Always bin food if you believe it has gone off – but these eight simple tests reveal if you can still tuck in past the best-before date
IT’S no yolk – 720 million eggs are needlessly binned every year.
Researchers found one in three Brits chuck out food past its best-before date – but Government experts say eggs are safe for up to two days afterwards.
An uncracked egg placed in a glass of water will float to the surface if it has gone off.
But fresh eggs sink to the bottom.
ALWAYS bin food if you believe it has gone off – but other simple tests like the one for eggs reveal if you can still tuck in past the best-before date.
CAROLINE IGGULDEN has some and gives tips to make grub last longer.
Scrape off mould from jam – the uncontaminated spread below is fine to eat.
With old honey, you can still use it when it has crystallised. If you prefer it runny, put the jar or bottle in a bowl of warm water.
To keep them fresher for longer, separate the bunch and wrap cling film around each stem.
This traps the ethylene gas emitted by the fruit, thereby slowing down the ripening process. If they do go brown, use them to make banana bread.
This kitchen staple typically sits around unused in cupboards for long periods – but when it starts to go off, your cakes won’t rise.
To test yours, stir half a teaspoon in a mug of boiling water. Powder that is fine to use will fizz and release carbon dioxide.
Similarly, bicarbonate of soda is another baking ingredient that will pass a fizz test if it still has its potency. Simply stir half a teaspoon of vinegar into a cup of hot water and add the bicarb to find out.
Perk up wilted leaves by putting them in iced water.
A sheet of kitchen towel in a bagged salad will absorb moisture and the lettuce will be fresher for longer.
Or maybe your cucumber has gone limp. If so, chop off the end and stand the veg upright in a bowl of cold water until it firms up again.
If your olive oil smells like glue, replace it. Expired olive oil may also become totally flavourless.
Look closely if you have had yours for more than a year – if it has spoiled, the colour and texture will have changed.
Flavoured oils in particular can go rancid.
Even though food in cans may appear to last for ever, it will deteriorate over time and can grow the fatal bacteria that causes botulism.
A bulging lid could indicate a build-up of the toxin’s gasses. If you open the tin and hear a hissing noise, bin it. It may mean the pressure has built up due to bacteria.
Turn a stale loaf into crispy croutons by chopping it into cubes, brushing with olive oil and baking it.
Alternatively, if your baguette has dried up, drench it in water, wrap in foil and bung in the oven at 180C for five to ten minutes.
Limp biscuits can also be revived in a hot oven.
Mould is unlikely to penetrate deep into cheddar, Parmesan or other hard cheeses, so it is safe to cut it off the surface – as long as you wash the contaminated knife straight away.
But bin mouldy soft cheese.
