Canned Foods

As most of you realize, many canned foods are cheaper than fresh or frozen. In recent years, they have lost favor and are even shunned as low quality. This is a mistake.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with canned foods. True, canned vegetables will not be crispy and, in a few cases, may not have the same flavor intensity, but they are nutritious and sometimes very tasty. In fact, sometimes tastier that fresh. Tomatoes are picked green and ripen in shipment (unless you live near a farmer's market). Tomatoes bout fresh in a Grocery store often have all the flavor of soggy newspaper. On the other hand, canned Roma tomatoes are picked ripe and flavorful and when canned, they retain all of that great taste.

My Grandma used to fix dried beans, like pintos, by picking through them for stones (and they were always there) soaking them over night, pouring off the water and refilling the pot with fresh water, then simmering for hours. One day, I had dinner with her, complimented her on the beans and learned that she had switched to canned. They were just as good and since then, I have always used canned pintos, black beans, black eyed peas, etc.

Most folks eat canned tuna. Why not canned chicken or ham? There is nothing wrong with them and, not only are they convenient, they are often very reasonably priced.

There is a myth that dented cans are to be discarded as contaminated. There is nothing wrong with dents. There is only contamination if the top or bottom is bulging; then throw it out.

I would try not to keep cans longer than six months. After that, they are still perfectly edible, but they do lose taste.

In short, canned food is perfectly acceptable and you can often find great bargains that will save you considerable money.