Stew in a tin are there any decent ones

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,120
68
Florida
Most of the ones I've tried are at least "decent." There are two basic axioms about jut how good they are:
1) They'll always fail when compared to a real home made one, and
2) Exactly how good they are is directly proportional to how hungry you are.
 

Robson Valley

On a new journey
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,672
McBride, BC
Is there any essential reason for it to be tinned?
Burgoo is "Roadkill Stew." Dry, the pounded dried meat, all the diced veggies and seasonings go into a plastic sandwich bag.
Biol 500ml water, dump in the stew and simmer. I tried this in my own kitchen to get a respectable taste.
 

scarfell

Forager
Oct 4, 2016
224
2
south east
Is there any essential reason for it to be tinned?
Burgoo is "Roadkill Stew." Dry, the pounded dried meat, all the diced veggies and seasonings go into a plastic sandwich bag.
Biol 500ml water, dump in the stew and simmer. I tried this in my own kitchen to get a respectable taste.

To be fair a good stew should sit cooking for the best part of a day, or go into a pressure cooker (as most tins are cooked) for the best flavour :)
 

Jaeger

Full Member
Dec 3, 2014
670
24
United Kingdom
Aye Up dave89,

Taste preference is so individual that 'best' will differ from person to person.

Commercially produced stews are most likely a compromise between the quality of ingredients and the price that it can be marketed for.

Plus - the commercial stuff is likely to have some kind of preservative in it - especially tinned or boil-in-bag. (Take something to mask it i.e. Tabasco/Lea & Perrins).

Depending on how long you intend to be out for have you thought about making your own stew and putting it in Lakeland Boil-in-Bags? (You can freeze it until you need it).

I've just trial-ed x 3 350gram home made meals as above for Friday & Saturday p.m. meals and one for Sunday lunch. (Chilli; Shepherds Pie Filling; Bol).

I sealed all three in an old ice cream container with a freezer block in it and they were fine.

I reheated them up on a SAT for 10 mins:)

Got a beef and a venison stew still to be tested - when the weather gets colder.
 

scarfell

Forager
Oct 4, 2016
224
2
south east
Tins have far fewer preservatives than you might expect, the process of boiling them and sealing without any oxygen is so effective there are still edible cans of food from WWII
 

Baelfore

Life Member
Jan 22, 2013
585
21
Ireland
I'd be a big fan of 'Princes' Irish stew or steak in gravy. two tins, a few carrots, an oinion and a potato or two boiled up in a stockcube/ seasoning and then tins added to this, Very filling meal for 2-3 people.

the can on its own can taste the littlest bit greasy, but with some fresh stuff mixed in tastes great.

hope this helps

Atb
Ste

(p.s. unsure if available in uk..?)
 
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Robson Valley

On a new journey
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,672
McBride, BC
Precooked and just the need to reheat it would take less fuel of any kind.
I'd still be inclined to try to feed myself my own food for several days, if at all possible.
If there was chili reheated in the pot one night and braised meat reheated the next, I don't think I'd care.
 

boatman

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 20, 2007
2,444
8
78
Cornwall
Stewed steak not tinned mince for a start. One tin of steak+1 small tin of tomatoes+ 1 tin new potatoes (drained) and some lemon zest with a dash of anything alcoholic. You have a reasonable facsimile of an Italian stew, add garlic if you want. This is my favourite easy stew when in the woods, manage a baquette and butter- I believe nom nom etc is appropriate.
 

Barney Rubble

Settler
Sep 16, 2013
567
307
Rochester, Kent
youtube.com
As already mentioned, Sainsbury's do some nice tinned stew. You can choose from Irish stew, Casserole or just stewed steak. The Sainsburys tins also come with a ring pull so that also makes life easier. I've also tried their tin of chicken in white wine sauce and though that was quite nice, goes nice with some smash!

I've generally got a few tins of food in my drawer at work to have for lunch. More so in the colder months when you want something warm.

I like the tinned food, sometimes when I go camping I'm not always so interested in cooking from scratch with fresh ingredients. The tinned food is heavy but it's not that bulky, convenient and often more affordable than the dried adventure foods or ration packs.
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,297
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
Best?
Imho a hungarian or czech tin of goulash. Polish ones are not bad too.
Has much more flavour than the british ones.

You can get them in shops that cater for the Eastern Europeans.
If you are in there, get the rye bread too. Lasts for days ( easily) so is perfect when hiking.
 

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