Campbells Canned Tomato Juice does NOT Store Well!

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tallbm

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Dec 30, 2016
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So I just learned a very interesting thing today.

Apparently canned Campbells Tomato Juice doesn't store for years at a time where I believe the tomato acid eats THROUGH the can! These cans are the soda style cans, not the thicker soup style cans.

I cannot say with absolute certainty that the tomato acid is eating through the can but I have no other explanation as this part of the panty does not see action. However, the evidence I do have is that 3 of 4 separate 6 packs had cans leaking that were in no way related. Not close to each other, not outward facing to be knocked into, etc.

Finally, the 12oz cans seemed fine. The leaks were in the little 5.5 oz cans which had a noticeably thinner metal.
For a moment I start cleaning off to salvage the good ones and one of the 5.5 ounce cans spring a like in its side when I set it down in the sink. I didn't drop or manhandle it, I just set it down and boom it sprayed.
So that let me know that the smartest thing to do was to toss em all.

It sucks to lose canned products, but it sucks more to find nasty mounds of mold/crud in your pantry where these things leaked and created a science experiment and got on other stuff.

One pleasantly surprising discover... whatever paint was used on my cabinets cleaned up like a CHAMP!!! I mean with crud and mold and everything I thought for sure would would be severely stained and maybe molded into, but nope. I had a very very very slight yellow discoloration where the main mess was and it isn't even noticeable until u bend and look hard.
This paint was still hard, had shine, etc. WOW!

I figured I would share this lesson learned in case anyone is/was like me and thought "I'll just put canned tomato juice in the pantry and pull it out as I make home made sauces and I'll have a good supply of it so I wont need to run to the store." This may be fine for a year but don't let it go more than that hahhaa.
 
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TBM, I know that steel cans have some type of protective coating on the inside to shield the steel from the acidic properties of tomato juice. IMHO the coating finally gets eaten if the cans are stored for years. I don't remember any Army C-Rats that had tomato juice/sauce in them because those c-rats could be 10 plus years old by the time we ate them. The Army must have known something ! :)
 
They should have a best by date. You dont mention whether they are way past that, near that, or...

I used to keep more canned emergency food than I do now, but I keep an eye on the dates and move any that have past the date in to the "this needs to be eaten" category. I buy new replacements and store them to the back of my storage cabinet for stuff in the garage. The oldest up front, the newest in the back and just work them in to the meal plan as they age out.

If you like bloody Mary's, make some! If you dont, something I used to do years ago with V8's is put some hot sauce and Worcestershire in the opening, put my thumb over the opening and shake, then enjoy alcohol free. Otherwise, yea, some homemade tomato soup, etc.. My canned tomatoes gazpacho uses some canned vegetable juice.

If they were well within the date it must be some sort of environmental issue (I keep my stuff in my garage which I control the temp in with an AC unit in the summer) or just a bad batch.
 
TBM, I know that steel cans have some type of protective coating on the inside to shield the steel from the acidic properties of tomato juice. IMHO the coating finally gets eaten if the cans are stored for years. I don't remember any Army C-Rats that had tomato juice/sauce in them because those c-rats could be 10 plus years old by the time we ate them. The Army must have known something ! :)

I think you are on to something with the rations not having tomato juice lol.

They should have a best by date. You dont mention whether they are way past that, near that, or...

I used to keep more canned emergency food than I do now, but I keep an eye on the dates and move any that have past the date in to the "this needs to be eaten" category. I buy new replacements and store them to the back of my storage cabinet for stuff in the garage. The oldest up front, the newest in the back and just work them in to the meal plan as they age out.

If you like bloody Mary's, make some! If you dont, something I used to do years ago with V8's is put some hot sauce and Worcestershire in the opening, put my thumb over the opening and shake, then enjoy alcohol free. Otherwise, yea, some homemade tomato soup, etc.. My canned tomatoes gazpacho uses some canned vegetable juice.

If they were well within the date it must be some sort of environmental issue (I keep my stuff in my garage which I control the temp in with an AC unit in the summer) or just a bad batch.

I didn't check the best by date. There is a good chance it was exceeded. Once the little can I set down in the sink sprung a spraying leak as I was going to clean it, I immediately grabbed a bag to trash it all and didn't bother checking anything more lol.

I like the idea of using them for a drink but sadly I used up all my drinking days before I turned 29 years old. I get sick these days with ANY kind of alcohol and its not gluten, fermentation, etc. related. My body just doesn't tolerate it anymore probably because I had enough fun with it and it was time to move one. I'm ok with it, like I said I used it all up and had lots of fun and I'm just extremely thankful that I didn't develop any kind of addiction or other issues that so many people get.

A michelada would sure be nice though :D
 
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