Forum Discussion

Tachdriver's avatar
Tachdriver
Explorer
Sep 09, 2016

Canned food storage

Is there any issue I should be aware of storing canned foods like green beens, corn, BBQ beans, carrots and etc in my TT while in storage? Its been a hot summer with temperatures into the high 90's and want any spoilage or poisoning issues.

The cans are removed when winterized and refreshed (new bought) when I start camping.
  • Personally I wouldn't leave any food. Plenty of nightmare stories from exploding cans to rodent invasion to clean up the mess. It only takes 5 minutes to clear out the cupboards and put it in a laundry basket to cart into the house. 5 minutes=peace of mind. :w
  • 90's are pretty cool here in Mesa, AZ. I leave canned food in the trailer year round. Think about it, the warehouse where the food comes from is, most likely, not climate controlled. I have never had an issue yet. Also, our freezes aren't hard or long enough to burst a can.I do not leave boxed food or anything in soft packaging.
    RichH
  • magnusfide wrote:
    Personally I wouldn't leave any food. Plenty of nightmare stories from exploding cans to rodent invasion to clean up the mess. It only takes 5 minutes to clear out the cupboards and put it in a laundry basket to cart into the house. 5 minutes=peace of mind. :w


    That's exactly what my wife says. While I grumble a little about it, she (and you) are probably right.
  • rhagfo's avatar
    rhagfo
    Explorer III
    We don't remove non-perishable food between trips. Because we live in the PNW, we four season camp and food is always stocked. I would not believe 90 degrees would be that bad on canned food.
  • Having spent 57 years in the canning industry you have more to fear from a hard freeze than you do from heat as far as can ruptures are concerned. Most low acid foods like green beans are cooked at 262 degrees for abiout 22 minutes after the cans are sealed. If they were going to rupture that would be the time. You should discard any can that show swelling.

    RT
  • Check expiration dates and for any can that top has 'bubble'........otherwise OK in hot summer
  • Our 5th wheel often sat in the Southern California desert week after week at my dad's place. The temps would be in the 80s to 110 on most days. We kept lots of canned goods (all you posted and more) in under bed storage and pantry.

    Never a problem as long as they were still within the "Best By" date.

    The only can that exploded was tomato sauce that was out of date basically just dribbled onto the shelf. Easy clean up even though it had dried up.
  • Mostly I use frozen vegetables, I can pour out what I want. This may be strange, but I even open chili beans, diced tomatoes, etc and pour them into freezer containers. At least when we travel through cold areas, I don't worry about cans bursting.
  • I know in Palm Springs the snowbirds put their canned goods & spices in an ice chest if they leave their rig in Palm Springs all year. They do have trash cans & toilet filled with water. The park management checks on the rigs ever so often to make sure everything is ok with the rig.
  • Wow and a lot of great responses. Also thanks for the frozen veggie ideas...I like that.

    I appreciate it!