# chunk light tuna in oil has no place in the world... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 6, 2006, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chunk-light-tuna-in-oil-has-no-place-in-the-world/363389 "2006-07-06T16:48:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chunk-light-tuna-in-oil-has-no-place-in-the-world/363389/1 "2006-07-06T16:48:26Z")
what is good about chunk light tuna in oil? who prefers chunk light over white albacore? who prefers tuna in oil over water? someone please explain it to me… ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chunk-light-tuna-in-oil-has-no-place-in-the-world/363389/2 "2006-07-06T16:51:00Z")
> [@phungi](#): > > what is good about chunk light tuna in oil? > who prefers chunk light over white albacore? > who prefers tuna in oil over water? > someone please explain it to me… I prefer chunk light to white albacore. Mostly because it’s what I grew up with. Tuna in oil is anathema, however… ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chunk-light-tuna-in-oil-has-no-place-in-the-world/363389/3 "2006-07-06T16:56:03Z")
Tuna in oil is nasty. I remember Mother cooking casseroles with potato chips lining the pan. Wet, oily, soggy… Thanks for reminding me. Your name is going on a list, pal. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chunk-light-tuna-in-oil-has-no-place-in-the-world/363389/4 "2006-07-06T17:08:26Z")
Tuna is oil is far superior to tuna in water. Otherwise, it’s like saying that lite beer is superior to real beer. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chunk-light-tuna-in-oil-has-no-place-in-the-world/363389/5 "2006-07-06T17:14:15Z")
Giada de Laurentis can explain it to you: [Tuna and Green Bean Salad](http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_31416,00.html) [Fusilli with Tuna and Tomato Sauce](http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_26918,00.html) [White Bean Tuna Salad](http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_23148,00.html) The Fusilli recipie is especially good, and tastes wretched using the tuna-in-water. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chunk-light-tuna-in-oil-has-no-place-in-the-world/363389/6 "2006-07-06T17:17:06Z")
Arrrgggh, I accidentally bought two cans of TiO when I wanted TiW. It makes a nasty, nasty tuna salad sadwich. ---
**Author:** ![Emily\_Litella](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emily_litella/32/3370_2.png) [@Emily\_Litella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emily_Litella)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chunk-light-tuna-in-oil-has-no-place-in-the-world/363389/7 "2006-07-06T17:19:21Z")
Huh. Once upon a time a long, long, loooooooong time ago, you couldn’t get tuna packed in water. It was all packed in oil. (They should have an old fart smiley.) ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chunk-light-tuna-in-oil-has-no-place-in-the-world/363389/8 "2006-07-06T17:24:01Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > Giada de Laurentis can explain it to you: > > [Tuna and Green Bean Salad](http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_31416,00.html) > > [Fusilli with Tuna and Tomato Sauce](http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_26918,00.html) > > [White Bean Tuna Salad](http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_23148,00.html) > > The Fusilli recipie is especially good, and tastes wretched using the tuna-in-water. interesting… so, Tuna in Oil is better for cooking… I still don’t get the choice for a sandwich… ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chunk-light-tuna-in-oil-has-no-place-in-the-world/363389/9 "2006-07-06T17:55:12Z")
> [@phungi](#): > > who prefers chunk light over white albacore? > someone please explain it to me… me. I don’t like fish at all now - but for a good two decades, the only kind of fish I would eat was chunk light tuna in water. (I don’t get the tuna in oil thing either). With mayonaisse. (That was also the only way I would eat mayo, too. Now, both seafood and weird egg foodstuff are gone from my life.) I don’t get the oil thing though. That’s just weird. It’s like canned fruit in syrup. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chunk-light-tuna-in-oil-has-no-place-in-the-world/363389/10 "2006-07-06T18:05:06Z")
> [@phungi](#): > > interesting… so, Tuna in Oil is better for cooking… I still don’t get the choice for a sandwich… Why not. IMO, it tends to be more moist and flavorful no matter how you use it. I prefer the consistency of tuna in oil when mixed with mayonnaise. The oil seems to permeate the tuna better than water does. Besides, isn’t it logical that if it is worse for you; it must taste better. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chunk-light-tuna-in-oil-has-no-place-in-the-world/363389/11 "2006-07-06T18:07:04Z")
> [@NotMyRealUserName](#): > > Huh. Once upon a time a long, long, loooooooong time ago, you couldn’t get tuna packed in water. It was all packed in oil. \ And this is the reason I will NOT eat tuna packed in water. Things were much better a long, long, loooooooong time ago. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chunk-light-tuna-in-oil-has-no-place-in-the-world/363389/12 "2006-07-06T19:02:54Z")
> [@NotMyRealUserName](#): > > Huh. Once upon a time a long, long, loooooooong time ago, you couldn’t get tuna packed in water. It was all packed in oil. > > (They should have an old fart smiley.) We buy at lot of tuna in water in the ZipperFamily…and 2 or 3 times a year someone will grab the wrong can and we’ll all avoid making tuna salad for a long time because no one wants to go through the utter MESS of draining tuna in oil. I was lamenting to my mom about how I’d just bought 4 cans of tuna, on sale, and they were all in oil. She said that “back in the day” when one was on Weight Watchers and wanted to eat tuna, you had to put the tuna in oil in your collander and rinse all the oil off. Still messy and still a hassle (not to mention a good bit of tuna down the drain), but rinsing that oil off with water does help keep the tuna salad from turning into an oily mess in the fridge. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chunk-light-tuna-in-oil-has-no-place-in-the-world/363389/13 "2006-07-06T20:05:32Z")
Have you considered a squirt of dish soap to remove the last bits of oil. It really improves the flavor of tuna in my opinion. As in a mouth full of soap is better than the taste of fish. Blahhh. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myron_Van_Horowitzski)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chunk-light-tuna-in-oil-has-no-place-in-the-world/363389/14 "2006-07-06T20:14:55Z")
I like tuna on crackers. Tuna in water (drained) is too dry. Tuna in oil is too… oily. So I drain the tuna in water, and stir in a tablespoon of olive oil. Juuuust right. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chunk-light-tuna-in-oil-has-no-place-in-the-world/363389/15 "2006-07-06T20:19:45Z")
American chunk light tuna in oil is a different animal than Italian or Portuguese tonno canned in good olive oil. Mr. brown likes me to stop by the Portuguese market here in San Jose and pick him up some “Asomar” brand canned tuna. He drains it and eats it plain for lunch with Ak-Mak crackers and carrot sticks. I suppose it makes good tuna salad, too, but he likes it so much plain that he won’t let me have any for salad purposes. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chunk-light-tuna-in-oil-has-no-place-in-the-world/363389/16 "2006-07-06T23:16:40Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > Tuna is oil is far superior to tuna in water. Only if you have to find it in the dark. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chunk-light-tuna-in-oil-has-no-place-in-the-world/363389/17 "2006-07-06T23:20:02Z")
I particularly like tuna in water because I can drain the water out and give it to my cat. She absolutely freaks out over it and it’s something I would normally just wash down the drain anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chunk-light-tuna-in-oil-has-no-place-in-the-world/363389/18 "2006-07-06T23:24:28Z")
> [@phungi](#): > > who prefers chunk light over white albacore? I recently read that chunk light tuna has about a third of the mercury of albacore. So if you eat a lot of tuna, you should probably eat chunk light. > **[Mercury Guide](https://www.nrdc.org/stories/mercury-guide)** > > Whether you're getting dental fillings or ordering sushi, keep these tips in mind to avoid exposure. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2006, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chunk-light-tuna-in-oil-has-no-place-in-the-world/363389/19 "2006-07-06T23:36:43Z")
Tuna in water is bleh. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2006, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chunk-light-tuna-in-oil-has-no-place-in-the-world/363389/20 "2006-07-07T00:04:39Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Tuna in water is bleh. I’ll send you Mother’s recipe. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chunk-light-tuna-in-oil-has-no-place-in-the-world/363389.md?page=2)