For those who prefer to shop for a rainy day, we have compiled a guide to products in cans.
Canned food refers to products that can be stored for quite a long time – on average about two years (with the exception of stew, which “lives” for about four years). An ordinary tin can, coated from the inside with a special enamel, perfectly protects the contents from contact with metal and the external environment. At the same time, it is still important to carefully examine the container before purchasing.
There should be no signs of swelling on the jar, this indicates the fermentation of the product.
The container must be free of dents, cracks and chips – this can lead to ingress and multiplication of pathogenic bacteria.
The label must be easy to read.
In case there is no label, you can find three-row markings on the lid. The first row is the production date. The second is information about the manufacturer number and content encoding. The third is the shift number and industry code.
Shake the jar lightly to see how much liquid is inside. Its amount should be minimal.
Best before: Buy fresh canned food so it can last for a long time.
On canned fish, pay attention to the region of production and conservation. If it is far from the sea, then, perhaps, canned food is made from frozen raw materials.
Too bright taste of spices may indicate that the raw materials for canned food were stale. By the way, what kind of stew cannot be bought because of antibiotics and starch inside – read here.
Where to store canned food
It is best to carefully fold them into boxes and place them in a dry (humidity should not exceed 75%) cool room.
Banks must be placed in boxes so that they do not strongly touch each other, so that no mechanical damage occurs.
If the containers are greased with petroleum jelly or grease, then you should not remove it before opening the can.
Do not put canned food in the freezer, otherwise they may burst when opened.
How and how much to store canned food
Pour out the excess liquid, transfer the contents to a glass or ceramic container and close the lid tightly. The temperature in the refrigerator should not exceed 5 degrees above zero. The product in such a container can be stored for no more than four to five days.
What about health?
Eating food from cans constantly is not the most healthy idea. The fact is that the surface of cans is coated from the inside with bisphenol A, which, due to its structural similarity with the female sex hormone estrogen, has a bad effect on the brain and reproductive system, and also causes a number of cancers (both in women and men) … Canned tomatoes are especially harmful because their acidity causes BPA to enter food.
In addition, canned foods are usually very high in salt. Sodium, accumulating in the body, entails serious problems with the cardiovascular system. In addition, sodium is a potassium antagonist that supports heart and vascular health.