# Do you smell the milk in the carton before pouring it? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 19, 2015, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943 "2015-06-19T13:03:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/1 "2015-06-19T13:03:10Z")
This is food-related, but I put it here because it’s a poll. Mods, please move if necessary. Whenever I take the carton of milk out of my fridge, I smell it to make sure it hasn’t gone bad. I only use milk for coffee/tea, so it can sit there a long time. Doesn’t everyone do this? But the question is, do you to it at other people’s houses… like if you’ve spent the night and you’re having breakfast, or if you’re having after-dinner coffee. would you do it only at a close relative or friend’s house or if you were sure no one was looking? I can’t cover all these nuances in my simple poll, so feel free to elaborate, explain, justify, defend, or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/2 "2015-06-19T13:06:34Z")
I only smell the milk if I’ve accidentally left it out on the counter for a while and I want to make sure it hasn’t gone bad. I usually check a milk’s freshness by looking at the expiry date. I live with my sister and the two of us drink so much milk, that milk going bad almost never happens as we drink it up well before the expiry date. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/3 "2015-06-19T13:06:44Z")
Sure, it’s automatic for me to take a whiff and double check freshness. I don’t want to pour sour milk, and waste a bowl of cereal . Cornbread mix, or even a cup of coffee. I do it anywhere if I’m the one pouring the milk. Typically they prepare breakfast if I’m staying at friends homes. I’ve been served cereal with milk that was a little off. I take a couple bites and if its really bad, push it aside. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/4 "2015-06-19T13:16:15Z")
At my own home, I know exactly when I’ve bought the milk and it almost never stays around long enough to go bad. I buy it on Friday and by the following Friday or Saturday it’s gone (I drink a glass daily). I don’t drink milk at people’s houses. I never stay the night at anyone’s house, and if I was going to have after dinner coffee, I’d have creamer or half-and-half and I’d never dream of smelling it. Even if it was poured and it turned out to be bad I might not say anything. I am the guest after all; I might just demur that I was too full, after all, to drink my coffee. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/5 "2015-06-19T13:24:35Z")
The Firebug, age 7, drinks a lot of milk. We go through a half-gallon jug every 3 days, give or take. There’s really no way for milk to go bad in our refrigerator, unless we have milk left in the fridge from before a trip or something like that. In that case, when we return, I’ll sniff it to see if it’s still good. Also I keep half-and-half in the fridge at work. I don’t use it all that frequently, so I sniff it if it’s been around awhile. I’ve sniffed the milk in my MIL’s house when we’ve stayed there in the past. She’s a pack-rat, and is as bad about throwing stuff out of her refrigerator as she is about throwing out anything else. (Unlike with the rest of the house, though, she’ll let us clean out her fridge and toss stuff.) Can’t recall having sniffed the milk at friends’ houses, although it’s not the sort of thing I’d remember. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/6 "2015-06-19T13:27:46Z")
We’ve been buying Lactaid milk for a while now, since it basically doesn’t go bad. Haven’t felt the need to smell the milk as a result. ---
**Author:** ![MoonMoon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moonmoon/32/2959_2.png) [@MoonMoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoonMoon)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/7 "2015-06-19T14:06:38Z")
I don’t stay at other people’s houses. I rarely sniff it at my house, because I know when I bought it and I by only as much as I need, so it never stick around long enough to go bad. ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/8 "2015-06-19T14:16:19Z")
Your poll leaves out my condition: I smell it if it’s very close to (a day before or on) or beyond the expiration date. Otherwise, I don’t smell it. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/9 "2015-06-19T14:45:32Z")
Poll options aren’t great, my odds of smelling the milk are directly proportional to the age of the milk. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/10 "2015-06-19T15:09:16Z")
Milk at my house does not have time to go bad. I buy a quart of half and half and it is gone days before the sell by date. A gal of whole milk lasts about 3 days, so I never smell it. I can’t remember using milk from someone else’s house, but I guess I trust them to get rid of it before letting me have some if it has gone bad. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/11 "2015-06-19T15:33:43Z")
I get the ultra-pasteurized stuff that’s good for at least a month. Never need to check it. I will check expiration dates if I buy milk somewhere. But no, I never sniff it. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/12 "2015-06-19T15:33:49Z")
I’ve never experienced “bad” soy-milk. If I buy cow milk for a recipe, I buy the smallest volume possible then pour out whatever is left. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/13 "2015-06-19T16:09:35Z")
Other: When it’s more than a week old. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/14 "2015-06-19T16:28:56Z")
> [@Jman](#): > > Your poll leaves out my condition: I smell it if it’s very close to (a day before or on) or beyond the expiration date. Otherwise, I don’t smell it. This is how I am. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/15 "2015-06-19T16:54:12Z")
> [@Jman](#): > > Your poll leaves out my condition: I smell it if it’s very close to (a day before or on) or beyond the expiration date. Otherwise, I don’t smell it. Yeah, I’d only smell it if I had some doubt about it, and this would mainly be if it were past the date. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/16 "2015-06-19T19:32:35Z")
I need an “other” option too. I also go by the sell-by date. If the date is today or in the future, I don’t bother smelling it and I just assume everything is fine. If the sell-by date has passed, I start using smell to check if we’re still good. Usually, I get another week or so before the milk has spoiled. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/17 "2015-06-19T22:34:32Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > Poll options aren’t great, my odds of smelling the milk are directly proportional to the age of the milk. Ditto. I can’t vote - it’s not an always/never sort of question. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/18 "2015-06-19T23:43:00Z")
I so rarely drink milk or use it in beverages (like coffee) that I don’t ever sniff. And when baking at home I know when it was bought so there is no need to sniff. I went no - never. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/19 "2015-06-20T01:27:23Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > I need an “other” option too. I also go by the sell-by date. > > If the date is today or in the future, I don’t bother smelling it and I just assume everything is fine. > > If the sell-by date has passed, I start using smell to check if we’re still good. Usually, I get another week or so before the milk has spoiled. > [@elfkin477](#): > > Ditto. I can’t vote - it’s not an always/never sort of question. Sorry I left out the “sell-by” date option. I always smell the milk, no matter how close it is to the sell-by date. Y’all are very trusting. The milk may have sat in a truck unrefrigerated or something and smelling it only takes a second. I said you would need to provide your own nuances. ---
**Author:** ![May\_20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@May\_20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/May_20)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/20 "2015-06-20T05:30:45Z")
MayGirl is the primary milk drinker here, so I don’t often deal with the milk, nor do we often have milk go bad. When I take out the milk, I smell it in the jug before I pour. If I’m going to be drinking it, I’ll smell it in the glass before I drink it, too. Soured milk is nasty. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943.md?page=2)