Does it pass the smell test?
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That’s what I use. The good old olfactory sense.
I suppose it’s not foolproof and not every contaminant causes a smell, but for the most part, we are naturally sensitive to spoilage, rot, or rancidity. There are things I’ve thrown away before the sell-by date, and there are things i have consumed well after it.
I’m in real trouble with the smell test. Since I lost my sense of smell in an accident a few years ago, I can’t tell diesel from donuts.
Well pretty much anything organic; as for pasta, if it’s gray you toss it.