I didn't write this letter to Cook's Country:

Many years ago, when I was throwing my first dinner party,
I wanted to serve ham. I had forgotten the brand of ham
my mother usually bought, and I didn't really have a clue
how to make her candied ham, but I decided to improvise.
I took the large ham out of the can, scraped off the jelly,
spread mustard and brown sugar on the top, and then
covered the top with pineapple rings. After baking it for a
few hours, I took the ham out to serve to my hungry guests.
It looked a little strange because all the toppings had fallen
off the ham and into the pan. My husband soon found out
why when he went to carve the ham. The ham was still
encased in plastic!

Ahem.

nancy

On Thu 04 Sep 2008 06:58:30p, Nancy Young told us...

> I didn't write this letter to Cook's Country:
>
> Many years ago, when I was throwing my first dinner party,
> I wanted to serve ham. I had forgotten the brand of ham
> my mother usually bought, and I didn't really have a clue
> how to make her candied ham, but I decided to improvise.
> I took the large ham out of the can, scraped off the jelly,
> spread mustard and brown sugar on the top, and then
> covered the top with pineapple rings. After baking it for a
> few hours, I took the ham out to serve to my hungry guests.
> It looked a little strange because all the toppings had fallen
> off the ham and into the pan. My husband soon found out
> why when he went to carve the ham. The ham was still
> encased in plastic!
>
> Ahem.
>
> nancy
>

Being so well sealed, it was probably very juicy!

--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Thursday, 09(IX)/04(IV)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Veteran's Day
9wks 4dys 5hrs 1mins
*******************************************
If it looks easy, it's difficult. If
it looks difficult, it's damn near
impossible.

"Wayne Boatwright" > wrote

> On Thu 04 Sep 2008 06:58:30p, Nancy Young told us...
>
>> I didn't write this letter to Cook's Country:
>>
>> Many years ago, when I was throwing my first dinner party,
>> I wanted to serve ham. I had forgotten the brand of ham
>> my mother usually bought, and I didn't really have a clue
>> how to make her candied ham, but I decided to improvise.
>> I took the large ham out of the can, scraped off the jelly,
>> spread mustard and brown sugar on the top, and then
>> covered the top with pineapple rings. After baking it for a
>> few hours, I took the ham out to serve to my hungry guests.
>> It looked a little strange because all the toppings had fallen
>> off the ham and into the pan. My husband soon found out
>> why when he went to carve the ham. The ham was still
>> encased in plastic!
>>
>> Ahem.

> Being so well sealed, it was probably very juicy!

You know, I don't really remember mine being juicy or
tasty at all.

nancy

"Nancy Young" > wrote in message
...
> I didn't write this letter to Cook's Country:
>
> Many years ago, when I was throwing my first dinner party,
> I wanted to serve ham. I had forgotten the brand of ham
> my mother usually bought, and I didn't really have a clue
> how to make her candied ham, but I decided to improvise.
> I took the large ham out of the can, scraped off the jelly,
> spread mustard and brown sugar on the top, and then
> covered the top with pineapple rings. After baking it for a
> few hours, I took the ham out to serve to my hungry guests.
> It looked a little strange because all the toppings had fallen
> off the ham and into the pan. My husband soon found out why when he went
> to carve the ham. The ham was still
> encased in plastic!
> Ahem.


Barbecue guru that I may be, ahem, some dozen years or so ago I bought a
small ham and decided to smoke it.

I removed the plastic and placed it on the smoker.

Imagine my surprise to discover it had been cooking in a second layer of
plastic for 4 hours.

I didn't get much smoke ring.

Tomorrow I'll tell the chorizo story...


TFM®

"TFM®" > wrote

> "Nancy Young" > wrote

>> I didn't write this letter to Cook's Country:
>>
>> Many years ago, when I was throwing my first dinner party,
>> I wanted to serve ham. I had forgotten the brand of ham
>> my mother usually bought, and I didn't really have a clue
>> how to make her candied ham, but I decided to improvise.
>> I took the large ham out of the can, scraped off the jelly,
>> spread mustard and brown sugar on the top, and then
>> covered the top with pineapple rings. After baking it for a
>> few hours, I took the ham out to serve to my hungry guests.
>> It looked a little strange because all the toppings had fallen
>> off the ham and into the pan. My husband soon found out why when he went
>> to carve the ham. The ham was still
>> encased in plastic!
>> Ahem.
>
>
> Barbecue guru that I may be, ahem, some dozen years or so ago I bought a
> small ham and decided to smoke it.
>
> I removed the plastic and placed it on the smoker.
>
> Imagine my surprise to discover it had been cooking in a second layer of
> plastic for 4 hours.
>
> I didn't get much smoke ring.
>
> Tomorrow I'll tell the chorizo story...

OMG, I've been famous in these parts for years because I
once baked a ham in that damned plastic bag. Who knew
it was there?? It was invisible. I glazed the thing and baked
it. Hours later there was a little shrunken ham in a shriveled
plastic bag.

Now I'm finding out there are other victims of this ham
packaging practical joke???

nancy (will look for the chorizo story tomorrow)

Nancy Young wrote:


>
> OMG, I've been famous in these parts for years because I
> once baked a ham in that damned plastic bag. Who knew
> it was there?? It was invisible. I glazed the thing and baked
> it. Hours later there was a little shrunken ham in a shriveled
> plastic bag.
>
> Now I'm finding out there are other victims of this ham
> packaging practical joke???
>
> nancy (will look for the chorizo story tomorrow)


<grin> I'd almost forgotten about your ham. Closest I've come to
something like that was many, many years ago when making a roast
chicken was a big accomplishment for me. Back in those days they used
to put the giblets, livers and neck into a little plastic baggie and
shove it in the cavity of the chicken. Of course I didn't realize the
baggie and its contents were still in there when I put the chicken in
the oven.. 'nuff said.

Luckily that practice has stopped - nowadays they sell all that stuff
separately here - so I am sure a few newbie cooks have been saved some
traumatic kitchen moments <veg>
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

There is no such thing as a little garlic. ~A. Baer

"ChattyCathy" > wrote

> Nancy Young wrote:

>> OMG, I've been famous in these parts for years because I
>> once baked a ham in that damned plastic bag. Who knew
>> it was there?? It was invisible. I glazed the thing and baked
>> it. Hours later there was a little shrunken ham in a shriveled
>> plastic bag.

> <grin> I'd almost forgotten about your ham. Closest I've come to
> something like that was many, many years ago when making a roast
> chicken was a big accomplishment for me. Back in those days they used
> to put the giblets, livers and neck into a little plastic baggie and
> shove it in the cavity of the chicken. Of course I didn't realize the
> baggie and its contents were still in there when I put the chicken in
> the oven.. 'nuff said.

Haha ... our chickens still include that lovely surprise, I don't
know exactly how I avoided that mishap. I don't really even
remember the first time I roasted a whole chicken.

Don't care to pay for that at chicken prices when all I do is
toss them ... no, I'm not making anything with them.

> Luckily that practice has stopped - nowadays they sell all that stuff
> separately here - so I am sure a few newbie cooks have been saved some
> traumatic kitchen moments <veg>

Every year we hear about the people who roast turkeys with
the surprise stuffing.

nancy

On Sep 5, 9:13�am, "Nancy Young" > wrote:
> "ChattyCathy" > wrote
>
> > Nancy Young wrote:
> >> OMG, I've been famous in these parts for years because I
> >> once baked a ham in that damned plastic bag. �Who knew
> >> it was there?? �It was invisible. �I glazed the thing and baked
> >> it. �Hours later there was a little shrunken ham in a shriveled
> >> plastic bag.
> > <grin> I'd almost forgotten about your ham. Closest I've come to
> > something like that was many, many years ago when making a roast
> > chicken was a big accomplishment for me. Back in those days they used
> > to put the giblets, livers and neck into a little plastic baggie and
> > shove it in the cavity of the chicken. Of course I didn't realize the
> > baggie and its contents were still in there when I put the chicken in
> > the oven.. 'nuff said.
>
> Haha ... our chickens still include that lovely surprise, I don't
> know exactly how I avoided that mishap. �I don't really even
> remember the first time I roasted a whole chicken.
>
> Don't care to pay for that at chicken prices when all I do is
> toss them ... no, I'm not making anything with them. �

But didn't you say you have a cat... they love the giblets... what do
you think is in Fancy Feast. You don't have to make anything with
them, just rinse, rough chop, and put on a saucer... a cat will suck
them up like a Dyson. I usually toss the neck in the pan and roast it
along with the bird... once cooked that meat shreds off easily, cats
usually get that treat too.

Nancy Young wrote:

>
> "ChattyCathy" > wrote

>
>> <grin> I'd almost forgotten about your ham. Closest I've come to
>> something like that was many, many years ago when making a roast
>> chicken was a big accomplishment for me. Back in those days they used
>> to put the giblets, livers and neck into a little plastic baggie and
>> shove it in the cavity of the chicken. Of course I didn't realize the
>> baggie and its contents were still in there when I put the chicken in
>> the oven.. 'nuff said.
>
> Haha ... our chickens still include that lovely surprise, I don't
> know exactly how I avoided that mishap. I don't really even
> remember the first time I roasted a whole chicken.
>
> Don't care to pay for that at chicken prices when all I do is
> toss them ... no, I'm not making anything with them.

I love the chicken livers... but you can keep the rest. Lovely for
chicken liver pate or just marinate them in a little olive oil, wine,
garlic (of course - <veg>), herbs of choice - then pan fried - I often
make a tomato sauce to go with them. But like I said, they sell them
separately here so I buy a 'tub' that contains 500g (1lb) of them.
>
>> Luckily that practice has stopped - nowadays they sell all that
>> stuff separately here - so I am sure a few newbie cooks have been
>> saved some traumatic kitchen moments <veg>
>
> Every year we hear about the people who roast turkeys with
> the surprise stuffing.
>

I am sure you do if they still put the baggies in there...

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

There is no such thing as a little garlic. ~A. Baer

People who have been here a while have heard this story. About 8-10
years ago, my niece, "M", called me Thanksgiving morning, crying. She
baked a turkey to bring to the family gathering, but the turkey did not
look right. I drove to her house, and the turkey was upside down.

First of all, M's mother never cooked, and M had been addicted to
cocaine for over 10 years, so you never knew what to expect. I am happy
to say, that after being addicted to cocaine for over 20 years, she has
now been sober for 2 years. We never thought we would see her sober.

BTW, the turkey tasted fine. We flipped it back over, browned it and
nobody knew.

Becca

"Nancy Young" > wrote in news:8-
:

> I didn't write this letter to Cook's Country:
>
> Many years ago, when I was throwing my first dinner party,
> I wanted to serve ham. I had forgotten the brand of ham
> my mother usually bought, and I didn't really have a clue
> how to make her candied ham, but I decided to improvise.
> I took the large ham out of the can, scraped off the jelly,
> spread mustard and brown sugar on the top, and then
> covered the top with pineapple rings. After baking it for a
> few hours, I took the ham out to serve to my hungry guests.
> It looked a little strange because all the toppings had fallen
> off the ham and into the pan. My husband soon found out
> why when he went to carve the ham. The ham was still
> encased in plastic!
>
> Ahem.
>
> nancy

I bet the plastic was tasty.

--

The beet goes on -Alan

Nancy Young said...

> I didn't write this letter to Cook's Country:
>
> Many years ago, when I was throwing my first dinner party,
> I wanted to serve ham. I had forgotten the brand of ham
> my mother usually bought, and I didn't really have a clue
> how to make her candied ham, but I decided to improvise.
> I took the large ham out of the can, scraped off the jelly,
> spread mustard and brown sugar on the top, and then
> covered the top with pineapple rings. After baking it for a
> few hours, I took the ham out to serve to my hungry guests.
> It looked a little strange because all the toppings had fallen
> off the ham and into the pan. My husband soon found out
> why when he went to carve the ham. The ham was still
> encased in plastic!
>
> Ahem.
>
> nancy


nancy,

About as bad as Mom's ham "experiment." From the big oval'd canned ham
right onto the plate (jelly and all).

I took one bite and quite promptly threw up all over the kitchen table.

We never had ham since.

Mornin'!



Andy

I didn't grow up eating hot or spicy foods, but now that I was on my
own, I decided to branch out a little, I was 17. I invited my fiance
and my girlfriend over for a casual pasta supper, to which I had added 4
tablespoons of red pepper flakes. My girlfriend spit out the first bite.
The fiance actually ate it and said it was good.
Alas, I married his best friend 38 years ago. Red pepper flakes don't
live in my house.

Denise

"Nancy Young" wrote:
> I didn't write this letter to Cook's Country:
>
> Many years ago, when I was throwing my first dinner party,
> I wanted to serve ham. �I had forgotten the brand of ham
> my mother usually bought, and I didn't really have a clue
> how to make her candied ham, but I decided to improvise.
> I took the large ham out of the can, scraped off the jelly,
> spread mustard and brown sugar on the top, and then
> covered the top with pineapple rings. �After baking it for a
> few hours, I took the ham out to serve to my hungry guests.
> It looked a little strange because all the toppings had fallen
> off the ham and into the pan. �My husband soon found out
> why when he went to carve the ham. �The ham was still
> encased in plastic!
>
> Ahem.
>
> nancy

Ahem, what brand... and why pray tell would there be gelatin *outside*
the plastic??? If by "Cook's Country" you mean "Cook's" brand ham
they don't have a canned ham. http://cooksham.com/pages/products/

I've prepared a lot of canned ham, I mean a LOT, and many different
brands, and over many years... and I never saw a canned ham in plastic
wrap... just open the can and it's ready to eat, doesn't really need
to be cooked either, however I strongly recommend heating to an
internal temperature of 160F because you have no way to know if it was
properly refrigerated. There are similar hams wrapped in plastic (but
no can) but those are used exclusively by delis... you can buy plastic
packets of sliced ham, but no can. Many years ago, when canned ham
needed a key to open, some brands had a sheet of parchment paper top
and bottom and another wrapped around the side, to facilitate easier
removal without getting cut on the sharp can edge... but that was like
40-50 years ago... and there was no way anyone would miss seeing that
parchment paper as it was pleated where it wrapped over the edge, and
it almost always partially stuck to the can. Years ago many canned
foods were wrapped in parchment paper and/or used parchment paper
separators, but I've not seen any for many years now... today all cans
are coated on the interior with a plastic film that is also non-
stick... the old style cans were galvanized with zinc and foods would
stick. and I never saw any canned food with a plastic wrap inside the
can, that far back plastic films hadn't been invented yet. These days
most canned ham is already in a plastic can, with a metal pull tab
lid. There are some imported canned hams that still have the old
style cans with zinc plating and open with a key, but no plastic over
wrap; from Poland, Scandinavia, even Israel, etal., but all I've tried
were awful, extremely salty, with a texture just slightly better than
Alpo.

Sheldon wrote:
> "Nancy Young" wrote:
>> I didn't write this letter to Cook's Country:
>>
>> Many years ago, when I was throwing my first dinner party,
>> I wanted to serve ham. �I had forgotten the brand of ham
>> my mother usually bought, and I didn't really have a clue
>> how to make her candied ham, but I decided to improvise.
>> I took the large ham out of the can, scraped off the jelly,
>> spread mustard and brown sugar on the top, and then
>> covered the top with pineapple rings. �After baking it for a
>> few hours, I took the ham out to serve to my hungry guests.
>> It looked a little strange because all the toppings had fallen
>> off the ham and into the pan. �My husband soon found out
>> why when he went to carve the ham. �The ham was still
>> encased in plastic!

> Ahem, what brand... and why pray tell would there be gelatin *outside*
> the plastic??? If by "Cook's Country" you mean "Cook's" brand ham
> they don't have a canned ham. http://cooksham.com/pages/products/

Cook's Country is a magazine put out by the Cook's Illustrated
company, AKA America's Test Kitchen.

> I've prepared a lot of canned ham, I mean a LOT, and many different
> brands, and over many years... and I never saw a canned ham in plastic
> wrap...

(laugh) Understand, it happened to me, years ago. Very
discouraging. Yes, some hams come out of the can with a
shrink wrapped plastic bag on it. Invisible if you don't know
it's there.

Back then that's how I thought of ham, it came in a can with a
key.

nancy

"Nancy Young" wrote:
> Sheldon wrote:
> > "Nancy Young" wrote:
> >> I didn't write this letter to Cook's Country:
>
> >> Many years ago, when I was throwing my first dinner party,
> >> I wanted to serve ham. I had forgotten the brand of ham
> >> my mother usually bought, and I didn't really have a clue
> >> how to make her candied ham, but I decided to improvise.
> >> I took the large ham out of the can, scraped off the jelly,
> >> spread mustard and brown sugar on the top, and then
> >> covered the top with pineapple rings. After baking it for a
> >> few hours, I took the ham out to serve to my hungry guests.
> >> It looked a little strange because all the toppings had fallen
> >> off the ham and into the pan. My husband soon found out
> >> why when he went to carve the ham. The ham was still
> >> encased in plastic!
> > Ahem, what brand... and why pray tell would there be gelatin *outside*
> > the plastic??? �If by "Cook's Country" you mean "Cook's" brand ham
> > they don't have a canned ham.http://cooksham.com/pages/products/
>
> Cook's Country is a magazine put out by the Cook's Illustrated
> company, AKA America's Test Kitchen.
>
> > I've prepared a lot of canned ham, I mean a LOT, and many different
> > brands, and over many years... and I never saw a canned ham in plastic
> > wrap...
>
> (laugh) �Understand, it happened to me, years ago. �Very
> discouraging. �Yes, some hams come out of the can with a
> shrink wrapped plastic bag on it. �Invisible if you don't know
> it's there.
>
> Back then that's how I thought of ham, it came in a can with a
> key.

I wish you could remember which brand. Way back then, when canned ham
opened with that key, plastic shrink wrap hadn't been invented yet.
It wasn't until the '60s that foods became available with plastic
packaging, previously folks brought their own glass jars when they
shopped because delis and such only had paper containers, and they
charged extra for the crumby paper container, was actually a Dixie cup
thingie, within a few hours they began to seep through, there were no
plastic containers... butcher shops still hadn't begun selling
prepackaged meat in styrofoam trays with cling wrap, adn all beverages
were in glass bottles or steel cans. It wasn't until the late '50s
that plastic film wrap began to appear in home kitchens and really
didn't become popular until the '60s... previously folks mostly used
waxed paper, aluminum foil was available much earlier but was too
expensive yet for common usage... during the '50s-'60s folks washed
and reused aluminum foil. I've been racking my brain but I can't
come up with any canned ham where the ham was/is inside the can and
inside a plastic shrink wrap... I've never seen that. And I still
can't fathom why the gelatine would be between the can and the
plastic, serves no purpose, makes no sense whatsoever... are you sure
you're not having a flash back to a child birth nightmare... I can
just see Nancy where her water broke, all that gelatin came gushing
out and she gave birth to a beautiful pink eight pound canned ham in a
plastic sack... those cans must hurt, now I know why they designed
them with that egg shape. heheh Probably named him Armour Star Young!
LOL

http://www.armour-eckrich.com/hamrecipes.asp

Sheldon > wrote in news:636e1636-d405-4a01-81fd-
:

> "Nancy Young" wrote:
>> Sheldon wrote:
>> > "Nancy Young" wrote:
>> >> I didn't write this letter to Cook's Country:
>>
>> >> Many years ago, when I was throwing my first dinner party,
>> >> I wanted to serve ham. I had forgotten the brand of ham
>> >> my mother usually bought, and I didn't really have a clue
>> >> how to make her candied ham, but I decided to improvise.
>> >> I took the large ham out of the can, scraped off the jelly,
>> >> spread mustard and brown sugar on the top, and then
>> >> covered the top with pineapple rings. After baking it for a
>> >> few hours, I took the ham out to serve to my hungry guests.
>> >> It looked a little strange because all the toppings had fallen
>> >> off the ham and into the pan. My husband soon found out
>> >> why when he went to carve the ham. The ham was still
>> >> encased in plastic!
>> > Ahem, what brand... and why pray tell would there be gelatin
*outside*
>> > the plastic??? �If by "Cook's Country" you mean "Cook's" brand
> ham
>> > they don't have a canned ham.http://cooksham.com/pages/products/
>>
>> Cook's Country is a magazine put out by the Cook's Illustrated
>> company, AKA America's Test Kitchen.
>>
>> > I've prepared a lot of canned ham, I mean a LOT, and many different
>> > brands, and over many years... and I never saw a canned ham in
plastic
>> > wrap...
>>
>> (laugh) �Understand, it happened to me, years ago. �Very
>> discouraging. �Yes, some hams come out of the can with a
>> shrink wrapped plastic bag on it. �Invisible if you don't know
>> it's there.
>>
>> Back then that's how I thought of ham, it came in a can with a
>> key.
>
> I wish you could remember which brand. Way back then, when canned ham
> opened with that key, plastic shrink wrap hadn't been invented yet.
> It wasn't until the '60s that foods became available with plastic
> packaging, previously folks brought their own glass jars when they
> shopped because delis and such only had paper containers, and they
> charged extra for the crumby paper container, was actually a Dixie cup
> thingie, within a few hours they began to seep through, there were no
> plastic containers... butcher shops still hadn't begun selling
> prepackaged meat in styrofoam trays with cling wrap, adn all beverages
> were in glass bottles or steel cans. It wasn't until the late '50s
> that plastic film wrap began to appear in home kitchens and really
> didn't become popular until the '60s... previously folks mostly used
> waxed paper, aluminum foil was available much earlier but was too
> expensive yet for common usage... during the '50s-'60s folks washed
> and reused aluminum foil. I've been racking my brain but I can't
> come up with any canned ham where the ham was/is inside the can and
> inside a plastic shrink wrap... I've never seen that. And I still
> can't fathom why the gelatine would be between the can and the
> plastic, serves no purpose, makes no sense whatsoever... are you sure
> you're not having a flash back to a child birth nightmare... I can
> just see Nancy where her water broke, all that gelatin came gushing
> out and she gave birth to a beautiful pink eight pound canned ham in a
> plastic sack... those cans must hurt, now I know why they designed
> them with that egg shape. heheh Probably named him Armour Star Young!
> LOL
>
> http://www.armour-eckrich.com/hamrecipes.asp
>
>
>

You are forgetting paper products coated with wax on 1 side. The idea was
that the wax prevented any seep through. Roasts etc were placed on the
butcher paper in the display counter window and when purchased wrapped in
the wax coated brown paper for you to take home. These days there the
waxed butcher paper and also the plastic coated brown paper which is for
freezer use.

At my butchers today I can ask for my meat to be wrapped in either. It is
an old meat locker plant...from the days when home freezers weren't
readily availible and familys rented freezer space from the meat lockers.
You could also buy whole or sections of beef or pig from these places and
have them cut and wrap it for storage in your rented space. The place I
frequent used to make bitchin deer sausage in the late 50's and early
60's.

I have seen and eaten (in the late 60's or early 70's) canned ham wrapped
in waxed paper that was semi-transparent. These hams came in the cans with
keys. Purchased somewhere in North Dakota in a Piggly Wiggly (possibly
spelt wrong) on a camping trip to mount rushmore.

Other products were sold this way ... canned bacon was canned wrapped in
waxed paper, comes to mind.

As to plastic wrapped hams...I haven't bought a canned ham for a looong
time and have never seen any, that I remember.

--

The beet goes on -Alan

hahabogus wrote:
> Sheldon wrote:
> > "Nancy Young" wrote:
> >> Sheldon wrote:
> >> > "Nancy Young" wrote:
> >> >> I didn't write this letter to Cook's Country:
>
> >> >> Many years ago, when I was throwing my first dinner party,
> >> >> I wanted to serve ham. I had forgotten the brand of ham
> >> >> my mother usually bought, and I didn't really have a clue
> >> >> how to make her candied ham, but I decided to improvise.
> >> >> I took the large ham out of the can, scraped off the jelly,
> >> >> spread mustard and brown sugar on the top, and then
> >> >> covered the top with pineapple rings. After baking it for a
> >> >> few hours, I took the ham out to serve to my hungry guests.
> >> >> It looked a little strange because all the toppings had fallen
> >> >> off the ham and into the pan. My husband soon found out
> >> >> why when he went to carve the ham. The ham was still
> >> >> encased in plastic!
> >> > Ahem, what brand... and why pray tell would there be gelatin
> *outside*
> >> > the plastic??? If by "Cook's Country" you mean "Cook's" brand
> > ham
> >> > they don't have a canned ham.http://cooksham.com/pages/products/
>
> >> Cook's Country is a magazine put out by the Cook's Illustrated
> >> company, AKA America's Test Kitchen.
>
> >> > I've prepared a lot of canned ham, I mean a LOT, and many different
> >> > brands, and over many years... and I never saw a canned ham in
> plastic
> >> > wrap...
>
> >> (laugh) Understand, it happened to me, years ago. Very
> >> discouraging. Yes, some hams come out of the can with a
> >> shrink wrapped plastic bag on it. Invisible if you don't know
> >> it's there.
>
> >> Back then that's how I thought of ham, it came in a can with a
> >> key.
>
> > I wish you could remember which brand. �Way back then, when canned ham
> > opened with that key, plastic shrink wrap hadn't been invented yet.
> > It wasn't until the '60s that foods became available with plastic
> > packaging, previously folks brought their own glass jars when they
> > shopped because delis and such only had paper containers, and they
> > charged extra for the crumby paper container, was actually a Dixie cup
> > thingie, within a few hours they began to seep through, there were no
> > plastic containers... butcher shops still hadn't begun selling
> > prepackaged meat in styrofoam trays with cling wrap, adn all beverages
> > were in glass bottles or steel cans. �It wasn't until the late '50s
> > that plastic film wrap began to appear in home kitchens and really
> > didn't become popular until the '60s... previously folks mostly used
> > waxed paper, aluminum foil was available much earlier but was too
> > expensive yet for common usage... during the '50s-'60s folks washed
> > and reused aluminum foil. � I've been racking my brain but I can't
> > come up with any canned ham where the ham was/is inside the can and
> > inside a plastic shrink wrap... I've never seen that. �And I still
> > can't fathom why the gelatine would be between the can and the
> > plastic, serves no purpose, makes no sense whatsoever... are you sure
> > you're not having a flash back to a child birth nightmare... I can
> > just see Nancy where her water broke, all that gelatin came gushing
> > out and she gave birth to a beautiful pink eight pound canned ham in a
> > plastic sack... those cans must hurt, now I know why they designed
> > them with that egg shape. heheh �Probably named him Armour Star Young!
> > LOL
>
> >http://www.armour-eckrich.com/hamrecipes.asp
>
>
>
> You are forgetting paper products coated with wax on 1 side. The idea was
> that the wax prevented any seep through. Roasts etc were placed on the
> butcher paper in the display counter window and when purchased wrapped in
> the wax coated brown paper for you to take home. These days there the
> waxed butcher paper and also the plastic coated brown paper which is for
> freezer use.

I'm not forgetting butcher's paper or freezer paper, but those are not
the issue here.



> I have seen and eaten (in the late 60's or early 70's) canned ham wrapped
> in waxed paper that was semi-transparent. These hams came in the cans with
> keys. Purchased somewhere in North Dakota in a Piggly Wiggly (possibly
> spelt wrong) on a camping trip to mount rushmore.
>
> Other products were sold this way ... canned bacon was canned wrapped in
> waxed paper, comes to mind.

I already mentioned how parchment paper was once commonly used to
facilitate removal of canned meats, but the meat was not sealed into
the paper and it was obvious even to non cooks that the paper was
meant to be discarded, as obvious as the paper separating cheese
slices... how many here leave the paper on their cheeseburger... I bet
some do. Canned salmon used to be packed in parchment paper lined
cans, so it would slide out whole,to facilitate those who choose to
filet out the bones and skin. Now they have those tapered cans and
they're coated with a non-stick plastic film.


> As to plastic wrapped hams...I haven't bought a canned ham for a looong
> time and have never seen any, that I remember.

I always bought canned ham, still do... I have never seen a ham sealed
in plastic and then sealed inside a can. And I've opened many tens of
thousands of canned hams, all different brands... canned ham is the US
Navy's default meat... it's served in some way about every other day
and served whenever some want seconds and thirds and the meat on the
menu runs out... there are always canned hams in the galley reefer
it's the meat of choice for midrats, and what do you think got served
to those gin rummy players
waiting for my fresh loaves of bread coming out of the oven at 2 AM.
There are tons of hams (cured meat products) packaged in plastic, but
none in both plastic and a can... it's either or. However I can
easily understand how someone can place a ham packaged in plastic in
their oven to cook... many of the ham products are packaged in clear
plastic with a printed over wrap, once the over wrap is removed it's
understandable, to me anyway, how it would not occur to a kitchen
novice to remove the clear plastic package, same as they don't remove
the giblets. Many of the Cook's hams; steaks, half hams, whole hams,
and even spiral cut ham, once the over wrap is removed the plastic
packaging is form fitting and is unprinted. But there is no can...
and still the plastic package has very noticable heat sealed seams/
crimps, so I can't absolve anyone but the certifiable pinheads from
cooking the ham in the plastic package.

I buy canned hams like 4-5 times a year, I open the can and there's
lots of gelatin for my cats to lick off but no plastic... I know, none
of yoose are gonna want to eat ham in my house. Actually I scrape
some of the gelatin into their bowls, they love that stuff, I like it
too, adds great flavor to a can of baked beans... good in a bowl of
ramen with some julienned ham... there are many uses for that smoky
gelatin, don't be so quick to toss it out... it's very good with
frozen green beans, corn, peas, any veggies... and of course bean
soup, pea soup, many soups/stews. I know that most of yoose have a
strong aversion to the viscous texture of gelatin... what boring sex
lives. hehe

Sheldon wrote:
> "Nancy Young" wrote:

>> (laugh) �Understand, it happened to me, years ago. �Very
>> discouraging. �Yes, some hams come out of the can with a
>> shrink wrapped plastic bag on it. �Invisible if you don't know
>> it's there.

> I wish you could remember which brand. Way back then, when canned ham
> opened with that key, plastic shrink wrap hadn't been invented yet.
> It wasn't until the '60s that foods became available with plastic
> packaging,

Okay, I'm going to admit this happened in the 80s. Heh.
I couldn't tell you what brand it was, whatever the store had.

> didn't become popular until the '60s... previously folks mostly used
> waxed paper,

My mother saved the liner of cereal boxes, that was our
waxed paper.

>aluminum foil was available much earlier but was too
> expensive yet for common usage... during the '50s-'60s folks washed
> and reused aluminum foil.

She did that too, and also bread bags. To this day don't go
there, I'm not washing bags or aluminum foil.

> I've been racking my brain but I can't
> come up with any canned ham where the ham was/is inside the can and
> inside a plastic shrink wrap... I've never seen that.

It existed. Does it still today? Couldn't tell you, that was my
first and last canned ham.

nancy

In article >,
"Nancy Young" > wrote:

> I didn't write this letter to Cook's Country:
>
> Many years ago, when I was throwing my first dinner party,
> I wanted to serve ham. I had forgotten the brand of ham
> my mother usually bought, and I didn't really have a clue
> how to make her candied ham, but I decided to improvise.
> I took the large ham out of the can, scraped off the jelly,
> spread mustard and brown sugar on the top, and then
> covered the top with pineapple rings. After baking it for a
> few hours, I took the ham out to serve to my hungry guests.
> It looked a little strange because all the toppings had fallen
> off the ham and into the pan. My husband soon found out
> why when he went to carve the ham. The ham was still
> encased in plastic!

Not to quibble with details, but how could this would be chef have
"scraped off the jelly" from the ham without removing the plastic
wrapping first?

Stan Horwitz wrote:
>
> In article >,
> "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>
> > I didn't write this letter to Cook's Country:
> >
> > Many years ago, when I was throwing my first dinner party,
> > I wanted to serve ham. I had forgotten the brand of ham
> > my mother usually bought, and I didn't really have a clue
> > how to make her candied ham, but I decided to improvise.
> > I took the large ham out of the can, scraped off the jelly,
> > spread mustard and brown sugar on the top, and then
> > covered the top with pineapple rings. After baking it for a
> > few hours, I took the ham out to serve to my hungry guests.
> > It looked a little strange because all the toppings had fallen
> > off the ham and into the pan. My husband soon found out
> > why when he went to carve the ham. The ham was still
> > encased in plastic!
>
> Not to quibble with details, but how could this would be chef have
> "scraped off the jelly" from the ham without removing the plastic
> wrapping first?

Or, how is it that a canned ham is wrapped in plastic?

"Stan Horwitz" > wrote

> "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>
>> I didn't write this letter to Cook's Country:
>>
>> Many years ago, when I was throwing my first dinner party,
>> I wanted to serve ham. I had forgotten the brand of ham
>> my mother usually bought, and I didn't really have a clue
>> how to make her candied ham, but I decided to improvise.
>> I took the large ham out of the can, scraped off the jelly,
>> spread mustard and brown sugar on the top, and then
>> covered the top with pineapple rings. After baking it for a
>> few hours, I took the ham out to serve to my hungry guests.
>> It looked a little strange because all the toppings had fallen
>> off the ham and into the pan. My husband soon found out
>> why when he went to carve the ham. The ham was still
>> encased in plastic!
>
> Not to quibble with details, but how could this would be chef have
> "scraped off the jelly" from the ham without removing the plastic
> wrapping first?

I don't know. Perhaps they use it to fill the can so thing
doesn't rattle around in there.

nancy

Nancy Young wrote:
>
> "Stan Horwitz" > wrote
> >
> > Not to quibble with details, but how could this would be chef have
> > "scraped off the jelly" from the ham without removing the plastic
> > wrapping first?
>
> I don't know. Perhaps they use it to fill the can so thing
> doesn't rattle around in there.

Most plastic films, especially heat-sealable films,
cannot survive retort temperatures used in canning
without melting and completely losing their structural
integrity.

I have found paper wrapping around canned hams.
Maybe it was a paper wrapping, not plastic?

"Mark Thorson" > wrote

> Nancy Young wrote:
>>
>> "Stan Horwitz" > wrote
>> >
>> > Not to quibble with details, but how could this would be chef have
>> > "scraped off the jelly" from the ham without removing the plastic
>> > wrapping first?
>>
>> I don't know. Perhaps they use it to fill the can so thing
>> doesn't rattle around in there.
>
> Most plastic films, especially heat-sealable films,
> cannot survive retort temperatures used in canning
> without melting and completely losing their structural
> integrity.
>
> I have found paper wrapping around canned hams.
> Maybe it was a paper wrapping, not plastic?

Since it happened to me, I can assure you, it was a
plastic bag. It survived in the oven just fine. It only became
apparent once the ham cooked long enough to shrink,
leaving an unsightly plastic bag, completely intact.

nancy

In article >,
"Nancy Young" > wrote:

> "Mark Thorson" > wrote
>
> > Nancy Young wrote:
> >>
> >> "Stan Horwitz" > wrote
> >> >
> >> > Not to quibble with details, but how could this would be chef have
> >> > "scraped off the jelly" from the ham without removing the plastic
> >> > wrapping first?
> >>
> >> I don't know. Perhaps they use it to fill the can so thing
> >> doesn't rattle around in there.
> >
> > Most plastic films, especially heat-sealable films,
> > cannot survive retort temperatures used in canning
> > without melting and completely losing their structural
> > integrity.
> >
> > I have found paper wrapping around canned hams.
> > Maybe it was a paper wrapping, not plastic?
>
> Since it happened to me, I can assure you, it was a
> plastic bag. It survived in the oven just fine. It only became
> apparent once the ham cooked long enough to shrink,
> leaving an unsightly plastic bag, completely intact.

Maybe it was one of those kinds of plastic bags that you can use to cook
a turkey or whole chicken in. What did you end up doing with that ham?
Did you taste it?

On Sep 6, 7:25�pm, "Nancy Young" > wrote:
> "Stan Horwitz" > wrote
>
>
>
>
>
> > "Nancy Young" > wrote:
>
> >> I didn't write this letter to Cook's Country:
>
> >> Many years ago, when I was throwing my first dinner party,
> >> I wanted to serve ham. �I had forgotten the brand of ham
> >> my mother usually bought, and I didn't really have a clue
> >> how to make her candied ham, but I decided to improvise.
> >> I took the large ham out of the can, scraped off the jelly,
> >> spread mustard and brown sugar on the top, and then
> >> covered the top with pineapple rings. �After baking it for a
> >> few hours, I took the ham out to serve to my hungry guests.
> >> It looked a little strange because all the toppings had fallen
> >> off the ham and into the pan. �My husband soon found out
> >> why when he went to carve the ham. �The ham was still
> >> encased in plastic! �
>
> > Not to quibble with details, but how could this would be chef have
> > "scraped off the jelly" from the ham without removing the plastic
> > wrapping first?
>
> I don't know. �Perhaps they use it to fill the can so thing
> doesn't rattle around in there.

Oh boy, I started something... they're still at it.

Here, change the topic...
check out some nice 'maters I picked yesterday... that big girl
weighed in at 1 lb 6 ozs:
http://i35.tinypic.com/2guz8dc.jpg

This is a real political convention, with lots of honking, hissing,
and squabbling:
http://i35.tinypic.com/14no2h5.jpg

Call the convention for a little inclement weather, yer kidding:
http://i36.tinypic.com/21jslk8.jpg

Sheldon