Cooking

Appears in

Published 2025

Wipe the top of the can clean before opening. Use a clean can opener.
Drain the vegetable and place half the liquid in a cooking pot. Bring it to a boil. This shortens the heating time of the vegetable.
Add the vegetable and heat to serving temperature. Do not boil for a long time. Canned vegetables are fully cooked—in fact, usually overcooked. They need reheating only.

Note: Health officials recommend holding canned vegetables at 190°F (88°C) 10 minutes or more—20 to 30 minutes for nonacid vegetables like beets, green beans, or spinach—to eliminate the danger of botulism. See Chapter 2.
Heat as close to serving time as possible. Do not hold in steam table for long periods.
Season and flavor with imagination. Canned vegetables require more creativity in preparation than fresh because they can be dreary when served plain.
Season the liquid while it is coming to a boil, before you add the vegetable. This will give the flavors of the herbs and spices time to blend.
Butter enhances the flavor of most vegetables, and it carries the flavors of the other seasonings you choose to add.
Dress up the vegetables with flavors and garnishes, such as beets or sauerkraut with caraway, limas or green beans with crisp crumbled bacon, corn with sautéed minced onion and green or red pepper, carrots with butter and tarragon or orange juice and brown sugar.