tinned food?

[mindbullets]

could someone please settle an argument for me ,is it safe to leave an opened tin of food (beans, peas, etc) in the fridge for a few days ?, someone has told me that the tin can be in some way dangerous/poisonous.any truth in this ?

[kitty1950]

NO it is not safe to leave food in the tin once it has been opened, it has something to do with the air that attacks the tin and it deteriorates, so put unused contents into a plastic or glass container.

[nfn]

kitty is right, having said that I have been known to leave the odd opened tin in the fridge and haven't died yet! Wouldn't give His Little Lordship anything I've left in a tin tho (just to be on the safe side).

[nickmo]

Food kept in a metal can can absorb some of the lining of the can and cause chemical food poisoning. Transfer the contents of any opened can to a non metallic container or you risk getting tin in your system which will be harmful if it builds up in the body.

Transferring to another container is especially true for reconstituted dried foodstuffs and meat products. Golden syrup and one or two other products can be held in the metal can with a resealing lid ok without a problem, but always keep to the 'use by' date and if there is any query about a slight metallic taste to the food, chuck it out.

Some foods attack the metal from the inside while they are stored, as they are acidic. You may see when you open some cans that they now have a lining themselves (like a white film) which is there to stop the metal transfer to the food. This lining though contains a material called Bisphenol-A

'This is one of a large number of substances that may have the potential to interact with our hormone systems.' Brilliant - Who came up with using that stuff then???

Don't take the prescence of a lining as being safe to use to store food when opened - treat as fresh and put in another container to hold in the fridge.

Want more? See: http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthissues/factsbehindissues/tins/ from the Food Standards Agency site.

[vehelpfulguy]

I remember a few years ago an old couple left some Tuna or Salmon in an open tin in the fridge for a few days.

When they ate it they both died.

[zebra]

It was probably old age.

[ineedahobby]

well seeing as you've all undoubtedtly rushed to your fridges and chucked out all the half tins of things, I'll organise an answerbank Tupperware party!

[ianess]

Slightly off-topic I know, but even fresh tuna can be poisonous unless very carefully cooked. My wife had a severe allergic reaction on holiday in the Canaries and needed massive amounts of antihistamine to get the inflammation down. A very frightening experience.
BTW.....she ticks me off big-style if I ever put an opened tin in the fridge.

[nickmo]

Ianess - sorry to hear about the poisoning - not nice thing to get.

You may have been told, but this is a result though of crappy hygiene, not the necessarily fish itself. High levels of histamine (caused by bacteria getting a meal ) develop when the fish is not stored at the right temps, either right after catching/harvesting, or from defrosting and then storing before use. Hence the antihistamine given to recover.

Called scromboid poisoning - item is on Wikipedia now as it is becoming more apparent - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scombroid_food_poisoning

Ultra fresh tuna - straight off the fish is fantastic meat and quite safe raw - mention this to any Japanese person or sushi lover - or squirt over lime juice and soy and give it 20 secs on a griddle for a seared taste.

BUT as it takes 20 tons of white fish to feed 1 ton of tuna in the pens off the Australian coast developed to feed the habits of the sushi munchers, it is hardly an ethical foodstuff - plus think of albatross and dolphin deaths off long line fishing and you can soon go off the stuff.

[Bohne]

As far as I know it is safe with the new tins, and this story remains from olden days, when the insides of tins weren't specially treated.

I personally don't like keeping tins in the fidge, though I know many people who do.