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Items You Prefer Canned


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My ex preferred canned peas to frozen and when I railed that canned peas bore so little resemblence to the real thing that they might as well be a different species, his reply was simply he knew that and he preferred the canned one.

I think Lesueur early peas in the silver can are fantastic (though the texture is a little soft for some applications). They are much better than any of the frozen peas. Really fresh green peas are better but I think the Lesueur peas are delicious just the same.

Edited by BadRabbit (log)
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The canning process, because it involves at least a small amount of cooking, will change texture, color and flavor of most foods. If you like it, you like it. For me, it's tuna. I don't much care for it fresh, but I'll eat the canned stuff any time.

Dave Scantland
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dscantland@eGstaff.org
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Eat more chicken skin.

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I think Lesueur early peas in the silver can are fantastic (though the texture is a little soft for some applications). They are much better than any of the frozen peas. Really fresh green peas are better but I think the Lesueur peas are delicious just the same.

I recall that brand of canned pea being in the Saveur top 100 foods of the year some time ago. Has quite a following.

Personally my stepmother's pea salad with lots of eggs and mayo only tastes good with canned peas. I am also a canned tuna fan. Fresh tuna leaves me cold most of the time. Of course I have never had quality sushi.... With tuna the canned product is just a different delicious animal- not really comparable.

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For me, it's pears. Fresh pears can be great, but more often, it seems, they're either mealy or mushy. Canned pears are much more reliable.

I agree. I love pears but a mealy one makes me want to hurl. Lately, it seems that 50% of the fresh I buy are mealy.

Edited by BadRabbit (log)
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Love this thread. I can come out of the can closet with everyone else. For many canned items, I consider them a separate category, not necessarily in competition with fresh. All the vegetables have to be of the salted variety, except the tomatoes.

Peaches - Love these. Fresh ripe peaches are one of my favorite fruits, but they are only available for 2-3 months at best.

Pinneaple - nearly as good as fresh Delmonte Gold and no work

Fruit cocktail - great with cotage cheese or Greek yogurt, in Jello, or alone

Sour Cherries - for pie (fresh are so rare and so time-consuming to pit)

Tomatoes - for cooking and even for salsas in a pinch

All beans - even restaurants rely on their consistency

Corn - I also like it right out of the can. Otherwise it's fresh on-the-cob. I don't like frozen.

Green beans - I like the regular cut, especially for salads. I also like the fresh, but would rather have canned than undercooked fresh

Evaporated milk - much better for cooking than fresh

Sardines - can barely eat the fresh ones, but love the canned

Tuna - for me it's either sushi or canned (also the fancy ventresca in olive oil)

Salmon - I'm tired of fresh salmon, actually

Corned beef - this is totally different than fresh corned beef (which I love) and is cooked in a quick stew and served with rice (a Puertorican pantry standby)

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I agree with the canned corn over frozen crowd. All of the frozen corn I've tried has a mushy texture.

And canned asparagus to top my omelets.

Canned pineapple has to be used for any dish that you expect to congeal.

I'm not a fan at all of canned green beans just to eat, but always I keep a few cans in the fridge to toss into a standard mixed-greens salad. In fact, cold beans of any kind are delicious in almost every sort of salad and a great way to get my kids to eat veggies.

Canned spinach with a little splash of pepper vinegars is a different dish from fresh spinach, no matter what you do to it.

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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Love this thread.

Evaporated milk - much better for cooking than fresh

How do you use evaporated milk when the recipe calls for fresh milk, please? Any other tips?

I've always had this 'thing' about using evaporated milk although I have no idea why. It seems like a very good idea and if you could give me a few directions, I'll go for it.

Thanks. :smile:

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

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Love this thread.

Evaporated milk - much better for cooking than fresh

How do you use evaporated milk when the recipe calls for fresh milk, please? Any other tips?

I've always had this 'thing' about using evaporated milk although I have no idea why. It seems like a very good idea and if you could give me a few directions, I'll go for it.

Thanks. :smile:

I'm one of those folks that ALWAYS has at least a few cans of evap milk in the pantry. I think the instructions say that if you want to use it like fresh milk, you should mix it with an equal amount of water. And sometimes I do dilute it. But often, just use the concentrated version.

It's perfect to keep on hand in case you run out of milk. It's also a good, less fattening, substitute for cream or half & half in coffee. And, you know, you can whip it, too, like cream.

There are as many uses for it as there are for milk itself. I just wouldn't be without it.

_______________________

Edited by Jaymes (log)

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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Never had canned potatoes. What can they do that fresh from the sack cannot?

Peter Gamble aka "Peter the eater"

I just made a cornish game hen with chestnut stuffing. . .

Would you believe a pigeon stuffed with spam? . . .

Would you believe a rat filled with cough drops?

Moe Sizlack

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Never had canned potatoes. What can they do that fresh from the sack cannot?

Many people take them camping, or to vacation cabins, RVs, and that sort of thing.

That's the only place I've ever had them.

At least that I've been aware of.

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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I'm one of those folks that ALWAYS has at least a few cans of evap milk in the pantry. I think the instructions say that if you want to use it like fresh milk, you should mix it with an equal amount of water. And sometimes I do dilute it. But often, just use the concentrated version.

It's perfect to keep on hand in case you run out of milk. It's also a good, less fattening, substitute for cream or half & half in coffee. And, you know, you can whip it, too, like cream.

There are as many uses for it as there are for milk itself. I just wouldn't be without it.

_______________________

This tip is incredible for me. We don't normally use whole milk and I am constantly juggling 2% plus half&half for whole. I just seem to recall that the taste of evaporated milk is distracting. I'll try it in coffee today.

As for whipping...no additions needed? Etc?

Thanks. :smile:

Just did a quick check (Canadian brands):

1 tablespoon of evaporated milk = 30 calories

1 tablespoon of half&half = 17.5 calories

Edited by Darienne (log)

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

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As for whipping...no additions needed? Etc?

Thanks. :smile:

Just did a quick check (Canadian brands):

1 tablespoon of evaporated milk = 30 calories

1 tablespoon of half&half = 17.5 calories

As I recall for whipping evaporated milk - the instructions were everything cold! I seem to remember putting the milk in the metal mixer bowl with the beaters, chilling it all until cold, then whipping. Used it in some of those fillings for crumb crust pies I think.

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I'm really surprised at the love for canned green beans and corn; I much prefer frozen if I can't get fresh. Maybe I've just tried the wrong brands. What are the better brands of canned corn and green beans? I should have some on hand for those times when we lose power for days.

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This tip is incredible for me. We don't normally use whole milk and I am constantly juggling 2% plus half&half for whole. I just seem to recall that the taste of evaporated milk is distracting. I'll try it in coffee today.

Just did a quick check (Canadian brands):

1 tablespoon of evaporated milk = 30 calories

1 tablespoon of half&half = 17.5 calories

I must say, the calorie thing is wonderful news. I'd never checked it (obviously) but just assumed that as half & half is half cream, it must be more fattening.

I do much prefer half & half in my coffee, but always figured it was the worse choice.

Now I'll drink it guilt free.

I do still think that evap milk is probably lower in calories than cream, so although I'll definitely check, will probably continue to whip it as a better choice for toppings, unless I'm giving myself the occasional treat of the real thing.

And I don't prefer the taste of evap milk in coffee. I do find it "distracting," as you say. But the half & half needs to stay fresh in the fridge and, when I'm out, I'd rather have the evap milk than that powder stuff which is primarily high-fructose corn syrup, or skimmed milk, which is the other thing we usually have available.

Since I always have some cans of evap milk in the pantry as backup, it's always available when I run out of fresh half & half.

_________________________

Edited by Jaymes (log)

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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I'm really surprised at the love for canned green beans and corn; I much prefer frozen if I can't get fresh. Maybe I've just tried the wrong brands. What are the better brands of canned corn and green beans? I should have some on hand for those times when we lose power for days.

Or, conversely, maybe I've tried the wrong brands of frozen corn. To me, the texture is always awful. Mushy. Canned corn, on the other hand, seems to better retain its crunch.

Although I'm with you on the canned green beans. I don't get that, either.

____________________

Edited by Jaymes (log)

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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I'm really surprised at the love for canned green beans and corn; I much prefer frozen if I can't get fresh. Maybe I've just tried the wrong brands. What are the better brands of canned corn and green beans? I should have some on hand for those times when we lose power for days.

Or, conversely, maybe I've tried the wrong brands of frozen corn. To me, the texture is always awful. Mushy. Canned corn, on the other hand, seems to better retain its crunch.

Although I'm with you on the canned green beans. I don't get that, either.

___________________

One thing I discovered long ago is NOT to cook your frozen corn, peas or small cut green beans ! Just thaw them under running hot water in a strainer. They're blanched before they're frozen. Whole green beans are too big to do this successfully, but it works like a charm for the others. Miles beyond canned, and almost...almost...as good as fresh.

--Roberta--

"Let's slip out of these wet clothes, and into a dry Martini" - Robert Benchley

Pierogi's eG Foodblog

My *outside* blog, "A Pound Of Yeast"

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I did a really good dish with frozen beans in the wok. Had a sweet and sour or a soy sauce/honey/hot sauce mix that I added for long enough for the beans to thaw. You're right ... frozen veg don't need cooking. When I do creamed corn, the frozen corn goes right in and doesn't need much time in the bechamel.

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Evap milk makes the best gravy, I prefer it for that over fresh. Makes it so rich you could bypass the potatoes, toast or whatever and just eat it with a spoon! Same with chowder and cheese soup. But, keep it away from the glass or coffee...ick! I am also on the canned tuna bandwagon, other than sushi of course.

Brenda

I whistfully mentioned how I missed sushi. Truly horrified, she told me "you city folk eat the strangest things!", and offered me a freshly fried chitterling!

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