The Red Flag That Indicates A Grocery Store Baked Good Has Seen Better Days - Tasting Table

"The best grocery store croissants should be golden brown and plump - indicating that their layers are airy, flaky, and fresh. Bakers often brush pastries and cakes with a lightly sweetened glaze to lock in moisture and preserve taste and texture, so look for bakes with a smooth, shiny exterior, indicating the coating has been applied (and relatively recently). If there's a glaze but the baked good appears to have lost its shine, take it as a sign to move on."

"Cookies, brownies, and breads don't typically have glazes, but you can examine the outsides for any signs of crumbly or crusty texture, condensation, or dulling they could be dry and past their prime. If pies topped with merengue look cracked or dusty, add them to the list of grocery store bakery items to avoid. In addition to using your best judgement to assess if a baked good in the bakery section has become dry from factors like sitting out too long"

Surface dryness, paling, and a dull exterior indicate that grocery-store pastries have lost freshness and should be avoided. Fresh croissants appear golden brown and plump, with airy, flaky layers, and often a smooth, shiny glaze that locks in moisture. Loss of shine, crumbly or crusty exteriors, condensation, or dulling on cookies, brownies, and breads signal staleness. Cracked or dusty meringue toppings suggest an old pie. Leaking or “bleeding” fruit juices on cakes and cupcakes can show premature topping placement or lack of glazing. Rock-hard frosting is another indicator of aged confections.

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