# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Not\_a\_Platypus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d26b3c/32.png) [@Not\_a\_Platypus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_a_Platypus)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/21 "2015-06-20T05:49:43Z")
I do, every time, which is really unhelpful for me since milk always smells bad or at least like it’s starting to go off. I always end up having to actually taste it to determine if it’s still good, or get a second opinion. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/22 "2015-06-20T14:13:34Z")
If I can smell it going bad, it’s waaay past chucking time. What I do is shake the (translucent plastic) jug a slight amount. (Not a big shake at all.) I watch the dribs from the top. If it sheets smoothly, it’s good. If there’s a hint of unevenness, time to toss. I tossed the last bit of a gallon last night because of this. 2 days past sell-by-date, but more importantly: almost 2 weeks since opening. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/23 "2015-06-20T14:35:30Z")
Never. As much as I like milk, I really hate the smell of it. Besides, I go through it pretty fast so I can even buy it with a few days left before the expiration date and still drink it fast enough. Even if it does start to go a little bad,\* I’m usually making chocolate milk or chugging it down fast enough that I don’t really care anyways. \*That’s _a little_ bad, like drinking a glass and saying ‘hmmm, that left a funny taste in my mouth’, not picking it out of my teeth bad. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/24 "2015-06-20T19:10:50Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > 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. While that’s not impossible, the pasteurization and carton-sealing processes make it very unlikely that an unopened bottle of milk goes bad before you buy it. Once it’s open in my fridge, I at least know it was not bad the last time I had some, so I feel like the unrefrigerated truck is not so much of a concern anymore. Anyway, I’m also fairly sensitive to the smell and taste of milk going bad. There are times I’m willing to toss milk when my wife insists that there is no smell or flavor that she can pick up. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/25 "2015-06-20T19:44:29Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > 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. Same here, only we buy almond milk due to lactose issues. I don’t think that stuff \*ever \*goes bad. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/26 "2015-06-20T20:47:47Z")
I don’t drink milk. Milk is for babies, cow’s milk is for calves. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/27 "2015-06-20T20:57:56Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > I don’t drink milk. Milk is for babies, cow’s milk is for calves. So, do you smell the carton before you give it to your babies?? ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/28 "2015-06-22T17:46:14Z")
> [@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. Right. Location is completely irrelevant. If we’re hovering around the expiration date, whiff always. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/29 "2015-06-22T18:07:32Z")
Nope. No sense of smell, so what’s the point? ---
**Author:** ![AllShookDown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d9b06d/32.png) [@AllShookDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllShookDown)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/30 "2015-06-22T18:13:09Z")
None of the above. I only smell it if it’s about a week past the “sell by” date. ---
**Author:** ![Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrogance_ex_machina/32/192_2.png) [@Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrogance_Ex_Machina)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/31 "2015-06-22T19:11:29Z")
I drink UHT milk and this stuff never goes bad. The carton claims it stays good only 5 days after opening but that’s most likely well on the safe side. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/32 "2015-06-22T21:08:44Z")
Of course I smell it, as I’m pouring straight down my throat. ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2015, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/33 "2015-06-22T23:45:28Z")
Actually, there was a response to a post either here or in Cafe Society that recommended “Smell the milk regardless of the date” and I started doing that on a regular basis after reading that. My FIL grew up in Wisconsin and brags that he loves any and all forms of milk. When I was visiting for the winter solstice, I smelled the couple ounces at the bottom of the gallon jug of milk, just out of (new) habit, and discovered it was horrible. I checked the side of the bottle and it was two weeks past the expiration date. Maybe the FIL could stomach it, but I knew I’d get cramps and runs on that garbage so I poured it down the sink and opened the next jug. –G. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/34 "2015-06-23T10:20:50Z")
Yes – I ended up with too many too-late mouthfuls of bad/soured milk growing up (cheapskate father who not only bought cheaper milk that was on sale as it was close to its end date, but also kept the fridge as warm as possible to keep the electric bill down.) ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/35 "2015-06-23T10:58:04Z")
Add me to the “yes, if it’s old” crowd. I don’t go by the sell-by date, but by how long it’s been since we opened it, which I think matters more. Every once in a blue moon I throw out a bowl of cereal as a result. I can afford to throw out a bowl of cereal a year. I’m sure I’ve never been sick from drinking old milk. And it doesn’t matter much if you are just cooking with it, not at all for safety, and probably not for taste. I guess if I were making a delicately flavored custard I might care. Cornbread? It’s will be fine. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/36 "2015-06-23T14:04:29Z")
Typically I don’t smell the milk. With one and three year old boys, we go through a gallon of milk in about 4-5 days, so there’s not really any time for it to spoil. At my parents’ and in-laws houses, my mom and MIL always buy new milk for the boys, so I don’t smell it there either. OTOH, if I was at my bachelor buddy’s house, you better believe I’d smell the milk! ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/37 "2015-06-24T20:23:59Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > While that’s not impossible, the pasteurization and carton-sealing processes make it very unlikely that an unopened bottle of milk goes bad before you buy it. I or my family have been buying and drinking milk for 40 years now in this country and we never got a brand new carton from the grocery store that was already bad. It’s just not something I worry about. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/38 "2015-06-24T20:33:21Z")
Only if the milk smells “off” when opened. We tend to go through a new gallon within 72 hours of opening so there’s no real concern unless it goes bad well before the date on the carton. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/39 "2015-06-25T16:06:30Z")
I always smell milk/cream/half & half before I pour it. I always smell meat and fish before I cook it. The nose knows, why not use it? (Yes, I know it’s possible for something to be bacteriologically hazardous and still smell fine, but it’s much less likely IMO). ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2015, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943/40 "2015-06-29T01:13:57Z")
Well, I always smell everything before I eat it, and always smell raw food before I cook it. But I don’t take the extra step of checking the smell of the milk before I pour it unless it’s old. If it smells nasty as I pour it, I’ll throw out the cereal. That doesn’t happen more than one a year. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-smell-the-milk-in-the-carton-before-pouring-it/722943.md?page=3)