If You're Not A Fan Of Canned Veggies, Turn Them Into Delicious Chowder

When it comes to kitchen convenience, you truly can't beat canned foods. Ensuring your pantry is well stocked with canned meats, veggies, and fruits ensures you always have something wholesome to whip up in a hurry. 

You can keep canned items for a long time, which means you can stock up without worrying about food waste. For example, certain types of canned vegetables and meats can last up to three years beyond their expiration date without issue. And despite common misconceptions, canned foods are often just as nutritious as fresh foods.

Canned goods offer many benefits, but they do have one distinct downside: the texture. Many canned foods are softer and mushier than most people prefer. This issue seems to be most evident with canned vegetables, as they lack the toothsome crunch of fresh produce. That doesn't mean you must forgo eating canned veggies for all eternity to safeguard yourself against the lack of crunch, though. There's a reliable cooking hack that allows you to enjoy these foods while also enhancing their texture — and it's all about making chowder.

Unlike standard soups, chowders are thicker and heartier. While they often feature seafood (as with clam chowder recipes), chowders can also include other types of protein, such as chicken and pork. 

Vegetables are another important part of the chowder equation, with potatoes and onions being common options. Additionally, most chowders start with a creamy base to ensure optimum silkiness; this can be made with milk or cream.

Chowder recipes also offer a solution to the mushy textures of canned vegetables. In this case, you can make a quick and easy corn chowder with items you already have in your kitchen. Start by adding canned corn to a food processor, followed by cream (non-dairy milks also work perfectly well when making a chowder), stock, bay leaves for flavor, and one potato. Purée the ingredients until you achieve the perfect smooth texture, then enjoy. 

In addition to chowder, there are plenty of other canned food recipes you can add to your cooking arsenal. If taco Tuesday is a big event in your household, for example, you'll want to keep canned green chiles on hand.

Need an unforgettable dessert for a dinner party? An ambrosia salad recipe is the perfect option. For this dish, you'll need cans of oranges and pineapples, both of which must be drained before they're incorporated with the other ingredients. This dessert also calls for shredded coconut (the sweetened variety), miniature marshmallows, and plain yogurt. Incorporate all of the ingredients except the yogurt, which should be added last. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for a few hours. To infuse the mix with flavor, leave it in the refrigerator overnight. 

From chowder to dessert, canned foods are more versatile and delicious than we tend to give them credit for.