# Hormel tamales in a can **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 8, 2017, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074 "2017-08-08T09:08:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/1 "2017-08-08T09:08:34Z")
I had some tonight. Don’t really taste like tamales but damn if they aren’t good. Yay for low-brow “food”! ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/2 "2017-08-08T09:40:52Z")
I have never had those, but I’m not too proud to eat low-brow food. The hormel chili was fine with me as a young person in my first apartment. To this day, one of my wierder hangover foods is ravioli from a can, with one preperation step: Remove the lid. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/3 "2017-08-08T10:32:03Z")
Hormel Beef Tamales in a can was the first Mexican food my mom had. My dad, from California, was used to good Mexican food, but they were in Ohio at the time. There was not, in mid-1960s Ohio, a preponderance of available Mexican food of any quality. But they did have tamales in a can. He forgot to remove the paper before serving, and the basic task of heating something in an oven was beyond his skill-set at the time. It was not a good first impression, which was only repaired many years later when they moved back to California. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/4 "2017-08-08T12:42:34Z")
I don’t do tamales from a can but I like lowbrow food from a can too. I have a soft spot for Wolf Brand Chili (beans or no beans). It goes great with some generic saltine crackers. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/5 "2017-08-08T14:15:08Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > I have never had those, but I’m not too proud to eat low-brow food. The hormel chili was fine with me as a young person in my first apartment. To this day, one of my wierder hangover foods is ravioli from a can, with one preperation step: Remove the lid. Yum. Canned ravioli. I like it, too. I also like fried bologna with mustard, a staple of my early grad school days (and first marriage). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/6 "2017-08-08T14:24:15Z")
I haven’t had Hormel. The local grocery used to carry one of the Mexicanish brand names but they haven’t had them for a while. They’re good enough for something simple and quick to make. I’ll use some small dish on top of a pan of boiling water to make a double boiler and heat them up so they don’t get crumbly. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/7 "2017-08-08T15:10:14Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > I had some tonight. Don’t really taste like tamales but damn if they aren’t good. I wouldn’t call them ‘good’, but they’re not bad for what they are. I think I had a can last year, or the year before last. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/8 "2017-08-08T15:13:57Z")
They mostly taste like salt to me, but they’re cheap and filling if you make a side of rice to go with them. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/9 "2017-08-08T15:30:17Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > They mostly taste like salt to me, but they’re cheap and filling if you make a side of rice to go with them. And maybe dump a can of chili over them? And some crushed Fritos? And some grated cheese and chopped onions? That sounds pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/10 "2017-08-08T15:31:30Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Yum. Canned ravioli. I like it, too. I also like fried bologna with mustard, a staple of my early grad school days (and first marriage). I will second the fried bologna with mustard! Yum! ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/11 "2017-08-08T16:03:54Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > And maybe dump a can of chili over them? And some crushed Fritos? And some grated cheese and chopped onions? That sounds pretty good. That does sound good! Thirding Ravioli in a can with exactly the same prep steps. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2017, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/12 "2017-08-08T16:33:44Z")
Reminds me of Rosarita tortillas in a can from way back when. The only way to get tortillas in a grocery store for us. Pop open and there’s a stack of folded tortillas separated by paper. ---
**Author:** ![Elemenopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5e925/32.png) [@Elemenopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elemenopy)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/13 "2017-08-11T23:04:12Z")
Never had the Hormel tamales, but I’m pretty sure there’s a can in the pantry. My husband loves salty “slop in a can.” I do pick up a few of those Hormel Compleat shelf-stable dinners every now and then. The roast beef and potatoes, turkey and dressing, and chicken and dumplings aren’t half bad in a trashy way. Good for when I don’t feel well and I’m the only one home for lunch. I just got introduced to the wonder that is fried bologna sandwiches a year or so ago. I like them done up like a grilled cheese sandwich after frying the slices, then dipping in ketchup and mustard. Same with fried Spam. Wolf canned chili is pretty good also. I like to mix a can of that with a can of Rotel, simmer, and eat with lots of sour cream mixed in. Oh, and sometimes I heat a can of refried beans with a can of milk, some garlic powder, chili powder and lime juice. Instant bean soup, of a sort. I never heard of tortillas in a can before!! ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/14 "2017-08-11T23:12:19Z")
I will have to try them tamales sometime. My go-to cheap food when I was just starting out was a can of soup or chili dumped over a scoop or two of rice. Savory, filling, and cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2017, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/15 "2017-08-12T00:17:36Z")
They are pretty tasty. But that red grease they are covered in looks a little too much like ATF. > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > And maybe dump a can of chili over them? And some crushed Fritos? And some grated cheese and chopped onions? That sounds pretty good. Damn! That _does_ sound good! Might have to try that for “College Football” food. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2017, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/16 "2017-08-12T00:26:58Z")
> [@Elemenopy](#): > > Never had the Hormel tamales, but I’m pretty sure there’s a can in the pantry. My husband loves salty “slop in a can.” I do pick up a few of those Hormel Compleat shelf-stable dinners every now and then. The roast beef and potatoes, turkey and dressing, and chicken and dumplings aren’t half bad in a trashy way. Good for when I don’t feel well and I’m the only one home for lunch. > > I just got introduced to the wonder that is fried bologna sandwiches a year or so ago. I like them done up like a grilled cheese sandwich after frying the slices, then dipping in ketchup and mustard. Same with fried Spam. > > Wolf canned chili is pretty good also. I like to mix a can of that with a can of Rotel, simmer, and eat with lots of sour cream mixed in. > > Oh, and sometimes I heat a can of refried beans with a can of milk, some garlic powder, chili powder and lime juice. Instant bean soup, of a sort. > > I never heard of tortillas in a can before!! Mmm, mmm. Pan fried bologna was a big part of my childhood. My dad would buy a big chunk of jumbo from the deli (that’s what we called it, we grew up in western Pennsylvania, we didn’t buy pre sliced bologna in a package) and cut off big slices and fry them up in a pan, and maybe throw some kielbasa in the pan, too. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2017, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/17 "2017-08-12T00:43:38Z")
Hormel tamales, a couple fried eggs, buttered toast, and a glass of bloody beer is one of my favorite day-off breakfasts…particularly if I was on a bender the night before. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2017, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/18 "2017-08-12T04:37:11Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > And maybe dump a can of chili over them? And some crushed Fritos? And some grated cheese and chopped onions? That sounds pretty good. I’m intrigued. Might have to try that. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2017, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/19 "2017-08-12T04:41:30Z")
This is something I might have once a year. They’re good. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2017, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074/20 "2017-08-12T04:52:10Z")
My add-on to the tamale/chili/frito/cheese concoction is some avocado slices on top. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hormel-tamales-in-a-can/793074.md?page=2)