Breaking news: Tinned food better than fresh!

[Merlin5]

Just watching Inside The Factory with Gregg Wallace on Heinz baked beans production. During the programme, a female presenter goes to a laboratory armed with a can of plum tomatoes 14 months past its use by date, and a fresh tomato. They want to test how much Vitamin C is in each. The sample of tinned tomatoes, 14 months out of date, had more Vitamin C than the fresh tomato. The fresh tomato loses its Vitamin C quite quickly.

Then they open a can of tinned fish, mackerel or sardines, can't recall, which is quite old. It's 45 years old. They open it with the included key that rolls the metal lid. On opening the can, they're amazed at how fresh it looks and smells. But they want to test for hidden microbes. So they put it in petri dishes and leave it for 5 days. No microbes or any bacteria had appeared. Amazing eh?

 

[Jokester]

I remember they did something similar a couple of years back with a tin of 100 year old corned beef and it was still edible.

 

[lookitsjonno]

Saw it too, long avoided tinned thinking fresh was best. Imagine the waste that could be saved if more people opted for tinned food!

 

[robfosters]

I love that programme. Makes me laugh the way Greg gets so excited and shouty.

“SO YOU’RE TELLING ME, THAT IN JUST HALF AN HOUR, THAT POTATO IS GOING TO BE A PACKET OF CHEESE AND ONION CRISPS? I CANT BELIEVE IT. AMAZING!!!”

 

[Hotwired]

The age of tinned food is not really that relevant.

Once sealed and heat treated everything inside it is dead and no further microbes can get in. The food will stay preserved in that state until the seal is broken.


Also frozen peas are infinitely superior to "fresh" peas. Nothing good happens by trying to keep them "fresh".

 

[Merlin5]

Yeah, I recently bought a bag of frozen petit pois. Works out a bit cheaper than the same amount in tins.
Also, there is a unanimous verdict (on mumsnet )

Peas - frozen
Sweetcorn - tinned
Carrots - fresh
Corn on the cob - frozen

I remember they did something similar a couple of years back with a tin of 100 year old corned beef and it was still edible.

100 years old! I know there are vintage wines that are that old, but it seems all the more incredible with tinned meat. I wonder how many more years it could have been sealed and still be edible. Surely the tin would break down sooner or later and let some air in.

I love that programme. Makes me laugh the way Greg gets so excited and shouty.

“SO YOU’RE TELLING ME, THAT IN JUST HALF AN HOUR, THAT POTATO IS GOING TO BE A PACKET OF CHEESE AND ONION CRISPS? I CANT BELIEVE IT. AMAZING!!!”

Hah yeah, he did that tonight when he was told the baked beans are cooked while sealed inside the cans.

 

[Hotwired]

100 years old! I know there are vintage wines that are that old, but it seems all the more incredible with tinned meat. I wonder how many more years it could have been sealed and still be edible. Surely the tin would break down sooner or later and let some air in.

I wouldn't take bets on it. A can kept safe from corrosion and physical damage could go on forever.

 

[Yadda]

I love that programme. Makes me laugh the way Greg gets so excited and shouty.

“SO YOU’RE TELLING ME, THAT IN JUST HALF AN HOUR, THAT POTATO IS GOING TO BE A PACKET OF CHEESE AND ONION CRISPS? I CANT BELIEVE IT. AMAZING!!!”

I've noticed that too. Greg's enthusiasm is funny at times, I like it when he has a go at something like packing boxes at the end of a line. "YOU PACK THAT MANY IN A DAY??? WOW! FANTASTIC!"

 

[BUDFORCE]

Frozen mushrooms is my new discovery.

But yea, I had a tin of spam in the boot of my car for about 3 years that fell out of a shopping bag. Imagine the temperature variations, probably what -5c in the winter, 40+ in the summer?

It was fine I ate it.

 

[Yadda]

This talk of plum tomatoes has given me a hankering for a Full English.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

The age of tinned food is not really that relevant.

Once sealed and heat treated everything inside it is dead and no further microbes can get in. The food will stay preserved in that state until the seal is broken.


Also frozen peas are infinitely superior to "fresh" peas. Nothing good happens by trying to keep them "fresh".

so long as there are no bumps and the tin isn't expanding. still sealed and when opened doesn't smell bad you are fine.

i just had a tin of chicken soup last week which was 2 years out of date last week

 

[something daft already!!]

This reminds me of Blue Peter when they drank wine from the Mary Rose and it was vile. Or perhaps it was a dream?

 

[Terminal_Boy]

Tinned food stored properly is practically immortal.

 

[robj20]

Yeah bugs me that they put dates on canned food. Imagine how many people actually bin it when the dates up.
I don't even look at dates on anything really, unless your a moron feel, smell and look is all that's needed with all food.

 

[Merlin5]

Greg Wallace, although not some top chef, admitted to cooking some food from cans.

Since there is now more validation for tinned food, I'm wondering if the likes of Gordon Ramsey, Jamie Oliver and other top chefs would ever use tinned meat or veg at home.

These guys are always banging on about buying the freshest produce from the local market or veg stall, which would obviously be the best way if you're cooking and serving it straight away in your restaurant.

But off camera, who knows? Maybe even they can't always be bothered to only have fresh untinned food in the house.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Thats an old episode, but yes tining is in effect putting them into stasis.
Its basically the best method of preserving for the majority of things.

Really really old tins were sealed with solder and as such were far less secure and potentially the lead could leech. But modern tins are winners. Plus of course almost 100% recyclable.

Soup is another to look out for. Its just as good as the expensive refridgerated brand soups, about half the price and needs no special storage conditions.

The best challenge to take mentally is to get a tin of something like mussels, let it go well out of date and see if you can allow yourself to eat them. Shellfish of course being one of the things we are always warned against

 

[Hotwired]

Reckon it depends what it is and if it gets some kind of value by being canned that fresh doesn't have. Maybe preparation convenience, maybe fresh is too unreliable even if you want it.

Not counting apocalypse scenario value where canned food becomes infinitely better than eating dust.

I usually have sweetcorn, tomatoes, baked beans, peaches, soup, tuna and sometimes pilchards in the cupboard.

Peas as mentioned before live in the freezer as nature intended.

I wouldn't buy tinned veg which we can reliably get fresh in shops and tinned meat is nothing like fresh meat so you'd actually have to want to do something with canned meat (e.g. I don't buy fresh tuna, I like canned tuna).

 

[BUDFORCE]

I eat tinned mackerel several days of the week

 

[Raymond Lin]

Greg Wallace, although not some top chef, admitted to cooking some food from cans.

Since there is now more validation for tinned food, I'm wondering if the likes of Gordon Ramsey, Jamie Oliver and other top chefs would ever use tinned meat or veg at home.

These guys are always banging on about buying the freshest produce from the local market or veg stall, which would obviously be the best way if you're cooking and serving it straight away in your restaurant.

But off camera, who knows? Maybe even they can't always be bothered to only have fresh untinned food in the house.

The difference IMO isn’t really about nutrition but texture. A lot of food simply tastes better fresh, especially vegetables. Whilst I love tinned fish, it’s hard to make fish and chips from tinned fish or a lot of dishes the same way.

 

[Merlin5]

Good point Raymond. If a tin contains maintains more vitamins than fresh, it won't necessarily be as enjoyable to eat or be able to be used in the same way as fresh.

I eat tinned mackerel several days of the week

I LOVE tinned mackerel! Often eat it straight from the tin, soaked in brine. And when I make a salad mostly in the summer, amongst the beetroot, celery, sliced boiled eggs, cucumber, coleslaw, lettuce, sliced tomatoes, boiled mini potatoes and dollops of salad cream, my fish of choice is always mackerel. Tuna if mackerel isn't in my cupboard.