Items You Prefer Canned

[brucesw]

Just did a quick check (Canadian brands):

1 tablespoon of evaporated milk = 30 calories

1 tablespoon of half&half = 17.5 calories

That's strange. Evap milk is just milk that has 60% of the water removed and can vary in caloric value depending on whether it's from whole milk, low fat, skim, etc. The can I have in the fridge right now is 20 calories/T.

Half and half is half milk, half cream; it can vary a little in butterfat content but every brand of half and half I've checked also shows 20 calories/T.

Maybe Canada has different definitions of the products? (these are taken from the Epicurious online dictionary).

[Darienne]

Just did a quick check (Canadian brands):

1 tablespoon of evaporated milk = 30 calories

1 tablespoon of half&half = 17.5 calories

That's strange. Evap milk is just milk that has 60% of the water removed and can vary in caloric value depending on whether it's from whole milk, low fat, skim, etc. The can I have in the fridge right now is 20 calories/T.

Half and half is half milk, half cream; it can vary a little in butterfat content but every brand of half and half I've checked also shows 20 calories/T.

Maybe Canada has different definitions of the products? (these are taken from the Epicurious online dictionary).

Doing a recheck.

Half&half: Neilson,10% cream, 2Tbsp = 35 calories. (the other brand we use is 40 calories although I don't know why)

Evaporated milk (am checking 3 brands, 2 Canadian, 1 American)

Kroger: 2 Tbsp = 40 calories

Compliments: 1 Tbsp = 20 calories (or 2 = 40)

No Name: 1 Tbsp = 30 calories (or 2 = 60 calories)

OK. Very strange. My first time around, I simply grabbed a can...No Name...and didn't look at the others. The ingredient list is the same, in the same order, and the Nutrition Facts label is identical except for the caloric values. Nope, almost... The No Name has 1/3 less sodium than the Complimentsand also 4 X the carbohydrates.

Wait...that's for the two Canadian cans. The Kroger can has a different Nutrition Facts label and also a different list of ingredients. Very strange....The Kroger can contains twice the fat, and twice the cholesterol, and twice the protein, three times the sugars and yet...

Perhaps a taste test is in order. Perhaps not. I don't like the taste of evaporated milk. I think I'll go do something completely different...

[Jaymes]

Perhaps a taste test is in order. Perhaps not. I don't like the taste of evaporated milk. I think I'll go do something completely different...

I don't care for the taste of it on its own either. But I do think it's better than fresh milk for many cooking uses. Gravy, as mentioned above, among others.

And every really great recipe I personally have ever tried for oyster stew calls for it.

I think that, like just about every other food ingredient I can think of, it can be valuable in some applications.

[Susan G]

Canned black olives. I can snarf them down really quickly!

[keri]

Canned tomatoes, because I'm very picky with them, having parents who always had a garden plot growing up. I have no problem admitting that with a certain few foods, I NEED them fresh-picked, at the peak of ripeness, namely tomatoes and strawberries, or I won't eat them. They taste too fake otherwise, and unfortunately, they're terribly hard to find in supermarkets because they go bad so quickly after that. And I feel the texture is better in sauces than using a very juicy/watery fresh tomato, and the taste is less acidic.

Growing up, my parents almost never used canned veggies, so I guess I almost always prefer fresh. But the boyfriend makes a delicious green bean casserole with ingredients 100% out of cans or jars (maybe this should go in the hall of shame...) and I absolutely love it and am afraid of asking him to try it with fresh beans, because I love the soft texture of the canned ones as is.

I also like canned peaches when they're out of season, but nothing beats a juicy fresh peach in season. With pineapples, I really can't tell much difference, as long as they're well drained and cool. And I suck at cutting them up, and the canned ones never leave bits of core.

[BarbaraY]

Instead of canned green beans, why not just use fresh haricots verts? They're not entirely the same, but better in every way!

I think canned green beans taste awful. They're too soft, and have that wretched canned taste. Too bad every Southern cuisine restaurant prefers to use them.

The only thing I can think of that's better is canned tomatoes for some sauce and garbanzos for hummus or salad.. Most canned vegetables make me want to gag although I can eat some; beets, and corn.