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White or pale circles inside a beet are usually a physiological growth pattern called zoning, not rot. If the root is firm, smells normal, and has no wet breakdown, mold, or mushy tissue, the rings themselves do not make it unsafe to eat.
A dry, spongy or hollow center in a radish usually reflects overmaturity and lost eating quality rather than rot. If the tissue is clean and dry it may still be eaten; watery softness, slime, mold, or an off odor are reasons to discard it.
A few tan or light-brown root tips can appear as sprouts lose freshness. Widespread dark brown or black roots that are soft, wet, slimy, or sour-smelling are not normal fresh-sprout quality and are a reason to discard the batch.
Slightly dented or dry kernels usually mean sweet corn has lost moisture and peak freshness. If the cob still smells normal and has no slime, mold, wet decay, or fermented odor, it can be cooked, though it will be less juicy and tender.
A single dry brown layer in a leek can often be removed if the tissue underneath is firm and clean. A center that is wet, slimy, mushy, collapsing, or foul-smelling indicates deterioration; discard the leek when that damage is extensive.
Bean or mung sprouts that have become slimy, mushy, dark, or sour-smelling should be discarded. A fresh vegetable smell is normal, but slippery tissue plus an abnormal odor points to spoilage; appearance alone cannot prove raw sprouts are free of pathogens.
Slightly wrinkled or dried-out ginger is often simply dehydrated. Cut into it: if the flesh is still firm, fibrous, and normally aromatic, it is usable; mold, wet softness, slime, or an unusual odor are reasons to discard it.
A blue-gray tint or distinct blue ring inside ginger can be completely natural in some types of ginger. If the flesh is firm, fibrous, and normally aromatic, with no mold or wet decay, the color alone is not a reason to throw it away.
Garlic that turns blue or green during cooking is usually undergoing a harmless color reaction between compounds naturally present in the cloves. If the garlic was firm, clean, and normal-smelling before cooking, the new color alone is not a reason to throw the dish away.
Dry, fibrous flesh usually points to age, maturity, or moisture loss. If the squash remains firm and clean-smelling without mold or wet decay, it can still be cooked, though the texture may be disappointing.
An onion that is watery or slimy inside has more than a freshness issue. A single dry damaged layer may be removed, but multiple soft, leaking, moldy, or foul-smelling layers are a reason to toss the bulb.
Sprouted onions are generally safe if the bulb itself is sound. The green shoot is edible too, but sprouting uses the bulb’s stored water and sugars, so texture and flavor usually decline.