To get to the bottom of other widely believed food rules — and find out what's true and what's bogus according to the agency that regulates food safety — I reached out to an expert therein.
To ease your eating worries, here's the lowdown on eight food safety questions you've likely had at one point in your life:
Food "Rule" #1: It's unsafe to drink milk past its sell-by date, even if it's just a day or two.
Food "Rule" #2: You shouldn't drink from a cup of water that has been left sitting out overnight.
Food "Rule" #3: White discoloration on a chocolate bar means the chocolate has gone bad.
Food "Rule" #4: Butter should be stored in the fridge, not at room temperature in a butter dish.
Food "Rule" #5: All fruit and vegetables should be washed before eating.
Food "Rule" #6: Raw eggs will make you sick.
Food "Rule" #7: You shouldn't double-dip.
Food "Rule" #8: If you bring a homemade salad to work, you should refrigerate it immediately. Keeping it at room temperature will make it go bad by lunchtime.