It’s official – we’ve been storing our tinned foods all wrong.
Last week it emerged that Heinz has released a limited edition ‘Upside Down’ can, designed to make it easier than ever to tip the whole contents of the can out, without having to scrape the final few from the tin.
Apparently the Beanz Meanz Upside Down can will make us all aware of the simple hack of storing tins upside down to ensure we can get the contents out easily, and even when the £1.40 special edition runs out, we’ll carry on storing our cans the wrong way up.
A cynic might dismiss it as a marketing stunt, but it has been suggested that there could be some sense in storing your cans upside down.
Professor Charles Spence from the University of Oxford, who specialises in food design’, agreed that storing a tin upside down would mean the beans would not settle at the ‘bottom’, making it easier to enjoy the flavour of every last one.
Heinz has released a limited edition ‘Upside Down’ can, designed to make it easier than ever to tip the whole contents of the can out, without having to scrape the final few from the tin
Like a fair few people on the internet, I’m not quite convinced, so I decide to test it out for myself, picking some of the most popular canned goods and comparing how they empty out of the tin when they’ve been stored the ‘right way up’ with storing them upside down
Like a fair few people on the internet, I’m not quite convinced, so I decide to test it out for myself, picking some of the most popular canned goods and comparing how they empty out of the tin when they’ve been stored the ‘right way up’ with storing them upside down.
Perhaps it will be life-changing, or perhaps it won’t make a jot of difference and I’ll have to resort to that tried and tested tactic of using a fork or spoon.
I opt for a selection.
Beans, obviously, since that’s where this has all started. But I opt for a normal can of Heinz rather than their special Upside Down can.
Spaghetti hoops are also on the list, along with plum tomatoes, chickpeas, coconut milk, custard and rice pudding.
I figure this is a good selection in terms of thickness of sauce, texture, size of ‘lumps’ and other variables, so we can count it as a thorough experiment.
I get two of each, storing one the right way up and the second upside down, leaving them to settle for a few hours before embarking on my highly scientific test.
I opt for a selection. Beans, obviously, since that’s where this has all started. But I opt for a normal can of Heinz rather than their special Upside Down can
Unfortunately, our tests revealed the same number of beans left in the can after it had been stored upside down and upright
Beans
First up are the beans, since they’re the star of the show.
Predictably the can that’s been stored the right way up empties fairly easily, but leaves the standard 10 or so beans in the bottom.
I’m excited for the magical moment that the one that’s been standing upside down empties itself of every single bean inside – proving the simplest hack ever and saving us all the joy of scraping those final few beans out with a spoon.
Bated breath, I grab it, turn it upside down, and peel back the top of the tin using the ring pull.
Upside down it goes, and out pour the beans. I give the tin the same little shake I did before and eagerly look inside – only to see pretty much exactly the same number of beans as in the other tin. Oh.
But the game isn’t up quite yet. After all, it could have been a one-off and I’ve got plenty more tins to try.
Next up is spaghetti hoops – another common culprit when it comes to always having a few left behind. This time the upside down-storage seems to have worked
Spaghetti hoops
Next up is spaghetti hoops – another common culprit when it comes to always having a few left behind.
This time the upside down-storage seems to have worked.
There are a fair few left in the tin from this one than there are from the one that was sitting the right way up. Perhaps there is something in this after all.
Chickpeas
Buoyed, I try chickpeas. They’re not that dissimilar to baked beans in size, though they sit in water rather than a thick sauce so perhaps that could make a difference.
This time it’s the other way round and there are fewer chickpeas left in the tin that was stored the right way up.
Tinned plum tomatoes
Tinned plum tomatoes empty out from both tins easily, leaving nothing behind in either.
My last and best hope of a definitive answer is rice pudding. The tin stored the right way up has a fair bit of creamy rice left in it, but as I empty its upside down equivalent I notice there’s a fair bit less. Perhaps there is something in this hack after all
Coconut milk
Coconut milk is similar, although it does manage to go all over my kitchen, so how much is left behind in the tin becomes the least of my concerns.
Custard
A tin of Ambrosia custard, smooth, sweet and silky leaves a thin coating of the bright yellow loveliness in both tins, regardless of how they’ve been stored.
Rice pudding
My last and best hope of a definitive answer is rice pudding.
The tin stored the right way up has a fair bit of creamy rice left in it, but as I empty its upside down equivalent I notice there’s a fair bit less.
Perhaps there is something in this hack after all.
So, what’s the verdict?
Either way, I’m not sure I’m going to be opening any more tinned food to prove it.
And neither will I be forking out for a special upside down can of beans.
After all, is it really the end of the world to scrape the last few baked beans out with a fork or spoon….
