What you see: White crusty flakes at the top of your milk jug What it is: Dried milk Eat or toss? Eat! Well, not that you need to go out of your way to consume
Spin me into salad! These scars are fine to eat
What you see: Dried out rings running circles around your tomato What it is: Scarring after a growth spurt Eat or toss: Eat! The dry, brown areas may not have a
These white crystals are badges of savory cheese honor
What you see: White dots in your aged Italian-style or gouda cheeses that are clearly not mold. What it is: Crystals of an amino acid called tyrosine. Eat or
Don’t be bitter about these dark, sunken spots on your apple. The rest is still sweet
What you see: Little, dark sunken spots on the outside of your apple; and/or brown spots just underneath the skin. What it is: Bitter pit, a defect caused by
The light brown area on this grapefruit is harmless
What you see: Light brown scars on the peel, in a pattern something like broken lace. What it is: Wind scar. Eat or toss? Eat! This is only a superficial
Center of salmon looks a little mushy or soft?
What you see: The center of your salmon looks mushy. What it is: Lots of things could be going on here, but as long as your fish isn’t smelly, you’re fine. Eat
This eggplant is too far gone, but smaller brown and orange skin patches can be OK
What you see: Brown/orangish colors in your eggplant’s skin. What it is: Likely chilling injury. Eat or toss: The eggplant pictured above was too far gone to
Whitish stuff on chocolate is edible, but…
What you see: A light, whitish/grayish/beige-ish powdery coating on chocolate. What it is: “Bloom,” the result of fat or sugar exiting the “chocolate matrix”
The white fuzz inside your clementine is supposed to be there
What you see: A delicate white fluff in the center of your clementine (or tangerine, or other type of mandarin). What it is: Basically just an airier version of
Shady areas inside your eggplant?
What you see: Brownish coloring inside your eggplant. What it is: Oxidation. Eat or toss: Eat! This eggplant likely had a traumatic experience (most likely
Tomato insides a bit green?
What you see: A green coloration inside your tomatoes, especially in the gel around the seeds What it is: A particular feature of the breed; or, a physical
Why garlic and herb oil infusions can be dangerous
What you see: Garlic cloves deliciously infusing in oil. What it is: A potential harborer of botulism. Eat or toss: This depends entirely on the circumstances.
Brown pattern on pear is perfectly edible (and kind of looks like a map of a faraway land, no?)
What you see: An odd brown pattern on the outside of a pear. What it is: Russeting, a harmless response to water, frost and other environmental conditions. Eat
Can you eat tomatoes with deep but dry holes?
What you see: A dry line running down the outside of a tomato, with a hole or two in its midst. What it is: A sign that, way back when, a part of the tomato
Are the brown spots on cauliflower OK to eat?
What you see: Brown spots on cauliflower. What it is: Bruising, most likely from bumping into other cauliflower heads, or cold temperatures. Eat or toss: Eat!
Dark area on raw salmon
What you see: A dark brownish spot on your salmon, most likely toward the tail. What is is: Bruising. Eat or toss: Eat! If you’re very concerned about