Bad broccoli does not only change its taste, but it also causes sickness to the person who eats it. Learn how to tell when broccoli is bad with our guide below!
Broccoli has experienced immense popularity recently because of its high vitamins and mineral contents. This green vegetable is a good source of folate and helps build collagen which the body needs to repair torn tissue. This is exactly the reason why broccoli is a popular ingredient of athletes’ and gym-goers’ diet.
Hoarding broccoli in your fridge is not a good practice though. This is because bad broccoli can cause food poisoning.
So, how to tell when broccoli is bad?
Before we discuss that, let’s first talk about the different tips on how to store broccoli the right way:
Contents
How To Store Broccoli And Make Them Last Longer
Store It With The Head Still Intact.
The most efficient way of prolonging the shelf life of broccoli is storing it in the fridge with its head still intact. A whole head of broccoli lasts longer than the cut or cooked ones.
Tip: Do NOT wash the broccoli before storing them in the fridge. The water will only add extra moisture that can attract molds to the broccoli.
When Cut, Blanch The Florets First.
On the other hand, when storing broccoli that is cut into florets, it is best to blanch them first. Since the head is already missing, they can easily rot faster. To stop the enzyme from being active, blanching will definitely help.
Blanching is a known preservation technique that is a pre-requisite to freezing some vegetables. This process involves dipping the broccoli florets into hot water for a minute or two.
Cooked Broccoli should be cooled down first.
Lastly, cooked broccoli is very tricky to store as other ingredients are already added to the vegetable. In fact, leaving cooked broccoli for more than 2 hours at room temperature can already make it go bad.
The best way to lessen this is to place the broccoli in an airtight container. Moreover, this container should be wrap with aluminum foil or even plastic which serves as moisture protection. However, cooked broccoli should be consumed within 5 days.
How To Tell When Broccoli Is Bad?
So, you have stored the broccoli properly but somehow forgot about it for weeks.
Is it still safe to eat?
Learn the signs on how to tell when broccoli is bad below:
1. Refer To Its Color.
The first tell-tale sign to identify bad broccoli is its color. The normal color of broccoli is lush green while the head is a bit lighter shade. But when the florets show a sign of yellow dots, the vegetable may already be spoiled.
Moreover, eating this broccoli will not give any nutrients at all since this already lost all its vitamins and other nutrients.
2. Molds! Molds! Molds!
Another sign that you should really look for is the presence of molds. If a floret has been infected with molds, it is best to just throw the whole head out. Don’t risk eating mold-infected broccoli.
Molds can cause stomach ache, vomiting, and food poisoning. This causes the broccoli to look yellow and makes it look disfigured and ugly looking.
3. Bad Smell
Aside from the color and the presence of molds, you need to use your sense of smell as well. Some bad broccoli doesn’t show any signs of color change or molds, but when you smell it, you can detect a strange odor.
When the smell of the vegetable is a bit bitter (or a bit harder than normal), best avoid consuming it. Broccoli should smell fresh and no trace of bad odor.
4. Different Texture
Fresh broccoli is known to have a chunky and hard texture. That is why having a good feel of its florets will help you sort out the bad ones.
When the broccoli becomes slimy to touch, it means the broccoli is undergoing a process called putrefaction or rotting of the inside tissue. Do not attempt to eat it and just throw it away.
5. Soft Stem
Another part of the broccoli that you can check is its stem. Hard trunks and stems mean fresh and healthy broccoli. The soft ones are an indication of rotting, so do not consume it.
Thanks for reading!
