Canned Foods

[Kim WB]

mandarin oranges with syrup, cranberry sauce,and lots of beans, including Bush's baked beans...my son opens them up. adds a few chopped hot dogs,a nd has them as a snack..ah, the metabolism of a 15 year old boy.

[SethG]

And that brown raisin bread that comes in cans.

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Wha?? Please explain. I haven't seen this, or at least I don't think I have. I'm having a hard time imagining canned raisin bread.

[Maison Rustique]

And that brown raisin bread that comes in cans.

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Wha?? Please explain. I haven't seen this, or at least I don't think I have. I'm having a hard time imagining canned raisin bread.

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Like this. I haven't had that since I was a kid--make my own now.

[Andrew Fenton]

And of course, you can can your own vegetables and so forth. Since I don't have a garden, most of what I can is prepared food. Currently I have green fig and strawberry jams, Meyer lemon marmalade and cranberry chutney. I've also had good luck with tomato sauces and salsas.

[FistFullaRoux]

Mandarin oranges were mentioned above, but that was the only mention of fruit so far. I like canned peaches and pineapple, when the available fresh ones aren't worth a dern.

And there was an earlier thread in which I expounded on the virtue of canned fruit, heated and seasoned, as a terrif ice cream topping...

[andiesenji]

And that brown raisin bread that comes in cans.

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Wha?? Please explain. I haven't seen this, or at least I don't think I have. I'm having a hard time imagining canned raisin bread.

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Like this. I haven't had that since I was a kid--make my own now.

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And so good with cream cheese!

[SethG]

Like this.  I haven't had that since I was a kid--make my own now. 

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Wow. That stuff looks... interesting. I'll have to check that out, or maybe I shouldn't. Seems like you had to be there.

[Mabelline]

We still have it in the stores here! Higher than the lawyer's fees for keeping Paris Hilton out of trouble, but it's good.

Another thing. Upthread fifi talked about that dried beef in a glass. Armour is what's available here, and the best price is around 5$ a jar. I find that absolutely disgusting. I now make SOS with Buddig sliced meats, but it's just not the same.

[Jaymes]

Like this.  I haven't had that since I was a kid--make my own now. 

Wow. That stuff looks... interesting. I'll have to check that out, or maybe I shouldn't. Seems like you had to be there.

Not at all. You didn't have to 'be there.' It's still really good, and convenient, because you can keep it forever in your pantry.

It's good when you're cooking your baked beans to put some of that brown bread on top and let it steam. It becomes kinda like a bread pudding. It's often even displayed on grocery shelves right alongside the canned baked beans.

But I, too, like it just with cream cheese. And when I make my famous German meal...sour meat, red cabbage, potato salad, green beans...I serve that bread if I haven't had time to make some.

Tradition, I guess.

[reesek]

mandarin oranges and canned pineapple rock. how else would you make ambrosia?

canned bamboo shoots and water chestnuts straw mushrooms and baby corn for thai soups.

i do like canned mushrooms on greasy pizza.

i use a lot of canned beans. white beans for my white bean dip, jarred chick peas and cannelini for tuna salads or roasted chick peas

piquillo peppers are only available canned and they're my favorite

i use a lot of broth from cans (or boxes usually since it's unsalted). i like to add some veg and simmer to tart it up a bit, but i'm not super disciplined...i don't prep a ton of stocks in advance. i think the packaged stuff is pretty decent.

certainly tomatoes, etc - and i've also fallen for tubes of tomato paste - rather than the can which always molds before i can finish it.

good topic...reminds me that i need to make corn pudding.

[Tess]

And there was an earlier thread in which I expounded on the virtue of canned fruit, heated and seasoned, as a terrif ice cream topping...

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I take a jar or can of cherries, pour the syrup out and let them sit for a few hours in some whisky or brandy, set them on fire and serve them over ice cream. Works with other fruit too.

In addition to things people have already mentioned, I also keep on hand a certain amount of caponata and other snacks and relishes in jars.

[Pan]

I hope I'm not being a party-pooper if I say I'm surprised so many of you like canned mushrooms. I really dislike canned mushrooms and really like fresh ones. I'll take dried/reconstituted if fresh ones aren't available. I prefer no mushrooms to canned mushrooms.

The things that I find OK canned are those that don't end up having a "canned taste" afterwards. That would include, as many people have pointed out, tomato products (paste, whole peeled tomatoes in water, etc.) and coconut milk (though frozen coconut cream also exists). I can tolerate canned bamboo shoots only if the dish is strong enough that I don't really notice the canned taste; same for waterchestnuts. In both cases, fresh ones are way better than canned.

[reesek]

I can tolerate canned bamboo shoots only if the dish is strong enough that I don't really notice the canned taste; same for waterchestnuts. In both cases, fresh ones are way better than canned.

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i also far prefer fresh...fresh water chestnuts are a revelation. i also love all fresh mushrooms...but am not generally crazy for dried <ducks head> but i think canned vegetables can add texture even when the flavor needs to be enhanced (or covered up)

edit: abbreviation

Edited January 10, 2005 by reesek (log)

[FistFullaRoux]

And that brown raisin bread that comes in cans.

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Wha?? Please explain. I haven't seen this, or at least I don't think I have. I'm having a hard time imagining canned raisin bread.

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Like this. I haven't had that since I was a kid--make my own now.

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OK, so how does that bread work, exactly? Do you open the can and pop out a cylinder of ready-to-eat bread? Is it already baked, or does it need to be cooked somehow? In the can, or can it be transfered to another container? Someone mentioned steaming - how does that work?

Curious about this, and surprised that a can of the stuff costs that much.

[andiesenji]

Open both ends, push it out and slice it thin.

[Suzanne F]

Open both ends, push it out and slice it thin.

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Yup -- just like jellied cranberry sauce.

I grew up LOVING Dromedary canned date-nut bread. Big treat with cream cheese. Haven't looked for it in ages, but I just might, now.

And Pan, I'm with you in drawing the line at water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. Now that I've tasted fresh, I'd sooner do without than use canned. Mushrooms and other vegs, too.

BUT: all the beans, chiles, tuna, tomatoes, corn, etc, etc. YES!!!

[andiesenji]

I can tolerate canned bamboo shoots only if the dish is strong enough that I don't really notice the canned taste; same for waterchestnuts. In both cases, fresh ones are way better than canned.

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i also far prefer fresh...fresh water chestnuts are a revelation. i also love all fresh mushrooms...but am not generally crazy for dried <ducks head> but i think canned vegetables can add texture even when the flavor needs to be enhanced (or covered up)

edit: abbreviation

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A caveat:

If you buy fresh bamboo shoots, be sure and cook them in two changes of water and cook them without a lid.

Bamboo shoots contain a miniscule amount of cyanide that can concentrate in the cooking water. There is not enough in the shoots after cooking to cause any harm and cooking them in an open pan allows it to boil off in the steam.

Edited January 10, 2005 by andiesenji (log)

[fifi]

You guys have dredged up childhood memories. My favorite "salad" when I was a little tyke was made with canned pineapple. My mother would put pineapple rings on a bed of shredded lettuce, iceberg I am sure, sweeten the Hellman's mayo with juice from the can and dollop that around, liberally sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese. Oh man . . . I loved that stuff. *adds canned pineapple to shopping list*

One of my favorite salads to serve with chili or posole is a mixture of dark greens, hopefully with some arugula, red onion and mandarin orange sections. The dressing is your basic vinaigrette with a neutral oil and cider vinegar with a little real orange juice added.

So . . . where does one find a fresh water chestnut? I don't think I have seen those even in our big Asian market. So I guess you can say I use canned. I love those things.

Has anyone else noticed that Armour has changed the jar for the dried beef. No more stars and the top and these don't nest. I can't tell you how much that ticked me off.

[Jaymes]

OK, so how does that bread work, exactly? Do you open the can and pop out a cylinder of ready-to-eat bread? Is it already baked, or does it need to be cooked somehow? In the can, or can it be transfered to another container? Someone mentioned steaming - how does that work?

It's already fully cooked. You do indeed do what someone said, which is to cut out both ends of the can and push it out. Then you can just slice and eat it. Or, you can slice it and toast it and then smear it with cream cheese or butter or applesauce or peanut butter or whatever. Or, you can put your baked beans in a saucepan on top of the stove and just before serving, lay or crumble the bread on top of the beans, and then put on a tightly-fitting lid and let it cook for a very few minutes, just until the bread heats through, or if you are actually baking your beans in an oven, at the penultimate moment, lay your bread on top of the beans and again, cover tightly, and wait for the bread to steam. If you do that, the bread can get really soft, so you eat it with a fork along with your beans.

It's a Yankee thang.

Edited January 11, 2005 by Jaymes (log)

[*Deborah*]

It's yummy.

[Mabelline]

fifi, I have noticed the new Armour glass, and it sucks. If they only knew how many generations of avocado trees that will never be on their account, I'm sure I could perhaps make them go back.

Many many moons ago, when the planets were young, my mom would take one end of the bread can off, recover with tinfoil, and steam in a pan of water, halfway up the can. On the top of baked beans is excellent. And the cream cheese, yep, especially with crushed pineapple mixed in.

Edited January 10, 2005 by Mabelline (log)

[PurpleDingo99]

Looks like i may have some competition.

ive never even heard of half this stuff, and we definitely dont have armour around here (or hardly any jarred/canned meat for that matter)

on the subject, how long can you really preserve self-jarred fruits and chutneys for?

[jgarner53]

OMG, canned brown bread is da bomb! It was one of my favorite meals growing up, with baked beans and sliced wieners (always "wieners" in my house, never "franks" or "hot dogs" - because, duh, a "hot dog" implied bun - these fine culinary terms )

I have hunted and hunted and hunted up and down every last bleeding aisle in every supermarket in town (just about) for that canned brown bread, and there seems to be some law on the books that says that brown bread is illegal here because I can't find it anywhere! But "Baking Illustrated" has a recipe for it, and next time I make baked beans, I'm whipping up a batch of this, too.

Other canned items I can't live without:

evaporated milk

coconut milk (Chaokoh - cuz the name has "A-OK" in it! or Mae Ploy if I'm feeling flush)

canned tomatoes

asceptic packaged organic tomato soup

asceptic packaged organic butternut squash soup

chicken broth (if I don't have any of my own in the freezer)

Better than Bouillon (though this lives in the fridge)

various canned beans (black, chickpea, etc.)

Since my pantry is woefully small, I don't have room for a very large larder.

[Jaymes]

OMG, canned brown bread is da bomb! It was one of my favorite meals growing up, with baked beans and sliced wieners (always "wieners" in my house, never "franks" or "hot dogs" - because, duh, a "hot dog" implied bun - these fine culinary terms )

I have hunted and hunted and hunted up and down every last bleeding aisle in every supermarket in town (just about) for that canned brown bread, and there seems to be some law on the books that says that brown bread is illegal here because I can't find it anywhere!    But "Baking Illustrated" has a recipe for it, and next time I make baked beans, I'm whipping up a batch of this, too.

Here are some more recipes, including baking it in a can:

Boston Baked Beans & Brown Bread recipes.

[Maison Rustique]

Here's the Brown Bread recipe (We always called it Boston Brown Bread.) that I use. It requires no steaming, but comes out with the same result. You'll notice that there are no raisins in my version. Raisins=blech!

Edited to add: Sorry--it seems the brown bread has high-jacked this thread!

Old-fashioned Brown Bread

2 c. graham or whole wheat flour

1 c. all-purpose flour

1 t. baking soda

½ t. salt

1 c. dark molasses

1 c. buttermilk

½ c. low-fat milk

In a small bowl, mix flours, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, combine molasses, buttermilk and milk. Add flour mixture to molasses mixture and stir until well blended.

Pour batter into an oiled 5 x 9 inch loaf pan. Bake in a 325 oven until bread begins to pull from pan sides and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 60 to 75 minutes.

Turn loaf out onto a rack and let cool. If made ahead, cover and store up to 2 days. Especially good spread with cream cheese.

Edited January 11, 2005 by Maison Rustique (log)