Vintage Canned Goods & Pantry Staples
Instructions: Remember the canned goods and pantry staples that stocked kitchen shelves for decades? Test your memory!
- 1.
Which canned meat product, introduced in 1937 by Hormel, became famous during World War II and a cultural icon?
AVienna sausagesBSPAMCCorned beefDPotted meat - 2.
What Campbell's soup variety was featured in Andy Warhol's famous 1962 pop art painting?
ATomatoBVegetableCChicken noodleDCream of mushroom - 3.
Which canned pasta brand, featuring a chef in a white hat and red necktie on the label, was a children's lunch staple?
ASpaghettiOsBFranco-AmericanCDinty MooreDChef Boyardee - 4.
What canned fruit cocktail, mixed together in heavy syrup, was a common dessert and salad ingredient in the 1950s?
ALibby's Fruit CupBDole Fruit MixCS&W Mixed FruitDDel Monte Fruit Cocktail - 5.
What iconic Campbell's soup was often used as a cooking ingredient rather than eaten as soup, becoming the base for countless casseroles?
ATomato soupBCream of celery soupCChicken brothDCream of mushroom soup - 6.
What brand of canned tuna was the best-selling tuna in America for most of the 20th century?
AChicken of the SeaBGeishaCStarKistDBumble Bee - 7.
What Dinty Moore canned product was a hearty one-pot meal that could be heated quickly for dinner?
ACorned beef hashBChili con carneCChicken pot pie fillingDBeef stew - 8.
What was Carnation's famous slogan for their evaporated milk?
AThe Cream of the CropBNature's Perfect FoodCPure as Mountain AirDMilk from Contented Cows - 9.
Which brand of canned baked beans, featuring a navy bean recipe, has been a barbecue and picnic staple since the early 1900s?
AHeinzBVan Camp'sCB&MDBush's - 10.
What Libby's canned product was essential for making pumpkin pie every Thanksgiving?
ALibby's Pumpkin Pie FillingBLibby's SquashCLibby's Pumpkin PureeDLibby's 100% Pure Pumpkin - 11.
What canned product was used in the popular recipe for 'Chipped Beef on Toast' (SOS)?
ADeviled hamBArmour Dried BeefCCanned roast beefDCanned corned beef - 12.
Which brand introduced the 'pop-top' pull-tab can, eliminating the need for a can opener?
ACampbell'sBHormelCDel MonteDPittsburgh Brewing Company - 13.
What essential kitchen tool was needed in every household to open cans before pull-tabs became common?
AA can opener or church keyBA bottle openerCA pocket knifeDA hammer and nail - 14.
What Underwood brand of canned spread, featuring a red devil on the label, was popular for sandwiches?
AUnderwood Liver PateBUnderwood Deviled HamCUnderwood Chicken SpreadDUnderwood Potted Meat - 15.
What canned condensed soup did many families mix with a can of water to serve as a quick lunch with grilled cheese sandwiches?
ATomato soupBChicken noodleCMinestroneDVegetable beef
Answer Key
SPAM (Specially Processed American Meat) was introduced by Hormel in 1937 and became a vital food supply during WWII. Over 150 million pounds were sent to Allied troops.
Andy Warhol created his iconic 'Campbell's Soup Cans' artwork in 1962 featuring all 32 varieties, but the tomato soup can became the most recognized image in pop art.
Chef Boyardee, founded by Italian immigrant Hector Boiardi, offered canned pasta meals like ravioli and beefaroni that became lunchtime favorites for generations of children.
Del Monte Fruit Cocktail, with its mix of peaches, pears, grapes, pineapple, and cherries in heavy syrup, was a pantry essential used in everything from Jell-O molds to ambrosia salad.
Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup became known as the 'casserole ingredient.' It was used in green bean casserole, tuna noodle casserole, and countless other mid-century recipes.
StarKist became America's best-selling canned tuna, helped by its famous mascot Charlie the Tuna. Tuna casseroles and tuna salad sandwiches were American lunch staples.
Dinty Moore Beef Stew, introduced by Hormel in 1935, was a pantry staple for quick meals. The hearty stew of beef, potatoes, and carrots was comfort food from a can.
Carnation Evaporated Milk used the slogan 'Milk from Contented Cows' for decades. Evaporated milk was a pantry essential used in baking, coffee, and making cream sauces.
Van Camp's Pork and Beans was one of the first commercially canned baked beans in America. They've been a picnic, camping, and weeknight dinner staple for over a century.
Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin has been the go-to brand for pumpkin pie for generations. The recipe printed on the back of the can is the most-used pumpkin pie recipe in America.
Armour Dried Beef (chipped beef) in a small glass jar was used to make creamed chipped beef on toast, a recipe that came home from military mess halls with returning servicemen.
The pull-tab was invented by Ermal Fraze in 1959 and first used on Iron City Beer by Pittsburgh Brewing Company in 1962. It revolutionized canned food and beverage packaging.
The hand-cranked can opener (or 'church key' for punching holes) was an essential kitchen tool. Every kitchen drawer had one, and electric can openers became popular in the 1960s.
Underwood Deviled Ham, with its iconic red devil logo (the oldest existing trademark in the US, registered in 1868), was a popular sandwich spread for generations.
Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup paired with a grilled cheese sandwich was the quintessential American lunch. The soup needed one can of water added and heated on the stove.