Eating out of a #10 can

[RiJoRi]

OK, I've looked at these food plans, and have to laugh. I only need to provide for my wife and myself -- no kids. #10 cans seem to have 15-20 servings in each can. That's about 3 days of "whatever", 3 meals a day for us both. No thanks!

Also, will the stuff last for 3 days without power in the middle of summer?? I dunno.

Anybody got some info on this???

--Rich

 

[Dennis Olson]

Well, the only things in my preps in #10 cans are... well, nothing. My bulk grains are in 5 gallon plastic buckets inside mylar bags, with oxygen absorbers in them, All the rest of my preps are in standard-size cans. Store what you eat. The smaller cans take more space, but I won't have any spoilage to worry about, IF.....

 

[Dinghy]

The extra food isn't going to keep very long without being refriderated. It would be the same as leaving food from supper sit out on the counter. I wouldn't trust it past 8 hours or so. There would just be too much waste in my opinion. The only large cans I stock are the Bush's chili beans because they're so much cheaper in a big can, and I use that much to make a batch of chili. Some things you could re-can into smaller amounts, like tomato sauce, but veggies would probably get too mushy. Also if there is a need to help someone less fortunate, it would be better to be able to give smaller cans away. And I agree with Dennis, only store what you normally eat.

 

[Worrier King]

You can use them quite a while after opening the cans, (we are talking Mountain House freeze-dried and similiar products, correct?)

So you might have 4 different open cans of different menu items, all of which you can consume and change over a course of a few weeks. No need to eat the same thing for 3 days.

 

[Hansa44]

Are you talking about prepared food in #10 cans, or dehydrated food like JC Refuge sells?

 

[A.T.Hagan]

Unless they are providing for large families or groups most storage food in #10 cans is some form of dehydrated food, not wet-pack.

Dry-pack food in large cans keeps just fine after opening depending on your storage conditions.

For foods that are particularly sensitive to storage conditions after the can has been opened I generally transfer the can contents into canning jars then vacuum seal them so that I actually have very little food exposed at any one time.

A #10 can is 4/5th of a gallon in volume so usually by the time I've removed the amount that I needed when I opened the can I can get the remainder into three quart jars.

.....Alan.

 

[Mrs Smith]

I'm pretty sure he's talking about #10 wet packs. Like the family sized cans of veggies from a GFS/Sam's Club. Dehydrated foods wouldn't be an issue, but I see his dilemna. There are only 2 of us too, but without a doubt in no matter what emergency situation, I'd have my dad and his wife, as well as sister and her husband (also no kids.) So a #10 would be much easier than several small cans of foods. I've converting most of my stuff over to dehydrated though.

 

[buttie]

We have plastic lids for our cans. They work great!

 

[Hansa44]

If he's talking about dried food, my husband and I lived on the stuff for several months. We put plastic lids on the opened cans and the food lasted at least a month.

We had a problem with dried tomatos. It was so bitter we could not eat it. May have been just a bad batch.

We also lived in the central mountains of AZ so the climate may have preserved the food longer.

 

[Worrier King]

For some reason I like variety and don't put all my preps into one type of food. Dehydrated, freeze dried, buckets, canned (including meat), buckets, MRE's and yes, even frozen. It also seem more easy to daily use the stuff that way, it takes some practice and time to get to the point where you got a good rotation on your supplies, and there's still some stuff we probably won't eat until SHTF.

I have a hard time grasping the concept of "appetite fatigue" cause I've gone hungry in my younger years, but appetite fatigue isn't going to happen with a variety.

Food IS a weapon, has been all through history, so it's nothing to be taken lightly.

 

[Caplock50]

Sorry, but I disagree with the idea of only getting stuff you *like* to eat. If all your stocks was of stuff you like to eat; will you be able to ration yourself? Properly? Stuff you'll eat, but not necessarily like, will make it so much easier. Stuff you'll eat but not really like will last much longer than the stuff you do like, sooo..... Save your 'liked foods' for treats and 'special' meals. When I was growing up, through the week, we'd have beans and rice some days and rice and beans the others. On Sunday, we'd have a fried chicken dinner as a 'treat' meal. Get the idea?

 

[MaxTheKnife]

The only food I buy in wet pack #10 cans is ketchup. I use it to make my world famous BBQ sauce. I agree with you Rich. It makes no sense for you and your wife to stock those #10 cans. Buy the small ones by the case lot. That way, one can = one meal between you. Get lots of chili with beans in case I ever stop in for supper! I'll bring the beer and crackers.

 

[RC]

When I've checked the prices, the "institutional" cans generally cost as much or more than regular cans, especially if the regular cans are on sale, so I've never bought any for that reason.

On the other hand, if the price was right, and I was storing food for more than six months, I wouldn't hesitate to store some large cans, for use in cold weather where the leftovers could be stored on ice.

 

[lynnie]

If the #10 can has freeze dried meat or dairy items it should be used within a month after opening. Dried fruits and vegies last longer.

The "serving size" is rediculously small. Figure 12 cups per can, very roughly speaking, and for dinners at least 1 1/2 -2 cups each of freeze dried meals. That's three-four meals per can for two people.

If you don't care about having to carry them in a bug out situation, canned chunky soup with meat and vegies is a much better buy, in terms of calories, protein, Vit A, etc.

 

[Worrier King]

Just another thought, a person doesn't necessarily need 3 meals a day. People could get used to 2, or even sometimes, 1 meal a day I think, expecially if your minds being occupied and your active. Although you do want to plan for 3 meals a day per individual, you could find some further flexibility with a metabolism adjustment. Which hopefully ISN'T starvation....

And Caplocks really right, you gotta have bags of the beans and rices (buckets) to really make it last, and the "treat" meals, we do that already with our regular menu planning.

There's something about mixing up your own ingredients to make something SHTF, that's going to be comforting. Unless your one of those people who eat like a bird, you GOTTA be diversified with different stuff rather than just dehydrated, me thinks.

 

[breezyhill]

Sorry, but I disagree with the idea of only getting stuff you *like* to eat. If all your stocks was of stuff you like to eat; will you be able to ration yourself? Properly? Stuff you'll eat, but not necessarily like, will make it so much easier. Stuff you'll eat but not really like will last much longer than the stuff you do like, sooo..... Save your 'liked foods' for treats and 'special' meals. When I was growing up, through the week, we'd have beans and rice some days and rice and beans the others. On Sunday, we'd have a fried chicken dinner as a 'treat' meal. Get the idea?

well howdy neighbor,
we must have lived on the same street as kids.

when i was little we had soup beans and cornbread and fried potatoes, then the next day we would have soup beans and cornbread and green beans. on the weekend, not necessarily sunday, we would have fried chicken or a meatloaf.

one time i gave a chicken leg to a friend that was visiting. she was hungry. i thought i was doing a good thing. my mother was so mad at me. for a couple of weekends after that i didn't have anything special to eat.

when i was little i thought my mom was mean to have done that. as i grew older and could understand what they went through as kids, i understood.

hunger makes you behave in ways that you normally wouldn't. in some situations, i guess that generosity can be a liability.

breezyhill

 

[Splicer205]

well howdy neighbor,
we must have lived on the same street as kids.

when i was little we had soup beans and cornbread and fried potatoes, then the next day we would have soup beans and cornbread and green beans. on the weekend, not necessarily sunday, we would have fried chicken or a meatloaf.

one time i gave a chicken leg to a friend that was visiting. she was hungry. i thought i was doing a good thing. my mother was so mad at me. for a couple of weekends after that i didn't have anything special to eat.

when i was little i thought my mom was mean to have done that. as i grew older and could understand what they went through as kids, i understood.

hunger makes you behave in ways that you normally wouldn't. in some situations, i guess that generosity can be a liability.

breezyhill

That is probably the most touching and generous thing I've read in a long, long while. Thank you for sharing it. I'm so sorry your mom did that to you. I guess it didn't do any long term damage since you turned out to be so nice, and I guess she was just reacting based on her fears and life experiences, but I'd be so very proud of my child for doing something like that. And I hope you're proud of youself.

Oops. I'm the world's worst unintentional thread drifter, so I'm drifting it back where it started. We use #10 cans. Send me your addy, Breezyhill and I'll send you a #10 can of blueberry cheesecake. A belated reward. 8-)

 

[okie medicvet]

Sorry, but I disagree with the idea of only getting stuff you *like* to eat. If all your stocks was of stuff you like to eat; will you be able to ration yourself? Properly? Stuff you'll eat, but not necessarily like, will make it so much easier. Stuff you'll eat but not really like will last much longer than the stuff you do like, sooo..... Save your 'liked foods' for treats and 'special' meals. When I was growing up, through the week, we'd have beans and rice some days and rice and beans the others. On Sunday, we'd have a fried chicken dinner as a 'treat' meal. Get the idea?

You know, that makes sense to me. I would be much more likely to stretch stuff out that I didn't care as much for.