In spite of how the concept might sound, canned food is a very useful and viable option for you as you think about putting together meals for yourself or your family. Traditionally, canned food has a stigma surrounding it. On the one hand, there are a few canned foods, like certain fruits, chopped tomatoes and other common household foods, which no-one bats an eyelid overeating and do so regularly. On the other hand, the bulk of canned food evokes images of military rations, pet food and post-apocalypse survival scenarios. However, this stigma is unfair and unjustified. So, let’s take a look at some ways to use canned food to great culinary effect.
Carrot Coconut Soup
Soups tend to be a good bet when it comes to making meals from canned goods. This is a really flavorful winter treat that no-one will ever guess was made from canned ingredients. All you really need are some canned carrots and some coconut milk. Combining the two with some herbs will really boost the flavor profile of the meal.
Roasted Chickpeas
This is simple and delicious, a really inventive starter for any sort of meal. “One of the great things about using canned food in general, is that there is an inherent and significant sense in which it prompts you to be more creative in your recipes”, says Louis Brown, a cooking school student at WriteMyx and BritStudent. This is definitely an example of that.
Spicy Fishcakes
The use of fish in a fishcake is a perfect arena to introduce the use of canned fish into. You can use most different types of canned fish, but the best for complementing the spice is probably salmon. Use some spicy mayonnaise as a dip for these fishcakes.
Quick and Easy Chili
Chili is an absolute bread and butter canned food dish. All of the ingredients for a hearty, flavorful chili can be found in cans: the kidney beans, spiced or otherwise, the chopped tomatoes, corn and other vegetables, even the ground beef can be found canned.
7 Can Soup
As mentioned previously, soups are where canned food can really shine and this is a prime example of the phenomenon. “7 Can Soup is a prime example of the sheer amount of flavor that can be brought out of canned food. Not a single ingredient in this rich dish needs to come from anywhere else”, says Harriet Smith, a culinary analyst at 1Day2Wite and NextCoursework. Combine spiced corn, meat-only chili, pinto, kidney and black beans with chopped tomatoes.
Baked Artichoke Hearts
This one is simple, quick and surprisingly gourmet. Just combine canned artichoke hearts, anchovies and a few herbs for a delicious starter or main.
Ambrosia Fruit Salad
This is a slightly unusual dish that you don’t see as much as you once did. However, it’s very easy and uses a host of canned goods: fruit cocktail, mandarin oranges, pineapples chunks with shredded coconut, cream and marshmallows.
Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies
Canned pumpkin is actually extremely delicious and makes this otherwise fairly conventional brownie recipe that bit more nutritious and a flavorful. All in all the whole thing should only take half an hour making it a really convenient sweet treat.
Crabmeat on Potato Crisps
Canned crab is actually pretty luxurious, and it makes the base of this tasty and appealing recipe. Make the crisps out of thinly sliced, baked potatoes and then combine the crabmeat with a few herbs and some lime juice and place a spoonful of the mixture on each of the crisps. It makes for a great hors d’oeuvre.
Tuna Poke
Canned fish is always a great option. Poke bowls, a phenomenon that has recently taken the west by storm, can be made quickly and in bulk allowing you to prep in advance. Combine tuna, brown rice, avocado, tomatoes and dressing for best results.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this list demonstrates the immense range and the quality of some of the recipes that you can create using tinned ingredients. Destroy the stigma by amazing your family and friends, not to mention yourself, with some of these fantastic creations.
Guest post by Joel Syder
About the Author
Joel Syder is a line cook and writer at Academic Paper Help and PhdKingdom. He enjoys helping people to make intelligent and healthy food choices as well as creating his own articles about things that inspire him for AcademicBrits.
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