Canned Food Confessions

[bleudauvergne]

I have six cans in the house:

2 cans of duck fat Loic found on sale

1 can of green pepper corns (not pickled)

1 can of caviar from Russia

1 can of Chiles Chipotles adobados, saving for a rainy day

1 can of lobster bisque concentrate that I bought nearly 5 years ago (expired in May)

I sometimes will pick up some canned kidney and navy beans for 3 bean salad, I think the bean salad is better with the canned beans, maybe because that's what I grew up on. We have a lot of dried beans and always prepare our chick peas from dry.

[Tess]

I like some canned fruits, especially peaches and cherries. For dessert I will sometimes soak them in booze and set them on fire to be served over ice cream.

[anzu]

Ghee

Jack fruit

Chinese pickled mustard greens

Cod livers (working my way though the canned fish offerings available in Germany one can at a time. Best so far: smoked Riga sprats )

[munchymom]

I just had a peek in the pantry and I have cans of beans, corn, tomatoes (plain and Ro-Tel), coconut milk, pumpkin (left over from last Thanksgiving), and Progresso soup (one Minestrone, one Lentil, left over from the last time I was sick).

[suzilightning]

it used to be fancy feast and <SHUDDER> Acme tinned sardines(not for human consumption)

it still is :

tomatoes

mild jalapenos

sauerkraut(drained and cooked in beer)

bean sprouts

bamboo shoots

mandarin orange segments

jackfruit

black olives

pineapple

fermented cabbage

black beans

white beans

kidney beans

pinto beans

Edited July 12, 2005 by suzilightning (log)

[Daniel Rogov]

There is only one food that comes in cans that is truly worth eating and that is caviar.

Lawsy, lawsy, how I would love to munch on about 100 grams of fine Beluga at this moment!!!!!

[lesfen]

Canned albacore, tomatoes (whole and diced), beans (black and white), low sodium chicken noodle soup (I have a toddler that will gobble up a whole can of soup if what I have prepared isn't working), and green beans. I really do prefer canned green beans for some odd reason. I think I rather enjoy the mushiness. Oh, and I have some "cartons" of chicken broth. I guess those might as well be cans.

[redglass]

Sylvia's Kidney Beans

yum.

Muir Glen Fire Roasted canned tomatoes

chipotle in adobo

chickpeas

a can of sauerkraut that has survived through two moves

[Ninjai Fanatic]

rasagullas, gulab jamuns, beans, peaches, blueberries, corn(both kernel and cream) tomatoes, cucumbers, tofu, um.. i think that must be about it.

[jayt90]

While canned clams have been mentioned, I have not had a good chowder made with the watery, stringy clams canned in Thailand.

Instead, I use a fairly pricey Arctic clam canned in Nova Scotia. The broth is wonderful, and the clambits are meaty, red tipped chunks. Tons of flavour.

I found a similar clam meat, frozen, in my Korean store, but the red tips were very tough, so I'm staying with the canned product.

[Marlene]

I confess! I confess! I have cans.

Canned sauerkraut. Better than the stuff in jars.

Canned baked beans (for Ryan's lunch)

Cans of tuna

Cans of mandarin oranges

Cans of tomatoes and tomato paste

Cans of kidney beans for chili

Some Campbells soup, notably bean with bacon, tomato, and assorted chunky soups

[jayt90]

My favorite canned tomato soup is Heinz, now that Campbell's is so gelatinous.

I heat it up 1:1 with water, and add a dollop of cream to each bowl, along with a sprinkling of basil or dill.

[munchymom]

rasagullas, gulab jamuns, beans, peaches, blueberries, corn(both kernel and cream) tomatoes, cucumbers, tofu, um.. i think that must be about it.

←

What is canned tofu like? I've never seen it before.

[BigboyDan]

Outside of spices and flavorings:

Del Monte "French Cut Green Beans" - exellent; with onion, bacon drippings, lemon-pepper, garlic salt.

Ranch Style pinto beans - the standard, eaten by every Texan

Tuna, any decent brand

Rotel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles - Rotel history

Edited July 15, 2005 by BigboyDan (log)

[Marlene]

My favorite canned tomato soup is Heinz, now that Campbell's is so gelatinous.

I heat it up 1:1 with water, and add a dollop of cream to each bowl, along with a sprinkling of basil or dill.

←

I still like Campbells although I make it with heavy cream instead of water. And definately basil or oregano for me.

[MarketStEl]

Suprisingly Bush brand canned collard, turnip, and kale grees are very palatable as well.

←

Try Glory brand canned collard or mustard greens, seasoned "Southern" (="soul food") style.

If there aren't enough African Americans near your local supermarket for it to carry the line, drive into Wilmington and try one of the stores there. (One of the real pleasures of my neighborhood Super Cruise is that it sits on the border between affluent Center City's "gayborhood" and a lower-income black community. Makes for a great merchandise mix.)

Good collards and mustards are a PITA to make. Glory's done all the work for me.

Also put me down for canned sardines, smoked oysters and clams. I've also been known to keep a can or two of salmon on hand every so often, and tuna all the time.

I also willingly keep several cans of Campbell's soups on hand, in a number of varieties, but always there's at least one can of tomato, chicken noodle, and New England clam chowder around.

Canned broth I usually avoid, but that stuff in the aseptic packs called "Kitchen Basics" is pretty good.

As for beans, you will always find cans of America's Choice Hot Chili Beans hanging around; others come and go as I need them.

Aside from the soul food classics, my pantry is uncontaminated by canned green vegetables. Almost every one I've ever tried has a mushy consistency and/or tastes either salty or metallic.

[Milagai]

lots of beans etc.

but one thing worth getting in a can is coconut milk.

having it handy makes cooking south indian, thai, etc food

so much easier and so many dishes would never get

attempted if one had to make coconut milk from scratch every time...

milagai

[lia]

Milk! I like evaporated milk in my coffee and spouse likes it with condensed (which I eat....)

[chardan]

Oh, the shame...

Guilt! Guilt! Guilt!

Campbell's Bean with Bacon Soup. Cold. Undiluted. Right out of the can.

For cooking:

Tomato paste, refried beans, and water chestnuts. Sometimes tomatoes.

_Jesse Williamson ;-};

(P.S.-- Campbell's Bean with Bacon Soup does actually make some pretty tasty party dip when doctored up-- and in fact, I very strongly suspect a local restaurant does just that for one of their appetizers. hhehehe)

[chardan]

I agree on the Mae Ploy, I have red and green in my frig right now (a great way to whip up some

I haven't tried the other brand, but I love keeping several colors of Mae Ploy around (especially the hot and spicy green one).

[johnder]

In the curry-paste department, in the places I shop, it's interesting to see the different packaging methods in play. The two Thai-style curry pastes that I think are the best are the Maesri brand, which comes in a can, and the Mae Ploy brand, which comes in a plastic tub lined with a plastic bag. I actually prefer the Mae Ploy, even though everybody I know with even the slightest Thai food expertise says the Maesri in cans is superior. But they're wrong. Now, for whatever reason, the Indian curry pastes I like -- such as Nirav -- all seem to come in glass jars. Not sure what's up with that.

←

I too love Mae Ploy, the issue is how best to store them. The plastic bag liner / can isn't the more practical for storing the leftovers. What have you guys found for keeping it?

I squeeze the whole package once opened into a small tupperware and keep it in the fridge. Of course these tupperwares become dedicated to that particular type of curry becuase they will permanently be imprinted with the flavor of that currey.

[jeniac42]

Wait, you can buy gulab jamun in a can?! I need to find some of this.

I use canned tomatoes like everyone else, tomato paste, also canned broths sometimes. I eat tuna fish of the cheap variety out of cans on at least a weekly basis. Anchovies, sardines, etc. Beans - I rarely have the foresight to soak them. I am still trying to get back to cooking at home regularly after a year with a roommate who destroyed the kitchen so thoroughly I gave up on it, so, you know.

I confess that I think Campbell's is the only way to go for tomato soup, and around Thanksgiving I like to make the horrific green bean casserole with canned green beens, cream of mushroom soup, and French fried onions. It's not good, but it sure wouldn't be the same thing with fresh ingredients.

Other than that I don't think I use much out of a can, except curry pastes, coconut milk, chipotles, etc that I don't know how to buy any other way.

[Hector]

There is only one food that comes in cans that is truly worth eating and that is caviar.

Lawsy, lawsy, how I would love to munch on about 100 grams of fine Beluga at this moment!!!!!

←

Finally! gold among the rhinestone.. Daniel seems to be the only reasonable person around here!

[ditsydine]

[easternsun]

currently in the pantry:

coconut milk

beans

tomatoes (diced)

no surprises there.

in the fridge i have a can of fois gras (for emergencies )

Edited July 19, 2005 by easternsun (log)