How to choose foods, interpret labels and quality signals, judge ripeness and understand origin or commercial categories.
Smell is one of the most useful signs: FDA says fresh fish should smell mild and fresh, not strongly fishy, sour, rancid or ammonia-like. Flesh should be firm and spring back when pressed. In fillets, darkening, discoloration or drying around the edges indicate loss of freshness, although no home test replaces correct cold storage.
A 90/10 label describes the raw mixture: roughly 90% lean tissue and 10% fat by weight. It does not mean 100 g cooked meat will contain exactly 10 g fat, because cooking changes both water and fat content.
Low-moisture nuts can still deteriorate because their fats oxidize. Airtight packaging, cool temperatures, and protection from moisture and strong odors make a major difference; chopped kernels generally have a shorter shelf life than whole ones.
Rancidity is fat oxidation, not a calendar date. It often shows up as an abnormal odor or flavor—old oil, paint, cardboard, or a harsh lingering bitterness—before there is an obvious visual change. Dark nuts are not automatically rancid, and normal-looking nuts can still taste oxidized.
Finding two small sprouts does not automatically condemn a potato. Look at the whole thing: firm and not green can usually be trimmed; heavily sprouted, green, soft, shriveled or bitter is a throw-it-out potato.