Hormel Canned Beef Corned Review

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I'm hoping that Hormel's Canned Beef Corned -- what an awkward name -- will be much better than Hormel's Lean Smoked Ham, which I reviewed earlier. Hormel is a huge corporation with many products, and it is virtually impossible to walk through a grocery store and not see one of their products. Hopefully Hormel's Canned Beef Corned will redeem Hormel.

 Upon opening I smell a scent that is similar to canned dog food, not good so far! the canned beef comes out in one large, slimy can-shaped hunk which is obviously chopped bits of beef formed into a loaf. The meat keeps its form well and is easy to slice into thin slices. I suppose this can be fairly presentable if cut into slices.

Meat Obelisks

The mouth feel is somewhat mushy after it yields to the initial bite. The taste of sodium phosphates and sodium nitrites is very powerful and allows the product to imitate traditional corned beef to some extent. However, the fact that this is a formed patty made out of processed beef and pumped with preservatives means that the taste and texture are only a poor imitation of real corned beef. Furthermore, all the phosphates and nitrites in this product aren't too good for your health.

I sliced this up and fried it along with a riced potato to make some corned beef hash that wasn't bad. The taste of Hormel's Canned Beef Corned is much better after browning on a skillet. I give this two and one half obelisks of meat out of five. Not good nor bad, but rather just an average canned meat product.

At least the cat loved it.

OM NOM NOM!

Sink or Swim: How Good are Goya Sardines in Olive Oil?

 Nutrition Facts for Goya Sardines in Olive Oil:
Serving Size: 1/4 Cup. Servings Per Container: About 2.
Calories 130, Fat Calories 80
Total Fat 9g 14% Daily Value (Sat. Fat 2g 10% Daily Value, Trans Fat 0g)
Cholesterol 20mg 7% Daily Value
Sodium 280mg 12% Daily Value
Total Carb. 0g
Protein 13g

Vitamin A 2%, Vitamin C 0%, Calcium 20%, Iron 10%

Ingredients: Sardines, olive oil and salt added.

I am a big fan of many of Goya's products. Their canned chipotles in tomato sauce are excellent and I also like their seasoning packets and Sazonador Total seasoning. These sardines are imported from Spain so I hope that this review of Goya Sardines in Olive Oil will be enjoyable.

After peeling back the tin's lid I smell a scent that is very similar to canned tuna, yet stronger and deeper. After I completely peel back the lid I am greeted by the sight of three fish that are large for sardines. However, I am dismayed that the tails are not still attached to the fish because they are a good source of nutrition. I also notice that the skin and scales are still present on the fish.

The fish break apart when speared with a fork. The mouth feel of the fish is a bit too crumbly for my taste, and since the fish are large the bones are a bit more noticeable than most sardines. I am not able to notice the scales during the taste testing. The taste is not bad, but certainly not spectacular either. They have a fairly good plain old sardine taste to them. My cat came up to me and begged for some so I gave him a fork full, which he ate with gusto.

Delicious fish, I must eat them! Om nom nom!

These are not bad, but there are definitely better tins of fish out there. Rugenfisch Smoked Kieler Sprats and King Oscar Finest Brisling Sardines come to mind. Goya Sardines in Olive Oil get three big sardines out of five.

A Review of Bumble Bee Premium Select Wild Fancy Whole Baby Clams

Nutrition Facts for  Bumble Bee Premium Select Wild Fancy Whole Baby Clams:
Serving Size 2 oz (56g or about 1/4 cup) Servings Per Container about 3 
Calories 45, Calories from Fat 10
Total Fat 1g 2% Daily Value (0g unsaturated fat, 0g Trans fat, 0.5g Polyunsat. Fat, 0g Monounsat. Fat)
Cholesterol 70mg 23% Daily Value
Sodium 290mg 12% Daily Value
Potassium 5mg 0% Daily Value
Total Carbohydrate 0g
Protein 9g

Vitamin A 2%, Calcium 6%, Vitamin D 0%, Vitamin C 0%, Iron 20%, Selenium 30%

Ingredients: Whole baby clams, water, salt, citric acid, sodium acid pyrophosphate, calcium, disodium EDTA

 This is my first review of a product from Bumble Bee Foods. They only get once chance to make a good impression so without further ado let's try some baby clams. The can is attractive and brightly colored, clearly labeled is the Net weight of ten ounces and a drained weight of five ounces so you get five ounces of clams and five ounces of brine for your money. The price is not posted because prices are rapidly changing at this time.

Upon opening I am greeted by a faint yet unpleasant odor, a smell that reminds me of fish that have stayed out a bit too long by the seaside. So I would describe the smell as bad seafood and brine. The clams are visually appealing because they maintained their colors well, which are tan with orange-yellow highlights and a darker tan in the body of the clam. The clams are intact as advertised and they are each about the size of a penny.

Looks can be deceiving.

Surely they should taste good, right?

 The clams have a firm yet yielding consistency with a good mouth-feel, but they are disagreeable to both my sense of taste and olfactory system. They are not too salty but they smell like they sat out too long before the canning process. The taste of these clams reminds me of seafood that is a little past its prime and was not purged properly before being prepared for sale. There was a lingering aftertaste and scent that was reminiscent of old fish that made this sampling an unpleasant experience. The aftertaste was still strong a full twenty minutes after sampling, and I'm sure that the clams tainted my breath with their less than stellar aroma.

I was hesitant to offer a few clams to my cat, but I did and even he refused to eat these clams. Two spiked phalanges down!

I apologized to him afterwards.

I cannot recommend this product because there are better canned baby clam products on the market at competitive prices. Bumble Bee Premium Select Wild Fancy Whole Baby Clams get one and a half clams out of five. These are bad and border on being wretched. You may be able to finish them, but you surely will not enjoy it. Food should taste good, especially if it is labeled as premium!

Tyson Premium Chunk White Chicken in Water

Tyson Premium Chunk White Chicken in Water

 

Nutrition Information for Tyson Premium Chunk White Chicken in Water

 Tyson Premium Chunk White Chicken in Water comes in a short cylindrical can that is decorated with chunks of white meat chicken. The picture on the can is appetizing and I was hoping that this review would not turn out like the one I did on Hormel's canned ham product. Many meats have a drastic change in consistency when they are canned in water instead of oil. They tend to have a dry mouth-feel and a stringy texture.

Upon opening the can I was greeted with the pleasant smell of concentrated chicken broth. The chicken was packed well in the can and the large, white chunks of meat are visually appealing. This meat is obviously complete chunks of chicken and not some reformed patty of butcher floor scrapings. I was hoping that the meat would taste as good as it looked.

It looks appealing

The meat crumbled after I stuck a fork in it, the texture change from the canning process was evident before even tasting it. Upon placing the chicken in my mouth the scent and taste of chicken - along with a not trifling amount of salt - was evident. The chicken is dryer than I would like and crumbly with a stringy consistency, yet the taste is good. This would be good to take on trips where refrigeration is not available, or perhaps to use to make some chicken casserole or chicken salad. The broth is flavorful, even if it is too salty, and would be good to cook rice in.

The texture is lacking but the taste is good

I had to let our mascot give it a try, and he absolutely loved it!

Our mascot enjoying a chicken dinner

This product is good but, like many canned products, the saltiness and less than ideal texture holds it back from perfection. However the taste, visual appeal, and smell are all excellent - which is something our mascot agrees with. Tyson Premium Chunk White Chicken in Water gets 4 chunks of tasty chicken out of 5!

Chicken of the Sea Whole Baby Clams

 Price: $1.59 for a 10 ounce (5 ounces drained) can.

 

The clams are intact and have a scent of ocean brine. The smell of brine fills my nasal cavity and conjures up thoughts of the ocean as I bite into a clam. The salt is evident but not overpowering and the meat is very tender for a clam, almost as tender as an oyster. There is a nice taste of brine that accompanies the mild flesh of these baby clams.

 

This is a good product with a fair price. These would be good in a clam chowder or mixed with rice and vegetables. The product is about as aesthetically pleasing as it can get when we consider that they are clams, which are not natures most beautiful creatures outside of the shell. Furthermore, these are much more tender than most canned clams, and they taste better than what you will find in many clam chowders sold at the supermarket.

 

These tender little clams are well above average and earn 4 baby clams out of 5.

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Molinera Squids (pieces) in American Sauce

Price: $1.89 for a 4.06 ounce tin.

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This is another seafood offering from Molinera, a company that cans seafood in Spain. Pulling back the lid reveals medium sized pieces of squid packed nicely into the square tin. The product is a reddish tint due to the “American Sauce” that the product is packed in (Vegetable oil, tomato, onion, spices and salt). A strong smell of seafood is present within this tin and comes bursting forth after removing the lid.

Biting into a chunk of squid reveals a rubbery texture and a very potent taste of seafood that is not unpleasant if you enjoy seafood. The America sauce gives off a faint taste of onions, but it is a bit too salty. Just like with Molinera Octopus in Garlic Sauce, this should be used in a dish that is under salted so that the taste is balanced out.

The size of the pieces of squid and firm texture makes it better than average. The taste of the sea prevalent within this product could add a nice touch to any dish. However, the squid is just too rubbery and the salt is more than what any reasonable person would like.

Due to this I am only able to give Molinera's Squids in America Sauce 3 chunks of squid out of 5. Still above average, but only just a bit.

Molinera Octopus in Garlic Sauce Review

Price: $1.89 for a 4.06 ounce tin.

 

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Molinera is a company from Spain so my hopes are high for this tin of Octopus due to the quality of Spanish seafood. Pulling back the lid to the oval can that was deceptively packaged in a box reveals a tin of tightly packed bits of octopus. The faint scent of seafood along with the smell of olive oil escapes from the can. 

 The meat is very tender for canned octopus. The taste of the meat is very good and is accompanied by just the right amount of garlic; however, there is a bit too much salt.

 

Putting this in a dish with little salt should help to balance out the saltiness of this tin. This is definitely above average for canned octopus because of the tenderness and taste. The pieces are large so the visual appeal is good. Keep in mind that this does have a noticeable amount of garlic when you cook so that you do not overdo this pungent ingredient.

 

A solidly above average offering from Molinera, but the saltiness brings the score down a bit. I rate this 3 ½ chunks of octopus out of 5. A definite would buy again if I need octopus for a dish in the future. If not for the saltiness I would have given it at least a 4.

Roland Fillets of Anchovies Review

Price: $2.79 for a 4.2 ounce jar (about 2.1 ounces of actual anchovies in each jar)

Serving size: 6 pieces (15 g)

Calories: 25

Fat Calories: 10

Total Fat: 1 g (0% saturated fat)

Cholesterol: 15 mg

Sodium: 900 mg

Protein: 4 g

Having been nonplussed by a can of mackerel from Roland in the past, I was more than a bit worried that these anchovies would be bad. I love anchovies and was hoping that these wouldn't be of a poor quality. These anchovies are packed tightly upright in an olive oil filled jar.

No visual surprise as I opened the lid since the anchovies are stored in a clear glass jar. I was expecting a strong fishy smell, yet there was no hint of it. The olive oil must have absorbed all the fish scent in this jar. After fishing an anchovy out of the jar I was surprised at how well they held together. I placed four on a plate and admired the tiny fillets of skinned fish with small, hair-like bones.

The fish smell is evident after the fillets are removed from the oil. These anchovies are a bit less tender than the ones usually served at restaurants. After biting into one I got the extreme saltiness I expected followed by a fishy aftertaste. Decent even if a bit chewy for an anchovy. I was surprised by the strong “umami” flavor that is usually present in fish sauce and seaweed – a taste and mouth feel usually prevalent in Asian cuisine. The aftertaste is really good if you like the taste of fish and the savory umami can really add a good dimension to a dish. The olive oil has a clean taste and in no way diminishes the taste of the fish.

I tossed some of these anchovies into a salad with some olive oil from the jar and lemon juice. The anchovies provided all the salt needed, of course. These were overall good fish, but they were a bit tough and the bones didn't go down as well as some other anchovies I have eaten. This is a good offering for the price by Roland so these get 3 anchovy fillets out of 5. These will suffice for staving off any anchovy craving.

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Hormel Lean Smoked Ham Review

Price: $1.39 for a five ounce can - $4.45 per pound of ham as of March 21, 2012

 Hormel smoked ham comes in a short can dotted with images of juicy chunks of ham that look delicious. Surely Hormel wouldn't mislead us with its product images, would they? Well, let's open it up and find out.

Immediately upon puncturing the can with my can opener a strong smell of smoke wafted out that only grew stronger as I continued to open it. Upon removing the lid I was greeted with this:

 

Soylent green is people!

Great... Thanks a lot, Hormel. It looks like a hockey puck made out of soylent green. I had to pry a chunk of ham (I think) from an amalgam of meat and white, squishy substance. I tasted the overpowering smoke flavoring before the meat even touched my tongue. After placing the smoked ham on my tongue the overpowering taste of a massive amount of salt drowned out anything but the faintest hint of ham. The consistency was fairly firm yet yielding.

My cat was meowing loudly since he thinks that I am opening cat food every time I open a can so I decided to place the meat amalgam down for him. He... LOVED it! I had to take the bowl away from him because I didn't want to clean and smell whatever the ham would turn into after a trip through his gastrointestinal tract.

 

Cats are obligate carnivores

I wouldn't classify this as wretched but as just plain too salty and unappealing. It might actually add a good bit of smoke flavor to some split pea soup. However, I would only use it when I can't keep regular ham cool. Perhaps on a camping trip or the like.

Hormel lean smoked ham, you get 1 ½ congealed masses of soylent green out of 5. Canned meat should be good right out of the can.

King Oscar Finest Brisling Sardines

King Oscar Finest Brisling Sardines
Mediterranean Style with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Herbs of Provence, Red Bell Pepper and Black Olives.

King Oscar was a swarthy fellow

Earthy smell with a hint of fish scent upon opening tin.

This was the best I could get them to look

Eight well-packed sardines that held up to the canning process well with the occasional slice of olive amongst the fish, which are placed upon various herbs. Fish hold up well when lifted with fork. They are not too hard and not too soft. Nice earthy and rich flavor with a pleasant fish taste. The bones are barely detectable and the olives impart a bold, tangy flavor when eaten with the fish. No metallic taste was evident.

Sardines are also low mercury. Since they are low in the food chain the toxins do not build up as much as in large predatory fish like salmon.

These fish would be good in a Mediterranean style salad with a garlic-based dressing, feta cheese and cucumber; however, they also hold up well when served alone as a snack. The olive oil seems to be of a decent quality and would work wonderfully if added to the water in a rice cooker with jasmine rice. I finished the entire tin within 10 minutes.

These fish are easily above average so I will rate them a 4.5 cans out of 5.