I just CAN't do it!
It's gross, and smelly and just should not happen! What am I talking about? Eating food that comes in a can...it really just grosses me out....my non-foodie friends think I'm being a snob. Anyone else feeling me on this?
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33 Comments:
Depends on the food. Beans: fine. Tomatoes: fine. Coconut milk, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, mandarin oranges, and cherry pie filling: all fine. I'm probably forgetting a few others that I'll eat, but pretty much anything else from a can repulses me.
ProfessorChaos at 4:35PM on 08/21/09
I'm ok with beans from a can, tuna I can do, Cranberry sauce doesnt bother me from a can. Tomato sauce i'm ok with but I much prefer my fruits and veggies fresh and uncanned.
However, anything called a "meal" in a can i'm very untrusting of. The first time I tried spaghetti-o's I vowed never again, to this day the thought of that taste gives me a little chill.
AyeEat at 4:48PM on 08/21/09
@AyeEat
foodiegal at 5:07PM on 08/21/09
Spaghetti - NO'S!!!
These are the things I was talking about! I saw the Commercial for the whole chicken in a can and I gagged!
foodiegal at 5:18PM on 08/21/09
Snails in a can are pretty good. My anchovies are salted and canned. Wouldn't be the same without them. Canned beans are a pretty good alternative to reconstituting the dried. My tomato sauces starts out from whole tomatoes in a can......Nothing wrong with the can, pretty helpful invention....sorry, not feeling you. Same with fresh food, its all about selection.
derosa at 5:26PM on 08/21/09
I agree with ProfessorChaos. It really depends on what is in the can. Tomatoes I can handle, and some beans, I cannot stomach any meat that comes from a can, including tuna and I really dislike veggies in a can (above referenced not withstanding) they come out soggy, and tasteless with an aweful pallid color.
Martini Me at 5:40PM on 08/21/09
Cans, tins, pouches...it's all fair game for me!
Traveller at 5:41PM on 08/21/09
The idea of posting this came from my in-laws because they eat chef things like beef stew in a can. I should have clarified...I agree that some ingredients that I've had have been from a can. I'm talking about the cheap eats! A very, helpful invention, indeed....some things should stay out of the can!
foodiegal at 5:42PM on 08/21/09
@foodieGal: Some outofcan diets realy gross me out.
I'm not an "exclusive" can eater but I do like mushrooms right from the can.
I've met people wo heat their spagetti-os, beeferoni, and stuff and I just CAN'T do it either *(gag)*
To each their own. You're not a snob foodegal
hungrychristel at 5:47PM on 08/21/09
People who live in hurricane prone areas learn to stock hearty soups, stews and chili in cans. Amazing how 9 days without power can make a can of beef stew cooked on the propane grill look like gourmet fare when there are no grocery stores and there is no gasoline. After you have cooked all the fresh food that is spoiling in the now dead fridge, you have to go for the canned stuff.
ocarol at 5:56PM on 08/21/09
Totally agreed, ocarol! I live in Georgia...I've had my fair share of hurricane weather.
foodiegal at 6:12PM on 08/21/09
dog food comes in a can! :^) pooch
pooch at 6:56PM on 08/21/09
Won't do a whole chicken in a can, peas, spinach, shrimp, soda pop and juice. Most other things yes.
pjracz10 at 7:24PM on 08/21/09
Tomatoes, beans (not green beans), garbanzos, and the cat will only eat Merrick dog food. Otherwise, no. Not meats, not peas, not spinach (or other greens).
beth1 at 7:34PM on 08/21/09
@pooch--are you canning your own dog food gourmet recipes now? Just a thought for your booth...maybe some rich city slickers will pay an upscale price for their pocketbook doggies! Did you ever see the movie Baby Boom with Terri Garr? Translate into organic baby food equals organic doggie food. You just might be able to do it.
Miss Ellie just found out how much she loves to swim after a very active camping trip where basically most of my time was throwing tennis balls into the river off of our campsite. Boy is my shoulder sore. And Ellie lost 5 lbs. while still eating a hotdog or burger here and there. Your doggies enjoying the summer?
dhorst at 7:45PM on 08/21/09
tomatoes. beans. corn. pumpkin. they're okay...I grew up using them.
We canned quite a few things ourselves long while back...but I'm not certain if that counts as 'being canned food'. Just yesterday a friend was relating her dinner which mainly composed of canned spinach. I had to take a moment to settle my stomach. Some vegetables just...some THINGS just strike me as being wrong in a can. Spinach is one of them, although I've never tried it. I just imagine gloop.
i like canned tuna when i get in a mood for it. canned salmon has NOTHING on its freshly prepared counterpart....and i really don't like the chalky, gritty feeling i get in my mouth when i eat the softened bones.
I remember thinking spam on crackers was the greatest treat ever though. Not so much now.
eggyzhe at 7:59PM on 08/21/09
When someone busts out with a can of cream of gak soup and dumps it over chicken quarters and calls it sauce - Count me out.
If you mean canned ravioli and canned green beans or carrots (way too soft), canned ravioli and LaChoy canned Chinese Dinners - you are 100% right - that's not food.
I doubt you are referring to unadulterated canned beans and canned tomatoes, paste, coconut milk and the like. Those are fine. They are ingredients and will likely not be purchased as "complete" foods to be spooned and eaten.
Let's face it, just about anything is better when it's made from scratch - and that's not limited to canned food. Put a good homemade mac & cheese or chocolate pudding up against anything you can buy in a box or little cup. Make some of that and your friends won't think you're so crazy.
therealchiffonade at 9:49PM on 08/21/09
LOL@ cream of Gak soup!
That's exactly what I'm talking about!
foodiegal at 10:43PM on 08/21/09
The first time my father in law flew out to California he brought tins of Vienna sausages to eat on the plane. I had never seen a hot dog in a can and was equally amazed at the ingredient list which included mechanically separated pork. On the other hand, I grew up with Simmenthal, an Italian version of Spam, so I shouldn't have been that surprised.
That said, I always, always have canned tomatoes, pumpkin and beans on hand. More often than not sardines, anchovies, tuna and coconut milk are also in the larder. I also keep a few of those small tins of Thai curry red/yellow and chipotle chilies in adobo for those Hail Mary meals. And my favorite for homemade frappuccinos is sweetened condensed milk.
Yum, I guess I love cans after all.
LearP at 1:27AM on 08/22/09
honestly, in this situation the cans aren't the culprit! i guess I'm just disgusted by the things that people will eat from a can! I will be the first to admit that I have used canned ingredients in my recipes ...but I am talking about things that shouldn't come in a can (as a chef..natural disasters excluded (0= ) chicken and dumplins!!! Where is Sweet Sue cause I could kick her butt !!???!
foodiegal at 2:08AM on 08/22/09
@hungrychristel I think you pegged my food fear...... canned pasta! that's just not right on soooo many levels!
foodiegal at 2:16AM on 08/22/09
Life is so awfully short, so why waste time eating mushy bland food like canned spinach, which is almost the grossest food on this planet, or canned pasta? I'd much rather spend 89 cents for a half-pound of fresh green beans than buy a can of the drab ones. Besides tasting better, the color's brighter, the texture's there, I'm not paying for water that I haven't salted myself, my grandkids won't have to live with mountains of cans that didn't get recycled and the grocery bag is easier to carry home.
I am a food snob and I'm dang proud of it.
Embrace your inner food snob! Unleash it on the non-foodies around you! You will be helping to make the world a better place, and you'll probably live longer, too. Just don't make me give up my can of Rico's nacho cheese sauce.
betteirene at 3:48AM on 08/22/09
There's nothing wrong with being a snob.
Cassaendra at 5:56AM on 08/22/09
Every once in a while I have a can of LaSoeur peas with onions and mushrooms. Not sure why. Probably a comfort food thing having grown up with canned peas, which are basically inedible.
lemonfair at 7:16AM on 08/22/09
So funny, foodiegal! I was thinking when I do have to eat canned foods, such as after a hurricane (central Florida here), Sweet Sue's chicken and dumplings is one "meal in a can" I can swallow. Of course they don't compare to home made, which are not hard to make, but in powerless conditions, I have found that meal to be way better than the pastas in the can you mentioned.
I also like Margaret Holmes brand of seasoned greens, for vegetables in a can. Again, fresh made is way better. But for heat and serve, they aren't bad. And I am finding some of the boxed soups to be pretty good. I like the organic stocks that are made with corn syrup and the V-8 brand of box soups are not bad. Box juices and even milk can be pretty good. I'm not sure if you are including the aseptic box packaging in your definition of canned though.
I'm still new to Serious Eats, and admit I have not delved very far back on the boards. Are there threads dedicated to either canned products to stock up on for survival meals, or for dutch oven cooking for camping trips which could possibly be converted for survival conditions? With hurricane season upon us, such a thread may be an interesting topic.
Gator Pam at 8:43AM on 08/22/09
@dhorst - how was your anniversary???? hope great..... sounds like you're having a great summer.... my dogs are having a hard time with the heat... the 2 are shitzu's ... rescues ... don't have any background health records but they have such sensitive skin and allergies. the other, peachy, is fine. if this heat and crazy weather ever break, they'll feel a little better, i'm sure. glad miss ellie is nice and trim, she must love to play with the kids.....
well, i am feeding them canned food for breakfast .... a change of pace...
i did have a lady that i made dogfood for .... turkey, greens, sweet potatoes .... i think she used to eat some herself! hope you have a great time before school starts back up, i know you'll be back to bread baking, et al.....:^)......
pooch at 9:58AM on 08/22/09
"There's nothing wrong with being a snob."
Boy, you are leaving yourself open for so-so much with a remark like that it isn't even funny.
But hey, it's the weel-end so I'll be nice.
tusti at 10:29AM on 08/22/09
spinach is a can is wrong. never tried it or opened a can of it. but the visual in my head tells me to just say no.
dearrie at 1:04PM on 08/22/09
Gator Pam - that's a good idea - why don't you start a talk topic?
lemonfair at 3:16PM on 08/22/09
lemonfair ~ I guess I'm concerned I might repeat topics that already exist.
Is there a way to search talk for topics before starting one?
Gator Pam at 9:36AM on 08/23/09
@tusti: I was being nice by not elaborating. ;)
Cassaendra at 9:50AM on 08/23/09
had to comment:
My father loves tamales in a can/jar - ugh!
My husband loves the snausages in a can - double ugh!
My sister-in-law loves asparagus in a can - triple ugh!
I can do mushrooms, tomatoes and peas. But do so rarely.
khfrisco at 6:37PM on 08/23/09
@therealchiffonade - Cream of Gak - Awesome - You just summed up my exact feelings regarding canned soup. I hate any dish that uses it as "sauce".
Martini Me at 12:04PM on 08/24/09