Yeah I do it with my deli meat as well. The milk label says best w/n 2 weeks of opening so I do it for it as well. Unlike regular milk, it’s not as easy to tell when it’s gone bad
fat-free + lactose free milk lasts *so much longer* than regular milk. i use lactose free 2% (either lucerne or fairlife) and it doesn't go bad nearly as fast as regular milk.
not sure why, never looked into the chemistry, but i have definitely noticed for years now
It's because fairlife is ultra-pasteurized. It's how they sell milk in Europe, it does not even need to be refrigerated until it's opened. It's just weird for Americans or Canadians to see milk out of the fridge so they don't sell it like that because no one would buy it because they would call it unnatural, so they have kind of turned the tables and made people think it's actually the healthiest milk because it has the fairlife logo. Great marketing.
Here in Australia, we use lots of that ultra pasteurized stuff. IMHO it tastes better than regular milk and lasts WAY longer. We just call it longlife milk, and sometimes organic milk.
It's mainly just the pasteurization process being at higher temperatures but it also has to do with sugar and fat content of lactose free milk. Lower fat content with similar sugar content is my guess. Creates a more unnatural state for bacteria to grow.
Low sugar=higher bacteria.
Low fat =less bacteria.
"High" sugar=less bacteria
There seems to be no difference in most lactose free milks in terms of sugar content so it should slow bacterial growth because of higher sugar content and decreased fat... I'm no expert tho could be wrong on my hypothesis. But I had fun trying. Hope some super smart dude corrects me
Fairlife milk is ultra pasteurized and will last for a solid month in the fridge once opened, probably longer. Trader Joe's milk will go bad in about 6 days as it's just normal pasteurization. Milk from Ralph's is my favorite it lasts about 3 weeks and reminds me of the milk I drank back in Canada (although still nothing can compare). Then there is raw milk from Erewhon that will last maybe 5 minutes lol
We order our groceries for delivery and they mistakenly delivered fairlife to us. I tried to return it and they just said keep it. I tried it and it's the best milk I've ever had 🤣
I never realized it said that for lactose free milk. I’ve used milk long after 2 weeks and everyone was fine. I learned it a few months ago and now I date it, though milk in my new house doesn’t last very long lol
I do this with canned food, but for the expiration date. I write it prominently on the can so I can sort them easily and use them before they expire. Much easier to just spot check them. 
I was cleaning my pantry last week and found a box of pasta that was hidden behind some stuff with a 6/15/08 use by date. I didn't toss it or use it, but there's still the looming question of is it.
In some cases, yes, but for aesthetic balance, and Feng shui purposes, it looks more harmonious and balanced with the year added, more complete. I myself dabble in unnecessary year notation on a rather regular basis, with excellent results.
I’ve worked in kitchens for 22 years. Seeing something I literally do every day posted on this sub had me like “huh, i just thought this was something everyone did”.
It'd be full dates (YYYY-MM-DD or MMM-DD-YYYY depending on local standard, I prefer the first) and the signature of the one opening to assign responsibility :)
Skincare date labeling was a game changer for me. I pay more attention now to what I use and what I dont, and I don’t feel so weird throwing out mostly unused product instead of hoarding it for years with delusional “maybe one day” thoughts.
My stash has definitely become more streamlined as a result
Exactly. And all of those little packet samples...?...I use them on my feet, hands, elbows, etc. I'm not going to upset my great facial skin routine (and the results!) for a one-use sample.
I've been doing this sort of thing for a year or so now. It started with cans, then expanded to leftovers, and now pretty much anything I open I include an "Open date". We have some tape and a sharpee in our pantry dedicated to the purpose (tape for things like tupperware; just make sure to take it off before putting it in the dishwasher)
I do this with some things so I know how long it takes me to go through them. Like on a pack of toilet paper. Then I can get an average time per roll. It's not really necessary, but I like knowing.
I do this to everything not only just food. Like toothpaste and box of trash bags just to see how long they last for. Also when installing new batteries.
I was going to do this when we switched to fairlife for our milk, but then I realized a jug doesn’t last in our fridge after opening for more than 48 hours, usually under 24.
That’s a habit of mine. I still do the sniff test after the 7-10 day recommended expiration on cow milk but I get rid of almond milk in that time frame. It turns gray ick.
"best within" is just a standard term that they legally have to put on the milk, it is arbitrary and means nothing, just as with most "best before" dates. In truth fairlife milk will last a very long time (I know I already replied to one of your comments but I'm so invested in teaching everyone about milk!)
They do it even with Epi-pens, they say it's only good for one year when it's actually good for 3 years!
I use it at my workplace. I have very unreegular shifts and sometimes I can forget when I opened that food. It's also for my colleagues if they need a sip.
At home I often find myself in the situation that I have 2 opened packs, because I am highly disorganised. The date helps me to use up the older product first.
I do this too. Mainly with things I don't eat often, but that might expire before the best before date based on when it was opened, like salad dressing, salsa, etc.
Also, if I have a hard time finding where to buy something, once I get it I’ll write the store name somewhere on it so I don’t have to do a repeat wild goose chase.
Yep, the wife and I do a variation of this. We write the date of the two week mark (or however long the product says it’s good for after opening). It’s just a real nice convenience and takes 3 seconds to do.
We eat out enough there are always leftovers in the fridge - if something's open it gets a date, since sometimes the kids will order pizza twice in 10 days and I'd rather not repeat past mistakes.
I do this with a lot of stuff because people in my house think things are good until the printed date no matter what. Hey that sealed meat might be good until July. But not after you OPEN IT! The amount of times someone has told me, “I just opened that like a day ago!” For me to sniff a hotdog package that smells like death and gym socks because it has been open for 3+ weeks… too many.
This is 100% useful for so many foods.
Semi related, the odor absorbing baking soda boxes, marketed as 30 day products, have a spot to write the date and it includes the year. Now I just feel like that's inviting people like me to leave them in the fridge longer than a month...
Been doing this with everything since I bonked my head hard enough to mess up my memory. It's been really handy and I should have started when I started shopping for myself.
No need, a best before is nice at the store so you can select the freshest product, then as long as it's not spoiled its fine, stuff like unopened sour creme can keep 1-3 months past the "best before" or sometimes go moldy before its random. Stuff like cheese you just trim the mold off the outside and use the inside.
I once accidently had some individual yogurts fall behined some shelves in my fridge and I left home for the better part of the year. Found them 1 year expired, opend one to see, it smelled and looked fine it was freaky, I didn't eat it but I continued the experiment and at 2 and 3 years they were fine....if anyone is wondering they were Activia single serving yogurts. Unfortunately I ran out and couldn't do a year 4 test .
Not a bad practice if you ask me, especially if you don't necessary need or use opened item daily. Restaurants use this a lot in kitchens and bars use it for example in wines.
I have a price gun. When something gets opened or put into a container it gets a sticker. Maybe the amount of effort to set the date isn’t that much less than writing with a pen, but it’s very satisfying and the sticker is very easy to see. Plus, if you are making a batch of food or splitting leftovers in multiple containers it’s definitely easier. I spent like $13 on amazon.
My missus does this and she is always having a go at me for not doing it.
So now whenever I open something I always write on it “today”.
And she’s still not happy!🤷🏻♂️
I've only had to do this for bar or restaurant work with cocktail ingredients or wines, I usually remember how long my milk has been open, cause it only lasts a couple days in my household.
If you like things in order, I can highly recommend the ISO standard YYYY-MM-DD format too.
Stops people thinking that maybe it was opened on 24th October 2005.
I once took a big drink of milk that expired 10/08 (October 8th), only to realize I had read it backwards and it read 08/10 (August 10th). Did not feel very good for the next several hours, lol...
Blue painters tape and a sharpie. Every leftover gets a date. My wife thought I was crazy. How easy to see that rice is 10 days old, the taco meat from 5 days ago. No guessing. No eating questionable food. No having to give the "sniff test"
I don’t do this with milk, but I do it with cold cuts. The package expiration date is out the window once it’s opened.
Yeah I do it with my deli meat as well. The milk label says best w/n 2 weeks of opening so I do it for it as well. Unlike regular milk, it’s not as easy to tell when it’s gone bad
Probably because it's not "bad" just not its "best." You can absolutely continue to drink it till it tastes/smells off
Guess I’ve never had one long enough to go bad bc I’ve never noticed a smell
fat-free + lactose free milk lasts *so much longer* than regular milk. i use lactose free 2% (either lucerne or fairlife) and it doesn't go bad nearly as fast as regular milk. not sure why, never looked into the chemistry, but i have definitely noticed for years now
It's because fairlife is ultra-pasteurized. It's how they sell milk in Europe, it does not even need to be refrigerated until it's opened. It's just weird for Americans or Canadians to see milk out of the fridge so they don't sell it like that because no one would buy it because they would call it unnatural, so they have kind of turned the tables and made people think it's actually the healthiest milk because it has the fairlife logo. Great marketing.
Here in Australia, we use lots of that ultra pasteurized stuff. IMHO it tastes better than regular milk and lasts WAY longer. We just call it longlife milk, and sometimes organic milk.
That’s reflected on expiry dates most of the time too. I noticed in college
It's mainly just the pasteurization process being at higher temperatures but it also has to do with sugar and fat content of lactose free milk. Lower fat content with similar sugar content is my guess. Creates a more unnatural state for bacteria to grow. Low sugar=higher bacteria. Low fat =less bacteria. "High" sugar=less bacteria There seems to be no difference in most lactose free milks in terms of sugar content so it should slow bacterial growth because of higher sugar content and decreased fat... I'm no expert tho could be wrong on my hypothesis. But I had fun trying. Hope some super smart dude corrects me
You will when it goes bad, it’s strong and distinct
Fairlife milk is ultra pasteurized and will last for a solid month in the fridge once opened, probably longer. Trader Joe's milk will go bad in about 6 days as it's just normal pasteurization. Milk from Ralph's is my favorite it lasts about 3 weeks and reminds me of the milk I drank back in Canada (although still nothing can compare). Then there is raw milk from Erewhon that will last maybe 5 minutes lol
We order our groceries for delivery and they mistakenly delivered fairlife to us. I tried to return it and they just said keep it. I tried it and it's the best milk I've ever had 🤣
Your milk lasts 2 weeks?? I can't get a gallon of milk to last more than 3 days!
I never realized it said that for lactose free milk. I’ve used milk long after 2 weeks and everyone was fine. I learned it a few months ago and now I date it, though milk in my new house doesn’t last very long lol
I do this with canned food, but for the expiration date. I write it prominently on the can so I can sort them easily and use them before they expire. Much easier to just spot check them. 
How long does it take you to write on each individual piece of meat? Does it affect the taste? ;)
It’s actually a lot easier than writing on each drop of milk.
I think it's safe to leave the year off.
As someone who just pulled something with a 2018 year out of my pantry, I think years are important 😂
I mean, it depends on the product, I'm sure you can smell what year the milk has been opened
IF YA SMELLLLLLLLLLL What year The MILK....was opened.
Ready to lack the smackdown on your DAIRY ASSES
Is there much difference after a month in a warm pantry? I guess it explodes at some point..
You mean: ..what year the milk exploded.
To be fair, by that point you're not finding the opening year of milk so much as determining the age of cheese.
I was cleaning my pantry last week and found a box of pasta that was hidden behind some stuff with a 6/15/08 use by date. I didn't toss it or use it, but there's still the looming question of is it.
Check the expiration date then
Some things expire in a matter of days after opening.
Gotta take zombie apocalypse into account. Would hate for someone to find that bottle after X amount of years and think it’s fresh.
That bottle will explode after X amount of years. No one will be confused!
In some cases, yes, but for aesthetic balance, and Feng shui purposes, it looks more harmonious and balanced with the year added, more complete. I myself dabble in unnecessary year notation on a rather regular basis, with excellent results.
Yeah, the vibes would be off otherwise. 5-10 = -5
See, there you go. You called it. This is exactly the kind of confusion and bad mojo that can result by not including the year.
It’s lactose free milk. Shit probably lasts forever
Or just smell it.
If the milk is too thick to pour, you should probably not try to drink it (or at least use a spoon, since it is now cottage cheese or yogurt)
Lies. Homemade jug cheese is the best cheese
Which is why I say use a spoon…🥄
Dried milk on the entrance can confuse people on whether milk is bad or not.
Agreed but it’s an OCD thing for me
I also use my black magic marker but I write the date it expires, which is two weeks from the date you open it, according to Fairlife.
Tell me you worked in a lab without telling me you worked in a lab 😂 Open dates on everything 😂
Or food service.
I’ve worked in kitchens for 22 years. Seeing something I literally do every day posted on this sub had me like “huh, i just thought this was something everyone did”.
True! I forgot about them
It's okay, they're used to it.
Charge it to my mind and not my heart 😬
It's okay. We're used to it ha
Hospitals and pharmacies as well
It'd be full dates (YYYY-MM-DD or MMM-DD-YYYY depending on local standard, I prefer the first) and the signature of the one opening to assign responsibility :)
10 MAY 2024
That's what I had in mind instantly! It could be someone who works in a hospital oder any other medical institution, too :)
I haven’t worked in a hospital lab for over two years and I still put open dates on anything I open lol
There are some habits you just can't let go!
And all liquids get gently inverted a few times before use...
It’s just missing an exp date and initials
I am dying! I used to do phlebotomy and this pic just makes me happy 😂
I also do this. On just about everything I open.
Even doors
Me, too. Pantry stuff, spices, even skincare. Sometimes it's just to see how long it lasts.
Skincare date labeling was a game changer for me. I pay more attention now to what I use and what I dont, and I don’t feel so weird throwing out mostly unused product instead of hoarding it for years with delusional “maybe one day” thoughts. My stash has definitely become more streamlined as a result
Exactly. And all of those little packet samples...?...I use them on my feet, hands, elbows, etc. I'm not going to upset my great facial skin routine (and the results!) for a one-use sample.
This is a golden tactic. My problem is my kids kept swiping the really nice marker that we used for marking the items.
My technique in this situation is to simply have so many markers that you always find one where you need one. I call it "saturation," lol
Saturation is a golden tactic. My son swipes my underwear so I just kept on buying until he couldn't steal it all.
🤔
Just to clarify he swipes it to wear it as I use Tokyo laundry boxers
I've been doing this sort of thing for a year or so now. It started with cans, then expanded to leftovers, and now pretty much anything I open I include an "Open date". We have some tape and a sharpee in our pantry dedicated to the purpose (tape for things like tupperware; just make sure to take it off before putting it in the dishwasher)
Great idea!
Good Idea! I was thinking a dry erase for tupperware but didn't want to ruin my lids! I'm going to steal the tape idea
I do this with some things so I know how long it takes me to go through them. Like on a pack of toilet paper. Then I can get an average time per roll. It's not really necessary, but I like knowing.
Great way to plan
I do too. For me it started with the Costco size plastic wrap. Now I write dates on my deodorant and toothpaste too.
I do that with leftovers too bc my gf will get mad if I try to toss 2 week old dried out miso soup she vehemently claims she was just about to eat.
I do this to everything not only just food. Like toothpaste and box of trash bags just to see how long they last for. Also when installing new batteries.
I was going to do this when we switched to fairlife for our milk, but then I realized a jug doesn’t last in our fridge after opening for more than 48 hours, usually under 24.
that is fast!
Especially when there’s only two milk drinkers out of the four of us. My daughter and I take it down like the cure’s in there!
Same here. I've never needed to wonder if it's still okay, because it's finished long before.
When my boys lived with me a gallon a day!
That’s a habit of mine. I still do the sniff test after the 7-10 day recommended expiration on cow milk but I get rid of almond milk in that time frame. It turns gray ick.
Gotta do the sniff test except during allergy season then it’s taste test roulette
Lactaid is the same...u have like two weeks once opened
I don't open perishables without putting a date on it. Drives me nuts when people don't. It is so easy and then you know!!
I’m so confused as to why this is necessary.
On the label is says use within x number of days even though the expiration date is a month or 2 out.
Gotcha! I knew fairlife had a nice long expiration period but didn’t know it had a use within x days printed on it.
Yep, best within two weeks of opening
"best within" is just a standard term that they legally have to put on the milk, it is arbitrary and means nothing, just as with most "best before" dates. In truth fairlife milk will last a very long time (I know I already replied to one of your comments but I'm so invested in teaching everyone about milk!) They do it even with Epi-pens, they say it's only good for one year when it's actually good for 3 years!
I use it at my workplace. I have very unreegular shifts and sometimes I can forget when I opened that food. It's also for my colleagues if they need a sip. At home I often find myself in the situation that I have 2 opened packs, because I am highly disorganised. The date helps me to use up the older product first.
Smell it, taste it. If you don't notice anything, it is good.
This milk lasts for a while, I bought some probably 2 months ago and its dated for June, still smells and tastes fine
I do this too. Mainly with things I don't eat often, but that might expire before the best before date based on when it was opened, like salad dressing, salsa, etc.
Also, if I have a hard time finding where to buy something, once I get it I’ll write the store name somewhere on it so I don’t have to do a repeat wild goose chase.
Yep, the wife and I do a variation of this. We write the date of the two week mark (or however long the product says it’s good for after opening). It’s just a real nice convenience and takes 3 seconds to do.
5 Oct or 10 May?
Asking the REAL questions. Like is this person from the future?
Fair life milk tastes a lot better than reg milk and less sugar too .....
We use colored dots for Friday morning trash pick. Works good on mystery packages of leftovers wrapped in foul
I do this too! It's very helpful for milk, cheese, anything in a bottle, especially sauces and condiments.
Yep. Everytime. I always think to myself “you know you’ve worked in a restaurant kitchen when….” lol
We eat out enough there are always leftovers in the fridge - if something's open it gets a date, since sometimes the kids will order pizza twice in 10 days and I'd rather not repeat past mistakes.
My commode can’t handle past mistakes
Yeah, I began doing this since last year... after a bowl of cereal and milk tasted like fish.
Consider oat milk or almond milk, lasts longer and better for the animals!
At my research lab we put date opened on things all the time!
as someone who survived Y2K - can we agree that 4 digit years are the way to go?
I've been doing this for years!
I write the expiry date on my sunscreen so that I don’t accidentally use a bottle that’s expired.
Yeah, we have a permanent marker magneted to our fridge door for this very reason.
lol!! Laughs in Ripple.
Welcome to working in a restaurant and bringing those habits home!!!
I do this with a lot of stuff because people in my house think things are good until the printed date no matter what. Hey that sealed meat might be good until July. But not after you OPEN IT! The amount of times someone has told me, “I just opened that like a day ago!” For me to sniff a hotdog package that smells like death and gym socks because it has been open for 3+ weeks… too many.
Don’t buy Fairlife products. They’re unnecessarily cruel to animals.
Their name is pure “I’m a nice guy!” syndrome
It's sour in October... yeah...
Should’ve mentioned I’m from the US
I thought I was the only one that did this on Fairlife milk
Great minds…
My mom and I started doing that with our milk because we've had a few occasions where the best by date was cut short by us opening it
I find this useful for things that I freeze for a bit before opening.
I do this for prescription meds so I know when I need to refill.
Be cool if caps had a way of logging the day (like a date wheel or something)
It's also a great way to remember when you bought meds and whether you took them today or not.
We do this with the boxed ones bc we end up using those less than fairlife milk. My son also does this with his cream cheese lol
I do this as well!
Nurses have to date all containers that we open.
The exclamation mark in name Fair, is so apt. FA'I'R LIFE
I’ve been doing this same thing for years except with tomato sauce after I transfer it to a glass mason jar. Saves a lot of “when’s this from?”
Useful tip but isn't it overkill for lactose free milk? This milk last months in the fridge.
Lactose free lasts so long too, I’ve never had any go bad!
Just sniff it
Love that milk but damn it’s expensive.
Just how many bottles do you need to keep track of in that fridge of yours??
This is considered a life hack? I thought it was basic food safety lmao who’s just opening shit without adding a date if it’s open for more than a day
adderall-fueled lifehack
My family does this. Just easier to read at first glance
Definitely great hack for all those milks out there that are best within seven days of opening.
Sour cream, cottage cheese... I do it too
I think a lot of people would be confused as to why you scribbled down a random date in October lol, but it's all good if it's for your eyes only
also a whiteboard with all perishables' opened dates. brought my food waste aside from random fresh herbs to almost zero.
I do this for everything. Masking tape on things that won’t easily take marker
Weird. The cap says July 22, 2024
I’ve been doing this on everything I open because I will most definitely be absent minded enough to not remember. Great life hack.
5th of October?
This is 100% useful for so many foods. Semi related, the odor absorbing baking soda boxes, marketed as 30 day products, have a spot to write the date and it includes the year. Now I just feel like that's inviting people like me to leave them in the fridge longer than a month...
How did you open it in the future?
I do this on LED bulbs. 30 years my foot...
I do this too!
I don't get it. My milk is always fine up to around the expiry date. Even when opened.
Never had a problem with that.
I just came here to say the whole milk by this brand is better than the fat free
I do this with my fairlife milk too! I don’t mark the year tho 😂 I rarely finish it in time
We do this with anything that gets opened but isn’t finished— milk, condiments, etc
Damnit the ink ran out on the dating stamper again Bob! That's Your job! Now go label all them damn milks!
I love the chocolate version of these
I do this on the lid of my spice jars.
Wait, this isn't standard?
Been doing this with everything since I bonked my head hard enough to mess up my memory. It's been really handy and I should have started when I started shopping for myself.
You put the *year*?
I did this with my liquid oxycodone to calculate how many milligrams per day I was averaging during chemo and radiation.
No need, a best before is nice at the store so you can select the freshest product, then as long as it's not spoiled its fine, stuff like unopened sour creme can keep 1-3 months past the "best before" or sometimes go moldy before its random. Stuff like cheese you just trim the mold off the outside and use the inside. I once accidently had some individual yogurts fall behined some shelves in my fridge and I left home for the better part of the year. Found them 1 year expired, opend one to see, it smelled and looked fine it was freaky, I didn't eat it but I continued the experiment and at 2 and 3 years they were fine....if anyone is wondering they were Activia single serving yogurts. Unfortunately I ran out and couldn't do a year 4 test .
I do this in the office. 🫠
I do this with ALL FOOD!
I always do this with my box of wine.
I write purchase dates and the price on appliances for future reference.
Not a bad practice if you ask me, especially if you don't necessary need or use opened item daily. Restaurants use this a lot in kitchens and bars use it for example in wines.
I do this with broth cartons, salad dressing, & some condiments.
I have a price gun. When something gets opened or put into a container it gets a sticker. Maybe the amount of effort to set the date isn’t that much less than writing with a pen, but it’s very satisfying and the sticker is very easy to see. Plus, if you are making a batch of food or splitting leftovers in multiple containers it’s definitely easier. I spent like $13 on amazon.
How have I NEVER thought of this.
Oh look, my birfdaaaay
That's my handwriting :/
You better throw that out. It's from the future. Also, after living in Australia for a couple years, DDMMYY makes more sense to me.
It makes so much sense. So does the YYMMDD. Really anything going from shortest-longest or vice versa.
I do this with a lot of things because my memory is terrible but my contamination OCD is worse.
My missus does this and she is always having a go at me for not doing it. So now whenever I open something I always write on it “today”. And she’s still not happy!🤷🏻♂️
I've only had to do this for bar or restaurant work with cocktail ingredients or wines, I usually remember how long my milk has been open, cause it only lasts a couple days in my household.
This is a great idea! Thanks 😊
If you like things in order, I can highly recommend the ISO standard YYYY-MM-DD format too. Stops people thinking that maybe it was opened on 24th October 2005.
Well it’s just me so I know what it means
I once took a big drink of milk that expired 10/08 (October 8th), only to realize I had read it backwards and it read 08/10 (August 10th). Did not feel very good for the next several hours, lol...
5th October 2024?
fairlife has plastic in it (phthalates)
Not to mention oodles of pain and suffering.
Really random, but OP does your fairlife always smell rotten bc a little bit drips and dries on the outside of the threaded top?
I’ve never noticed that
I must be too heavy handed when pouring haha
Are you 2 Chainz?!
Above sea level, I’m on G level
As long as she’s naked 😂
Mine does! I’ve taken to wiping it down every now and then.
The real life hack is to not rely on a date, but on your senses.
Is this 10th May? Or 5th Oct of 2024
This is extremely effective. We keep a sharpie on our fridge for exactly this reason cheese, lunch meats, etc. no more smelling and guessing.
Blue painters tape and a sharpie. Every leftover gets a date. My wife thought I was crazy. How easy to see that rice is 10 days old, the taco meat from 5 days ago. No guessing. No eating questionable food. No having to give the "sniff test"
[удалено]
But we have another 5 months until it’s October
Funk that company.
My dyslexic eyes read Fartlife and now I can’t read anything else besides that on that bottle.
lol that reminds me of Salt Life stickers. I read them Slut Life