Panic beans, swollen tins, and cloudy beef. Confused about the shelf life of canned meat?
Here's everything you need to know before you pop open that next container of SPAM.
If you were to peek inside the pantries of American home cooks, you'd probably find the
remnants of what Eater refers to as "Panic Beans." These are the cans of legumes that shoppers
purchased in droves at the start of the pandemic in a hive-mind state of survivalism. Back in those
days, bean businesses and packagers had to add shifts to keep up with the increase in demand.
It makes sense that shelf-stable items and frozen foods made a comeback, too. Back when
most supermarkets were operating at reduced capacity to slow the spread of the coronavirus,
canned-food shortages became par for the course. With a lifespan of two to five years,
beans seemed to be a necessity in the era of COVID-19.
But what about canned beans' decidedly less-popular cousin, canned meat? According
to a 2020 survey from the data collectors at Statista, roughly 100 million U.S. consumers claim
they eat canned meat against 226 million who say they don't. And whatever kind of meat the buyer
chooses, they're sure to be surprised at how long their new pantry additions will last on the shelf.
Cans of meat are preserved in the same way as many tinned fruits or vegetables.
They're hermetically sealed in tin-coated steel cans to make sure no air can get in,
and then processed using heat to prevent microorganisms from spoiling the food.
All of this effort pays off, too, as canned meat can last anywhere between two to five years,
per the USDA, and sometimes up to 10 years. This is due to both the canning process and
meat's low acid content. High-acid preserved foods, such as tomatoes,
will keep in their cans for a comparatively short 18 months.
Expiration dates aside, outside factors such as high heat and denting can mess with the safety
of preserved food, so it's always best to rely on your senses to determine whether your canned meat
has gone bad. The FDA recommends checking the can for swelling, for example. If you can feel space
between the tin and the meat inside or if you see liquid oozing from the lid, you're better
off ditching it. Do the same if the meat appears cloudy, mushy, or sour-smelling. Trust your eyes,
trust your nose, and trust that gut feeling. As long as you keep your canned meat in a cool,
dry place and enjoy it before its best-by date, though, you're most likely in the clear.
Canned meat, then: pretty neat, all things considered. But where does the idea actually
come from? Well, while it would be reasonable to assume that it was an innovation devised by
scientists in a lab somewhere, canned food was actually the product of a national competition
sanctioned by the French government at the end of the 18th century. The leaders of the country
teamed up with the Society for the Encouragement of Industry to advertise a 12,000-franc
prize for the citizen who came through with the best development in food preservation.
Why? Because droves of French soldiers stationed in Italy, the Netherlands,
Germany, and the Caribbean were in desperate need of nourishment that didn't require refrigeration.
Enter Nicolas Appert — not a scientist, but a chef living in the wine region of Champagne
who had previously served as a chef for the French nobility. Appert devised an
ingenious method of preservation: packing food in Champagne bottles and sealing them with a mixture
of cheese and lime. Only a year after successfully testing his products on the French navy in 1803,
he began experimenting with canned meat. Et voilà: a star was born.
"I could talk all night about how downright good these meat spreads
are, but folks, you've just gotta taste 'em."
These days, canned meat sometimes needs a little extra push from additives to
stay edible for even longer periods of time. As a result,
certain brands have been known to carry less-than-appetizing aromas and textures.
Back in 2016, Thrillist conducted a taste test of 11 different canned meat brands
and reasoned that, while some weren't totally vile options for your bunker,
SPAM stood out as a legitimately appealing pork product.
"SPAM. Don't knock it, 'til you've fried it."
And Serious Eats has published some genuinely unexpected ways to use this underrated canned
meat. The outlet suggests spicy SPAM breakfast hash; SPAM burgers; SPAM mac and cheese;
"Spamghetti Carbonara"; and even SPAM tacos. The possibilities are truly endless — and,
thanks to that nifty little metal can, you know it's not going to be going off anytime soon.