Milk - How Long To Keep?

I've always been really funny about how long I keep milk though because I can't really tell by smelling it whether it's gone off or not.  I think I know what really sour milk smells like but milk never smells especially 'good' to me so I usually throw out whatever milk is left after 4-5 days because I convince myself it smells 'wrong'.  Also, now that I have a baby and he's having his own milk (he has full fat, we use semi skim), I feel like I am throwing away a ton of milk.

So I thought I should ask, how long do you keep using milk once you've opened it?  Am I being excessive by throwing it away after 4-5 days?

In our house milk never lasts long enough to go off.  If you really can't smell the difference then maybe just go by the "use by" date?

I think you're being overly cautious if you're throwing away milk just because it's been 4-5 days since you've opened it!  What about the date on the carton?  And I would always taste milk if I wasn't sure if it had gone off or not.  You can usually tell straightaway if it's not right from the taste.

I usually keep milk until the 'use by' date on the bottle - as long as it smells okay, I'll use it. However, two of my friends at work said that they always throw away milk 3 days after opening, even if it hasn't reached its 'use by' date yet.. they said you're not supposed to use it for more than 3 days after opening! I rolled my eyes at that, but I checked the bottle when I got home and sure enough, it said 'use within 3 days of opening' . I still keep it until the 'use by' date though .

I don't even sniff it until it gets to the use-by date. And then if it smells and tastes OK, I'll keep it another day.

Milk doesn't last that long in my house. I have a 20 month old and we go through 4-6 litres of milk a week between the 3 of us. I will keep mine till the Use by date but I will taste a bit of it if I've had it open for more than a couple of days.

Has the OP thought of buying  smaller size milk cartons so you're not throwing as much away by not having a large carton open and throwing most of it away, have a few smaller cartons that you could open every other day that way you're not wasting any...true the smaller containers aren't as inexpensive as the large ones but if you're throwing most of it away it would, theoretically, save you money.

I don't even sniff it until it gets to the use-by date. And then if it smells and tastes OK, I'll keep it another day.

Same.  Because I end up shopping more than I did in the US, I tend to buy milk in smaller quantities and use it all up before it can go south.  But if it is past the date, I'll give it a sniff and if it smells okay, I'll use it. 

I don't even sniff it until it gets to the use-by date. And then if it smells and tastes OK, I'll keep it another day.

Ditto.

If I'm unsure about the milk (because it always smells bad to me), I put a little in a cup and taste it.  If it makes my tongue tingle, it's bad, other wise I give it to my son and he's never had a problem.  I don't know if it's my fridge, but I've used some UHT milk 7-8 days after I've opened it and it's still good.

You can also freeze milk if you have the room. Plenty of tips for doing this online. Some people think they taste a difference, but equally some say they don't. I used to freeze organic milk we ordered via our veg box people. Worked great for me!

I usually keep milk until the 'use by' date on the bottle - as long as it smells okay, I'll use it. However, two of my friends at work said that they always throw away milk 3 days after opening, even if it hasn't reached its 'use by' date yet.. they said you're not supposed to use it for more than 3 days after opening! I rolled my eyes at that, but I checked the bottle when I got home and sure enough, it said 'use within 3 days of opening' . I still keep it until the 'use by' date though .

This type of thing is to encourage people to throw out and use more.  Just like shampoo says wash, rinse, repeat.  The repeat isn't necessary but is a marketing scam to make you buy more.

Sell by dates are a guide only and the sniff or taste test is way more effective.

I don't even sniff it until it gets to the use-by date. And then if it smells and tastes OK, I'll keep it another day.

same

Thanks for the replies.  So maybe I am being slightly overcautious.

I currently buy one pinters for the little guy and 2 pinters for me as I have cereal every day so I don't think I could buy much smaller quantities.  It's the baby's milk I most worry about.  He only has an ounce or two a day so I quite often wind up throwing away what's left after 5 days or so.

I don't really pay attention to the 'use by' date because I am more worried about how long the milk has been open. It never makes it to that date anyway. But okay, maybe I should use those dates more often.  Thanks again.

It should be good until the sell by date at least if kept in the fridge.

If it does turn sour, then use it for pancakes, biscuits (American), scones, etc.

Doug

I don't even sniff it until it gets to the use-by date. And then if it smells and tastes OK, I'll keep it another day.

Me too. And for whatever reason ours seems to last a good two days longer than the use by date. Maybe you should just buy those teeny tiny bottles (think they're single pints?) If we go through a week of not having cereal for breakfast I do end up pouring a lot out and I feel just awful about the waste, but because we live out in the sticks and can't walk to a shop I have a delivery and I already have the smallest delivery on the street!