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Occasionally, I go camping and cook beans over a fire inside of the [what I am assuming is tin] can it comes packaged in (after opening the lid). Does heating the metal can release any chemicals in the food? Is it safe?

I usually have the top of the can open and stir it frequently.

Zero
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    Even "real" tin cans have generally never been tin cans - they are tin-plated steel. And most modern ones skip the tin in favor of the plastic coating, at least on the inside. – Ecnerwal May 03 '15 at 01:51

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The interior of modern cans are a heat resistant plastic (remember they pressure cook the cans at the factory), and will be fine for heating liquid things

Just don't try using it to fry stuff!

TFD
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    +1 but remember to not use it for long duration cooking as the chemicals can start to leech into the content of the can (though even then it'd take exposure over a long period to build up to anything approaching dangerous levels in the human body). Heating a can of product or water ok, just don't let it simmer for hours :) – jwenting Jun 13 '14 at 07:24
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    @jwenting I don't think that point is valid. Below 100°C should be fine for a very long time. Epoxy just doesn't break down in that temperature range. With the right catalyst it will degrade at 130°C, otherwise expoxy is good to about 170°C, and even then it's just losing strength, not chemically degrading. When it chemically degrades, it emits a very obnoxious taste and smell. You couldn't eat the food anyway – TFD May 03 '15 at 03:18
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    There are even some recipes that specifically call for cooking the product in the existing can, like boiling a sealed can of sweetened condensed milk to make a caramel sauce. – MeltedPez Oct 08 '15 at 14:26
  • Nice. I'll try this when camping. But I do believe there is some plastic leaching going on... so I won't cook in cans as a permanent lifestyle choice. – Paulb Feb 25 '17 at 00:40
  • This also means you should be careful when stirring your food, as you might scratch off little flakes of the plastic coating, in particular with a metal spoon. They're probably not poisonous, but still unappealing... – Toffomat Mar 06 '17 at 13:08
  • A can being pressure canned puts the plastic in an anaerobic environment, reliably heat-sunk by liquid, not subjected to tool contact, and heated at a controlled temperature. This is not fully the case when using it as a cooking vessel... – rackandboneman Apr 22 '17 at 11:56
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    A campfire reaches quite high temperatures compared to cooking at home. I'd worry about hotspots melting the plastic into my beans. – Wayfaring Stranger Jan 06 '19 at 04:31
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Steel cans might release trace amounts of chromium and nickel when heated but aluminum leaches much more easily, according to Scientific American Magazine. Aluminum is linked to significant health problems, including disorders of the nervous system.

The linings that coat most cans of either type may contain BPA, a chemical linked to cancer and reproductive diseases.

Cascabel
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jones
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Be especially aware of cans with plastic liners. Remember it's plastic, chances are it will melt off into your food. It's a wiser practice to first burn out the can, i.e. Roast it in or over a fire to melt/ burn any undesirable chemicals/ plastics before you use it. After doing so wash it out and you're good to go.

Lee
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    That sounds like quite an elaborate procedure just for the simplicity of cooking your beans in a campfire. Probably easier just to bring along a lightweight pan. – Lorel C. Feb 24 '17 at 15:56
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googled and found some people warns about not scrubbing away the liner or whatever the plastic is in some or many of the cans. found out a company that sells cans and they said like scientists has researched and found it BPA is the safest way for food storage so well...

i say burn it. the last thing we would want in our bodies is BPA. burning is probably way easier and goes with less little time also than scrubbing. plus you already have the fire going so whats the problem.

i would probably take with me some sandpaper and scrubb it also. perhaps some of the chromium and other stuff that makes the steel looks shiny and sweet goes away then too.

hej san
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buy organic bpa free canned beans and you won't have a problem and a tonne better for you...

Tony Webber
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