Expiration dates on refrigerated food aren’t gospel — they’re conservative estimates by food manufacturers to ensure you don’t get sick from spoiled products. The trick to minimizing food waste is how to know just how long you have to wait to eat food that’s past its prime.

Yahoo Green, using Shelf Life Advice as a resource, delivers this guide to products that are steadily wasting away in your fridge as you read this. Among the items listed in the post:

* Milk: — Gulpable up to a week after the date passes, but expect a steady decline in taste and nutritional value.

* Mayo — Can last a month after it expires.

* Yogurt — Still OK a week to 10 days after expiration.

* Eggs — As long as they’re well refrigerated, they last 3 to 5 weeks past the date on the carton.

The story notes that expiration dates on eggs are governed by states of origin rather than a federal mandate.

What rules of thumb do you use to determine whether or not old food is safe to eat?

Food expiration dates: What do they really mean? [Yahoo Green]

Previously: Will This Food Kill Me? Ask The Internet

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