primitives discuss perils of canned foods

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x71155

Oh my.

Grandma:

hippywife  (1000+ posts)        Thu Nov-19-09 09:37 PM
Original message
 
Concern about canned foods.

after which some news article encouraging hysteria about canned foods

I dunno.

franksolich uses canned foods only rarely.

Not because of any possible perils, but because canned food sucks.

The greasy son-of-a-strumpet primitive, who has NOT donated to Skins's island, comments, but never mind.

The sour dour theologian defrocked warped primitive, who has NOT donated to Skins's island:

Warpy  (1000+ posts)        Fri Nov-20-09 12:13 AM
Response to Reply #1
 
2. I use very few canned items

I like Italian green beans because they don't sell them fresh or frozen here in NM. If I'm getting sick I have an uncontrollable craving for Mother Campbell's chunky chicken noodle soup. Once a year I'll make tuna salad and twice a year I do coconut macaroons with condensed milk.

That's pretty much been my pattern for decades, 4-6 cans of something or other a year. That seems like a pretty acceptable risk to me.

If I'm ever too poor to afford frozen goods, I'll just get canning jars and can my own stuff again, snapping up the unwanted bounty at the local farmer's market in August and September.

I shudder to think what my intake was when I was a kid, though. My mother hated cooking and the can opener was her best friend.

On edit: I think the biggest risk for most people is from bottled water which is consumed at the rate of several bottles a day and has had gawd knows how much time to sit in a warehouse and leach nasties into the water.

I use plastic bottles for soda, but I make my own and drink them immediately. Not much chance of getting a lot of chemical that way!

New Mexico doesn't have grocery stores with freezers from which frozen foods are sold?

Now, how behind the times is that?

The greasy son-of-a-strumpet primitive interrupts, but never mind.

hippywife  (1000+ posts)        Fri Nov-20-09 07:44 AM
Response to Reply #3
 
4. My guess would be that coating was created to put a barrier between the food and the metal. I'm sure the idea was to prevent the "taste" of the food from picking up a metallic tinge and, and in some cases, preventing the corrosion of the can and in effect extending the shelf life of the product.

The unintended consequences are a strong recommendation for eating fresh foods as much as possible.

We do have some canned foods. I like to keep a few cans of Amy's Organic soups around for Bill, and I do buy tomato paste and, before I canned my own from the garden this summer, canned tomatoes. I've never cared for canned v*****s as they develop a sugary off-flavor in the can, except as Warpy pointed out Italian cut green beans on occasion.

The vindictive primitive:

Vinca  (1000+ posts)       Fri Nov-20-09 07:45 AM
Response to Original message

5. There is nothing on earth worse than a canned green bean.

Doug's stupid ex-wife, who has NOT donated to Skins's island:

EFerrari  (1000+ posts)        Fri Nov-20-09 08:00 AM
Response to Reply #5
 
6. Canned spinach?

That's hell in a can, right there!

Vinca  (1000+ posts)       Fri Nov-20-09 08:31 AM
Response to Reply #6
 
7. spinach slipped my mind. It's a tie.

hippywife  (1000+ posts)        Fri Nov-20-09 08:50 AM
Response to Reply #6
 
8. Doh! See, now there's another place I need to eliminate a can that I nearly forgot about. About two to three times a year, I make homemade Italian wedding soup. I've always liked using the canned with the juices because of the flavor it adds to the broth. Gonna have to start planning a little farther ahead to cook down fresh the day or so before.

hippywife  (1000+ posts)        Fri Nov-20-09 08:53 AM
Response to Reply #5
 
9. As I'm sure many of us did, I grew up on canned v*****s. Too many kids and not enough moola to go around to be able to afford frozen at the time, and there were fewer fresh v*****s that kids will eat available in the grocery year round like there is now.

I don't used canned v*****s and haven't for a really long time, for the most part with the exceptions of the aforementioned Italian green beans and spinach, and only occasionally at that.

For me, corn is the absolute worse example of what an abomination a canned v****e can be.

[IassaFTots]

Canned asparagus.  That is the worst.  I never ate canned vegetables as a child.  My Mom thought they tasted like crap, so we always had frozen.  And we were poor too. 

[JohnnyReb]

There is nothing on earth worse than a canned green bean.

Frozen ones from the deep freeze....look and taste like boiled grass when cooked.

I'll take mine from one of Momma's quart Mason jars, thank you.

[Mike220]

5. There is nothing on earth worse than green beans.

Fixorated.

Not a fan of green beans. They always tasted slimy to me.

[ScubaGuy]

Canned asparagus.  That is the worst.  I never ate canned vegetables as a child.  My Mom thought they tasted like crap, so we always had frozen.  And we were poor too. 

I have to agree with you on that. 

Nothing like fresh asparagus.

[GOBUCKS]

Canned creamed corn?  Excellent. Try combining 50/50 with whole kernel.
Canned kidney beans?  Chili without them is just meat soup.
Canned tuna?  Terrific for tuna salad or just by itself.
Canned diced tomatoes?  Great for any recipe.
Canned tomato sauce? Perfect.
Canned soups? Better than 95% of homemade soup.
Canned tomato paste?  Only an idiot would make their own.
Canned asparagus?  Didn't know they made it. Probably good.
Canned spinach?  Cooked spinach sucks in any form.
Canned mushrooms? Perfect in any recipe calling for mushrooms.
Canned heat? Unbeatable for a cocktail with a kick - temporary blindness.
Canned green beans? Outstanding, if you pick and can your own. Halfrunners are the only edible green bean.

So, I am happy to have cleared up that misunderstanding with regard to canned foods.

[debk]

Canned creamed corn?  Excellent. Try combining 50/50 with whole kernel.
Canned kidney beans?  Chili without them is just meat soup.
Canned tuna?  Terrific for tuna salad or just by itself.
Canned diced tomatoes?  Great for any recipe.
Canned tomato sauce? Perfect.
Canned soups? Better than 95% of homemade soup.
Canned tomato paste?  Only an idiot would make their own.
Canned asparagus?  Didn't know they made it. Probably good.
Canned spinach?  Cooked spinach sucks in any form.
Canned mushrooms? Perfect in any recipe calling for mushrooms.
Canned heat? Unbeatable for a cocktail with a kick - temporary blindness.
Canned green beans? Outstanding, if you pick and can your own. Halfrunners are the only edible green bean.

So, I am happy to have cleared up that misunderstanding with regard to canned foods.

Green Giant niblets.....cook in micro with real butter and black pepper, and I could eat the entire can.
Green Giant creamed corn....in the pantry for adding to cornbread.
Starkist tuna....has to be albacore in water.
Green Giant mushrooms...pieces and stems....buy them 12 to a case at Sam's.
Swanson Chicken Broth.....always in the pantry.
Tomatoes.....diced, whole, and stewed...and Rotel......always in the pantry.
Progresso soups....always in the pantry.
Campbell's Cream of Chicken and Cream of Mushroom...are always in the pantry.
Black olives, both pitted, sliced, and diced....always in the pantry.
Green chilies.....sliced and diced.....always in the pantry.
Eagle Brand condensed milk...the real stuff, not that fat free....always in the pantry.
Libby's Pumpkin....always in the pantry.
Carnation milk....the real stuff...in both sizes....always in the pantry.

I do buy Green Giant regular and french cut green beans on occasion, because I like them zapped in the micro with a bit of onion, butter and white vinegar.....no one else does...but I do. 

Never buy asparagus, peas or spinach in a can....it's just wrong.

[Karin]

Warpy makes tuna salad only once per year?  That's a lunch staple, what the hell?
 
Another good staple to have is Progresso Mushroom soup.  Brown up some pork chops, add the can, rinse the can with a little wine, throw the covered pan in the oven for 3 hours at 300, make some mashed potatoes to go with the gravy and you're all set.  Good for swedish meatballs, too. 

[jukin]

A full pantry of canned food makes Jukin feel good and comfortable.  Even more so in the present economic conditions but I grew up very poor and "food concerned."

[happy1ga]

I dont live out of cans but there is absolutely nothing wrong with using them. These people are ceritfiable.

[debk]

Warpy makes tuna salad only once per year?  That's a lunch staple, what the hell?
 
Another good staple to have is Progresso Mushroom soup.  Brown up some pork chops, add the can, rinse the can with a little wine, throw the covered pan in the oven for 3 hours at 300, make some mashed potatoes to go with the gravy and you're all set.  Good for swedish meatballs, too. 

Growing up, meat was not eaten on Fridays.

I would have starved without tuna fish sandwiches.....I didn't like PB&J.

[The Village Idiot]

Canned creamed corn?  Excellent. Try combining 50/50 with whole kernel.
Canned kidney beans?  Chili without them is just meat soup.
Canned tuna?  Terrific for tuna salad or just by itself.
Canned green beans? Outstanding, if you pick and can your own. Halfrunners are the only edible green bean.

So, I am happy to have cleared up that misunderstanding with regard to canned foods.

Canned green beans, warm them up and add a little butter. Geez. I like canned foods, their cheap. I'm cheap. Its a good match.

[LC EFA]

The only problem I noticed with eating canned food, something that I do all the time while out and about in remote areas, is that no one wants to be in an enclosed space like a truck cab with me the next day.

Especially when the canned food of choice is Stagg Chili ConCarne .

[jukin]

Canned green beans, warm them up and add a little butter. Geez. I like canned foods, their cheap. I'm cheap. Its a good match.

Yes but if you are on food stamps there is no reason to accept anything but the very best and most convenient/expensive food available.

From the responsible to the irresponsible.

[crockspot]

I have to agree with you on that. 

Nothing like fresh asparagus.

My neighbors on either side of me each have an asparagus patch that encroaches on my property. I don't make them dig them up and move them, and they don't shoot at me if I wander over and break off a few stalks. What I pick doesn't even make it back to the house to be cooked. I much them raw on the walk back.

[miskie]

Being we grew up as the working poor in a typical blue-collar neighborhood in a mill-town we ate all sorts of canned food - my absolute favorite being canned asparagus> Seriously - I love the mushy texture. But then again I don't mind creamed corn either, though I do find it needs to be eaten shortly after purchase as creamed corn ends up tasting like creamed can in a very short amount of time.

We also got food stamps, WIC, low cost food co-op packages and Government cheese.

Nothing makes a tuna-noodle casserole quite as delicious as government cheese.