I have already received my refund, but I still have this dented can of beets. Would you use it?
Would you use this can of beets?
- Thread starter taxlady
- Start date
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Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
The can isn't bulging, just dented. Dents are not necessarily a problem unless the integrity of the can is compromised.
If it was my decision I'd throw it away but that's just because I hate beets.
If it was my decision I'd throw it away but that's just because I hate beets.
Arghhhh - you guuuuys!
I love beets! Shame on you.
taxy, don't listen to those whiners!
the only thing they are correct on is bulging vs denting.
I love beets! Shame on you.
taxy, don't listen to those whiners!
the only thing they are correct on is bulging vs denting.
OP
OP
I decided to do some googling about this. One site said it's okay if there were no leaks caused and mentioned some ways to tell. It also said that dings on any of the seams are bad and to throw it out if there are any. There is a ding very near the bottom seam.
I started to wonder about the lining of the can. Can bits of that fall into the food where it gets bent by a ding? I haven't been able to find anything about that - just lots of sites telling me that most cans don't have a BPA lining anymore.
Yeah, I think that I'll skip eating the contents of that can. Now, should I open and empty and wash it so it can go in recycling? Or should I just chuck it in the garbage?
I started to wonder about the lining of the can. Can bits of that fall into the food where it gets bent by a ding? I haven't been able to find anything about that - just lots of sites telling me that most cans don't have a BPA lining anymore.
Yeah, I think that I'll skip eating the contents of that can. Now, should I open and empty and wash it so it can go in recycling? Or should I just chuck it in the garbage?
I think you have gone well into the territory of overthinking this.
If it worries you, open it, toss the beets somewhere critters can eat it, and recycle the can. Animals can eat things people can't -- that's what they live on.
CD
No taxy, please don't throw that food out for the critters.
casey, she lives in a suburban area. You do not want to encourage racoons and rats to come around.
BTW, I used to shop for the cans on special as they were dented. Family had many a meal on them.
casey, she lives in a suburban area. You do not want to encourage racoons and rats to come around.
BTW, I used to shop for the cans on special as they were dented. Family had many a meal on them.
Aunt Bea
Master Chef
My local Wegman’s has canned beets for $1.39.
Is it worth $1.39 to fret over the possibility of what might happen?
To me it is.
I would probably use my past experience and common sense as a guide.
If they look and smell ok I would boil them for 10 minutes to kill any possible botulism and serve them to a friend or relative first.
Is it worth $1.39 to fret over the possibility of what might happen?
To me it is.
I would probably use my past experience and common sense as a guide.
If they look and smell ok I would boil them for 10 minutes to kill any possible botulism and serve them to a friend or relative first.
HeyItsSara
Sous Chef
Yes I would
OP
OP
I have decided to toss it. The can will be recycled and the beets will go in the garbage. DL, it wasn't just a question of the freshness of the product. If there hadn't been a dent with a sharp bend in it and where it might compromise a seam, I would have opened it and sniffed to decide. I found this from McGill University's Office for Science and Society.
Here's the part I found most relevant:
Here's the part I found most relevant:
Can I eat food from a dented can?
Obviously, the concern about dented cans is that the food they contain may not be safe to eat. To address this question we have to know a little about the canning process. The preservation of food historically has been a problem. Microbes such as bacteria and molds like the same kinds of food...
www.mcgill.ca
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pepperhead212
Master Chef
My thoughts exactly!
OP
OP
But, you folks who hate beets wouldn't buy a can of beets for yourselves anyways.
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Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
SO loves beets. She buys them in jars rather than cans, both regular and pickled.
OP
OP
But, that's your SO buying them. I have seen, and have some, pickled beets in a jar. I don't remember ever seeing beets that weren't pickled, in a jar.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
In addition to seeing them myself, Google tells me they're out there.
OP
OP
I'm sure you are right, but I'm in Canada. I have just googled* for "where to buy beets in jars in Canada" and all I found was pickled beets in jars, instructions for canning beets, stuff from the US, and random stuff. I even checked Amazon.ca with no luck.
*Technically, I didn't "google", since I used DuckDuckGo for the search.
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jennyema
Chef Extraordinaire
I’d eat them. The can is just dented. And doesn’t look otherwise compromised.
I just remembered that I forgot to buy beets at the store this afternoon… darn it. I’ll have to go back now. We love beets!
………
Well in literally an hour I ran back to the store (7-10 min away). Bought beets, broccoli, horseradish, ritz crackers and yogurt (things I forgot because I was too lazy to make a list).
Got home, got those beets in my Instant Pot. While cooking I made pickled red onions. When cooked, I let them cool a bit and then peeled them and chopped them into 3/4 inch chunks. Then into bottled Italian dressing with a dollop or 2 of prepared horseradish. Then into the fridge.
Tomorrow, I’ll serve it cold mixed with chopped pickled onions.
Even people who don’t like beets like this.
Also NYT Ritz cracker chicken and broccoli.
I just remembered that I forgot to buy beets at the store this afternoon… darn it. I’ll have to go back now. We love beets!
………
Well in literally an hour I ran back to the store (7-10 min away). Bought beets, broccoli, horseradish, ritz crackers and yogurt (things I forgot because I was too lazy to make a list).
Got home, got those beets in my Instant Pot. While cooking I made pickled red onions. When cooked, I let them cool a bit and then peeled them and chopped them into 3/4 inch chunks. Then into bottled Italian dressing with a dollop or 2 of prepared horseradish. Then into the fridge.
Tomorrow, I’ll serve it cold mixed with chopped pickled onions.
Even people who don’t like beets like this.
Also NYT Ritz cracker chicken and broccoli.
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I have rabbits and other critters pass through with or without feeding them. However, I'd probably dump them in the huge undeveloped lot a few blocks away. I wouldn't dump them somewhere in the inner-city.
But it is a moot point now, since the beets are going in the trash.
Walmart near me has a clearance cart with all kinds of things marked way down. Some of those items are dented cans of vegetables.
CD
you should buy them casey. Store away for rainy (think tornadoes and hurricanes) days.
As beets, from raw, take so long to cook, I rarely buy them. For a while I discovered vacuum packed cooked beets in the vegetable section. There were 4 to 6 beets in the package. About $4.00 if I remember correctly. Yeah, a bit expensive - but a huge time saver and extremely handy.
Haven't seen them recently, I should keep an eye out for them again.
So handy to heat up however you would normally with ones you cooked.
Or the best part is to slice/chunk them up for your salad! Which is how I usually used them. Lettuce, cottage cheese, sliced beets, leftover chicken or ham, and a creamy salad dressing with maybe a grating of cheddar/gruyere/swiss/mozza/monterey/whatever tickles your fancy.
As beets, from raw, take so long to cook, I rarely buy them. For a while I discovered vacuum packed cooked beets in the vegetable section. There were 4 to 6 beets in the package. About $4.00 if I remember correctly. Yeah, a bit expensive - but a huge time saver and extremely handy.
Haven't seen them recently, I should keep an eye out for them again.
So handy to heat up however you would normally with ones you cooked.
Or the best part is to slice/chunk them up for your salad! Which is how I usually used them. Lettuce, cottage cheese, sliced beets, leftover chicken or ham, and a creamy salad dressing with maybe a grating of cheddar/gruyere/swiss/mozza/monterey/whatever tickles your fancy.
