# What to do with a can of Spam? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 20, 2014, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-can-of-spam/696011 "2014-08-20T16:28:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-can-of-spam/696011/61 "2014-08-22T16:51:34Z")
Usually, I can find some Spam lying around. Put some duct tape around the lid, good to go. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-can-of-spam/696011/62 "2014-08-22T17:10:54Z")
> [@swampspruce](#): > > Urggch! > > Shut up! Bloody Vikings! You can’t have egg bacon spam and sausage without the spam… But I don’t like spam! ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-can-of-spam/696011/63 "2014-08-22T19:01:14Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > But I don’t like spam! Well, there’s not very much spam in it. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-can-of-spam/696011/64 "2014-08-22T21:45:43Z")
Sshh, dear, don’t cause a fuss. I’ll have your spam. I love it. I’m having spam spam spam spam spam spam spam beaked beans spam spam spam and spam! ---
**Author:** ![Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/77aa72/32.png) [@Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fluffy_PickleSniffer)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-can-of-spam/696011/65 "2014-08-22T23:04:23Z")
Here’s a recipe my Mom came up with when us kids were little - it was a family favorite: **SPAM ANIMAL CASSEROLE** (kids LOVE names like this for suppers) Brown in frypan: 1 can diced spam, 1/2 medium size onion, chopped, 1/4 cup chopped green peppers. Put fried mix into casserole dish with about 1/2 cup velveeta cheese or cheez whiz. Add 1 can cream of chicken soup. Mix. Boil noodles (we usually use shells but rings work too) - drain and mix in to casserole. Bake at 350 for 30 - 45 minutes. Now I’m gonna go fry me some spam because you guys made me hungry. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-can-of-spam/696011/66 "2014-08-22T23:39:35Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > My vegetarian fiancee finds it amusing to buy me random meat items when she goes to the supermarket. Usually it’s jerky or sardines, but the other day she brought home a can of [Spam with Bacon](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51fZU8BNcCL._SY300_.jpg). > > I’ve never actually had Spam before, and I do intend on eating it. Suggestions? > > . Before consumption, I suggest a course of [poetic contemplation](http://web.mit.edu/jync/www/spam/). ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2014, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-can-of-spam/696011/67 "2014-08-22T23:57:53Z")
My favorite SPAM recipe, which I created: SPAM, diced, in whatever quantity you’d like. 1 package of chicken-flavored ramen Scrambled eggs, again in your preferred quantity Dice up the SPAM and cook it up in your frying pan. At the same time, cook the ramen noodles. When the ramen noodles are done, drain the water and plop the noodles into the pan with the SPAM. Add the packet of chicken-flavor, and stir it all together. Once the chicken flavoring is evenly distributed through the noodles and SPAM, pour in the scrambled eggs. Continue stirring until the eggs are distributed through the noodles and fully cooked. Enjoy! ---
**Author:** ![Jungian\_Camisole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8baadc/32.png) [@Jungian\_Camisole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jungian_Camisole)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-can-of-spam/696011/68 "2014-08-23T01:59:17Z")
Back in the day when we were not well-moneyed (read: poor), I had to come up with cheap meals on the fly. The following is still a favorite comfort food meal for the husband and his daughters: 1 Tbs vegetable oil 1 can of Spam cut into a 1/2" dice 1 onion, chopped Heat the oil, add the Spam and onions and stir until lightly browned. Add to a package of prepared Velveeta Mac and Cheese. Stir and eat. Like I said, we had no money at the time. I also did not how to cook anything beyond boiled water. Knowing nothing about nutrition, I just wanted to make something that everyone liked. As it turns out, it was a darned tasty dish on a budget! Unless you care about sodium, then not so much. We still eat it a couple of time each year, mostly because it’s a good reminder of how far we’ve come and also because we just like it. Fuck you, nutrition! ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-can-of-spam/696011/69 "2014-08-23T02:30:43Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > My favorite SPAM recipe, which I created: > > SPAM, diced, in whatever quantity you’d like. > > 1 package of chicken-flavored ramen > > Scrambled eggs, again in your preferred quantity > Dice up the SPAM and cook it up in your frying pan. > > At the same time, cook the ramen noodles. > > When the ramen noodles are done, drain the water and plop the noodles into the pan with the SPAM. Add the packet of chicken-flavor, and stir it all together. > > Once the chicken flavoring is evenly distributed through the noodles and SPAM, pour in the scrambled eggs. Continue stirring until the eggs are distributed through the noodles and fully cooked. > > Enjoy! While this sounds inexpensive and even tasty, it has to have at least six years worth of sodium. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![PorchePine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@PorchePine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PorchePine)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-can-of-spam/696011/70 "2014-08-23T15:29:55Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > It’s very fatty, so beware. Years ago I had a friend who was a rep for Armor, which has/had a Spam competitor, and she gave me some. The only way I (a mostly vegetarian) could eat it was diced fine and made into an omelet. So that’s my recommendation. TREET is a horrible product that is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike Spam. Spam has the fat evenly incorporated throughout, where Treet (and all the other Spam knock-offs) seem to be like a mortadella from hell. ---
**Author:** ![Buttercup\_Smith](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buttercup_smith/32/473_2.png) [@Buttercup\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buttercup_Smith)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2014, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-can-of-spam/696011/71 "2014-08-23T17:09:57Z")
Spam fried and mixed with beans and rice is so good. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-can-of-spam/696011/72 "2014-08-24T01:25:47Z")
> [@PorchePine](#): > > TREET is a horrible product that is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike Spam. Spam has the fat evenly incorporated throughout, where Treet (and all the other Spam knock-offs) seem to be like a mortadella from hell. I once bought a can of meatballs made by the same company. They were so gross, I couldn’t eat them, so I gave them to the cat at work. He wouldn’t eat them either! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Pliam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@Pliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pliam)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-can-of-spam/696011/73 "2014-08-24T02:48:22Z")
I used to slice it into 1/8 x 1/8 x 2 inch strips and throw them in a pot of ramen with a cup of mixed frozen veggies and an egg. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-can-of-spam/696011/74 "2014-08-24T03:47:47Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Thanks for all the suggestions! > > Basically what I’m hearing is to treat it as I would a block of scrapple. > [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Having looked up what’s in scrapple, I can only hope that if someone ever feeds it to me, it’s already plated, and I don’t have to learn what it is until AFTER I’ve already experienced its deliciousness. > > Kinda like that guy in the un-love potion thread that **Skald** has going on in IMHO. > [@Motorgirl](#): > > It’s kind of like a saltier scrapple. Without the liverish undertones and a smoother texture. > > I like both. I think the killer app for Spam is the fried-in-a-pan-til-well-browned method many others have mentioned. On a white bread sandwich with cheese and/or a fried egg. > > I have a can of Bacon Spam in the cupboard right now. Bought it in Chinatown, of all places, because I had never seen Spam in “flavors” before. I picked up Jalapeno, Ho n Spicy, Bacon, and Black Pepper varieties. That’s probably a lifetime supply because I only eat it every few years. So far I have tried th Jalapeno Spam, which was surprisingly bland. Spam is just fine, and all, but I will NOT have you people maligning scrapple. I’m outraged! Pistols at dawn! Taking on all comers! If that’s too extreme, a Scrapple/Spam eat-off! Time and place! 🙂 ---
**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 24, 2014, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-can-of-spam/696011/75 "2014-08-24T03:54:38Z")
I’m waiting for the OP to come back and tell us how he ate it. So many good suggestions! Dad’s SPAM salad sandwiches (if I may), SPAM musubi, mac’n’cheese with SPAM… ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-can-of-spam/696011/76 "2014-08-24T04:17:58Z")
I offer [here](http://books.google.com/books?id=9kEEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA56&dq=spam&hl=en&sa=X&ei=zWb5U7OrLoL6oQSi6ILQCg&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=spam&f=false) a plethora of possibilities. ---
**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 24, 2014, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-can-of-spam/696011/77 "2014-08-24T04:43:28Z")
Or [here](http://smile.amazon.com/Hawaiis-Spam-Cookbook-Kondo-Corum/dp/0935848495) and [here](http://smile.amazon.com/Hawaiis-2nd-Spam-Cookbook-Corum/dp/1573061352/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=undefined&sr=1-4&keywords=hawaiian+spam). (Yes, I have both of them.) ---
**Author:** ![Hoops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoops/32/6408_2.png) [@Hoops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoops)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-can-of-spam/696011/78 "2014-08-25T06:43:07Z")
Take one cup of dry rice and cook it according to the instructions on the package (or however you usually do it). When the rice is almost done, dice a can of Spam. Dice four or five fresh pineapple rings. Mince a couple shallots or one medium onion. Heat some bacon fat in a large pan. If you don’t collect bacon fat, cut up a couple slices of bacon and heat them in the pan until the fat coats the pan. Saute the pineapple for three or four minutes. Add the shallots/onion and sauté some more. Add the Spam and sauté some more. The trick is to get a nice golden caramelization on the pineapple, a nice browning of the Spam, and translucence on the shallots/onion without burning anything! The rice should be done by now; add it to the pan. Stir until the rice is well coated with the bacon fat and well mixed with the other ingredients. Add a generous amount of dried parsley and stir until it is evenly distributed. Eat! ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-can-of-spam/696011/79 "2014-08-25T07:28:17Z")
I slice it and rinse off as much salt as possible. Fry it and make a sandwich. A similar canned product is Armour Corned Beef and Hash. Same idea. Spread thin in a skillet and heat until crispy. Great stuff. Serve with a side dish like corn or green beans. ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-can-of-spam/696011/80 "2014-08-25T16:55:43Z")
I recall my mother making a casserole with Spam, pineapple rings and canned sweet potatoes. (Or maybe candied yams?) She stacked the layers bookshelf fashion, but that was probably presentation preference; thin-sliced Spam, pineapple, and sliced yam alternating, all about a quarter-inch thick. I recall a sauce, which is why I think it might have been yams. I don’t recall any added seasonings, but I imagine cinnamon or nutmeg would fit well. Haven’t had it since leaving for college, and she is unavailable for comment without the aid of a seance, so this is all the details I have. Thinking about it, I may have to try to find or recreate the recipe. 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-can-of-spam/696011.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-can-of-spam/696011.md?page=5)