The Reworked Can Is All It's Stacked Up to Be
Earlier this summer I was in line at the grocery store with a can of tomatoes when a concerned checker stopped me to say that the can I was about to buy appeared to have a huge bulge along the entire top of the can, possibly a sign of botulism. Horrified that I might have poisoned my family, I decided I could live without tomatoes and didn't go back to grab another can.
I stopped into the grocery store today for some cranberry sauce. The top of the first can I picked up seemed to have a bulge. So did the next. I looked at varying sizes and brands. None of the tops had traditional flanged edges.
This time I checked with the manager, who told me that an all-new can was in the process of making its way onto store shelves. These cans are particularly easy to stack, compared to the old, because the reworked, bulging tops connect neatly with the flanged bottoms.
The new can isn't yet everywhere, but chances are good that if you're planning on eating cranberry sauce from a can at your next Thanksgiving dinner you'll see it too. Do not be alarmed!
--Tracy Schneider
Need a can opener for those cans? Check out Amazon customer favorites:
camera bags on September 21, 2009 at 11:24 PM
Hey tracy....
Actually I am totally unaware from this kinda of stuff.your thinking about the can is truly right and It should be processed well.Thanks for the new concept.
fit2post on September 22, 2009 at 06:27 AM
Of course with Cranberry Sauce (gel) I like to open BOTH ends of the can. Ah, those were the days.
Edward Royce on September 22, 2009 at 06:31 AM
Well frankly I thought the cans were manufactured upside-down and not that they were a new style of can.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on September 22, 2009 at 06:31 AM
I hate to have to point this out, but the first comment on this post, and the first comment on the last five or six, come from a comment spammer for some European online store called "Zoombits." They've been infesting several of my favorite blogs lately.
John Bono on September 22, 2009 at 06:40 AM
Fine and dandy, but edge can openers, like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Oxo-Good-Grips-Smooth-Opener/dp/B000079XW2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1253626631&sr=8-4
won't work with those type cans. We live by this opener in our house. Because we rarely use the entire contents of the can, we open the can using the opener, use as much of the contents of the can as necessary, then reseal the can and put it into the fridge. Chances are, if I am looking for something, and I have a choice between the old style flanged top, and the new top, I'll pick the old one.
clifford on September 22, 2009 at 06:54 AM
Guess I'll have to take the old P-38 off my keyring...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-38_can_opener
HopeSew on September 22, 2009 at 07:01 AM
Ditto what Edward Royce said at #3. What marketing genius thought it'd be a great idea to make everyone open the bottom of the can (according to the label) instead of the top? Many brands have had the nesting cans for years so what's really so innovative about this besides the upside-down aspect?
John Bono: I think the edge opener will still work with the new can if you open the bottom as directed by the really tiny print on the new top. But I dunno, maybe they've done something to that side too.
Andy on September 22, 2009 at 07:15 AM
This is stupid. As other commenters have noted: didn't we already have stacking cans, just the other way around?
Now we're gonna have some cans with the flange on top, others with it on the bottom. Yes, I know "top" and "bottom" are relative to the label and nothing more, but still. Stupid.
staleoreo on September 22, 2009 at 07:16 AM
Hopesew is right. These cans have been around for years. Nothign to see here, folks. Move along.
Michael on September 22, 2009 at 08:08 AM
I've seen these around for year now, except that somebody decided to put the "bulge" on top. Many cans have this feature on the bottom and makes for great stacking, not sure who was genious idea to put it on top though.
DensityDuck on September 22, 2009 at 09:02 AM
I cannot BELIEVE that they are going to make me TURN THE CAN UPSIDE DOWN in order to OPEN it, don't they realize that all the BAD STUFF goes to the BOTTOM of the CAN? I have NEVER eaten the BOTTOM HALF of ANY CAN of FOOD in my ENTIRE life! CLEARLY obama HUSSEIN's GOVERNMENT is behind THIS.
Ride Fast on September 22, 2009 at 09:30 AM
Kind of funny how the "new" can without the flange looks just like any aluminum beer or soda can. I'm surprised anyone thought there was a problem.
Part of the reason for this is stacking ease, a bigger part is new steel can mfg. techniques allowing much thinner (and cheaper) steel containers.
gullyborg on September 22, 2009 at 10:07 AM
It would be really nice if they just put pull tabs on the tops of all the cans for easy opening, like they already do with almost all brands of canned pet food.
Todd G on September 22, 2009 at 10:35 AM
Biggest question, tho, is what will Acorn recommend? Will these still hold handfuls of cash buried in the back yard? Will they work covered in both grass and snow?
Inquiring minds want to know!
Out: Mutual Funds
In: Don't store cash in chicken, put in a tin and bury it
Anne on September 23, 2009 at 06:39 PM
As others have noted, those cans are not new -- but they are a pain in the butt. To get the cranberry sauce out, you really need to open up both ends of the can, but with the redesign, it's very difficult to open up the bottom, rounded end.
So, if someone from Ocean Spray is reading this, you may want to revert back to the original.
The cans may stack easier, but they are definitely not user-friendly.
holidays in Greece on October 10, 2009 at 02:29 AM
I thought the cans were manufactured upside-down and not that they were a new style of can.