As per Ido Fishman, the truth is that even if the expiration date is past, if milk is kept in cold temperature, it will not turn sour or become curdled for a longer time than the mentioned expiration date.

Applesauce

When it comes to applesauce or any fused liquid products, people tend to throw the products even before they reach their best before dates. However, products such as applesauce can be used for more than 18 months even past its best before date if they have not been opened.

Even if one ends up opening the jar and is worried that they would not be able to finish it by its best before date, they can use the ice cube trays to freeze the applesauce. Then these cubes can be stored in jar or a container that can be kept airtight. Then these jars can be kept in the freezer to be used for future in baking.

Honey

Ido Fishman has expressed great disappointment stating it is extremely surprising that food companies have led people to believe that even honey can expire. They achieve this by putting expiration date or best before date prescription on honey jars or bottles and that does the trick for them.

However, the truth is that honey never turns stale but may only show change in its color and form with the passage of time. Honey may show a change in its color from being colorless to yellow then turning brown and crystallized because of being moved from one container to another. The other reason for honey changing color and form would be the location where it is placed.

If honey is placed in a dark place or a pantry, it may start showing the changes with passage of time but it is still edible and does not spoil at all. The color or form change has no impact on its edibility so keeping it in an open area and in its original container can avoid it changing color. As far as honey turning crystallized is concerned, if the honey container is placed in a bowl filled with hot water, it will come back to its original thick liquid form.

Pudding Cups

Although, the pudding cups are not edible but they are the reason puddings get to be called pudding cups. Food companies that manufacture these cups tend to add expiration or best before dates even on these cups.

However, if you have the pudding cups kept safe in a clean area, these cups can still be used even after the expiration or best before is past three to four weeks.

Canned Food

In the West or Euro-American continents, majority of the people survive on canned foods and goods. With time, canned food trend has also made its way to the Asian continent, which is known mainly for consuming freshly made food. Canned food may contain pickles, tomatoes, sardines, beans, olives and many more goods that are contained in an airtight container.

When it comes to expiration dates, these products come with two to three years of expiration or best before dates from the date of manufacturing. However, the real thing is that these products can remain unspoiled even after three to four years past their expiration.

As per Ido Fishman, the above is achievable if these products are kept stored in dry and cold areas. But if there are any dents or signs of rust on the cans, then it would be wise to take out those cans for good.

Hard Cheese

No matter how much daring and careless we may become with our diet and hygiene, but when we see mold on bread or cheese, we take no more than a few seconds before disposing them.

However, in case of hard cheeses such as Parmesan and Cheddar, people can still use them even when they are past one month expiration period. Additionally, even if the mold starts appearing on the hard cheeses, you can simply cut the affected part off and use the rest of the cheese.

Eggs

Admit it, the entire world’s population would become dull and lazy if the eggs were to vanish one day. Now, the eggs come in cartons with the expiration dates mentioned on them. Just like sauces, eggs are also a product that people are not able to finish before the expiration or best before dates. They follow the prescribed instruction and bin them, only to bring more and waste more afterwards.

As per Ido Fishman, all of this wastage can be eradicated if we make the effort of checking whether the eggs have gone bad or not without even cracking them. When it comes to eggs, the test is quite simple where you can pour water in a bowl and put the eggs in it. If the eggs start floating, they are bad and if they sink, they are edible.

Bread

Out of all the food products being consumed on an everyday basis, bread is the product where people take the expiration dates very seriously. Before even checking whether the bread is fresh or not, people tend to check its expiration/best before, which in most of the cases is no more than five to six days max from its manufacturing date.

However, the truth is that bread can be used to make toasts, French breads or sandwiches even past its expiration or best before, until or unless there is no mold appearing on it. If the mold is visible, then it is better to get rid of it. Additionally, if you want to keep your bread alive and edible past the expiration or best before, you can keep it in your fridge or freezer. Doing this can keep your bread edible for two to three weeks.

Butter

Bread is nothing without butter and butter is nothing without the bread. The butter that you buy from the stores may expire even before it reaches its best before if it is kept in the open. Therefore, it is suggested to keep the butter in the fridge so it can remain fresh for a longer period of time.

For butter, Ido Fishman has shared a very useful hack that is if you see the expiration of the butter approaching, you can simply freeze it. The frozen butter can then be thawed and used for future bread and butter.

Dry Pasta

As dry pasta is a dry product, therefore, it usually has an expiration date of up to two years from its date of manufacturing. However, dry pasta can be used for a year or two following its expiration or best before date. People may want to know how they would be able to tell the difference between fresh pasta and spoiled.

When pasta turns stale, you will notice it quickly but one of the ingredients in pasta is egg that can create a rancid smell signaling that it has been spoiled.

Peanut Butter

Whether it is plain peanut butter or crunchy, it has the tendency to remain usable even past a year after its expiration. So if you wish to keep the same jar of peanut butter for the time longer than its expiration, you better keep it airtight and put it in the fridge after every use.

In case of Peanut Butter, Ido Fishman states that at times, people get worried when they see oil floating over their peanut butter but rest assured it is a natural for oil to get separated from peanut butter. So just stir the peanut butter and problem solved.

Why Should We Take the Risk?

By now you must be thrilled as well as a bit confused whether you should be doing this or not. Rest assured it is not something that is must for you to follow after going through the list provided by Ido Fishman. The reason why Ido Fishman has enlisted these items is to enlighten us with facts and show us how food manufacturing companies are ripping people off by misleading them.

In the current times, it is quite simple for any person to make their way into the spotlight by following what big brands want them to do. However, Ido Fishman has chosen to stay on the other side and work for the well-fare of humanity and contribute towards the development of food economy and supply around the world.

Every day, billions of dollar worth of food products are wasted in the name of expiration and best before. However, this wastage can be stopped if we start paying more attention towards our consumption and expenditures.

We need to ask ourselves if we need that much food to stuff our stores and refrigerators with. This is exactly what Ido Fishman wants to encourage the people to do. He also wishes for his fellow chef community to help him out with this so his message can reach more people.

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