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How to tell if brussel sprouts are bad?

Brussel sprouts are a delicious and nutritious addition to any meal, but sometimes you might just wonder how to tell if brussel sprouts are bad?
Course Side Dish
Cuisine how to tell if brussel sprouts are bad
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 2
Author Lisa

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Brussel Sprouts

Instructions

  • Bad brussel sprouts can have a bad smell, similar to old cabbage. They might be a lighter green/yellow color, have brown edges, are moldy, or even slimy.
    1 lb Brussel Sprouts
    really yellow old brussel sprout
  • If the stem of the brussel sprout is black or brown, or there are black spots on the leaves, it is going bad. Sometime you can remove a bad outer leaf, similar to cabbage, and still eat the inside, if there are no signs of decay.
    old leaves on brussel srout
  • Raw sprouts are bad if there is mold present, all their leaves are loose, the leaves are turning yellow/brown, or if sprout is soft and squishy.
    moldy half of brussel sprout
  • Sometimes when you are removing the outer loose leaves, or even when you cut the sprout in half, you will see evidence of where a worm ate its way through the sprout. If there are only a few sprouts that show this I will just cut those pieces off (or toss the entire sprout) and cook the rest. If the entire bag/bunch of sprouts has evidence of being eaten by worms I will often return the produce and not eat it.
    evidenced of worm poop and dirt inside leaves of brussel sprout

Notes

Tips and Tricks
  • Raw on the counter they will last 3-4 days, raw in the refrigerator they will last 1-2 weeks.
  • Cooked brussel sprouts will keep 2-3 days I the refrigerator.