ScoutTN Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 No way! BUT, when I was a teen and in my 20's I did a lot of backpacking. We would supplement the dried foods with a few things from the grocery. Spam fried with potatoes and onions after a day of hiking was a glorious thing! Pretty darn good with scrambled eggs too. Everything tastes better when you are really hungry and being active outdoors. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 One of my kids asked me to buy it because he wanted to try it. He likes it, and I do buy it for him. I don't mind it, but I find it too salty. I even tried the lower sodium version and no it's just too salty. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 My babysitter when I was little was a young deaf woman who watched me at her grandmothers, so I essentially had 2 sitters. The older lady cooked Spam for her husband and us almost every day, so yes I've eaten it. Since then I have only eaten it once when the kids wanted to know what it tasted like. It tastes exactly as I remembered. If you're going to do it then slice it very thin and fry it on both sides until crispy eat with eggs and toast. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnE-girl Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 AnnE-girl, your post is irresistible. To think that you have consumed food only twice in the course of your life! :>) Apparently I did not proofread my post. I've eaten Spam twice in my life that I can remember. I eat plenty of other things every day. I'm 99% sure my mom never made Spam when I was really little because one of the times I remember eating it, my brother was making it at home after having it on a camping trip, and my mom had to sit by an open window because she couldn't stand the smell. Someone mentioned "loaf" type lunch meats and now I kind of want ham and cheese loaf. I haven't had that since college. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Once in my life, my mother bought and cooked spam for us. Never again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Apparently it's not worse for you than pepperoni . :D http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/11/why-you-should-eat-spam_n_4923479.html 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 I don't mind eating it, but it's too expensive for my budget. The tins were more than $3 dollars for less than a pound last time I checked. I won't pay that much for recognizable meat! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 lol, I had to laugh. I think it's vile, but my dh grew up on it and other things like fried bologna. So I put a can in his stocking at Christmas and then I make it for him, fry it up with beans. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Musabi !!!! There's a gas station near my husband's work that sells hand-made musabi. Except you have to get there early in the day because they sell out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 lol, I had to laugh. I think it's vile, but my dh grew up on it and other things like fried bologna. So I put a can in his stocking at Christmas and then I make it for him, fry it up with beans. We sometimes put it in ds' stocking, too! lol He's our oldest, so he was around during The Lean Years, when dh was a doctoral student and I was a preschool teacher. I like it sliced very thin, fried in a pan, and served with mashed potatoes. We don't eat it anymore, now. My dad lived in England in WWII, and was evacuated to Wales for 3 years. He won't eat it, saying he remembers it from then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebcoola Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 No never but my husband makes it for him and the kids sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 My parents cooked with it growing up. I hated it then and haven't tried it since I was a child. The smell still makes me nauseous. Ds came home from a camping trip raving about this awesome stuff called Spam. "Mom, you should cook with it!" Ew, no... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 I've never even seen it in person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaVT Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 I've never had it before. I don't even know if it's in our grocery store - for some reason, I didn't think they made it any more. I'll have to check next time I'm shopping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 If you ask my daughter what her favorite meal is, she'll say "meat and rice"....and by "meat" she means: Spam, in tiny cubes & fried with soy sauce. DH picked this up from his college roommate's family (Korean). We serve it over white rice and it is....good. :spam: We have this 1-2x a month. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solascriptura Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 I've never heard of this, dh is Korean and kimchi stew is his most favorite thing in the world but we always make/have it with pork belly. We currently live in Hawauu so while I have never made anything with spam in it, when dh gets musubi, I will usually take a bite, though I've never bought it for myself or had it any other way. Hawaiians LOVE their spam. I'm surprised. kimchi jigae is often served with pork belly, but also with spam or hot dogs. You must try it! I would be very, very surprised if he has never had it with spam. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 When we were newly married, a couple that lived next door invited us very for a Reuben casarole made with Spam. We loved it and I made it a few times. http://www.cooks.com/recipe/qm4kj9vn/reuben-casserole.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Neither hubby nor I grew up with it, but then we traveled to HI... ;) We love it - all of us. We only get it as a treat now and then due to health concerns, but whenever the boys are coming home (now that they are empty nesting) it is DEFINITELY one of the treats they request. Usually we do it for breakfast - fried - with eggs on the side or mixed into an omelet or something. No shame at all here in admitting it. We love trying new foods that are popular where we travel and we definitely keep those we love in our diet if we can. I only wish we could also get Saimin too. (Another food we discovered we love in HI, but literally can't find around here.) I have a Spam cooking question. When you slide it out of the can, do you rinse the sodium nitrate goo off? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I have a Spam cooking question. When you slide it out of the can, do you rinse the sodium nitrate goo off? It's potato starch, I believe. I only take it off if there is a random glob, but we always fry it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 We eat it from time to time. If it weren't so salty, we'd eat it more, but we love it here. I loved it as a kid. It's always been a treat--along with potted meat and Vienna sausages. We mostly eat grass-fed or free range stuff otherwise, LOL! Stuff You Missed in History Class has an entire podcast on the culinary history of Spam. My kids loved listening to it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 It's potato starch, I believe. I only take it off if there is a random glob, but we always fry it. It is an aspic with some potato starch added. http://www.artofmanliness.com/2015/01/20/americas-miracle-meat-the-story-of-spam-3-recipes/ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormy weather Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I typed up a response and it got lost:( But this subject is important enough to me that I will type it up again. lol. We have it on musabi sometimes or in fried rice, though ham is better. I also make it like I am going to make musabi and then freeze to be ready to eat in my ramen with veggies. Yum :-) We use maybe 3 cans a year though. It is quite salty. Does anyone remember that dried beef stuff they used to sell in a little glass jar with the other canned meat type products? My friends mom made gravy to put on biscuits for breakfast with it and it was so very salty. My mom made hambuger or sausage gravy so that stuff was a real shock. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Does anyone remember that dried beef stuff they used to sell in a little glass jar with the other canned meat type products? My friends mom made gravy to put on biscuits for breakfast with it and it was so very salty. My mom made hambuger or sausage gravy so that stuff was a real shock. Dried beef? My mom would make a white sauce, chop up the dried beef, put in the white sauce, and serve over pop overs. She did rinse the dried beef first. I still make that occasionally when I need a comfort food. I figure Spam and dried beef two or three times a year isn't going to kill me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 We like to do historical cooking and will eat spam for the first time while studying WW2. It'll be part of our war ration meal. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 So I put a can in his stocking at Christmas and then I make it for him, fry it up with beans. We definitely put cans in our kid's Christmas stockings! When one is looking for teen (or older) things to fill those stockings up... well, it's a definite! I have a Spam cooking question. When you slide it out of the can, do you rinse the sodium nitrate goo off? No. No rinsing involved. We might take larger bits off with the knife when we're slicing it, but definitely no rinsing. We eat it from time to time. If it weren't so salty, we'd eat it more, but we love it here. I loved it as a kid. It's always been a treat--along with potted meat and Vienna sausages. We mostly eat grass-fed or free range stuff otherwise, LOL! Stuff You Missed in History Class has an entire podcast on the culinary history of Spam. My kids loved listening to it. I'm really glad my natural salt levels (blood) are low so I don't have to worry about how much I consume. As a confirmed salt lover... this is pretty darn close to perfect. Does anyone remember that dried beef stuff they used to sell in a little glass jar with the other canned meat type products? My friends mom made gravy to put on biscuits for breakfast with it and it was so very salty. Remember??? This is my kids' (all of them) #1 favorite meal except we serve it over either mashed potatoes or pasta. When they invite special friends over (aka girlfriends), this is their main request. It MUST be served when they come home for college breaks - at least twice if they are home for a week. All three have perfected making it for themselves too and middle son has served it to others at his college and internship where it was universally loved by all who aren't vegetarian. We found out you MUST use the glass jar varieties though (Hormel or Knauss). Trying it with a bagged variety made us gag. It just wasn't right. And do NOT rinse the dried beef! That would ruin it too. Always test the dried beef by giving each person one slice to munch on while cooking. This is a MUST DO ritual. :lol: It's so simple - a basic white sauce with dried beef added. To serve 4: 1 stick of butter 8 T of flour 4 cups of milk (whole milk will make it taste better, but we've done it with 1% too if we add a little more flour) a couple dashes of black pepper 4 oz of jarred dried beef Melt butter and mix in flour + black pepper. Add milk. Tear dried beef into smaller pieces and add. Slowly bring it up toward boiling on the stovetop - stirring almost constantly. It should thicken just before boiling. Serve over mashed potatoes or rotini pasta as desired/requested. For just hubby and me, I halve the recipe. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandragood1 Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 We love fried spam! Mostly we eat it as is, but it is good on a BLT type sandwich. I'd say we cook up a tin for breakfast about every other month. We keep some in our emergency supplies, too. I remember my mother making "chipped beef on toast" with the canned dried beef. I loved it. I have never made it myself, though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 We also ate the creamed chipped beef (see above) growing up, usually over mashed potatoes. I did like that and would eat it again . However, I would leave out the chopped hard boiled eggs my mom always added. I agree that the glass jarred beef is best. I didn't know you could still find it in stores. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I use Hormel Dried Beef in the glass jar for a cheese ball recipe I have made for ages, for parties. I can't tolerate eating the cheese anymore, but it is very delicious. Recipe to follow. Dh likes Creamed Chipped Beef; I think it's revolting, though it is moot for me again because of the lactose. Cheese Ball recipe: (2) 8oz. Packages of cream cheese (Philly is much better than generic.) 1/2 can of Dried Beef, chopped 3 or 4 green onions, diced About a Cup of walnuts or pecans, chopped Allow the cheese to come to room temperature. In a mixer, blend cheese until smooth. Gently fold in the diced onions and the beef. With wet hands, form the cheese into a ball.* Roll the ball in the walnuts. Refrigerate until needed. Serve with crackers. * although this recipe is meant to be a ball and looks elegant this way, I stopped making it into a ball. I have a nice dip container with a lid, which uses up less space in the fridge and makes it easier to put away leftover cheese ball. If you put it in a dip bowl, sprinkle the nuts on top. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 nope, nope, nope. I've never had it or seen it eaten. The only thing I know about spam is that we used to have a can in the cupboard when I was growing up. We never ate it and I never thought about it. My mom said that when she got married some relative told her to always have a can of spam in the kitchen so she bought a can of spam. But my mom certainly doesn't eat spam and she didn't know what to do with it. Then, after moving it about 5 times my dad asked if he could throw it out. It was about 10 years old at that point. That is the closest I've ever gotten to Spam. I am not even sure what it looks like. I assume it is super salty? To be fair, I don't eat hot dogs, and eat pepperoni and other cured meats maybe once every couple years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 We like to do historical cooking and will eat spam for the first time while studying WW2. It'll be part of our war ration meal. I don't know if this is true. The source was a TV show about WW2 food on the Food & (something) channel. It said that Spam allowed the quality to drop noticeably during the war. Hersheys on the other hand worked hard to not drop the quality. So, soldiers came home swearing to never eat Spam again, but they had fond memories of Hersheys. At least today, for what it is, it isn't bad. It is pork shoulder, not misc. parts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 I don't know if this is true. The source was a TV show about WW2 food on the Food & (something) channel. It said that Spam allowed the quality to drop noticeably during the war. Hersheys on the other hand worked hard to not drop the quality. So, soldiers came home swearing to never eat Spam again, but they had fond memories of Hersheys. At least today, for what it is, it isn't bad. It is pork shoulder, not misc. parts. The article I linked above said that the SPAM served to the soldiers was different (and not as good) as the SPAM sold to civilians. So yes, they dropped the quality for the military. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 We also ate the creamed chipped beef (see above) growing up, usually over mashed potatoes. I did like that and would eat it again . However, I would leave out the chopped hard boiled eggs my mom always added. I agree that the glass jarred beef is best. I didn't know you could still find it in stores. I've got a couple jars on my shelf right now. For those emergency times when I need something from my childhood. My dd is coming over for dinner and a movie tonight, and I think I might make creamed chipped beef. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I don't, but when I am out of town dh buys/eats it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohsmom23 Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 No!! My mom never made it growing up either, but I did have it one time when I was in high school. A friend had invited me over for dinner and her mom prepared it. I believe she fried it. I thought it was disgusting and have never had the desire to try it again. One of dh's best friends LOVES it though and eats it regularly. Dh has mentioned he'd like to try it sometime to see why his friend likes it so much. Since I'm the one that does the grocery shopping though, I refuse to buy it. I'm sure dh would love it though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I ate it growing up, but no, we never eat it now. However, I did order a breakfast plate while on our last trip to Hawaii . Whe it showed up what I thought was supposed to be ham was in fact spam. And he's, it was awful, and yes it stayed on my plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
go_go_gadget Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I've never even seen it except in pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldberry Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 No. But I have eaten fried bologna... :leaving: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 OK I just had to pop in and say that as I was scrolling thread titles, I initially read this as, "Do you ever eat SPAM cookies?" Um, no. Never had one. :laugh: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 One of dh's best friends LOVES it though and eats it regularly. Dh has mentioned he'd like to try it sometime to see why his friend likes it so much. Since I'm the one that does the grocery shopping though, I refuse to buy it. I'm sure dh would love it though! Wow! That's sort of... well let's just say it would NEVER occur to me to not buy something hubby requested when I go shopping. He would never do that to me either. I can't imagine being in that sort of relationship TBH. I don't have to eat what he likes (and vice versa), but we're "allowed" to have different things in the house rather than just my (or his) preferences. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Wow! That's sort of... well let's just say it would NEVER occur to me to not buy something hubby requested when I go shopping. He would never do that to me either. I can't imagine being in that sort of relationship TBH. I don't have to eat what he likes (and vice versa), but we're "allowed" to have different things in the house rather than just my (or his) preferences. Dh is always more than welcome to go to the store and buy whatever he likes just like I do. I don't buy hot dogs or mayo or ketchup, he doesn't buy tofu or garbanzo beans or bok choy. That doesn't seem unreasonable to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Dh is always more than welcome to go to the store and buy whatever he likes just like I do. I don't buy hot dogs or mayo or ketchup, he doesn't buy tofu or garbanzo beans or bok choy. That doesn't seem unreasonable to me. To each our own. We both shop. We both get whatever is on the list at the time. I see no need to change. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebug42 Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 We don't eat it but we have been to the Spam Museum in Minnesota. It was an interesting visit. Lots of historical context. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 My father was an older guy who experienced the depression and fought in WW2. He had no problems with SPAM. I remember sometimes my mom would fry it up like hash with potatoes and toss in some pineapple chunks. It was actually pretty good, back when I didn't stop to think about what I was eating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I have when I was really broke and it was what the food bank had, and been glad to have it. I ate it when I was a kid too. Fried Spam and eggs is actually pretty good. Now I don't because I don't think it is healthy and I can afford to eat better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 No. But I have eaten fried bologna... :leaving: I had a 1-month span during my first pregnancy where all I could eat for dinner was fried bologna -- with mustard on white bread. It was the only thing that sounded good (which was odd, since I'd not had them since I was a kid)...and it was the only thing that stayed down. ETA: is it just me or does bologna squeal like a piggie when you fry it?? :scared: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohsmom23 Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Wow! That's sort of... well let's just say it would NEVER occur to me to not buy something hubby requested when I go shopping. He would never do that to me either. I can't imagine being in that sort of relationship TBH. I don't have to eat what he likes (and vice versa), but we're "allowed" to have different things in the house rather than just my (or his) preferences. Well, maybe I wasn't clear....he has never requested that I buy it. It's never been on a shopping list of any sort. He just mentioned he would like to try it. He buys other things he wants to eat that I don't typically buy when I do the grocery shopping so he can certainly buy Spam if that's what he wants to eat. I have bought plenty of things for him that I do not eat. If he asks me, I buy it. Spam is just not one of them. Thanks for making assumptions about my relationship with my dh though. Dh is always more than welcome to go to the store and buy whatever he likes just like I do. I don't buy hot dogs or mayo or ketchup, he doesn't buy tofu or garbanzo beans or bok choy. That doesn't seem unreasonable to me. Thank you! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I had a 1-month span during my first pregnancy where all I could eat for dinner was fried bologna -- with mustard on white bread. It was the only thing that sounded good (which was odd, since I'd not had them since I was a kid)...and it was the only thing that stayed down. ETA: is it just me or does bologna squeal like a piggie when you fry it?? :scared: Oh my gosh the heartburn would have killed me! Funny what a pregnant bod will make us do, each of us are made happy in different ways. When I was a kid my mom made fried bologna for breakfast. She used to cut a slit in the side of it because the middle puffed up in the pan, so we got pac man bologna on our plates. Of course that was before the actual pac man came around, so to us he was just a bald-faced smilie head with a big mouth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Well, maybe I wasn't clear....he has never requested that I buy it. It's never been on a shopping list of any sort. He just mentioned he would like to try it. He buys other things he wants to eat that I don't typically buy when I do the grocery shopping so he can certainly buy Spam if that's what he wants to eat. I have bought plenty of things for him that I do not eat. If he asks me, I buy it. Spam is just not one of them. Thanks for making assumptions about my relationship with my dh though. Hey - just reading what you wrote. It can really be tough to read what isn't written for some of us... It sounds better/common with what you wrote the second time though. ;) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I use Hormel Dried Beef in the glass jar for a cheese ball recipe I have made for ages, for parties. I can't tolerate eating the cheese anymore, but it is very delicious. Recipe to follow. Dh likes Creamed Chipped Beef; I think it's revolting, though it is moot for me again because of the lactose. Cheese Ball recipe: (2) 8oz. Packages of cream cheese (Philly is much better than generic.) 1/2 can of Dried Beef, chopped 3 or 4 green onions, diced About a Cup of walnuts or pecans, chopped Allow the cheese to come to room temperature. In a mixer, blend cheese until smooth. Gently fold in the diced onions and the beef. With wet hands, form the cheese into a ball.* Roll the ball in the walnuts. Refrigerate until needed. Serve with crackers. * although this recipe is meant to be a ball and looks elegant this way, I stopped making it into a ball. I have a nice dip container with a lid, which uses up less space in the fridge and makes it easier to put away leftover cheese ball. If you put it in a dip bowl, sprinkle the nuts on top. People make that where I live too, though it was used for creamed beef where I was from (never had it though). We make our cheese ball dip with a little worcestershire sauce and lime juice and without the walnuts. Same basic idea and very yummy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 I have a Spam cooking question. When you slide it out of the can, do you rinse the sodium nitrate goo off? My MIL and my aunts would slice/trim it off. I just dunk the SPAM into boiing water to cook it before frying it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.