Is canned food bad for you?

joedenise

I think the vast majority of people buy things like tinned tomatoes, chickpeas, various beans as they are so convenient and can form the basis of so many meals.

I've never bought things like tinned chilli and curry either!

coffeehound

Thanks very much for your replies and links; it has been very informative.  Really I was only buying baked beans and tuna in tins up to now, having looked down my nose at anything else.  I didn't know you could get fruit in juice now rather than syrup, so that's something I'll defintiely be looking into.

That's a really good point about the fuel costs/savings with cans.  Hadn't considered it before but I suppose cans are pretty environmentally-friendly as they avoid the need for freezing, refrigeration or air-freight.  Also the bulk cooking at the canning plant should be more efficient than everyone boiling their kidney beans individually at home as mentioned.

Funnily enough, canned meals like chilli were one of the reasons I was looking to move away from convenience meals since canned is perhaps half/third the price of a microwave chilli.  I have before me a can of Tesco chilli con carne and it says: saturates 1.5%, sugars 2.7%, salt 0.5%, so not bad at all really.

Elisheba's link says that the BPA in the can lining might still be an issue, which is surprising given the emphasis on BPA-free plastics for food+drink use elsewhere.  So I'll perhaps keep canned goods to a low-ish level and aim to still use frozen veg an the like where cost effective.  Thanks all.

Apintplease

As part of a balanced diet, there is no "bad" food

Canning is one of the oldest preserving methods we still use

Canned fish is fantastic and brings fish to a price point we can all afford a couple of times a week

And surely life is too short to be soaking and boiling beans?????

And who hasn't turned to a tin of meat for a cheap meal or vol u vent filling?

As a child we had no choice, domestic freezers were beyond most. I grew up on tinned peas, tinned burgers etc

Would I eat a Frey bentos pie now though? Not a bloody mission. But tinned pulses and veg and fish are staples of my food cupboard

Sandtree

Apintplease said:

Canning is one of the oldest preserving methods we still use

Fairly sure things like drying, pickling and salting are notably older.

Canning itself is no problem at all, the issue is only with whats put in the can in the first place. There is a lot of stigma attached to canned products (other than basic ingredients) and as such much of it tends to be low quality produce so they are sold to those on a budget.

Beans, pulses, tomatoes etc we get regularly... in my student days did have one or two experiences with other canned produce but decided better to eat less of something better than what they put in those tins.

Apintplease

Sandtree said:

Apintplease said:

Canning is one of the oldest preserving methods we still use

Fairly sure things like drying, pickling and salting are notably older.

Canning itself is no problem at all, the issue is only with whats put in the can in the first place. There is a lot of stigma attached to canned products (other than basic ingredients) and as such much of it tends to be low quality produce so they are sold to those on a budget.

Beans, pulses, tomatoes etc we get regularly... in my student days did have one or two experiences with other canned produce but decided better to eat less of something better than what they put in those tins.

Well Im so sorry Im not a pedant, which is why I said one of the oldest that we still use

Feel better for trying to belittle a poster?

JIL

I remember being able to buy sausage rolls in a tin can. 
A go to and felt exotic to me many years ago was tinned chicken curry on a jacket potato.

I'm not keen on tinned veg, apart from tomatoes and beans. But I do use tinned potatoes in my Spanish omelette.  I do use a lot of tinned pulses, life is too short to soak and boil and freeze.

I make a big batch of crumble mixture and freeze it, I use it on top of tinned fruit. Apples being especially handy.
I have always got tins of tuna in the cupboard and something else I use is condensed mushroom soup, which makes a good base for a chicken/quorn and mushroom pie.

My very very favourite canned product is Pepsi max, however I dont think theres much nutrition in it, but along with the thread, everything in moderation.

joedenise

Chicken cooked in Pepsi Max (or Diet Coke) in the slow cooker is lovely!  Can be done as a whole chicken or as chicken pieces.

coffeehound

joedenise said:

Chicken cooked in Pepsi Max (or Diet Coke) in the slow cooker is lovely!  Can be done as a whole chicken or as chicken pieces.

Blimey, must try that!

Apintplease

JIL said:

I remember being able to buy sausage rolls in a tin can. 
A go to and felt exotic to me many years ago was tinned chicken curry on a jacket potato.

I'm not keen on tinned veg, apart from tomatoes and beans. But I do use tinned potatoes in my Spanish omelette.  I do use a lot of tinned pulses, life is too short to soak and boil and freeze.

I make a big batch of crumble mixture and freeze it, I use it on top of tinned fruit. Apples being especially handy.
I have always got tins of tuna in the cupboard and something else I use is condensed mushroom soup, which makes a good base for a chicken/quorn and mushroom pie.

My very very favourite canned product is Pepsi max, however I dont think theres much nutrition in it, but along with the thread, everything in moderation.

Oh tinned fruit is the only fruit I eat, but even thats rare, Love tinned pears when Im poorly and Mr Pint loves tinned custard when hes poorly and mum loves tinned rice pudding when shes no appetite for a meal. Mum also likes spam and chopped pork so we keep a tin of each of those in as well

OP, never leave stuff in the opened cans in the fridge and you will be fine

joedenise

coffeehound said:

joedenise said:

Chicken cooked in Pepsi Max (or Diet Coke) in the slow cooker is lovely!  Can be done as a whole chicken or as chicken pieces.

Blimey, must try that!

Gammon done in Diet Tango is good too; although probably not as good as done in Cider!  The Tango one is definitely more calorie friendly!