I had plain rice and nothing else to go with it, so I dumped a can of smoked oysters right on top. The oil mixed in and made it taste like a fancy seafood pilaf for less than $2. Does anyone else keep a backup can of something weird for emergency meals?
Last month I decided to eat nothing but canned beans for a whole week to prove they're a complete meal. By day 4 I was SO bloated I couldn't button my pants and my roommate said I smelled like a chili factory. I stuck with it but honestly it taught me that even cheap canned food needs SOME variety to work. Anyone else tried a pantry challenge that backfired in a funny way?
I always bought the cheap store brand crushed tomatoes for my sauces. $1.29 a can, no big deal. Then I saw a cooking video where this chef swore by San Marzano style tomatoes. I figured I'd try them for a spaghetti night. Spent $4.99 on one can from a specialty market. Made the sauce and honestly? I couldn't tell a huge difference in taste. My wife didn't notice anything either. That $4.99 could have bought almost 4 cans of the regular stuff. Lesson learned for me: save your money unless you're doing some real fancy dish. Has anyone else fallen for the hype on canned goods?
I used to think canned chicken was only good for emergency sandwiches (bleh). Then last Tuesday I was out of fresh meat and grabbed a can on a whim. I made a buffalo chicken dip with a can of cream of mushroom soup and it was actually good. Then I threw it into a jar of salsa for tacos and it saved dinner. Has anyone else found a weird trick for canned chicken that actually works?
Tbh, I spent $3.50 on a can of premium coconut milk last week for a Thai curry and it was just watery and bland. I ended up using a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup instead and it made the sauce way thicker and richer for only $1.20. Am I the only one who thinks the fancy stuff is a waste when cheap pantry staples do the job better?
Saw people online blending canned tomato soup with cottage cheese for a "creamy" cheap dinner. Tried it last night with my can of Campbell's and store brand cottage cheese. Blended fine, heated it up, and within 2 minutes the whole thing turned into grainy nasty chunks. Wasted a whole can. Anybody find a canned milk or cheese that actually stays smooth? I'm thinking evaporated milk next time.
Started logging back in January just to see how long I could go, and yesterday I crossed a full year of no-repeat dinners from my pantry stash. How far has anyone else gotten before hitting a wall?
I was driving through Ohio last week and stopped at some random gas station for snacks. Saw a guy in the parking lot mixing a can of chili into a can of mac and cheese with a plastic fork, lol. He said it's his go to cheap meal when road tripping and it only costs like $2 total. I tried it at home with the leftover cans I had and honestly it's super filling and not bad. Has anyone else tried weird combos like this with just pantry stuff?
I threw in a 15 oz can of plain pumpkin puree into my usual canned chili recipe last night because I was out of beans and figured why not. It made it way thicker and added a little sweetness that balanced the canned tomatoes and spices perfectly. Has anyone else tried mixing canned fruits or veggies into savory stuff like this?
I tried for like 2 years to get my 6 year old to eat green beans from a can, and she would just push them around her plate. Last week I dumped a can of French style green beans into a skillet with a tablespoon of butter and some garlic powder, and I let them get slightly brown and crispy on the edges. She actually asked for seconds, which has literally never happened with any veggie before. Has anyone else had luck with a specific way of cooking canned beans that actually makes them taste better?
I was making chili last week and mentioned to my neighbor that it always came out a little metallic tasting. She asked if I rinse my beans. I told her no, I just dump the whole can in. She gave me this look like I'd insulted her grandmother. So I tried it - drained and rinsed the kidney beans and black beans before adding them. Huge difference. The chili tasted cleaner, the texture was better. I've been eating canned beans for 30 years and never knew this. Does anybody else do something simple that took them way too long to figure out?
I tried swapping canned pumpkin for tomato sauce in my chili last week to save money, figuring the texture would be close enough. It came out sweet and grainy, completely killing the savory flavor I was going for. Has anyone else found a decent way to use leftover canned pumpkin that isn't pie or muffins?
I did a side by side taste test last night between name brand SpaghettiOs and the generic from Food City. The store brand was $1.10 cheaper a can but the pasta was mushy and the sauce was watery. Not worth the savings for me. Has anyone found a bargain brand that actually holds up?
I was at a tiny fishing spot down by the river near my town about 5 years ago, just heating up a can of chili on my little camp stove. This older guy named Roy walks over with his own beat up pot and asks if he can sit nearby. He saw my can and just shook his head with a smile. Roy pulled out a can of diced tomatoes and a can of kidney beans, plus a little packet of cumin he brought from home. He dumped them all into his pot with his chili and let it simmer for like 20 minutes, stirring slow. That little addition of fresh textures and spices completely changed the whole thing from a sad meal to something hearty. I still do that trick whenever I'm camping or stuck with pantry stuff. Has anyone else got a weird tip from a stranger that stuck with you?
He showed me how saving that starchy liquid and adding a splash of vinegar makes the best quick refried beans I've ever had from a can, so has anyone else found uses for the liquid they used to pour down the sink?
People always grab the name brands like Wolf or Hormel, but I picked up the store brand chili for $1.25 a can last Tuesday and it was actually thicker and had more meat chunks. Am I the only one who thinks the fancy labels are just a rip-off?
Always thought cream of mushroom soup and canned tuna was just sad cafeteria food. Tried adding a can of French onion soup and some crushed barbecue chips on top last week, and it actually tasted like a real meal instead of punishment. Anyone else got a weird can combo that changed their mind about something?
Switched to oil-packed tuna last week for my lazy salad hack and man, I messed up big time. The water-packed can I grabbed by mistake made everything taste like wet cardboard. Has anyone else had that moment where you grab the wrong can and ruin lunch?
I always thought fresh was the only way to go for Thai curry. Then my buddy who actually lived in Thailand showed me a video from some street food chef there. He used canned coconut milk straight from the can, said the fresh stuff is too watery and you need the thick cream from the can for the right texture. Tried it last week with a can of Chaokoh and it was way richer. Anyone else switched to canned after thinking it was the cheap option?
Last August in Tampa, we lost electricity for 5 days after Hurricane Idalia came through and I had nothing in my pantry but canned black beans, corn, and diced tomatoes. I ended up making a no-cook bean salad with some olive oil and vinegar that actually kept me full and didn't need any refrigeration or heat. Has anyone else had a situation where canned stuff unexpectedly became your only option?
I've always used evaporated milk to make my chili creamier, but last night I swapped in a can of coconut milk instead. The coconut milk made it much richer and added a subtle sweetness that balanced the tomatoes really well. I used a 13.5 ounce can of full fat coconut milk from the pantry and it turned a $2 meal into something that tasted like it simmered all day. Has anyone else tried this swap or have other canned milk hacks for savory dishes?
I volunteered at a food bank off Gratiot Avenue last weekend and it totally changed how I see canned vegetables. They had pallets of green beans, like hundreds of cases, but almost no canned tomatoes or beans. I asked the coordinator why and she said 'donations are based on what people think is healthy not what families actually cook.' So now I'm sitting here thinking, why do we keep pushing limp canned green beans on people when a can of chili beans or stewed tomatoes can actually make a meal? I ended up grabbing a few dented cans of diced tomatoes from the corner store and threw together a quick soup with some canned corn and a can of chicken. It was way better than anything I've ever tried with green beans. Has anyone else noticed this weird donation gap or am I just overthinking a vegetable?
I was at Rocky Gap State Park last Saturday cooking breakfast with a buddy who insisted on using canned new potatoes instead of fresh. He rinsed them, sliced them thin, then fried them in the same pan as the bacon before adding the eggs. The crust they got was way better than my usual hash brown routine, and it took maybe 7 minutes total. Has anyone else tried that method or got another quick canned potato move for camping?