How long is it safe to drink milk after its expiration date?

Question

How long is it safe to drink milk after its expiration date?

Answer 1

You've gotten some reasonable answers here. Your nose will know, unless you have a cold, in which case you shouldn't be drinking milk. (It increases mucus production) Another fail-safe test is pour it into hot coffee (don't waste the whole cup!...lol) If the milk is bad, it will curdle.



I loved the scene on "Roseanne" where Dan tastes milk ( straight out of the carton of course!) that has obviously "turned". He makes a really distorted face, gags to the point of almost fainting, closes the carton, places it back in the fridge and reaches for a beer.



It's also funny when a housemate or family member tastes bad milk and then says: "Taste this!". I only fell for that once....



But seriously, the hot coffee is a good test.

Answer 2

For pasteurized milk (refuse all substitutes), 2 or 3 days is normal, a week is uncommon, three weeks is possible (I've tried it).



When milk goes bad it's pretty easy to recognise. Several different things may happen to it: it may thicken (very common) and turn sour (just as common); one may occur without the other. Thickening by itself doesn't affect the taste at all, but milk turned sour is usually disgusting (acidity and taste vary widely). Our buttermilk (karnemelk) undergoes both processes in a controlled way, resulting in a much better taste, although opinions vary. Quite unusual is a fermentation process, where the milk will assume a sparkling taste; controlling this process leads to Norwegian kulturmelk, one of my favourite drinks.



As far as your health is concerned: these processes serve as an early warning system: they affect the milk in appearance or taste, but they do not make it unhealthy; milk turned sour is actually better protected against genuine dangers, such as moulds. If milk hasn't turned thick or sour, you can be fairly sure it's safe to drink it, and I always do.



A good indicator is hot and/or acid fluids (tea with lemon); milk will decompose much sooner in them, they can tell you if milk is turning bad before your own taste buds can. If the fluid is sour enough, even perfectly fresh milk will decompose, so use this test with caution.

Answer 3

What happens when dairy cows are treated with antibiotics?

According to the June, 1999 edition of the Journal of Food

Protein:



"The administration of subtherapeutic doses of antibiotics

to livestock introduces selective pressures that may lead to

the emergence and dissemination of resistant bacteria. The

present findings clearly demonstrate that antibiotic-

resistant bacteria in beef and milk pose a serious problem."



Sick cows make for sick milk, and some germs find ways to

survive the solutions of men. Bacteria develop new strains

with immunities to antibiotics. People then drink the

antibiotic-laden milk with the new germs and have no

protection from illness.



How many of those teeming bacteria can be found in just one

drop of sour milk? The shocking answer, according to Lincoln

Lampert, autor of Modern Dairy Products:



"A drop of sour milk may contain more than 50 million

bacteria."



What can happen to humans who drink sour milk? The June,

1994 issue of Your Health reported:



"In 1992, 19,000 deaths were attributed to infections caused

by antibiotic-resistant organisms. They played a partial

role in another 58,000 deaths that same year."

Answer 4

That depends on alot of factors.



1. How cold is your refrigerator, the colder, the longer the milk can stay non-spoiled.



2. what kind of milk is it, milk with fattier properties like whole, or 2% will spoil faster than skim or soy.



3. is it pasteurized or not, pasteurized products have alot longer shelf life than non.



4. do you leave the milk out after using? if you leave the milk out while cooking or eating, this greatly improves the chance of spoilage.



Hope this helps, i would say maybe 3-4 days past exp. date.

Answer 5

I always smell my milk, I never look at the expiration date. You will learn when it not safe. You will smell it, and it will get worse every day.

Answer 6

I think it's still good the day of the expiration date but I try to finish it at least the day before. I don't take any chances.

Answer 7

I would say three to five days I have found the kids drink and they sure let you know if it bad cant remember more week old milk

Answer 8

No more than 3 days. But use the 'sniff' test BEFORE using it, starting the day before expiration.

Answer 9

I think it really depends, its a trial and error thing, i have found that skim milk(0% fat) generally last longer after experiation date than other types of milk.

Answer 10

2 to 3 days maybe

Answer 11

Really this depends on your fridge...usuallly one can tell if milk is gone bad by smelling it. Also, poor a bit into a class and if it has curdled (i.e. has bumps in it) then it is most definately gone bad!

Answer 12

Approx. 2-3 days.

Answer 13

It isn't unsafe to drink sour milk, it will just taste gross. NOW, you can determine if it is sour by the smell. If it smells raunchy, then it's bad.

Answer 14

As long as it taste like fresh milk to you.

Answer 15

24-48 hours is said to be ok but dont take a chance, spoilt dairy can run havoc in the tummy.

Answer 16

I THINK IT'S 2 OR 3 DAYS

Answer 17

depends on how cold its kept. 2-3 days.

Answer 18

its safe up to about a week but just smell it that is the best way to tell.. that's what I do and never got sick.

Answer 19

smell it, if it tastes sour, it's fermenting. that's not necessarily bad. if you wait long enough, you'll have buttermilk. people pay good money for that.

Answer 20

as long as u can hold it down go for it its now cheese

Answer 21

couple of days, just be sure to smell it first, and watch for chunks...Ewwe

Answer 22

maby less then a weeek

Answer 23

Agree w/- f_i_v_e fingers.

Answer 24

if you keep it in the refrigerator it will be fine

Answer 25

Don't do it! (if you do, you'll think I'm smart when you get sick, won't you?)

Answer 26

ewww... i don't think it's ever safe..... can't you get sick?

Answer 27

3 OR 5 IM NOT SURE...........

Answer 28

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