earlier this month, I bought some milk but didn't finish drinking all of it. so I let it stay in my fridge till now. the sell by date stamp on it is "feb 14." is it still safe to drink? it does not smell rotten or anything. doesn't look clumpy or anything like that. i'm just not sure. thought i might ask the dairy experts here.
Generally, milk will last around a week, give or take, after the "sell by date". The "sell by date" is, in a sense, more of a rotation device for stocking shelves, than an "Absolute" for whether something is still "good" or not.
It will also depend on how cold you keep your refrigerator. A 'best case' scenario is keeping it at just above freezing, say in the 34 to 36 degree range. Milk will usually last quite a long time if kept that cold continuously (and not left out on your kitchen table for hours at a time).
If it drops below 32, of course stuff starts freezing and some things in your refrigerator might be ruined, such as iceberg lettuce. If the temperature goes above the 40 degree mark (some say 41 degrees), you start to enter the "danger zone" in which bacteria begins to grow faster and faster, the higher the temp.
Generally, milk will last around a week, give or take, after the "sell by date". The "sell by date" is, in a sense, more of a rotation device for stocking shelves, than an "Absolute" for whether something is still "good" or not.
It will also depend on how cold you keep your refrigerator. A 'best case' scenario is keeping it at just above freezing, say in the 34 to 36 degree range. Milk will usually last quite a long time if kept that cold continuously (and not left out on your kitchen table for hours at a time).
If it drops below 32, of course stuff starts freezing and some things in your refrigerator might be ruined, such as iceberg lettuce. If the temperature goes above the 40 degree mark (some say 41 degrees), you start to enter the "danger zone" in which bacteria begins to grow faster and faster, the higher the temp.
Here's an article that addresses your question:
http://stilltasty.com/questions/index/72/page:2
I heard that Kroger milk is good ten days past the sell by date if it's kept under ideal conditions. They're doing something to it to make it last longer. Of course I always go by smell or taste. If it tastes bad, then it probably is.
