Introduction
Today, more people tend to use canned goods to save time or money due to its convenience but aside, we cannot deny a fact that there is still a group of people always prefer fresh food or fruit as standing in terms of health, they still provide us with more beneficial nutrients.
Pineapple is a healthy fruit and perfect for a dessert, salad or any cooking recipe. However, its skin and prickly top make it hassle to prepare. At that time, a can of sliced pineapple will be an amazing alternative.
Canned pineapple still provides all essential vitamins, fiber, and minerals that are really good for our health as fresh pineapple. However, the only problem that can make you consider it a bit unhealthy is the syrup.
Typically, the liquid inside the can is loaded with sugar to make the pineapple sweeter, also helps to extend the shelf life of this product. But you can totally choose the unsweetened kind or low sugar instead then you still enjoy the delicious pineapple in seconds and still keep your health safe.
Now, there must be numerous questions about canned pineapple such as how long before it expires, how to store it properly and what is the spoilage identification of this product. This article will give you the answers to all these questions.
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How long does canned pineapple last?
Normally, most canned food or fruit is safe for a long time and canned pineapple is also among the group. An unopened can of pineapple is possible to be consumed safely within 2 years in your pantry for the best quality.
How long can you eat canned pineapple after the expiration date? Actually, the date on the can is not an expiration date, it’s the best-by date that the factories recommend us to eat the content inside the can for peak point of quality. It is even safe for you to keep savoring the pineapple for 3 to 6 months after that date, as long as your canned pineapple is properly stored.
Once your canned pineapple is opened, it can only last a few days at room temperature and up to a week if stored in a fridge. To extend the life of opened pineapple, they keep it in a freezer to achieve 1 to 2 months of safety.
How to tell if canned pineapple goes bad?
In fact, canned pineapple itself is safe to eat if properly stored but once the syrup is going bad, it will affect the pineapple. If you see nothing wrong with your can of pineapple after a long period of time, you can consume it but over time, the flavor could be changed and it might taste flat now.
Once the content exposes to the air for a while but not stored well, you can easily see the slight difference in the color, it might become darker, also the pineapple and liquid inside will develop the fermented smell like cider.
At that time, you can opt to discard the can or use it for cooking as it won’t be related to any health problem, but it’s better to be safe, right?
When it comes to the unopened can of pineapple, as long as the tin can is undamaged and sealed tightly, your pineapple will be secured. If there are any signs of a ruined can like rusty, bulged or leaky, you should immediately transfer the pineapple to another container to keep storing or throw it away.
How to store canned pineapple?
Storing canned pineapple requires the same manner as other canned goods, that means the best place to keep an unopened can safe is a dry and cool place like your kitchen cupboard or cabinet.
Your pantry will work well but remember to keep your canned pineapple away from any source of light or heat, therefore if your pantry has a window that catches the natural sunlight every day, you should cover the can more carefully.
As already mentioned, the opened canned pineapple is more suitable to be stored in a fridge or freezer as the cold temperature will allow it to live longer. It doesn’t make a sense to keep a fine unopened can in the fridge or freezer because that won’t help much to extend the shelf life of the pineapple.
Can you freeze canned pineapple?
Actually, canning is already a way to extend the life span of its content, it’s true with pineapple as well. However, once the can is opened, refrigerating or freezing is the way to go. Leaving an opened can of pineapple at room temperature for a long time is not good in both quality and lifetime.
So to reiterate, yes, you can totally freeze your canned pineapple.
How to freeze canned pineapple?
Now you are going to learn how to freeze canned pineapple properly in just some simple steps.
Tips to freeze canned pineapple
- Don’t forget that the liquid in canned pineapple will expand when freezing, therefore, make sure to leave at least ½ to 1 inch space head of a container or bag
- It’s better to discard the unused thawed canned pineapple, don’t refreeze it twice
- Never freeze canned pineapple in its original tin can since once opened, the can is not sealed completely and during the freezing time, the liquid will expand and force the can to expand too and it will not safe anymore
Things you’ll need to freeze canned pineapple
- An airtight container or a ziplock bag
How to freeze canned pineapple in just 2 steps
- Place the leftover pineapple and syrup in an airtight container or a freezer-safe bag
- Label the container or bag with name and storage date then stick to the freezer
How to defrost/ thaw canned pineapple?
Thawing frozen canned pineapple is a piece of cake. You just need to simply transfer it from the freezer to the fridge and let it defrost in several hours or overnight (or submerge the bag in a bowl of cold water)
Remember that you should only keep your thawed canned pineapple in the fridge for an additional 3 to 4 days before using and consume immediately if thawing it in cold water. The sooner you consume it, the better quality it is.
You better inspect the quality of the pineapple after thawing and before using it because somehow, we don’t know what happened during these processes so one more step for quality check is pretty essential.