Would you use this can of beets?

[taxlady]

I have already received my refund, but I still have this dented can of beets. Would you use it?

 

[Andy M.]

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.

 

[caseydog]

I am with Andy... on both points.

A dented can is not a food safety problem (a bulging can is).

However, that dented can would give me a good excuse to throw away some beets.

CD

 

[dragnlaw]

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.

 

[medtran49]

I like beets, but I'd still throw it away.

 

[taxlady]

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?

 

[caseydog]

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 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

 

[dragnlaw]

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.

 

[Aunt Bea]

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.

 

[HeyItsSara]

Yes I would

 

[taxlady]

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:

The canning process is very effective and cans which were produced over a hundred years ago have been opened and eaten. Problems arise if there is a defect in the can or if the heating isn’t done properly. One giveaway is a bulging can. Bacterial activity produces gas and any can that bulges should be thrown away. Dented cans are a different story. The concern here is that denting puts strain on the metal and microscopic cracks may develop. The sterility is then lost and microbes and molds can enter. The risk is very small because usually dents do not produce holes. Dented cans do not necessarily have to be thrown out but their contents should be boiled to kill any microbes and destroy any toxin that could have been produced by the Clostridium botulinum bacteria.

 

[pepperhead212]

...If it was my decision I'd throw it away but that's just because I hate beets.

My thoughts exactly!