# Starkist tuna is better than Bumble Bee tuna. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 17, 2008, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starkist-tuna-is-better-than-bumble-bee-tuna/433849 "2008-01-17T09:42:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starkist-tuna-is-better-than-bumble-bee-tuna/433849/21 "2008-01-17T22:04:09Z")
I use Starkist. Sometimes Chick Of the Sea. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starkist-tuna-is-better-than-bumble-bee-tuna/433849/22 "2008-01-17T22:06:24Z")
Which tastes better when it is properly mixed with Miracle Whip and sweet pickly relish? _(runs for cover)_ ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starkist-tuna-is-better-than-bumble-bee-tuna/433849/23 "2008-01-17T22:18:15Z")
Why run? That’s the proper way to make tuna salad. Anything else is just…wrong. ---
**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:** [January 17, 2008, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starkist-tuna-is-better-than-bumble-bee-tuna/433849/24 "2008-01-17T22:33:33Z")
[QUOTE=Algher] Which tastes better when it is properly mixed with Miracle Whip and sweet pickly relish? _(runs for cover)_ [/QUOTE] Nothing tastes better with Miracle Whip (or the Devil’s Semen, as we call it here)… ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starkist-tuna-is-better-than-bumble-bee-tuna/433849/25 "2008-01-17T22:43:51Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] Why run? That’s the proper way to make tuna salad. Anything else is just…wrong. [/QUOTE] Agreed, but I feared the wrath of the Mayo jihadists! I buy whatever is on sale, and then mix in the goop and spread it on available bread product. ---
**Author:** ![Caractacus\_Pott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@Caractacus\_Pott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caractacus_Pott)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2008, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starkist-tuna-is-better-than-bumble-bee-tuna/433849/26 "2008-01-17T22:58:39Z")
I’m with **Algher**. I just put a dozen Bumble Bee 3oz tuna packets on my kitchen shelf because they were each a nickel cheaper. I use it exclusively in salads so the taste of the salad cream covers up most of the tuna-ey flavor. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starkist-tuna-is-better-than-bumble-bee-tuna/433849/27 "2008-01-18T02:19:35Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] Are you comparing like with like though? Don’t most brands of tinned tuna offer several grades - i.e. ‘steak’, ‘chunks’ and ‘flakes’ - it sounds like you’re comparing Starkist chunks against Bumblebee flakes. (I’m not familiar with either brand, as they’re not sold here) [/QUOTE] The three biggest brands of tuna in the USA are Starkist, Bumblebee, and Chicken of the Sea. They all offer three distinctive “grades” of tuna: 1. Chunk Light. This is essentially mush. 2. Solid Light. Solid mush. 3. Chunk White. “Minces easily” the company says. Yeah, because it’s already on the way to being mush. 4. Solid White(Albacore). About the best you can get. I actually got a year or so ago a kosher can of Starkist(I think). It was really above average. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starkist-tuna-is-better-than-bumble-bee-tuna/433849/28 "2008-01-18T07:01:43Z")
Bumble Bee? Starkist? Chicken of the Sea? Feh! Once you try [Oregon’s Choice](http://www.oregonschoice.com/home.php) tuna, you’ll never go back to those big, conglomerate-produced brands. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starkist-tuna-is-better-than-bumble-bee-tuna/433849/29 "2008-01-18T07:15:20Z")
And Mediterraneaen Tuna is the best, so what? I also am a huge fan of German Tun. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starkist-tuna-is-better-than-bumble-bee-tuna/433849/30 "2008-01-18T07:30:16Z")
I know this is going to sound pretty weird to the Americans, and pretty cheap to the Germans, but that [Thunfisch Baguette](http://www.nordsee.com/flash.jsc) bei [Nordsee](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordsee) (Restaurant) that I ate in '87 is the best tuna fish sandwich I have ever eaten. This is a food and business model to be copied. It’s a delicious fish deli, I can’t explain it any other way. ---
**Author:** ![LadyMack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4491bb/32.png) [@LadyMack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LadyMack)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starkist-tuna-is-better-than-bumble-bee-tuna/433849/31 "2008-01-18T08:56:34Z")
Pouches, all the way. Especially the flavoured ones. An entire slab of fish. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starkist-tuna-is-better-than-bumble-bee-tuna/433849/32 "2008-01-18T16:22:53Z")
If any of you guys are near a Whole Foods, try their brand tuna. It’s 99 cents a can so about twice as much as regular grocery store tuna but, OMG, the difference is incredible. You open the can (I get chunk light) and it looks like actual slices of tuna steak. Real food. And it’s so much tastier and milder, I only need a small dollop of mayo. There’s no way I could ever go back to regualr tuna and those little flakes. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starkist-tuna-is-better-than-bumble-bee-tuna/433849/33 "2008-01-18T16:46:18Z")
[QUOTE=tremorviolet] It’s 99 cents a can so about twice as much as regular grocery store tuna but, OMG, the difference is incredible. [/QUOTE] 99 cents a can is CHEAP. Even for regular grocery store tuna! I only buy it when it’s on sale. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starkist-tuna-is-better-than-bumble-bee-tuna/433849/34 "2008-01-18T17:22:17Z")
[QUOTE=Missy2U] 99 cents a can is CHEAP. Even for regular grocery store tuna! I only buy it when it’s on sale. [/QUOTE] Really? Grocery store tuna here is always 49 cents a can. Chicago must be a _lot_ more expensive. Probably means the Whole Foods Tuna is $2 a can up there. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starkist-tuna-is-better-than-bumble-bee-tuna/433849/35 "2008-01-18T19:51:04Z")
I stopped buying Bumble Bee tuna when I looked at the label and realized soy was the second ingredient. It’s tuna fish. Can should contain tuna and some oil or water. Nothing else. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starkist-tuna-is-better-than-bumble-bee-tuna/433849/36 "2008-01-18T20:03:41Z")
[QUOTE=Barbarian] I stopped buying Bumble Bee tuna when I looked at the label and realized soy was the second ingredient. It’s tuna fish. Can should contain tuna and some oil or water. Nothing else. [/QUOTE] Are you sure it wasn’t soy oil? Soybean oil is often used for canned tuna in oil because it is cheap and neutral in flavor. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starkist-tuna-is-better-than-bumble-bee-tuna/433849/37 "2008-01-18T21:09:38Z")
Starkist is better than Bumble Bee. You should try the solid light filet in olive oil. A little pricey, I usually pay $1.49/can, but worth it. ---
**Author:** ![3acresandatruck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e79b87/32.png) [@3acresandatruck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3acresandatruck)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starkist-tuna-is-better-than-bumble-bee-tuna/433849/38 "2008-01-18T21:18:53Z")
[QUOTE=devilsknew] Are you sure it wasn’t soy oil? Soybean oil is often used for canned tuna in oil because it is cheap and neutral in flavor. [/QUOTE] Nope. Tuna packed in water contains hydrolyzed vegetable protein (soy). Helps the tuna absorb more water, to increase its mushiness. Last time I checked (about three years ago), all three major US brands contained it. I don’t buy tuna any more. I guess they figured that replacing about 7% of the tuna in the can with water, when they switched from 6.5 ounces to 6 ounces of tuna in the same size can, wasn’t driving enough people away from their product. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starkist-tuna-is-better-than-bumble-bee-tuna/433849/39 "2008-01-18T21:33:48Z")
[QUOTE=3acresandatruck] Nope. Tuna packed in water contains hydrolyzed vegetable protein (soy). Helps the tuna absorb more water, to increase its mushiness. Last time I checked (about three years ago), all three major US brands contained it. I don’t buy tuna any more. I guess they figured that replacing about 7% of the tuna in the can with water, when they switched from 6.5 ounces to 6 ounces of tuna in the same size can, wasn’t driving enough people away from their product. [/QUOTE] Hmmm, I looked up the ingredients of [Starkist Chunk Light](http://www.amazon.com/Starkist-Chunk-Light-7-06-Ounce-Pouches/dp/B000CR3YVI/ref=pd_sim_gro_title_1) > [@](#): > > Ingredients > Light Tuna, Water, Vegetable Broth (Contains Soy), Salt. Is the vegetable broth what you’re talking about? It’s in [Bumble Bee](http://www.amazon.com/Bumble-Bee-Solid-Albacore-12-Ounce/dp/B000KT1GDG/ref=pd_ts_gro_18?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=grocery) as well. > [@](#): > > Ingredients > White Tuna, Water, Vegetable Broth, Salt, Pyrophosphate added. (BTW, I’m gonna pimp my Whole Foods tuna again. Here’s the ingredients: Tuna, Spring Water, Salt) ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2008, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starkist-tuna-is-better-than-bumble-bee-tuna/433849/40 "2008-01-18T21:44:21Z")
So why do they call it Chicken of the Sea if it’s tuna? There’s no chickens in the sea, are there? They should call it Chicken by the Sea, or for the Sea. Hey, somebody had to toss in the Jessica Simpson reference. Might as well be me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starkist-tuna-is-better-than-bumble-bee-tuna/433849.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starkist-tuna-is-better-than-bumble-bee-tuna/433849.md?page=3)