Please settle an argument.
My colleague thinks Baked Beans are somehow baked in the can beforehand.
I think this is rubbish and that the beans are simply stewed in the sauce before canning.
Does anyone know the truth?
Cheers
Billy.
Pretty much all canned food is heated after canning to kill off any micro-organisms that would grow inside the can, spoiling the food and/or making it dangerous to eat.
Some canned food is additionally cooked prior to canning; I think this is true of baked beans, but it might not be for some fruits and vegetables, where minimal cooking (i.e. only that which is absolutely necessary to render the contents aseptic) is desirable.
Another colleague thinks the beans are actually baked in an over beforehand.
I think this is also rubbish.
Yup, they’re baked.
##########
Baking
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Jump to: navigation, search
Wikibooks Cookbook has more about this subject:
BakingBaking is the technique of cooking food in an oven by dry heat applied evenly throughout the oven. The person that does the baking is called a baker. Breads, desserts, and meat (see also roasting) are often baked, and baking is the primary cooking technique used to produce cakes and pastry-based goods such as pies, tarts, and quiches. Such items are sometimes referred to as “baked goods,” and are sold at a bakery.
#########
I think they’re just stewed in a big vat. Baking and Cooking are not the same thing.
If the can says “Baked Beans,” they are baked before canning.
If the can says “Pork and Beans,” they are not baked, but rather steamed.
Anyone else remember the B&M commercials from the 70s, showing a guy eating beans with the voice over: “This is Joe Smith. 48 years old and he’s never had a baked bean.” <Joe looks quizzical> “Those are steamed beans, Joe.”
I beg to differ :
“Gino baked beans in tomato sauce consist of high grade Haricots beans which are blanched and packed with rich, red tomato sauce. It is available in attractively labelled metallic cans which are hermetically sealed and thermally sterilised. The production process if carefully monitored to ensure a well-balanced “sauce to beans ratio”, a good cling and a smooth mixture with no separation or tendency to set. Gino baked beans in tomato sauce are available in pack sizes of 425gms.”
Heinz Baked Beans were originally oven-baked before canning (cite)- this may or may not be the case any more, as indeed it may or may not be the case any more for other brands, however, you initially appeared to be asserting that no futher cooking takes place after canning; this would be incorrect in the case of almost any canned food, and certainly incorrect in the case of Baked Beans.