Storing cans of tuna.....

[Noahs ARK]

I'm targeting specific foods to buy this month and tuna is one of them.

I usually keep 1 case (24 cans) down in the basement and keep 12 cans up in my cupboard. I easily use 6 cans when making tuna salad cuz hubby can really put away a lot of food.

Who stores tuna and what's the longest you've stored it PAST the "Best if used by" date?

Don't want to be wasteful, but I want a serious supply.

Tx

[prairiemom]

I don't know--24 cans of tuna is about a year's supply for us. Sorry.

[Noahs ARK]

I don't know--24 cans of tuna is about a year's supply for us. Sorry.

That sounds about right for us, too.

So do you keep enough for 1 year? ..2 years?

[4evermama]

(I am probably not the right person to respond to your question as I have serious doubts about the true intentions of official food regulations.)

We store canned tuna. We use it for meals and also give it to our chickens during the coldest weeks of winter

My rule for store bought is the same for home canned:
if it's bulging, rusted, dented at a seam or lid, looks bad or smells "off"... throw it away.

My family manages to keep things rotated well, but I've used tuna as old as 2 years "past the date" and we are all still alive.
I've also opened up foods well within the "use by date" and tossed it straight into the trash.

A successful seal in a hot, sterile environment is what keeps food safe.
You will more than likely know when you open it up.

[hiccups]

I have an anecdotal story about old canned tuna. A friend of mine told me about going to visit her dad and he had made tuna salad for her family, knowing they all liked it. Well, my friend wasn't hungry, so she didn't have any, but she notices that her family is sorta eating very slowly and some aren't eating it after the first couple bites. Turns out the tuna had a strange, maybe metallic flavor. Some investigating turns up this old case of food storage tuna. Near as they can determine it was from the 70's... The kicker is that while it was not tasty at all, no one who ate it became ill. Make of that what you will. :D

[LoudmouthMormon]

Most of my family pulls faces at the prospect of tuna, but I keep a bunch of it and rotate it slowly. I can see it being in high demand, if a diet needs to turn to cans of dried bland.

LM

[Noahs ARK]

My family manages to keep things rotated well, but I've used tuna as old as 2 years "past the date" and we are all still alive.

Thank you - that's exactly what I was trying to find out. I don't have a lot of faith in the expiration dates, either.

I just made tuna salad today and used 8 regular sized cans. So I'm figuring I can easily have 4 cases of tuna in my basement without worrying, especially since we don't have a problem rotating it.

I'm thinking it's time to start buying larger cans!

[Noahs ARK]

Some investigating turns up this old case of food storage tuna. Near as they can determine it was from the 70's... The kicker is that while it was not tasty at all, no one who ate it became ill. Make of that what you will. :D

Holy toledo - that was some OLD tuna! But it's good to know that even tho it tasted bad, nobody got sick.:ack2:

[JayE]

I will have to look when I get back home to verify, but I am guessing that the tuna that we are using out of our storage is about 6-8 years old. We just had some last night and it's fine.

[Noahs ARK]

I will have to look when I get back home to verify, but I am guessing that the tuna that we are using out of our storage is about 6-8 years old. We just had some last night and it's fine.

Really??! Please let me know. If that's true, I'm buying more than 4 cases.

Tx

[JayE]

Really??! Please let me know. If that's true, I'm buying more than 4 cases.

Tx

I just checked. The stuff we are eating now is 6 years old.

Typically, the "Best if used by" date for canned tuna is three years after it was canned. Tuna that we bought in 2009 says best if used by Aug 2012. The cans we are eating now say best if used by Nov. 2007.

[Noahs ARK]

I just checked. The stuff we are eating now is 6 years old.

Typically, the "Best if used by" date for canned tuna is three years after it was canned. Tuna that we bought in 2009 says best if used by Aug 2012. The cans we are eating now say best if used by Nov. 2007.

Excellent! That "best if used by" date really throws people. I have friends that throw perfectly good food in the garbage because of that date.

Thank you. I am now prepared to go for a 5 year supply. Hubby's gonna love this....ha ha ha. But ya gotta do what ya gotta do, right? :d0 (21):

[sunsinger]

We bought 5 or 6 cases of tuna on sale to stock a few years. Then we became more worried about mercury. Th worst problem is that you open up a can of tuna and it is no longer chunks of tuna. It is mush and it is getting worse. Last can I had open was like soup with crunchy bones. Used to eat a lot of tuna, but now I can't stand most of it.

[Noahs ARK]

We bought 5 or 6 cases of tuna on sale to stock a few years. Then we became more worried about mercury. Th worst problem is that you open up a can of tuna and it is no longer chunks of tuna. It is mush and it is getting worse. Last can I had open was like soup with crunchy bones. Used to eat a lot of tuna, but now I can't stand most of it.

I can't tell you how many of those cans I've opened. Ugh. My cats usually get it.

I started buying the white tuna - more expensive, but so much better.

[hiccups]

I've had good experiences buying the pouches. Good tuna inside.

[Earthling]

When the tuna started being mushy is when I started buying albacore. It is worth the extra cost. I like Costco's and their cans are bigger.

[sunsinger]

When the tuna started being mushy is when I started buying albacore. It is worth the extra cost. I like Costco's and their cans are bigger.

Maybe I'll try that!

[iggy]

When the tuna started being mushy is when I started buying albacore. It is worth the extra cost. I like Costco's and their cans are bigger.

I found that the store brand tuna generally is chunky and the more expensive name brand is mush. I call it dust. When I was living in Casa Grande AZ, the best tuna was Albertson's. Got 30 cans @ $0.50 each.

I am in Oregon now, and so far the best tuna is Fred Meyer/Kroger brand. Am paying $0.67 a can. The local Thriftway and Ray's Market are having Case Goods sale. The tuna they are offering is Chicken of the Sea. Bought one can and it was Dust.

I bought an 8 pack of Chicken of the Sea tuna at the Grocery Outlet a few months ago, those cans were chunky- If I am just making sandwich spread, I can use the dust- but when I am adding to pasta, I really want the chunks.

Need to find a younger sister in the Branch who cans, and see if she will can fresh tuna for a portion of the end product. That way I know I will get chunks.