Every Christmas, I make a fruit salad for my family to share and enjoy. I always use fruit cocktails or those pre-cut fruits in cans that are sold in supermarkets then mix them with cream. This year, I want to use real fruits though I am afraid that they won't last very long because they might become overripe. Do you also make fruit salads? What do you use?
I love fruit salads!! I remember when I was little and we would have fruit cocktail from a can... we loved that! When I make fruit salads now I tend to stay away from those just because they are so high in sugar. Typically in my fruit salad I put apples, pears, cut grapes, mandarin oranges chopped walnuts...etc. If I'm making more of an ambrosia I also add mini marshmallows and then homemade whipped cream. Hope this helps a bit... now I'm craving fruit salad which I haven't made in a very long time. Adding these ingredients to my grocery list!! Thank you ! Danyel
I love making (and eating) fruit salads. You can always serve them in a hollowed-out fruit like a watermelon or pineapple- depending on the season. This helps to cut down on the cost of packaging. Fresh fruit is a lot more expensive than canned fruit, though. I'd suggest buying mostly fruits that are in season for you locally if possible. A squirt of lemon juice helps to keep apples and bananas from turning brown.
I always use fruit cocktail in the can. I have tried using fresh fruit but it did not last long. My grandmother taught me how to make a fruit salad and now I make it every year during the holidays.
I personally do not bother to eat canned fruit. Once fruit has been cooked in the canning process, it has very little nutrients left because they have all been destroyed by the high heat. I prefer to buy frozen fruit when I can't get it fresh because the nutrients are still intact in frozen fruit, or at least most of them are. Some cooked fruit actually is harder to digest than fresh, ie orange juice. Also, if you buy canned fruit, watch out for high fructose corn syrup. Canned fruit is often canned in syrup, not just it's own juice, which adds a whole bunch of empty calories of sugar which does nothing but bad things for your body.
I can't really stand canned fruits. They are not fresh at all and you can immediately sense it once you pop off the lid of the can. Also, a lot of manufacturers add a lot of syrup, which is processed sugar junk, and has no place in a fruit salad at all. Do what's better for your health and you'll save more money and time in the long run.
If you've got plenty of time, go for the organic actual fruits and if you would be able to consume them directly, preferably within the next 24 hours, because this is far healthier than using cocktails that have got a lot of preservative, sugars plus those that are already included in the fruits, and a lot more of chemicals. The downside of using the fresh fruits is that they have shorter shelf life, and even shorter once that you have dissected them.
You can use real fruit in a fruit salad as long as you squeeze a little lemon juice on it to prevent the fruit from oxidizing and turning brown. If you're worried about it being overripe, make it shortly before serving it. There are certain old timey potluck recipes like ambrosia or Jello molds where it's normal to use canned fruit. Otherwise ,real fruit is always better.
I prefer to use fresh fruit too. It has much more flavor. The canned kind is too sweet for me and after it sits in the syrup I think all of the pieces have the same taste. As others have said, mix a little bit of lemon juice in to prevent browning. If you want to disguise the lemon taste (although it is not very strong), add a little bit of sugar.
I use fresh fruit. Eating fruit from a can just seems odd to me. Most foods from a can seem odd to me. I don't think canned foods are very high in nutrients. Fresh would be the way to go for your fruit salad. Like others mentioned, a little lemon juice can help prevent some of the fruits from browning, but if you use citrus fruits and mango, you should have no problem. Here, fresh fruit is a whole lot cheaper than canned fruit as well because the canned fruit is imported. So, what did you decide to use? Fresh or canned?
The fruits in fruit cocktail cans do seem like they would be less nourishing, just because they are in a can. It's hard to explain. I am sure that they are less nourishing than actual fresh fruits though. If I have fresh fruits in the house then I will most likely go with them, unless I am doing a crumble or something. But if I don't then I don't see what wrong with cracking open a tin of fruit cocktail and eating it
Of course. Fruit salads are a given. My mom and I make fruit salads for various occasions such as Christmas, New Year and when someone in the family's having a birthday. We buy a large can of fruit cocktail, drain the preservative-drenched syrup and start pouring cream and condensed milk on the fruits. Although we do this, we also add real fruits like mangoes and bananas (since these usually aren't present in fruit cocktail preserves).
I think when you're going to be using fruits for a recipe then canned fruits should be okay. If I am to eat the fruits as is, however, I much prefer to just have something freshly cut. I'm not a big fan of fruit cocktails in cans, to be honest, but I like them when used in hot salads. When I'm eating it on its own, though, I find it very bland and too soaked in syrup.
Definitely use the fresh fruit if you have the time. Canned fruit is preserved in syrup that is extremely high in sugar, it's almost as bad as soda in my opinion. If you find it difficult, just use a food processor to cut your fruits up in no time at all. Perfect for salads or desserts.
I haven't made any fruit salad in awhile, and now that you mentioned it here on this thread, I'm kind of thinking about making some. Any time I make a fruit salad, I like to make it with real fruit because of the firmness of the real fruit. Firm fruit in a salad has a better taste to me than canned fruit in a salad. You mention you put cream in the canned fruit, I don't use any cream in mine. I use canned fruit to put in my cottage cheese though.
Oh no, I couldn't possibly eat canned fruit. No nutrients, no freshness, all mush, no taste, blech. I don't just eat for taste, I eat for health.. I don't bother if I can't get both from my food and I can't get either from canned fruit. There are tricks to keeping your fruit fresh until serving, as others have said.. nothing beats fresh. So yum! And absolutely perfect without adding a thing. I'm going to go devour some now actually lol...
Personally, I prefer the actual fruits because they got far less sugar than the ones in cocktail. The ones in cocktail have an addition of sugar by their syrups. And not only that they have those additional sugar, they are also surrounded by a lot of chemicals that some of them are really harmful for our health. Also if you use actual fruits, you get the opportunity to include and exclude what you like and so are their individual tastes which is I think is really great!
When I think of fruit salad, I think of the stuff that is mixed with cool whip or mayonnaise, and usually has nuts in it. Doesn't this salad usually have apples and other fresh fruit? I think the fruit salad that is a hallowed out watermelon might contain fruit cocktail. My preference would be to use fresh fruit every time. I would definitely use fresh fruit if I was the one making the dessert, because if I am going to take the time to make something I would want it just right. But to each their own. We all have different tastes.
My mom used to make fruit salad when she was alive, and she used fruit cocktails in cans all the time. Nowadays though, we don't make them during the holidays anymore and we just opt to buy food that's ready to eat.
I use real fruits for mine...yes, you have to worry more about keeping them ripe/fresh and the timing and everything, but I think it's worth it not sacrificing the taste and food quality overall. It's not impossibly hard to coordinate.
