Why won’t my Milk Go Off?

I have always (slightly) believed that whilst Best Before Dates can be ignored Use By Dates should be adhered to. At least that is what I always advise others, to be honest I use my senses and brain to assess the situation for myself which is how I came to be using ten days out of date milk this morning.

Whilst making our hot drinks I had a strokey chin ponder, as I often do, about Use by Dates.  Even though this milk is so very much past its date it tastes fine and doesn’t separate when heated – there is absolutely nothing wrong with it!  At first I was impressed but now I am a little suspicious.  Wtf has happened to this milk to make it so indestructible?

So I looked up what others think about it …

According to the Daily Mail

“Pasteurised milk will keep 50 per cent longer if you store it at a lower temperature. Try storing at the back of the fridge rather than the fridge door.”

However I always keep the milk in the door so it’s not that.

Rose Gray of the River Café says …

"If it's past its use-by date it's inferior, it has started to deteriorate in one way or another. It doesn't mean you can't eat it. It just means it's not as good for you, or won't taste as nice."

I’m not sure about this one – my real man is a bit of a super-taster (in fact he's super in lots of ways) and can taste the slightest change in flavour and he says it is fine.

According to the Beeb …

“Milk will smell or taste bad long before it makes you sick”

… which is as I thought.

A chap called Dr Slim Dinsdale, who is an independent food safety and quality consultant, says lots of things on the matter but one that really resonates with me is …

"People don't make their own judgments, I see that as a retrograde step."

So that’s enough quoting (almost – see below!)

What I really, really want to know is why is my milk not going off? Seriously - any ideas?

In Other News ...

Somewhat related to the above I received lovely review of The Leftovers Handbook recently, there is quite a lot of it but the first paragraph pretty well says it all …

“I am a proud owner of your book, which was just delivered today, and wanted to tell you I am thrilled to bits with it! Honestly, I have quite a few books at home and quite of them are the "bible" type all-in-books, but I have the feeling yours will be the only one to be referred to time after time after time after time. I don't mean to belittle the work of Jamie, Hugh, Gordon, Nigel etc. etc., however I am in love with this book because it sort of reminds us what "back to basics" should look like.”

Just look at these bargains!

~  Menu  ~

Smoked Salmon with Copious amounts of Black Pepper

Sour Cream and Chives

Hot Freshly Baked Roll

Glass of White Wine

Coffee
68p the lot!

I had a wonderful lunch today, not particularly seasonal but totally delicious and so cheap!!!  The smoked salmon cost 30p, the sour cream abut 3p and the roll ... 0.66p!!!  I love a bargain, me.

Isn't this just amazing?  

2p for 6 part baked rolls which were perfectly utterly good and went straight in the freezer when I got home.  The same with the smoked salmon but now I have thawed it I'd better eat the other half this evening.  I didn't freeze the sour cream and chives and it is now a day out of date but, being a bit of a rebel, I am now eating it anyway and it tastes fine, fine, fine. 

The half glass of wine cost about the same as the meal but at 68p the lot I'm not complaining.

Marmalade on ... Salmon!

~  Menu  ~

Courgette & Lemon Fritters

Hot Smoked Salmon in Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise

Small glass of Sauvignon Blanc

Coffee

Sticky Toffee Sauce Scrapings

We bought a side of hot smoked salmon, half price, the other day which I portioned and froze all except one piece which I had for dinner that night.  It had been sold with slices of orange and a sachet of orange glaze which I didn't want to open for just one piece (or possibly at all).  I was about to stick my bit of fish in the oven when I remembered the remains of a jar of marmalade in the cupboard so I brushed the top of my salmon with this before baking.  Gorgeous! but of course too much for me to finish in one sitting.

We had also bought a few baby courgettes so today I made courgette fritters as per my all purpose fritter recipe which I flavoured with grated lemon zest. I served it, to myself, topped with the leftover smoked salmon turned in a spoonful of roasted garlic mayonnaise - one of my store cupboard staples.

Lucky girl me. 

Clearing up after lunch I found a Sticky Toffee Sauce pan from last night with just a little sauce left in it.  To be frank I had kept this back purposely as I was going to suggest my real man cook his morning porridge in it for a little added je ne sais quoi but forgot to tell him about it this morning.  So I scraped the pan and ate it myself for lunch pudding, with a cup of coffee!

Now I know this post isn't very informative inasmuch as there are no new recipes (although some links to earlier recipes) but it does demonstrate how with a combination of imagination and greed, a collection of bits, pieces, leftovers and bargains can make a lovely sudden lunch.

I love cooking with leftovers, they inspire me so much!  I have even written a book about them, Creative Ways to Use Up Leftovers in which I give all the recipes, ideas, handy hints, cook's treats and more that I can think of for 450 potential leftovers.
  

Read more here.

I am also inspired by a bargain! Here is a pineapple we bought yesterday, not quite ripe as it happens! 

You may remember I had myself a little rant the other day about best before dates.  I confuse myself because when we get something like this fine pineapple I am simultaneously delighted and cross - strange feeling!  I have started a collection of irritating, wonderful bargains on Pinterest ~ Best Before, or it it?

.  

Back Home in Cornwall and eating "Normally"

~  Menu  ~

Poached Eggs

Black Garlic Bread

Coffee and Vanilla Yogurt

Its good to be home and have all our stuff about us.  We went Up North for 3 weeks but stayed 3 months and I hadn't packed for such an eventuality.  I should have taken my roasted garlic, my black garlic, smoked black pepper, Caribbean seasoning, Tortolian vanilla extract, balsamic glaze, chilli pickle and so on and so forth.  Not being of a spendy nature I didn't want to waste money replacing these items so had eat in a plainer manner whilst away.  Today I got back to "normal".

Our friend Carol gave us half a dozen eggs freshly laid by her "girls" so poaching was the obvious way to go.  Leaving flavour aside eggs poach so much better when really fresh - for how to poach them see here.  I served them with a piece of bread smothered with black garlic butter and toasted till crisp.  I sprinkled the whole lot with smoked black pepper and weyhey!

Not burnt ~ black garlic bread!

My dessert occurred as a by-product of my aging process, I believe.  

Preparing my breakfast I accidentally added the spoonful of instant coffee to my vanilla yogurt instead of my coffee mug.  Well you know how I abhor wasting anything; I stirred it in and put it in the fridge for lunch pudding.  It worked fine!

In Other News ...

Well nothing much other than I am working hard to promote my book of easy no-churn ice cream recipes.  Here's a picture of one I made earlier to tempt you to look into the matter!

Homemade coffee ice cream (just look at the texture on that!) with sugared walnuts. 

Re:  My earlier Best Before Date Rant

Remember my rant-ette a few days ago?  Well, my darling brought home a Christmas wreath yesterday, reduced in price by a considerable amount and much as we appreciate the bargain there is absolutely nothing wrong with the it; no dryness, no sign of wilting, just fine and dandy!

The big question for me, though, is what kind of nutter makes a Christmas wreath that is out of date by 4^th December?!