Butter - best before end May 12

[mintymow]

Can I still use this unopened pack of butter say for cake making.

[Mosaic]

Sniff it, observe it, and if you like butter taste a bit. If none of these processes give dodgy messages, use it.

[snags]

Possibly not still edible. However there are alternative uses. Have you seen Last Tango in Paris?

[ummmm]

'Best before' is a guideline.

[Mosaic]

oh, Snags........naughty step. Now.

[diddlydo]

It'll be absolutely fine.

[RATTER15]

Dont be so tight fisted, bin it and buy some more, why take such a risk of food poisoning!!

[funnygirl]

I wouldn't.

[EcclesCake]

If it looks ok, smells ok and tastes ok I'd eat it. I often have a butter glut in the fridge and end up with OOD butter, never had a problem.

[ummmm]

Eccles...I'm doing pork tenderloin wrapped in parma ham tomorrow. How do you do yours?

[gingejbee]

You won't get food poisoning from "old" butter. It may taste a bit odd - but it's safe.

[EcclesCake]

Lay slices of parma ham on a board overlapping slightly with the fatty edge on the outside, lay enough slices for the length of the loin and grind a little pepper over ham. Place pork on ham and roll up tightly.

Heat a little oil in a frying pan and add the pork, cook at a high temp until coloured, turn over and cook for a minute or two. Bung in preheated oven at 180C for 15-20 mins. Leave to rest for 10 mins or so covered in foil.

[ummmm]

Cool...

I did opposite last time ( I stuffed it) I cooked it in oiled foil and browned it after.

I'll try your way. I've only done it once before. I will let you know :-) x

[Ratty2E]

I don't think I have ever looked at the dates on butter, I have no idea how old it is. As with most foods if it looks OK and smells OK it probably is OK

[hammerman]

^^^ as above ^^^

[Anngel]

most foods...looks ok. smells ok????? As far as I know the main food poisoning bacteriae botullism, listeria, campylobacter have no smell. The food is not off, just full of the stuff. As for butter....it will smell unpleasant if it has gone rancid. But it has such a huge fat content it lasts for ages.

[mintymow]

Thanks all, I'll think about it :)

[237SJ]

I use so little butter that when I buy it, I end up throwing most of it away. The butter in my fridge has a use by date of 27th July and it`s still OK. If it passed it`s use by date in May though, I`d throw it out. Butter`s not expensive so is it really worth putting a possibly inferior ingredient into your cake? Butter freezes well so you can always do that if you think you`re not going to use t.

[madmaggot]

You'll be able to tell if it's going rancid, it will taste a bit 'cheesy'. If it does don't use it at all because that taste will be in your cooking. As said above, if it looks right, smells right and tastes right then it is almost certainly alright. But fat does have quite a short shelf life. Did you know you can freeze butter if you're going to use it for cooking?