Just What Do Expiration Dates Mean?
Best If Used By/Before: Indicates how long the product will be at its best flavor or quality. After that date, it’s not necessarily unsafe to consume, but the quality might be degraded.
Sell By: Tells the store how long to keep an item on the shelf and when to take it off. Milk is a good example. A grocer has to sell a gallon of milk by that date, but milk past the sell by date is often still usable. When properly stored, milk, like other products will keep for several days after the sell by date. Before tossing, give it the “sniff” test. Odds are it’s still good.
Use By: Is the final recommended day to use the product for best quality. Eggs have a “use by” date which is similar to a “best if used by” date. That’s important; it’s hard to know when eggs go bad.
Absolute Dates: The expiration date on infant formula is absolute. Do not open or use expired formula.
“Work With What You Got!”
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Mitchmallows
Last week I attended New York City’s Fancy Food Show at the Javits Center. It was a very rainy and muggy day, but I decided to walk there from the East Side anyway. Naturally the place was packed with vendors and attendees which was exciting to see. I walked through isle after isle looking at and sampling many food items, but to be honest much of it was the same old jarred salsa, jams and ice cream. I probably spent a good 2 1/2 hours looking at everything and was getting ready to leave when I realized I had missed a “new products” isle. I forced myself to give the isle a quick run through even though I had a long walk back in the rain. I have to say that I was truly happy that I did because I ran into a new product called Mitchmallows. Typically, I am not a huge fan of marshmallows, but the bow-tie wearing guy behind the booth (Mitch) was super nice and invited me to try the different flavors that he had out for sampling. I couldn’t believe how good these marshmallows were and tried several different flavors just to make sure. There were trays of colorful marshmallows like Watermelon, Creamsicle, Pretzels & Beer, Ginger Wasabi, Banana Split, Pink Lemonade, Churros and Maple Syrup Pancake. My favorites were the Watermelon and Churros flavors.
Most of you know that I don’t write a review of a restaurant or a product unless I really like it. I am extremely happy that I ran into Mitch and his Mitchmallows. What a great idea and what a unique food product. If you’re a fan of marshmallows or even if you’re not into marshmallows you just may want to give these puppies a try. This was by far the best thing that I found at the Fancy Food Show and the added bonus was meeting the owner who was completely flip over his product. I’m not sure if Mitchmallows are sold in stores yet, but you can order them from the website. I saw the packaging and they come in cute little tins. Go to the website and check it out at http://www.mitchmallows.com/ and tell them that Tiny New York Kitchen sent ya.
