Peering into your spinach container, you can't help but raise an eyebrow. Instead of crisp leaves, you're met by a slimy pile of dark green mess. It's not how you want to start your so-called health kick. But the question is, is any of it salvageable? Generally speaking, if less than half of the spinach is slimy, you're probably okay to eat the visibly unaffected pieces. Rinsing them with water won't remove stubborn bacteria, but if under 50% is impacted by nothing more than slime, you've likely caught the spoilage before it has rampantly spread and contaminated the packet. Just remove the bad spinach.

Here's the caveat: The soft and slightly stinky leaves are decomposing -- rotting down because of moisture usually introduced by condensation or manhandled shopping bags that cause crushing. Don't let the green color deceive you; wilting spinach is a blaring red flag for bacteria growth. Even visibly healthy leaves could carry microscopic, serious pathogens. It's important to use discernment when analyzing the extent of contamination, as consuming a partially slimy container does increase your E. coli and salmonella risk.

When learning how to tell if spinach has gone bad, a slimy texture is one of the biggest giveaways. Even if you decide to salvage some of your batch, it's best to treat the situation as an orange flag. Start the countdown; it's time to whip out some of your best spinach recipes and use the bunch up quickly.

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Spinach is infuriating; There, we said it. Fresh, it should last between five and seven days when refrigerated. However, the vegetable is notoriously susceptible to premature demise, and that's partially because of its high water content. Not only does it naturally droop and discolor. But because of the moisture retention, accidentally crushing a bag releases an excess liquid that can spur spoilage. To reach that seventh morning without any slimy surprises, you've got to treat spinach as a precious parcel.

Incidentally, the absolute best ways to keep spinach fresh all involve simply being more conscious of your approach to storage. The biggest mistake to avoid is leaving spinach on the counter after grocery shopping, as it lasts just two hours at room temperature. One hack to extend the lifespan of the green is to freeze it. Frozen in an airtight container, it lasts up to a year -- perfect for removing and defrosting smaller amounts as needed. You could also consider buying canned spinach, which lasts indefinitely unopened.

Is it worth buying canned spinach over fresh on a regular basis? Probably only as a backup; nothing beats the taste and crisp crunch of fresh leafy greens, but a can could be a convenient emergency stash for your pantry.