11/17   How much should I worry about the expiration date on a package
        of Tofu in my fridge.  Its medium firmness, and it expired in late
        october.  I was hoping to use it in miso soup... is it too far
        gone?  How can I tell? -mrauser
        \_ The following formula works REALLY well for me. If all things
           are equal (assuming they've been refrigerated properly
           during transit), then:
           * If it is a Japanese brand Tofu (Asumi, etc) then you can
             add 1 week past the expiration date and still be safe
           * If it is a Mainland Chinese brand, then minus 10 days
             from the expiration date
           * If it is a Taiwanese brand, then minus 7 days from the
             expiration date
           This works very well for tofu, soy milk, etc. Basically,
           the Chinese/Taiwanese brands have standards that barely
           pass the US government requirements and the Japanese brands
           in general surpass the Japanese government standards.
        \_ My wife, (a Korean Tofu Expert) says, Assuming the package is
           sealed, it's probably ok.  Just open it up and do a sniff test.
           If it smells ok, do a small taste test.  If it doesn't taste funny
           it's fine. -jrleek
        \_ How much is not being sick worth to you in comparison to
           saving money by not discarding questionable food?  I tend to
           be really conservative when it comes to food.  99.99% of the
           time it'll be fine, but that 1 time in 10000 when you get sick?
           VERY unpleasant.  --PeterM
           \_ While I agree it's a good idea to be cautious when it
              comes to food, the expiration date is not an absolute
              mark. I've had food that gone bad before the date, and
              have food that lasted longer. It all depends on the type
              of food and how large is the standard-deviation of the
              expiration date. While we are a fortunate that we can
              simply discard foods that may be bad, think about all
              the other less fortunate people on this planet. If it
              doesn't look and smell and taste bad, then it probably
              isn't. Don't throw out stuff just because the expiration
              date had passed and create unnecessary garbage in the
              world. In the end, what matters is how large of a
              footprint we leave on this planet and whether it can
              sustain the garbage creating lifestyle we have.
              batteries as well.
              \_ Basically correct.  Now, tofu is a little more perishable
                 than most food with experation dates, so you might be a bit
                 more careful with it, but I'd bet that the tofu was probably
                 packaged 2 months before the date.  It's not like it magically
                 goes bad once it hits the ex date.  Be careful with all food,
                 but chucking something just because it's past an arbitrary date
                 is a waste of time and money. -jrleek
        \_ I had House Tofu (Japanese), medium firm.  I think it was two months
           past.  It smelled funny.  I cooked it anyway.  It tasted funny.  It
           had gone bad.  I have great regret.
           \_ And a laptop and a wireless connection, I'm guessing.
           \_ Does that mean you got sick, or just that it didn't taste good?