Best-by Dates and Stale Bread (2024)

FAQs

Best-by Dates and Stale Bread? ›

Baked Goods and Snack Foods Baked goods and snacks typically have a Use-By Date. Store-bought bread will typically last five to seven days at room temperature, but can last one to two weeks in the refrigerator.

Bread can last around five to seven days after the best before date if stored and packaged at room temperature. If you store your bread in the fridge you can use it for up to two weeks past the best before date. Bakery bread can last up to two to three days after it is bought.

"It's safe to say 'days' but not more than a week for most refrigerated produce, months to years for canned and dry goods in the pantry, and I would say to not go past the date in the fridge for meat/fish/poultry, but they can last three months with good quality and if properly stored in the freezer," Jones says.

You might also see a code or “made-on” date on canned goods and other items. That's typically used for product recalls, Weber says. Most baked goods “can be safely consumed within two to five days of the sell-by date, if stored properly,” says Jo Natale, spokesperson for Wegmans.

Sourdough bread will keep well for up to 3-5 days at a moderate room temperature of 18-20°C or 64-68°F. The warmer and more humid the conditions become, the more chance the sourdough has of spoiling.

Stale Bread and Stale Cereal Is Safe to Eat.

Bottom line: that date on your bread is not a “throw into the trash can date”, it's simply a general guide to peak quality. The bread may even be fresh for another week or more. If there's no mold, it's fine to eat.

If it smells fine and shows no visual spoilage, it can typically still be eaten. However, the taste might be less fresh, and the texture could be drier than fresh bread. Trust your senses: No mold and normal smell indicate the bread may be safe to eat.

Use-by dates are about safety

This is the most important date to remember. Never eat food after the use-by date, even if it looks and smells ok, as it could make you very ill. You can eat food until midnight on the use-by date shown on a product, but not after, unless the food has been cooked or frozen.

A "Best if Used By/Before" date indicates when a product will be of best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date. A "Sell-By" date tells the store how long to display the product for sale for inventory management.

Can you use flour 4 years out of date? ›

Wheat-based refined flours usually can be used past the expiration date (up to a year at your house), especially if it's been stored in a cool, dry place. 2 You'll want to be careful about self-rising flour, though, as the baking powder that's mixed into the flour can lose its effectiveness over time.

After the eggs reach home, they may be refrigerated 3 to 5 weeks from the date they are placed in the refrigerator. The Sell-By date will usually expire during that length of time, but the eggs are perfectly safe to use.

These labels indicate the date by which the manufacturer recommends using the product for optimal quality and freshness. Unlike expiration dates, use-by or best-by dates are not safety dates, and products can often be consumed safely after these dates have passed, as long as they've been stored properly.

Baked Goods and Snack Foods Baked goods and snacks typically have a Use-By Date. Store-bought bread will typically last five to seven days at room temperature, but can last one to two weeks in the refrigerator.

Therefore, if the "best-by" date has passed, you might still be able to eat the greens—but they might not have the same quality, taste, and freshness as before, says Havern. "If the leaves still look firm and [there's] no visible deterioration of the leaf tissue, you can still use them," Worobo says.

Soups in cartons and packets: If you are using soup from a carton beyond the “use by” date, let your nose be your guide, Frost says, and check for cloudiness and odor. Once it is opened, store the soup in the refrigerator and use it within two weeks. Dehydrated and dried soups keep for a very long time.

A use-by date on food is about safety. This is the most important date to remember. Never eat food after the use-by date, even if it looks and smells ok, as it could make you very ill. You can eat food until midnight on the use-by date shown on a product, but not after, unless the food has been cooked or frozen.

There are many ways to use stale bread in recipes, including French onion soup or grinding stale bread into savory breadcrumbs for venison meatballs or stuffed bell peppers. Satisfy a sweet tooth with French toast with apples and pecan or a dessert like bread pudding and Apple Brown Betty.

A "Sell-By" date tells the store how long to display the product for sale for inventory management. It is not a safety date. A “Use-By" date is the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. It is not a safety date except for when used on infant formula as described below.