I use applesauce in baking, so this size can would be good for that - and for baby. But any other thing is this size would be wasted, even with 5 people eating - unless it (beans or something similar) could be added to soup or stew. I love Costco, I think they have better products/quality than Sam's club.

I buy the #10 can of Nacho Cheese. We use it for plain nachos, nachos “bell grande”, over broccoli, over tater tots, over baked potatoes, chili cheese fries, add it to potato soup to spice it up, cheesy chili mac, spicy macaroni and cheese, over rice….endless. I’ve also froze it in 1 to 2 cup serving sizes. You can thin it with either water or milk depending on the consistency you need (I thin it for mac & cheese) w/o loosing flavor. I also buy the #10 cans of Cheddar Cheese. It’s good for all the above, just w/o the spice. Nacho is our favorite though 

Your site has become one of my favorites. It’s friendly and informative. Good Job!!

Carolyne

I had two bags of Aldi apples that had a cold burn from being in our utility shed. I peeled and sliced for what seemed like hours and then I had a huge pot of apples for sauce. I put a the dish of warm applesauce on the table to go with our pancakes. They ate it all. I know they love homemade but I was really hoping for two meals for the amount of work.

That's the problem with feeding the children home cooked food. Processed food tastes funny to them.

I used to buy that size can of vegetables from Sam's Club & divide it up into freezer bags & have meal-sized portions of green beans or whatever. The cans area only like $3 a piece and it could feed us veggies over 2 or 3 meals.

I don't have much access, unfortunately, to big cans like this. However, when I get the chance, I stock up and buy my pureed tomatoes (to make spaghetti sauce), and ketchup (better quality than buying the cheap brands in bottles and lasts a long time in the fridge). I wish I lived near a Costco or similar store, but the closest is 6hrs away. =)

I haven't thought about doing that. I'll have to keep an eye out at Costco next time I go. We go through applesauce like crazy and I bet that's cheaper than paying for the jars!

The kids go through apple sauce like crazy! I add it to yogurt for a quick breakfast or snack. Of course baking they love it spread on toast with cinnamon (if I am out of apple butter) and as topping for waffles and pancakes. So many uses!
I buy big cans of peaches and rinse if they were packed with syrup. Great uses for those as well.

We buy Crushed Tomatoes in the #10 can at Costco. We use it to make up a big batch of spaghetti sauce. What we don't eat the first night gets turned into lasagna for the next night.

Katie

The only #10 cans we have in our food storage are specially purchased from an LDS company that specializes in dehydrated foods. We have a nice supply of onions, various vegetables, powdered milk, dried eggs, etc.

I use the onions all the time, but the rest of the items are for emergencies at this point. I would like to use more of the items on a regular basis, but it isn't easy to get them here in Canada, so we are kind of hoarding them.:)

I use the big cans of saurkraut. I know you don't eat pork, but we sometimes do (Acts 11:4-10). A big crockpot full of baby back ribs and saurkraut can simmer all day, and at the end it is just delicious... the kraut tenderizes and flavors the ribs; you don't need any additional seasonings. We eat it over mashed potatoes. You need a big can of kraut, because it would take a lot of small cans to fill the crockpot. I use half a can at a time and store the leftover kraut in a plastic container in the refrigerator. Kraut has a very long life in the refrigerator.

One of our local stores had a #10 can of hominy on sale for $2. We bought it, took it home and froze it in portions. I have a recipe for taco soup that calls for hominy. So we were set up for the recipe. It worked out well.

i buy that applesauce, but at our costco, the 4 pack of treetop is really not too much more than the can, per ounce. And I don't have to use it up as quickly. I usually buy 2 cans, and cook one and a half down to apple butter and can it. We eat the rest during a meal. I buy the no. 10 cans of whole tomatoes to make a double batch of spaghetti sauce. I don't have a greenhouse and we just don't get tomato bounty up here like you lower 48ers do! I've gotten the tomato sauce as well, and peaches and pineapples. My family got tired of pineapple upside down cake though! I haven't thought of any way to use up all that pineapple!

So long as there is no high fructose corn in the #10 can, this is my first choice of size. But, then we are a family of 11 so this size is perfect for us.

Even when we were a smaller family, I purchased the larger cans of tomatoes and tomato sauce for making large batches of spaghetti sauce. Left overs would be frozen in large ziploc bags laid down flat on a cookie sheet until frozen. I would also use this size tomato goods for large batches of chili and freeze like the spaghetti sauce.

Our Costco in Texas doesn't carry the #10 can of applesauce : ( even though I've asked and asked. I sure miss that. Now I must buy little jars of applesauce that barely feed us.

We purchase any fruit with the hfcs in it in this size can as well. Also precooked beans for when I am not prepared to cook from dry beans.

The cost difference of buying small cans vs. large cans at Costco is generally very large so we go with the large cans as often as we are able.

Mommaof10
http://PlymouthRockRanch.com
Recording the Faithfulness and Provision of God for Future Generations

We buy certain foods in #10 cans from a coop for winter storage purposes. We live in Alaska where our winters are long, cold (-28F at this writing but -55F 3 weeks ago), and there is the possiblity of severe storms. When the temperatures are -40 we avoid driving anywhere and it is always best to have food supplies on hand. We know that if the electricity were to go out due to a bad storm it could mean the difference of life or death. We do heat with wood so have the ability to heat, cook, and have water on hand. Each spring and fall we lay in a supply of powdered eggs, chicken buillion, beef buillion, chocolate whey drink mix, and some dried vegetables (if our harvest was low). We do dehydrate much over the summer to include celery, carrots, potatoes, leeks, onions (if they grow), garlic, greens, zucchini, herbs, and wild berries. These items are put up in 1 gallon jugs.

We find the tomato products in the #10's are a great buy for our large family. We do buy fruit now and again, but not too often. We try to stay away from commercially canned foods as much as possible! I learned to can last year and will be making my own tomato sauce in the summer (hopefully!).