So, you have jalapeños sitting in your refrigerator and you want to use them before they go bad. You get your fixings out, your veggies chopped, your meat sizzling, and you reach for the bag of fresh jalapeños and…the seeds are brown.
Unless you know they’re edible, you don’t want to put bits of rotten jalapeños in your food. You’re looking for that fresh heat, for a kick of spice, not a kick to the gut that’ll leave you bent over a toilet seat because you ate rotten jalapeños.
So, how do you know if jalapeños with brown seeds are bad?
Jalapenos with brown seeds are not bad yet. Brown-colored seeds are a sign that the jalapeno pepper is getting old so use these peppers soon. As long as there aren’t any signs of white or gray mold growing inside the pepper, the jalapeno can still be eaten.
So let’s dive into the jalapeno so you can learn how to properly store and use these spicy peppers.
How To Tell If Your Jalapenos Are Fresh Or Bad?
When you cut into fresh jalapeños, the seeds should be tiny and moist, and be off-white or butter- yellow.
Although fresh peppers won’t go bad for a couple of weeks, their skin will shrink and shrivel over time. The seeds will also begin to brown and dry up. This is how you can tell if a jalapenos is getting old and will go bad soon.
If the skin is soft and squishy and the seeds are black then the jalapeños are no longer edible. Similarly, if you cut into a fresh jalapeño and notice that the seeds are already black, that too is a sign that it is inedible.
How Long Before The Jalapenos Turn Bad?
Fresh jalapeños, if you remember to store them whole in the fridge, can last up to two weeks. Remember as time goes on the seeds may turn brown but the jalapeno is still edible.
Chopped jalapeños, however, only last up to two days, before the seeds whither or rot.
You don’t have to worry about the tinned or canned jalapenos; just use them by the expiration date because they will remain preserved in the canned juices.
How To Store Jalapeños So They Don’t Go Bad
A good method to prevent jalapeños from drying out is to store them in the vegetable drawer of your refrigerator in clean, dry and airtight plastic containers or bags.
You will notice the difference between a properly stored jalapeno in the fridge versus one left on the counter. The jalapenos in the fridge will have more firm skin and the seeds will remain closer to white compared to the jalapeno on the counter.
In fact, a study published in the Journal of Food Protection found that whole jalapeno peppers stored at 44°F did not grow any foodborne pathogens like salmonella. This only emphasizes the importance of storing your jalapenos properly in the fridge.
I’ve found that placing a folded paper towel inside the container will draw out moisture, and keep the jalapeño seeds fresh and light coloured and delay the browning process.
How To Use Jalapeños With Brown Seeds?
While jalapeños with brown seeds aren’t the best in terms of freshness and quality, they’re still good to use in cooked dishes. Depending on the skin’s firmness of your old jalapeno, you may not want to eat it raw since the texture can be rubbery.
So jalapenos with brown seeds do well in cooked dishes such as Mexican chilli, an egg-white frittata, or mac and cheese because you really can’t tell the difference.
But, if you’re making fresh salsa or a fresh salad, use fresh jalapeños with white seeds to get that oomph. The texture will be crunchier and the jalapenos should have a little more kick to them.
Conclusion
So, to sum it up, you can eat jalapeños with brown seeds.
Jalapenos with brown seeds are not bad yet. You can eat them as long as there aren’t any signs of white or gray fuzz or mold growing inside the pepper. Typically the mold will grow around the seeds so throw the entire pepper out if you spot that. Brown seeds are a sign that the jalapeno pepper is getting old and will go bad soon so be sure to use these peppers while you can.
If you see that your peppers and their seeds have started to let out water and smell ripe, turned black and shriveled, or you see white or gray fuzz anywhere along the inside, toss them out.
Now you can salvage those forgotten peppers and include them in some delicious cooked meals to give it that extra oompf!
