I asked Bush Brother's, the popular purveyor of baked beans, if they
recommended heating their product directly in the can over a campfire
and got this mostly corporate, but somewhat insightful response:
Dear Mr. Xxxx:
Thank you for contacting us.
We do not recommend heating our product in the can over a campfire.
We were able to find in literature several articles that stated that
the temperatures in a campfire are in the range of 500 - 650 degrees C
(932 F - 1202 F). We do not use can liner materials or end sealing
compounds that can stand-up to these temperatures. In fact, I am not
aware of any commercial lining materials and end sealant compounds
that can stand-up to these temperatures. Although our current liner
and end sealant materials are approved for their intended use in a can
that is cooked at high temperatures they are not approved nor have
they even been studied at the typical temperatures that can exist in a
campfire. The concern with the materials is what happens to them at
these elevated temperatures and what the by-products of combustion
might be at these elevated temperatures.
Again, we thank you for taking the time to contact us. We appreciate
your interest in our products.
Sincerely,
Yyyy Yyyy
Consumer Relations Coordinator
It seems that she is implying that their linings will hold up to
canning temperatures of 100 C (212 F) and that this would be an
acceptable way to heat up canned food. So I asked her that question
directly and got this very corporate response:
Dear Mr. Xxxx:
We suggest following the heating instructions on the can.
We appreciate your interest in our products.
Sincerely,
Yyyy Yyyy
Consumer Relations Coordinator
I've eaten plenty of canned beans cooked over a campfire, but now I
will be more conscious of the temperature at which I cook them. The
safest way would obviously be to remove the beans from the can and use
a pot or pan, but the second best way is probably to try to indirectly
heat canned goods through boiling water or steam.
-Michael P
TOR here: Michael, thanks for sending this my way. It is certainly interesting. I think we have all heated some sort of canned stuff up in its original container at some point. Think setting chili on the stove was my way. Odds are it will not kill you if you do it once (though I am not an expert so who knows, consider yourself disclaimed) in a blue moon but it is probably not good to have some sort of can liner break down into food you eat on a regular basis. I don't think I will do this again, it is just too easy to have a small pot or a metal canteen cup.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
![[Most Recent Charts from www.kitco.com]](http://www.kitconet.com/charts/metals/gold/t24_au_en_usoz_4.gif)
![[Most Recent Charts from www.kitco.com]](http://www.kitconet.com/charts/metals/silver/t24_ag_en_usoz_4.gif)
Posts
6 comments:
It is also apparently not safe to freeze food in a can after the can has been opened. My wife's father was in aluminum his whole career and said that after the can is opened, freezing causes the sealant to leech unsafe chemicals into the food. I assume there is a similar concern when heating over a campfire.
Used to heat C Rations on the manifolds of our generators.
The cooks tossed the cans in a can of water heated by immersion heaters.
Heated many cans over wood fires or burning slices of C4!
Didn't affect me, at least I think it didn't, some folks may disagree.
Another proviso, for those among us who have momentary lapses in common sense: puncture the can before you EVER try heating it with any method!
Holy crap, then I'm a dead man walking. Can't heat canned food in its own container over fire? The hell you can't, just make sure you puncture the can at the top to release pressure and you'll be okay. Peel the label off, get a bed of coals off to the side to prevent too much heat along sides and you'll be okay.
With bigger cans, turning can on side will heat contents faster. Recommended - good fireplace gloves to help deal with heat.
Here's an ehow article how they do it - hope this helps.
http://tinyurl.com/ycyt9hr
To anon 12;33,and all
An easy and safe way to cook in the can is to put it into a can of water over the fire,a double boiler type setup. Use a pan,or coffee can with water,then drop in the food can,open or punctured at least.It will only heat to boiling,so it should not leach any heavy metal's.
I'm sure if you had a grill rack or such,you could raise it high enough to control the temp a bit too.
Dean in az
Assume that you are boiling something in an opened can over a campfire, ask yourself this question.
At what temperature does water boil? 100C. As long as there is boiling water at atmospheric sealevel pressure it will be at roughly 100C.
If the cans are designed to withstand canning heat they will withstand boiling over a campfire. Especially considering the fact that you dont usually need to cook the contents, just heat them.
Post a Comment