Quest for the One Can Meal

[StockholmSailor]

Dear sailors

I have begun testing canned food in order to find the good ones for next seasons provisioning. My test so far has been an utter dissapointment. Consumer tips on good quality internationally available tins are highly appreciated. I'm filming my results and you might find it amusing to watch:

The quest for the one can meal - YouTube

kindly

[JPA Cate]

Hi, I watched about 1/2 your video. I agree that reading labels prior to purchase can show you a lot of foods you may choose to avoid. Personally the only meal in a can tinned foods I can tolerate without adding something to them are French made lentilles garnis and cassoulets. I wish you luck with your search, though. FWIW, we have found that the simple addition of 1/2 fresh onion, chopped, makes almost any canned food better. And of course, there's adding herbs, but that's getting to be like the dreaded cooking on board.

By the way, some people get headaches from mono sodium glutamate, and the sodium is contra-indicated if you have high blood pressure.

Good luck with your search.

Ann

[StockholmSailor]

Thank you Ann!
I agree on the french cans. Without giving away too much of part two of my test, which I'll post as soon as I have it edited, that's where I find a tasty, albeit very expensive solution to the problem. The quest continues...

[Pete7]

We used to wash the brown sauce off the chicken that was supplied in compo rations, the chicken could then be turned into something editable. So I think you are half way there, just wash the gloop off the meat balls and do something else with them, even cut thinly and stuck on the top of a pizza base with cheese and toms.

Wifey likes the fish soup shop in La Taballe France, (they only sell fish soup), only like you it's a long way to go.

Pete

[JPA Cate]

Another expensive way to go: look at freeze-dried backpackiing dinners. Just add water and cook.

Ann

[ohdrinkboy]

i add some hot sauce to this. best one can meal i've had.

[ohdrinkboy]

this is passable, but not great

[DumnMad]

Most canned meals are full of cheap high glycemic carbohydrates which on their own are useless for good nutrition. In fact high glycemic food could be the biggest cause of diabetes, cancer and heart disease in affluent societies.
Canned beans are more balanced.
Porridge ingredients are great for long term storage. Also you can buy flavoured Whey Protein powder to add to your meals. I put a scoop of protein powder plus spoonful of raisins into my oats porridge.
I assume you are planning on having some fresh fruit and veggies along the way and catching enough fish to provide fish oil and protein to your diet.

[StockholmSailor]

Thanks for your replies and true, a lot of them can be improved by adding onion or other ingredients, but my quest is for a proper One Can Meal - in other words being able to reach for a can, open it, heat it and have a decent meal. And after this filming I will avoid any can that sports "modified food starch" on the list of ingredients...

[Rhapsody-NS27]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

By the way, some people get headaches from mono sodium glutamate, and the sodium is contra-indicated if you have high blood pressure.

Good luck with your search.

Ann

the sodium (salt) content of canned foods can be VERY bad. Sometimes when grocery shopping, I'll check a label and then decide to put it back on the shelf if the sodium content is too high.

I haven't heard of MSG causing headaches. My step-mom gets allergic reactions that require a trip to the hospital if she eats anything with MSG or even dill (even a tiny dill seed is deadly to her).

[Snore]

Did some research on this a few years ago. The goal was to find a meal that was- good tasting, easy to store, easy to prepare, nutritious and did not have many chemicals. At that time, the pick was Natural High foods my Richmoor.

If you look at these take the time to compare the different meals. Also not all of the Richmoor line meets these specs, only the Natural High. I still carry 2 entrees on my boat. In a pinch- boil 8 oz of water, open pouch, REMOVE the dehydration packet, add water, wait and eat. I can tell you from experience that beef stroganoff tastes good any time of the day. Also these meals can be made and then "grazed on" for several hours as time allows one to eat.

Bill

[goboatingnow]

I would agree re French cassoulet , etc I got very nice ones Carrefor , but range is limited. On this side of the pond the Marks and Sparks brands do some nice canned one pots or near one pots

Dave

[sandy stone]

You don't like Dinty Moore?

[Suijin]

First of all, your presentation and humor are hugely entertaining. Loved it, particularly the comment about the poor cow in the goulash.

I've never been a fan of canned goods, but eat them anyway in a pinch. Here in the States, Progresso seems to make the best widely available stuff:



You might however look at some of the foods now available in foil pouches or vacuum pouches. A grocery chain here called "Trader Joe's" offers quite a few of them, although they all seem to be short on protein in general.

[mrohr]

I'm a bit of a food snob,but will try anything new in the off chance that I will hit upon a new product that can be added to my larder. When shopping I make it an adventure to search out new possibilities,especially ethnic or foreign markets. There are some quite passable canned products out there that can be put together for the times when sea conditions, fatigue or time constraints dictate the quick and dirty fix.
I have crewed on boats where the cook did not have a clue,but have found that some absurd concoctions were met with high acclaim if served up hot when conditions were difficult. After all, hunger is still the best sauce !

........................love you all................................mike........... ...............