Dairy & cheese · Food safety
Can you freeze milk? Yes, but here is what changes
Milk can be frozen, but thawing may leave it separated or slightly grainy. Freeze it fresh, leave expansion space and thaw it in the refrigerator.
Articles by topic
Storage & shelf life
How long foods keep and how refrigeration, containers, temperature and storage conditions affect quality and safety.
Seaweed, spices & more · Storage & shelf life
Does Baking Powder Expire? Use This Quick Test
Old baking powder can look perfectly normal yet leave a cake flat. A hot-water test checks its remaining leavening power: strong immediate fizzing means it is still reactive; weak bubbling means it is time to replace it.
Seaweed, spices & more · Storage & shelf life
Does Yeast Expire? A Simple Way to Check Whether It Still Works
Old dry yeast is usually a performance problem rather than a spoilage problem: fewer cells remain active, so dough may rise slowly or not at all. A quick warm-water test can tell you whether it is still producing gas.
Oils & fats · Food safety
Can You Reuse Cooking Oil? How to Do It More Safely
Used frying oil can be reused, but not indefinitely. Its useful life depends on temperature, food debris, moisture, the oil itself, and storage. Straining and cool, sealed storage help; foaming, rancid odor, heavy darkening, or abnormal smoking are reasons to discard it.
Fruit · Food safety
Pear is too soft around the core: when to throw it away
A ripe pear should be tender, but the flesh around its core should not become a watery or brown mass. If that area collapses, leaks, smells fermented, or has mold, the pear has moved beyond useful ripeness and should be discarded.
Fruit · Food safety
Pear is brown inside: when it is overripe and when it is spoiled
A pear can begin browning around the core after it has ripened too far or exceeded its useful storage life. A small firm-to-soft brown area may reflect overripeness, but watery, collapsing, moldy, or fermented-smelling tissue is a reason to discard the fruit.
Vegetables & mushrooms · Food safety
Black spots on a radish: when you can trim them and when to toss it
A small black spot that is dry and superficial can sometimes be trimmed away if the radish is firm and the flesh directly underneath is clean. If the lesion is sunken, wet, soft, spreading inward, moldy, or foul-smelling, discard the radish.
Fruit · Storage & shelf life
Mealy apple: why it loses its crisp texture even when it is not rotten
A mealy apple can still be sound. As apples age and their cell structure changes, the cells separate more easily instead of bursting and releasing juice, creating a dry, grainy bite. If there is no mold, rot, or off odor, the problem is mainly quality.
Vegetables & mushrooms · Storage & shelf life
Artichoke with wide-open or dry leaves: how to tell if it is past its prime
Wide-open leaves or dry tips usually mean an artichoke is overmature or has lost moisture, not that it is automatically rotten. If it is still firm, dry, and normal-smelling, it can be cooked, although the bracts and heart may be tougher and more fibrous.
Vegetables & mushrooms · Storage & shelf life
Soft or wrinkled beet: when it is still okay to eat
A wrinkled or slightly flexible beet is often dehydrated rather than rotten. Cut it open: if the flesh is still firm, clean, and normal-smelling, it can be cooked; wet, mushy, slimy, moldy, or foul-smelling tissue means discard it.
Vegetables & mushrooms · Storage & shelf life
Corn on the cob with shriveled or dry kernels: is it still good?
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.
Vegetables & mushrooms · Food safety
Slimy leek or brown center: how to tell when it has gone bad
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.