This simple can of jellied Ocean Spray cranberry sauce may have ruined a family’s Thanksgiving meal.
In many homes, canned cranberry sauce is an essential part of a holiday meal. In fact, Americans consume five million gallons of the jiggly red stuff during each holiday season, Food & Wine reported.
Cranberry sauce’s origin story
Cranberries are part of Indigenous traditions and are used for medicine, dyeing, and cooking.
While some say cranberries were part of the first Thanksgiving, it’s important to note that the relationship between pilgrims and Indigenous people and the Thanksgiving feast spoken about in schools is a sterilized version that misses important context.
You can read more about the real story of Thanksgiving on the Smithsonian Magazine site.
However, there is a clear origin story for canned cranberries dating back to the early 1900s. Lawyer-turned-cranberry-grower Marcus Urann wanted to extend the lifecycle of the seasonal fruit while also salvaging damaged cranberries, Food & Wine reported.
He pureed and canned them and started selling them in 1912 under the name Ocean Spray Preserving Company. In 1930, he formed a co-op with other independent cranberry growers and renamed it Ocean Spray.
Ocean Spray produces 70 million cans of cranberry sauce early. Each can has about 200 cranberries. It is the company’s most popular product.
Cranberry sauce gone wrong
However, one woman who bought a can of Ocean Spray’s popular canned cranberry sauce was horrified by what was inside.
In the viral video, which has more than 760,000 views, mom of four Annika Rutkoski (@myagilecreations1) showed that her two canned cranberries were “completely liquid,” even though they weren’t supposed to expire until November 2025.
“That’s gross,” Rutoski said.
Why did the canned cranberry sauce turn to liquid?
Several commenters pointed out that the jelly may have liquified because the can overheated.
“Did the can sit in your hot car or maybe near the oven? the pectin in the cranberries can break down from the heat and cause it to turn into a liquid. Or maybe the store mishandled them,” a person said.
In a reply, Rutoski clarified that she lives in Texas “where we keep the AC running year round.” Plus, she stored the cans in her pantry on the opposite side of the stove and ovens.
Pectin is a naturally occurring thickener and stabilizer that helps jams, jellies, and fruit preserves take on a firmer texture. Bon Appétit calls it “gelatin’s vegan cousin.” (In case you didn’t know, gelatin is a protein usually extracted by boiling parts of cows and pigs, like skin, bones, and tendons, for its collagen.)
Pectin is in most fruits and vegetables. It’s the reason that when you simmer sugared fruit long enough, it releases juices that eventually thicken into a spreadable treat.
But, when overheated, pectin can deactivate, and it can cause your cranberries to turn to mush. However, it’s unclear if it can liquify a sauce like what happened with Rutkoski.
How to make jellied cranberry sauce
If you don’t want to take the risk of ending up with liquified jelly or prefer a homemade treat, it seems the process is relatively simple, with the most time-consuming part being the chilling time.
Most recipes recommend heating a cranberry and sugar mixture until the berries pop and the sauce thick. The mixture should then be strained into a container and chilled.
Commenters react
“My can that expired in 2022 was pristine today,” a top comment read.
“Omg you hit the jackpot! thats the best way to enjoy it. open it, pour it down the drain and recycle the can. don’t even dirty a dish,” a person said sarcastically.
@myagilecreations1 #oceanspray #cranberrysauce #jelliedcranberry #thanskgiving #thanksgivingdinner @Ocean Spray Inc. ♬ original sound – Annika Rutkoski
“I’m so curious, does it smell like cranberry sauce? Because it is brown, I wonder if it’s the wrong product/label?” another asked.
The Daily Dot reached out to Rutkoski for comment via email and TikTok direct message and to Ocean Spray via email.
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The post ‘I made homemade…I’ll never go back to canned’: Woman buys Ocean Spray cranberry sauce from H-E-B. Why does it look like that? appeared first on The Daily Dot.
