wff_ng_7 said:Quoted message said:I guess if I had gotten real sick, I'd have my answer, but I didn't.
If you died, you would have gotten your answer for sure. It would have also
confirmed the theory of natural selection.
I've only had this happen once in my 30 years of cooking, and it was very
strange. I opened one of those little 6 ounce cans of tomato paste. The
liquid shot a lot more than a foot out of the can. It hit the ceiling and
otherwise went all over the place. It was a tremendous mess to clean up. I'm
glad I didn't have any other food out that would have gotten sprayed... and
which I would have also thrown out for safety reasons.
I was a bit surprised, as the can showed no signs of damage or bulging.
Tomatoes are also an acid food, which are not so prone to these problems. I
suspect the can would have been bulging if it were a larger can. Because of
this small can's size, it was better able to contain the pressure. I think
all cans have about the same wall thickness.
Actually acetic foods in tins, like tomatoes, are the most likely to
become toxic, the acid is more likely to erode metal and cause minute
pinholes, especially near the seam at the lid, usually the upper lid as
the can stands due to the small void; gas escapes so there is no
bulging but the poison contained therein can be the most intense.
Examine all cans carefully before opening. If a can has been sitting
in your cupboard for a couple of years give it a good hard squeeze
before opening, any liquid escapes toss it. It's a good habit to mark
all cans with date of purchase as soon as brought home; you'll never
remember later when you bought what and the date will enable you to
rotate your stock. Tins more than five years old should be considered
highly suspect, I would toss them. I date all foods as soon as they
arrive home. It's rare I have something around for five years so don't
often toss things, but just last week I discovered a can of Goya Coco
Lopez in the back of my cupboard, marked 4/98, I tossed it unopened.
It had a price sticker, $1.19... an amount hardly worth taking a
chance. Canned fish is another culprit deserving of suspician, foods
with relatively high salt content are also subject to pinholes. Any
can with rust, toss it. Judging canned kraut by it's odor is inane..
beware if it doesn't smell "off". I don't know how anyone can eat
canned kraut, it smells exactly the same fresh from the can as it does
fresh from uranus. <G>
Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake
INGREDIENTS:
2/3 cup butter
1-1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup cocoa
2-1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
2/3 cup chopped sauerkraut, drained
PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 8 or 9-inch cake
pans. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In another
bowl, combine cocoa, flour, baking powder and salt with wire whisk.
Slowly add to creamed mixture alternately with water. Fold in
sauerkraut and pour into prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
Frost with a cream cheese or buttercream frosting. -anon-
Sheldon
