"canned" news and stories

When it comes to food, I think it's best to use fresh, unprocessed items. That said, sometimes it's hard to escape canned goods. And canned foods aren't necessarily bad. But how do you tell when they've stayed in your pantry for too long?

The truth is, that can be a tough question to answer. Turns out there's not really an industry standard. There are a variety of dates that can be on a can each with its own meaning. I found an article on this over at Red Orbit that attempts to sort things out and give you some useful information.

If you've ever wondered what the "sell by" date means, you might want to check this out. It could help you decide what to keep if you have some canned foods that have been around for a bit.

We've all heard about eating fish to get more Omega-3's fatty acids in our diet. I was browsing through CNN.com and ran across an article on omega-3 in canned fish.

Of the types of canned fish discussed the focus was on tuna and salmon. Tuna varieties have varying amounts amounts of omega-3's. Albacore, also called "white meat tuna," has the most with a four-ounce serving packed in water having 1.06 grams. You get 0.5 grams from a four ounce serving of albacore packed in oil. I thought this was interesting that the water pack is better for you having more omega-3's. The article says, "Since omega-3s are oils, they don't disperse when the fish is packed in water, and draining the water allows most of these beneficial fatty acids to remain in the fish. But tuna packed in oil provides an environment where the fish's natural oils intermingle with the packing oil, so when the can is drained, some of the omega-3 oils are lost."

I didn't realize that canned salmon has even more omega-3's than tuna, with a four ounce serving having 2.2 grams. Unlike tuna, the omega-3 levels among salmon varieties are basically the same.

Source

Unless you are planning on serving roasted pumpkin or squash where you really need the whole vegetable, the best way to use it in a recipe is by using canned pumpkin. This isn't necessarily to say that you will never get good results by using fresh for a cake or a pie, but there is a reason that chefs and cookbook authors tend to stick to canned. It is reliable in its flavor, consistency and texture, unlike fresh squash, which can be stringy, too wet or too dry.

The time needed to prepare fresh pumpkin is also substantial, since it must be cut, peeled and cooked before using, while canned is ready in seconds. To a really determined cook, the time needed for preparation would not be an issue if the flavor were so much better that it was worth the effort, but it is often the case that the canned pumpkin will have a stronger, better flavor. For some recipes that use canned pumpkin, try:

• Pumpkin Bread
• Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Bourbon-Walnut Glaze
• Spicy Pumpkin Pecan Raisin Muffins
• Ginger-Pumpkin Bread Pudding
• Pumpkin Oatmeal Bread
• Pumpkin Hummus