# Keeping beans in the opened can.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-beans-in-the-opened-can/23024
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 20, 2000, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-beans-in-the-opened-can/23024 "2000-06-20T19:16:30Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2000, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-beans-in-the-opened-can/23024/1 "2000-06-20T19:16:30Z")
Yesterday evening I opened a can of vegetarian baked beans. I put half the contents in a microwave container to cook, and kept the remaining half in the can, foil on top, placed in the refrigerator. My youngest son (15 tomorrow) had a cow, swearing up & down that he was told in school that the remaining beans will get food poisoning if stored in the open can. I’ve done this for going on 5 decades now, and it hasn’t killed me yet. Of course, I’m just his old man, what the hell do I know, right? So I need someone else to back me up that keeping the beans in the can in the frige is safe.
OR have I been playing Russian Roulett with my veggies?
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### Author:  [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2000, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-beans-in-the-opened-can/23024/2 "2000-06-20T19:29:36Z")
Eh, I believe that Way Back When, when tin cans really were made out of just tin, it was dangerous to leave food in them, because the acids in the food could dissolve the tin into the food and make you sick. However, it is my understanding that nowadays all “tin” cans have a plastic lining in them that makes this a non-problem.
The big reason I personally don’t put food away like this is because it invariably gets that “fridge” odor and taste in it. Also, it looks gross in the can–it is my direct observation that people are more likely to eat leftovers if it’s something in a Tupperware that you heat up, rather than something cold and congealed you have to dig out of a can.
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### Author:  [@gillygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gillygirl)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2000, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-beans-in-the-opened-can/23024/3 "2000-06-20T22:49:45Z")
my cute little english grandmother leaves leftover food in the can all the time and nobody has gotten sick from it…my other (mean LOL) grandmother does everything by the book and has mass-poisoned the family twice…i leave the food in the can LOL
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### Author:  [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2000, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-beans-in-the-opened-can/23024/4 "2000-06-20T23:06:37Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*\*
> grandmother does everything by the book and has mass-poisoned the family twice
> \*\*
Is your father named Norman?
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### Author:  [@Alpine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpine)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2000, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-beans-in-the-opened-can/23024/5 "2000-06-20T23:07:40Z")
I leave the beans in the can when I don’t feel like transferring them to a tupperware container. I’ve found that a plastic pet can lid fits on the can perfectly. The only nasty thing is that with refrieds, sometimes the leftovers near the rim of the can turn black and look gross. Maybe the plastic liner doesn’t go up that far.
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### Author:  [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2000, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-beans-in-the-opened-can/23024/6 "2000-06-20T23:11:11Z")
I usually leave the beans in the can a few hours after consumption. But I close before I flush.
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### Author:  [@Danielinthewolvesden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danielinthewolvesden)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2000, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-beans-in-the-opened-can/23024/7 "2000-06-21T03:01:06Z")
BAD Moderator! No troll meat!!
Some old cans used to be lead soldered. Very bad to let open food sit in. No problemo nowadays.
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### Author:  [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2000, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-beans-in-the-opened-can/23024/8 "2000-06-21T03:29:34Z")
if the composition of the food or can are the problem I cannot see what difference it would make whether the can is sealed or not. At any rate, I have been leaving things in the can for a long time now and never had any problem. The reason i do it is to save from washing one more container.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [June 21, 2000, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-beans-in-the-opened-can/23024/9 "2000-06-21T03:55:13Z")
You do have to be particularly careful with beans in any form, though… They’re particularly succeptible to food poisoning. Make sure that they’re always kept either HOT (in the crock pot all day, say, is OK) or COLD (refrigerator). If you ever leave beans sitting out at room temperature, in any container, throw them out. Then, take out the trash immediately… Not only do they get food poisoning, they very quickly start to stink.