It is a busy world out there. People are going to and from work daily; having to cook a quick breakfast, fast lunch, and even faster dinner. Not every household has a stay at home parent who cooks full-blown meals throughout the day. The truth is that a lot of people don’t buy fresh vegetables to peel, dice, and cook for their meals. People need convenience. That is why canned food is so popular. I am certain every pantry on the planet has canned foods in it. Canned food is precooked and ready to eat! All you need to do is heat it up. Do we need to pull the saucepan out every time we want a quick and easy side for our meals? Nope. Can you microwave canned food? Yes. Thanks to canned foods and the microwave, dinner is ready much faster!
Where Did Canned Foods Come From?
Canning food started as a result of the French government requesting a method of food preservation for their military troops. In 1809, the process of preserving food in jars was invented. They would seal the jar airtight and then boil it. The boiling would kill the microorganisms in the food that would normally cause it to spoil; the airtight seal would keep any microorganisms from entering to spoil it too. Thus the discovery of food preservation was invented. It wasn’t until 1810 that we starting canning foods in tin cans. Tin cans were not breakable like the glass jars were, making shipping them easier. This became the go-to method of canning foods and the rest is history. Literally. Although you still find some foods in jars at your local grocery store, canned foods have dominated food preservation.
Can you eat canned food without heating it up?
Can you microwave canned food? Yes, but what if you want to eat it cold? Some canned food, like tuna fish or salsa, just taste better cold. Canned veggies and meats definitely taste better heated, in my opinion. But maybe you’re in a survival situation where you don’t have a choice. It could be a natural disaster or power outage that has your microwave or stovetop out of commission, and you’ve still got to eat. So what do you do when you’ve got canned food and no way of heating it up? Is it safe to eat canned meats and veggies out of the can? Can you eat canned food without heating it up? Absolutely!
That is the beauty of the canning process. Because it is precooked before it gets canned, it is perfectly safe to eat right out of the can. People do heat up their canned food, but that is mostly because it tastes a whole lot better when heated. You can reheat the canned food in the microwave or stovetop and add butter or other seasonings to make it taste better. If you’re ever in a situation where you can’t heat it up, now you know that it is perfectly safe to eat straight out of the can. No worries about getting sick. The fact that you can have canned meats, veggies, and starches all ready for you to eat, straight out of the can, in case of an emergency situation is very amazing! Thank you canned food inventors!
Canning Goods at Home
Did you know that you can preserve your own food at home? That is right! You can learn how to can different foods in the comfort of your home! There are several techniques that you can use; water bath canning and pressure canning. Both are effective for different kinds of foods. If you’re trying to can pickles and jams, the water bath method is the best and easiest way to do so. If you’re trying to can different types of meats or non-acidic vegetables, then you need to use pressure canning. Water bath canning consists of canning acidic foods like fruits, jams, jellies, and pickles. You can research and find different kinds of canning recipes to mix with whatever fruits and veggies you’re canning. There are a ton of recipes of different kinds of jams, chow chow, flavored pickles, sauces, and a lot more!
The water bathing process itself is a bit tedious but simple. You will have to look up the specific instructions with all the details of canning foods properly so they are safe to consume. I, however, will give you the general idea. You’ll end up placing the fruits or veggies in jars, closing them up, and boiling them. Sounds simple but there is a lot more to canning than these simple instructions. You’ll need to measure things out, use a certain type of jar, specific utensils to get the cans out of the boiling water, and follow several other rules to make sure you’re safely canning and preserving your food. Pressure canning is a bit more advanced. You will need to buy a pressure canner, and then just follow the instructions to learn to preserve food this way! Whichever way you choose, you can preserve your choice of food at home!
Canned Food Craze
Canned food is definitely a staple in every home. You can enjoy it hot or cold! One of my favorite canned foods is tuna fish. I love making tuna salad with it. I usually mix canned tuna fish with mayonnaise straight out of the can and start to eat! Homemade water-bath canned food is another that can be eaten cold. Some things are just better cold. Most of the homemade canned food that I have eaten are either jams, jellies, or salsas! I usually just serve that cold right out of the jar. A lot of the store-bought canned food is meats or veggies, I will argue with you that it will taste better warm. So what if it’s a food you prefer to eat warm, can you microwave canned food? Now you know that you absolutely and positively can! Throw it in the microwave for a few minutes and you’re done! Thanks to the power of microwaves, you can easily heat up your canned food for a quick side to your meal!
