Washing butchered meat

Can I wash home butchered goat meat with lemon water or vinegar water to clean it before I cut it and grind it? What can I wash it with?

Ann Hazelett
Litchfield Park, Arizona

We just rinse our meat, if necessary, with cold water to rinse away any clinging debris. Using vinegar or lemon water will not do more and costs more, too. After cooling the carcass for at least 24 hours, I can easily pick off any clinging hairs, provided that I took care while skinning. If you haven’t had goat meat before, be sure you bone it and remove all fat for best taste. — Jackie

Evaporated milk “best by” date

I have 2 dozen cans of evaporated milk. Some have a “Best by” date of April 4th 2013. I didn’t notice, and have been using them with no problems. How long is store food generally Ok (Canned stuff) after the “Best By” date? I know home canned is good for a very long time so I was wondering if you know why things like canned milk have such a short sell/use by. It seems like a waste to throw it all out. I fully intend to use it. Have you ever used store-bought canned items past their date? Ever had a problem?

Cathy Ostrowski
Amherst, New York

The “best by” date is purely a marketing ploy to encourage you to throw away perfectly good food and buy more “new” food. Yes, I’ve often used store-bought canned items way past their “expiration” date with no problems whatsoever. I’ve found that as long as you store your store-bought food in a dry spot away from excessive heat, they will remain good for years. — Jackie

2 COMMENTS

  1. I’ve only had one thing go bad that was way past the expiration date. The can had puffed out so, didn’t even open it, just tossed it. Think it was 4 or 5 years past the date.

  2. You’re totally right about the expiration dates on food. It’s good for years beyond those dates. The only thing I’ve found that loses some flavor 2-3 years beyond its expiration date is canned peaches. Not sure why that is.

    Also re: evaporated milk. You should rotate it, reversing which end is up and give it a good shake about once a month to keep the milk solids from settling and all be clinging to the bottom of the can when you open it. It, too, keeps long after the expiration date.

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