between me and my OH?

I had baked beans on toast for dinner tonight, and only used half a large can of beans. My OH wanted to put the half empty tin into the fridge to use another day, and he got mad at me when I told him to empty them into a bowl first.

I have always been taught that it is dangerous to store food in opened tins - that it can cause food poisoning, and he told me I was speaking rubbish.

does anyone else do this?

sounds nonsense to me. we put half used tins of sweetcorn in the fridge all the time.

If you don't use the entire can then there is something wrong with you.

see here:
http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthissu...ndissues/tins/

But I put opened tins in myself

I think it depends on several factors such as the product and the amount of time left in the fridge.

If it is only for a couple of days then I doubt there will be a problem.
There are other foods though which don't keep happy in tins, such as Pineapple rings. After a few days they seem to start pulling the metal from the tin and after several days you will find little silver/black bits in the tin and stuck to the fruit. So I always put them into an airtight container.


There have been scientific investigations into what foods should/should not be kept in the fridge and some of the results seem barmy. I think you just have to use common sense.

Often kept a few beans in a tin in the fridge. Once or twice I've forgotton about them and after only 2 or 3 days they've had mould on them.

Your theory MIGHT have some truth in it?

You are right.

The action of opening the can tears into the metal and exposes the untreated parts of the can to the atmosphere. From this, contamination can occur.

For best results, a glass or ceramic container with an airtight lid is ideal.

I know this is correct because my niece is in her final few months of her PhD as a Food Science student and she confirmed it with one of her professors when we had the same argument recently.

Isn't it normally recommended that they are put in another container if being put in the fridge. It could be down to the interaction of the coldness with the metal.

My mum always told me not to stick tims in the fridge, and so did her mum

I always empty half used cans into a container. I can't remember why I do this, but I did Food Technology A-level and my food hygiene certificate so must have learned it during that time lol!

Thank you - I knew I was right for once and I knew I could rely on DS to back me up.

I was always told to never store leftovers in the tin but I also remember being told that it's slightly different for plastic coated tins.

Eitherway it's a rare occasion when I don't polish off the whole tin.

I always empty into a container - that's what tupperware is for! Oh, I love tupperware!

I am another one who always empties beans into a bowl as opposed to leaving them in the tin!!

Sorry I am having a silly day

Tims are Celtic supporters and you are right you should not put them in the fridge - try the bath

Yes it is dangerous, I work as a chef, and there is a bacteria that grows inside tins that have been open or are blown, if food is left in there then bacteria will spread to food.

This bacteria can give you food poisoning, or in the young and elderly can be fatal.

I was always told never to put tins in fridge. I was also under the impression that you could get food poisoning from tins.

A friend used to open cans of peas and carrots and actually COOK them in the oven in their tins!!!!!!!!

That said, I store half used tins of stuff in my fridge for a couple of days, any longer and I either throw them or put them into a plastic container and freeze them. I think you can be too careful sometimes.

None of us have ever been ill yet from this practice.

Which one is right?

This is what the food standards agency says: http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/keepingfoo...only#cat301164

I've never kept open cans in the fridge, instead decanting the contents into another container. I've never known why til now, but learnt long ago that opened tins in fridge wasn't a good thing.

I think the first answer you quoted might have something in it, I was always told never to buy tins that had been bashed.

Thanks for that.

We never put tins in for human food, but we always put the dog tin in covered with cling film, don't think we shall be doing that anymore...

I hope you dont put that in the fridge

Looking at recent adverts for dog/cat food it sounds more appealing than microwave food for us humans.

we used to do that with our cat food, then we had to empty it into a tuppaware thing, but only because the cat wouldn't eat it otherwise (ahh 6th sense maybe).
On the subject of human food, right back to OP, I would empty the remaining beans into a microwavable vessel (!?) because that would be easier for re-heating later.