Parents often are our first window into the culinary world, and my household was no different. My dad was master of salmon, prince of scrambled eggs and still insists on making waffles every Christmas morning. My mom attempted to put ketchup on her salmon the first time my dad cooked it for her, and I suspect she views cooking as more of a chore than a pleasure. (I also once made the mistake of telling her I’m the better cook of the two of us. Miraculously, I still have all my fingers.)
Mine also was a household of questionable food safety. Clearly I have not been killed by any of the following transgressions/worst practices, some of which I still commit today:
- The best way to thaw protein is to leave it in the sink overnight. Beef, chicken, you name it. Want tater-tot casserole for dinner tomorrow? Toss that ground beef package in the sink before you go to bed, and it’ll be ready to rock in the morning!
- It’s OK to leave a stick of butter out uncovered on the counter at all times. There’s no way the cat will climb up there and lick it. Plus, the pioneers didn’t refrigerate their butter, and Laura Ingalls Wilder lived until she was 90!
- Raw cookie dough is delicious.
- Dark-colored counters don’t need to be wiped down as frequently. The food stains aren’t there if you can’t see them.
- Stick your nose in the milk jug and take a big ol’ whiff. If it smells OK, it’s still fine to drink—don’t worry too much about the date on the side.
There actually are some facts to back up that last one. A 2013 study from the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic and the Natural Resources Defense Council on food waste and date labels found that the dates are neither federally regulated nor indicative of food safety, the LA Times reports. Milk, for example, is stamped with a date 21 to 24 days after it’s pasteurized under modern industry standards. But that varies wildly—by law, in Montana, the length shrinks to 12 days.
This sounds like a pretty easy target in the fight against food waste, which accounts for 160 billion pounds annually in the U.S. Bills have been introduced in both the House and Senate to revise and standardize these date labels, which the NRA advises FSDs to follow in their current state. But that’s just a suggestion—I’m curious how many operators follow so-called “expiration” and “best-by” dates to a T. How do you find a balance between reasonable safety and wastefulness?
And yes, I know, I really should stop thawing my meat in the sink.