HELOISE: What do dates on food mean?

Dear Readers: What do dates on food really mean? Per the United States Department of Agriculture: “There is no uniform or universally accepted system used for food dating in the United States. Although dating of some foods is required by more than 20 states, there are areas of the country where much of the food supply has some type of open date and other areas where almost no food is dated.”

Here’s a quick list of food-date definitions:

The “sell by” date is the last date the product should be sold, and it should be removed from store shelves after that date.

The “use by” date lets the consumer know the last date to use the product while at its peak quality. This date is helpful if you taste the item and find it stale before that date stamped. You usually can call the manufacturer and get your money refunded.

The “best if used by” date is the date by which the item should be consumed in order to ensure the best flavors or quality.

All dates are important on the products we use. Hope this helps to make sense of them.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: When I purchase too many bananas but don’t want to toss them after they ripen too far, I peel them, cut in half, wrap in plastic, then put into freezer bags. When I serve blueberries (frozen), I open a banana, cut it into disks or quarter the disks and add them to the blueberries. No more wasted bananas. Sometimes we drop the fruit into milk or juice (keeps it cold). We all love it!

S.G. in Omaha, Neb.

Dear Heloise: I often make only a few deviled eggs, and have found that a quick, easy way to mash the yolks is by putting each half of the yolk through my garlic press. Results are uniform and lump-free.

Josephine W. in Chesapeake City, Md.

“Egg”-cellent hint, and when we tested it, the yolk was pretty pulverized. It may need to be mashed a little more if you want a really smooth consistency.

Heloise

Dear Heloise: Here is a hint for an easy and quick way to peel potatoes: Line the sink or counter first (to make cleanup easy) to catch the peelings. Next, slice the potatoes into 1/4-inch or so rounds. Use a small knife and, keeping the sharp edge away from you, remove the skins. The potato skins come off easily in almost no time! I prefer this method to using a potato peeler.

Barbara in California

Barbara, your hint, which was Heloise Central-tested, does seem to make it easier to peel, especially if you have difficulty holding a large potato. We, however, held the paring knife inward, and it went much faster.

Heloise

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE or e-mail it to Heloise@Heloise.com.

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