Canned Foods

[susanandbrandy]

I worry all the time about canned foods. I always listen for them
to go psst! when I open them to make sure they were vaccuum sealed but
I notice that I'm the only one that does this around my house.
What if someone opens a can that doesn't suck in the air? How do
you know it's safe? There are a lot of cans i've thrown away
because I didn't hear the vaccuum when I opened it and I KNOW somewhere
in my mind it was safe. Can anyone help me out with this?

[chicajojobe]

Generally canned foods are very safe because they're sealed in the factory with heavy duty machinery. Unless you canned them yourself, they are ALL vaccuum sealed.

The main thing to look for is cans that are swollen. If a can looks like it's bulging, definitely do not eat it! That's a sign that there's bacteria active inside.

Also, you might want to avoid cans that are dented or damaged. Usually a small dent won't hurt the can, but if you want to stay on the safe side...

However, generally if you see a can that isn't swollen or damaged there's no reason at all why there should be anything wrong with the food inside.

[daffodil]

I am pretty uptight about cans, and making sure they were sealed right. I, too, have thrown away countless amounts of canned food because I was worried it was not sealed right.

[susanandbrandy]

I thought I was the only one that did that. I wish I could overcome this.

[mars]

I am also like this about cans. I try and avoid all canned foods if I can.


I ate some canned sweetcorn about 5 years ago and got very, very ill. Looking back I should have realised the can was slightly dented and the corn didn't taste right. I've never eaten it since. [img]smileys/smilies_06.gif[/img]

[marieb73]

I was so angry the other day because I bought a can of spinach (as they have taken all of the fresh bagged off of the shelves here) and the can was not dented, but the grocery bagger was just tossing the cans into the sack and when I got home I saw that some of the cans were dented. [img]smileys/smilies_07.gif[/img]


I opened one, didn't here the "pssssssssst" sound and tossed it.

[tcsarah]

I guess I'm unusual in an emetas sometimes I buy dented cans that are on the reduced shelf. So long as air hasn't got into the can the contents will be fine. I have never ever been illbecause ofsomething out of a can.


A bulging or leaking can is a sign to throw away, or if you open it and it smells funny or the food has mould on it.

[crimgoddess]

Even if you don't hear the air releasing when you open the can, it doesn't mean that it isn't safe. It could be that you just didn't hear it. If air would have gotten in there, believe me, you would be able to tell. The food would have started to turn, and the smell would have been horrendous.


A good friend of ours works at a grocery store. Just to see what the fuss was about, he opened a can that was a little dented/started to expand. Trust me, after looking at what was in there, there was no way anyone would NOT know that it had turned.


*amber*

[susanandbrandy]

I had a can of chili one time that thank goodness i noticed there was a
small hole in the top of the lid after i opened it. It was green
around where the hole had been but other wise everything looked and
smelled right. I worry that that might happen somewhere else on
the can and I won't see where it's going bad. I think this hole
came from a box cutter when they were opening the case. That's
why i'm freaky about cans.

[HDogg]

I never even thought about issues with cans. I eat a lot of canned food because the risk of food poisoning is so much lower than with fresh meat and produce. I am trying to stay away from eating so much canned food b/c of the sodium issue. But I always feel very safe eating canned food. Wouldn't eat a bulging one, of course. [img]smileys/smilies_02.gif[/img]

[sage]

If you're talking about tin cans (I assume you are) they're the safest thing on the planet as long as the can is intact. It's really really hard to get a "small" hole in a can - as others have said, it would be visible and the result would be obvious.


You don't need to hear any sound coming out of a can...they're all sealed properly in factories. It's home canning that you need to be listening for.