Canned Cheeseburgers Are Just As Scary As They Sound
Canned food is one of humanity's greatest innovations. The ability to store food for potentially years before they expires has done wonders for food storage. That said, not every type of food was meant to be canned. People have been canning the likes of bread, bugs, and entire chickens, bones, and all. Joining those not-so-esteemed ranks is the canned cheeseburger. Sounding more like a joke from "Futurama" than an actual dish, it is a very real product created by Katadyn and The Adventure Company (ASMC).
Dubbed the Trekking Burger, it's about as appetizing as anybody can expect. According to News Atlas, the canned cheeseburger was designed to be brought along on camping trips. But reviews for the canned burger have been mixed. On the ASMC site itself, reviews only averaged 3.15 stars out of 5. Several YouTubers like Ashens have dared to try the Trekking Burger out for themselves. In Ashens' review, they said, "It just tastes like the world's cheapest tomato ketchup and gherkins, that's the only flavor of them."
Outside of the flavors, the burgers also aren't very healthy. Not that cheeseburgers were popping up in people's lean diets, but canning them doesn't make them any healthier. Despite its compact size, the Trekking burger clocked in at 279 calories, which is only about 20 calories short of a McDonald's cheeseburger. The canned cheeseburger also has a higher amount of fat than the McDonald's offering, with over 17 grams of fat.
Some foods were not meant to be canned
Certain foods just do not work once canned, and cheeseburgers are certainly part of that bunch. Particularly, the high amounts of salt and sugar needed to preserve good affects their original taste and nutrients, according to Healthline. There's also the worry of flavors being affected by the canning process. A condition called flat-sour, which makes food taste unpleasant, can also develop in improperly canned goods. While not inherently dangerous, it certainly doesn't taste very good either.
Overall, don't look for complex food from canned goods. While they're fine for simpler meat such as sardines and beans, stuffing entire gimmick meals into a can rarely work out. Take the Trekking Burger for instance. While cans of the burger go for 6.27 Euros ($6.91) on the Adventure Company site, the item appears to be sold out at the moment, with no signs of when the company will get more in supply. It's possible the item may have been discontinued.
If you're truly set on eating cheeseburgers on your camping trip, consider just bringing the ingredients for a real cheeseburger. Make sure to keep raw meat double-bagged when stored alongside the other ingredients in a cooler. From there, fire up a portable grill and make a smoky campfire cheeseburger. It's certainly going to taste better than a slimy, canned cheeseburger.