# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > Cooking, Food Storage, & Preserving >  Extensive FROZEN Can goods TEST (Do they really burst...?)

## Sourdough

I am starting a frozen can goods test. Please feel free to help.

NOTE: "I REQUEST that this be a test results ONLY thread, with NO "OPINIONS" just the test results. Please start a new thread if you want to post about Yours or great Aunt Bertha's theory about the safety of frozen canned goods.

I have frozen (2* above zero) two cans of Bush's Baked Beans. One can placed vertical the other can placed horizontal. I will thaw and freeze the cans a total of three (3) times. 

Next I will do the same test on cans of Mushroom Soup. And keep testing other can goods till I experience rupture.

Please feel free to help with testing canned goods by freezing them, and report the results.

Yes, I know the texture of some foods will change, but that is NOT what matters to me. Only the safety of the food matters to me.

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## Winter

How will the foods safety be tested? Yards of TP used per can?

Looking forward to your results.

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## natertot

SD, I find this pretty intersting. I really look forward to the results and updates as things progress!

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## NightShade

I know for a FACT that if you throw a beer can in the freezer and forget about it overnight, it will indeed burst.
This thread interests me.... consider my home a testing site SD. I'm taking a can of condensed chicken noodle soup out of one of the pantry's now and tossing it in the freezer.
EDIT- The can I'm throwing in has one of those "easypull lift tabs" no can opener needed

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## intothenew

To protect the innocent, I would suggest putting the cans inside something that would contain an ooze if they are placed in the freezer. Tupperware or a freezer bag should do.

Visible rupture is certainly failure, but you could get a small fracture that could not be seen. How could we test for that?

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## Rick

You may also have a mess to clean up if it does rupture. If you can't set it outside then put it inside another container in the freezer as intothenew suggested.

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## Sourdough

> Visible rupture is certainly failure, but you could get a small fracture that could not be seen. How could we test for that?


The two cans of beans have so far been frozen twice and thawed twice. Both times the bottom was not deformed, and the top was only slightly bulged. However when thawed the top returned to original condition. My working theory is that it would only return to original if there was no way for air to enter the can. They will go back outside tonight.

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## NightShade

Day 2- Soup is frozen solid... no sign of can deforming or rupturing. Keeping it in freezed until tonight, for a thaw out then re-freeze

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## intothenew

The victims:

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The peas were chosen for the high fluid content, the corned beef hash for just the opposite. I intended to include a "flat" can but thought that might be taking things a bit far at the moment. Since my mind was on sardines/kippers etc, the oyster can was a different size, and the date is nearing expiration, it got added to the mix.

I perma-marked them, removed the label (without documenting it, something I regret), and inspected the cans for any obvious signs of damage. Note the the corned beef hash can has a solid bottom, the one on the right turned upside down.

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intotheicebox

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Questions and comments;

I assume the drill is 24 hours on ice, 24 hrs thaw, repeat for three cycles?

Assuming there is no obvious failure, I plan to vacuum test the cans afterwards.

I should have noted the sodium in each, the reason for regret on recording the labels. The pea can says "no salt added", not "no salt". I'll go back this evening and dig out sister cans. Salt water freezes at less density. Why that could be important here is that less density means higher volume. Higher volume means that you are closer to "ten pound in a five pound poke".

03-07-12; 6:00 P.M. EST

Removed the cans from the freezer. The oyster can was the only one to show any signs of change, a bulged top.

03-08-12; 6:00 P.M. EST

Inspection before return to the freezer, the oyster can shows oyster snot?

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I wiped it off, it seemed to have fiber. Possibly the lid seal?

03-09-12; 6:00 P.M. EST

Oyster can had bulged again, no more snot showed. But, the snot showed on thaw, we will see tomorrow evening.


04-09-12; 10:00 A.M. EST


I vacuum packed the oyster can in an attempt to show seep. I'm just now getting around to posting the pick, it showed some seepage. 

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## Sourdough

I now figure this test will take at least 4 months.

Results of the "Bumble Bee" white albacore packed in water (I generally inventory about 60 cans of this at any one time). After four freeze-thaw cycles with can inspected each thaw, there was never any deformation of either can at any point.

Results for the "Bush's baked beans in the 16.5 oz. can. The first freeze showed a slight (Very slight) bulge in the top of the can, however when thawed the slight bulge disappeared. And in freeze cycle 2 through 4 the lid did not deform.

Next up will be the Bush's #10 can 117 oz. (7 pounds & 5 oz.) these much larger cans may behave differently. As baked beans are a core long term survival product for me, I need to know that I can trust the cans 100%.

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## Rick

Oyster snot can not be good on a whole lot of levels. You had to violate the seal for anything to come out. 

SD - How many cycles are you going to run? I was just thinking that the cans could fail to metal fatigue if they bulge each time they are frozen. Especially the ones that are pull to open. Just a thought.

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## Sourdough

> Oyster snot can not be good on a whole lot of levels. You had to violate the seal for anything to come out. 
> 
> SD - How many cycles are you going to run? I was just thinking that the cans could fail to metal fatigue if they bulge each time they are frozen. Especially the ones that are pull to open. Just a thought.


I have been doing (4) Four cycles of freeze/thaw. The important thing is I have to be able to be confident that no matter how many freeze/thaws that I can trust the cans. Can goods keep me chained to the cabin ALL winter, with only a rare overnight trip to Anchorage or Seward.

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## intothenew

> Oyster snot can not be good on a whole lot of levels. You had to violate the seal for anything to come out.


Agreed. I consider that an example of minor failure, which is still a major issue. The fact that the can returned to original shape is a note to file for final evaluation.

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## Northern Horseman

We often buy caselot sale cans of mushroom soup, tomato soup,chicken noodle soup, my wife stores it in the barn so its often exposed to a wide range of temperatures from -30 c to plus 4c in the winter. other than it changing the consistency we've experienced no ill effects.

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## tipacanoe

When I was in the Navy in Antarctica, the beer had been frozen and thawed numerous times, you never wanted to see what was at the bottom of the can, or taste it.  The Budweiser was the worst because it was the oldest, and Piels Real Draft was the best as it was the newest.  This was a long time ago, 40 years so things may have changed.

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## Rick

Frozen beer? Steel cans? I've never seen aluminum beer or soda survive freezing. The cans always rupture or explode as the case may be.

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## Sourdough

Completed the:  Bush's #10 can 117 oz. (7 pounds & 5 oz.) these much larger cans may behave differently. As baked beans are a core long term survival product for me, I need to know that I can trust the cans 100%.

Again no damage. Froze/thawed 4 times. first time was horizontal and the was a barely noticeable bulge on one end, it disappeared when thawed, the next three times can remained perfect.

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## intothenew

I edited post #9.

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## Wildthang

I am glad I dont have to spend the winter with Sourdough in a cabin after eating all those beans! That would be a long winter :Scared:

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## Rick

ITN - I'm not certain if oyster seep is better than oyster snot or not. But I'd think both would be bad for you. I think I'd mark frozen oyster off the list.

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## intothenew

Yep, they went in the trash. A small consolation, but those oysters gave their life to science. 


A moment of silence, please.

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## KhonHd

We are at the cabin this weekend for the annual ice harvest. This is our 3rd trip in since Christmas.  We had several trips in during the fall up to the first week of Christmas.  Some of the canned goods were here last winter as well.  This winter we have had cold spells as low as -38c.  None of the cans bulged or broke.  But, the "no name" cans are rusty from the condensation.

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## birdman6660

Great thread .. an author friend of mine has been off grid and in the bush since 1991 .. he has cans of everything from spaghetti sauce to Campbells soups .. the only thing he had go bad since 1995 from freezing was corned beef ... all other cans survived and was edible ...I have personally accidentally frozen many canned items .. nothing went bad .. i have had jars break but cans seem to do quite well ... all of the cans that were frozen were  NOT in a freeezer condition but in a back room where it simply got too cold .. Allan  (author buddy of  OPERATION PHOENIX ) left his bush container home last winter TO promote his book and everything froze solid and it all survived except the aforementioned corned beef .... keep me posted on the freezer results ...

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## KhonHd

Had some of the canned green beans, they were a bit busted up from the freezing but otherwise good.

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