Is it SPOILED?????

 Spoiled Food: Being new to the kitchen, you may be wondering how to tell if those items in the back of your cabinets, refrigerator and panty are "not so fresh."  Here is a handy beginner's guide to help you make that decision

Eggs

When something starts pecking its way out of the shell, the egg is probably past its prime.

Dairy Products

Milk is spoiled when it starts to look like yogurt.

Yogurt is spoiled when it starts to look like cottage cheese.

Cottage cheese is spoiled when it starts to look like regular cheese.

Regular cheese is spoiled when you think it is blue cheese but you realize you've never purchased that kind.

Bread

Sesame seeds and Poppy seeds are the only officially acceptable "spots" that should be seen on the surface of any loaf of bread. Fuzzy and hairy looking white or green growth areas are a good indication that your bread has turned into a pharmaceutical laboratory experiment.

Flour

Flour is spoiled when it wiggles.

Canned Goods

Any canned goods that have become the size or shape of a softball should be disposed of carefully.

Carrots

A carrot in which you can tie a clove hitch is not fresh.

Raisins

Raisins should not be harder than your teeth.

Potatoes

Fresh potatoes do not have roots, branches, or dense, leafy undergrowth.

Chip Dip

If you can take it out of its container and bounce it on the floor, it has gone bad.

Unmarked Items

You know it is well beyond it’s prime when you're tempted to discard the plastic container along with the food. Generally speaking, plastic containers should not burp when you open them.

Here are some basic Food Storage Guidelines