Surprisingly good things in tins...

[BobbyBiscuits]

Hey everyone,

Just thinking about how happy I was to discover tinned 'greek' gigantes beans.
They're delicious and go with loads of stuff, and don't need heating. From the corner shop too so v convenient.

I'd love to know anyone else's favourite foods in tins that require minimum prep. Preferably stuff that's a bit beyond baked beans, tuna, sweetcorn, soup... Ideally available in the UK!

Thank you and looking forward to some ideas x

I bought a tin of figs from Waitrose last week on a whim, and they were delicious!

Love tinned grapefruit and also tinned pineapple, as so much easier than carving up an actual pineapple.

Tinned potatoes. You can chuck them in the oven or air fryer for quick and easy roast potatoes.

Princes rhubarb in light syrup - for making a crumble. Also peaches for a crumble, as mentioned earlier.
Asda Just essentials Chunky Chicken in white wine sauce - as a filling for chicken pie, or a topping for rice.

Am trying to eat more fruit, yesterday bought a tin of mandarin segments and they were lovely. Haven’t had them for years! Evaporated milk makes the best rice pudding and is also yummy on apple crumble.

Had a friend who loved a tinned curry from M&S. I could never bring myself to try it.

I love love love tinned rice pudding, semolina and tapioca.

Tinned baby potatoes. Fantastic sliced in in a frittata. They are a different texture to home boiled new pots and work brilliantly.

Jarred chickpeas are massively nicer than canned (and canned are ok) imo.

Get a lamb shoulder and stab all over with a large knife, poke in a slice of garlic, an anchovy and a bit of rosemary in each slot. Then slow roast.
m and s used to do a fab chunky steak in a tin - great on a jacket spud

My mum swears by tinned peach slices in syrup when you're getting over being ill. I lived on them during hyperemesis in pregnancy ( never want to see a tin of them again). The syrup lifts your blood sugar without much effort ( and they're easy to throw up which isn't very glamorous)

Tinned pears with tinned chocolate custard. yum!!

Mutti tomatoes

Marks and Spencer used to do a lovely bolognaise sauce mix. Not sure if they still do as I don’t pass any large marks shops nowadays.

i also like tinned mandarins in fruit juice, with Greek yogurt.

I used to eat pilchards on toast for lunch all the time! Then boyf (now DH) once found a tin in my handbag and has never let me live it down!

I agree with corned beef, on its own I always think 🤮 but it makes the most wonderful dishes like hash and corned beef pie.

All beans; baked, haricot, kidney, cannellini, black, mixed bean salad….life’s too short for soaking dried beans.

Mushy peas.

Mixed beans in spicy tomato sauce. I get them in Tesco or Aldi. Makes chilli more interesting. Or mixed in with sausage casserole

Ratatouille

I'm loving this thread! We had a 4 day power cut recently and whilst we were fine with the wood burner and a camping stove, a prolonged diet of cereal, baked beans (no toast) and cupasoups was a bit tedious to say the least! We decided we needed to get some interesting emergency tinned stuff in for the not infrequent times we are without electricity and there are some inspiring ideas here!
As an aside - the steak pies in tins were a staple when we first got married, I'd forgotten all about them! Not too good in a power cut sadly.

Lidl tinned sardines in spicy tomato sauce (49p) are great like this. I hadn’t thought of putting them under the grill but that sounds even better. Lemon and parsley go really well with this. I like to add butter beans to soup made with leeks, carrots, whatever, tin of tomatoes and stock. Chorizo adds an extra dimension and goes well with butter beans.

Oo, what's the air fryer recipe for potatoes?

tinned peaches when you're getting over being ill. I lived on them during hyperemesis in pregnancy ( never want to see a tin of them again). The syrup lifts your blood sugar without much effort ( and they're easy to throw up which isn't very glamorous)
Not glamorous but a useful observation which is helpful for any throwing up situation .noro or chemo induced.

Campbells condensed chicken soup
Has a multitude of uses such as in risotto, pies etc. A cupboard staple for me.

Red kidney beans - go for the Napolina ones as they’re whole and firm - cheaper ones can be broken and a bit mushy

Mutti San Marzano tomatoes - they do whole peeled, and the chopped variety, which is like passata. Hard to find in supermarkets but sold on Amazon. Same with San Marzano pizza sauce - great on pizza but also makes a fab bolognese as it’s thick and herby.

Sainsburys tinned mackerel fillets in spicy tomato sauce - ditto for mustard sauce variety.

As a PP said, Carnation Toffee in a tin, made from their condensed milk. It’s a bit too runny to make Millionaire’s shortbread but good enough for Banoffee.

Tinned borlotti beans for a quick sausage casserole. I thought I had some yesterday but had to make do with frozen peas. NOT the same thing.

I’m also partial to those huge tins of green beans served as a side dish to chicken Kiev. They remind me of France, cooked with garlic and tomatoes.

Do you just get the plastic tubs of baked beans then?

Nutty green lentils, canned.

Unbelievably quick and delicious luxe dinner if you poach a chicken in wine and bacon then throw the lentils in last - add bread and the rest of the wine.