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Dinner tables across the country will soon become veritable smorgasbords of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and, of course, cranberry sauce. Whether you like it canned or homemade, 83 percent of people don't think it's Thanksgiving without the sweet and tangy condiment, according to Ocean Spray.
For those on team canned cranberry sauce, you might have noticed that the cans are upside down. The rounded edge of the can, which is normally at the bottom, is at the top. And the sharper edge that you open is at the bottom. Back in 2020, before the direction of cranberry sauce cans was a hot topic, we did some investigating at our local grocery store.
It turns out, every cranberry sauce can, regardless of brand, is designed exactly the same way. We reached out to Ocean Spray, and a representative explained that there's a totally logical reason behind this anomaly. "The rounded end of the can is filled with an air bubble vacuum, which makes it easier to get the sauce out," he explained.
Instead of opening the can from the top, you open it from the the bottom. Then, all you need to do is insert a flat knife between the can and the jelly to activate the vacuum. This allows air to reach through to the bubble, and, in turn, push the sauce out in a perfect can-shaped mold.
The following year, Ocean Spray took to TikTok to explain this. If there wasn't an air vacuum bubble in the can, the person in the video explains that you would have to scoop the sauce out, but then it wouldn't have that canned shape.
And while you think this might be a somewhat new can design, CNN reported that this process has been used since the early 2000s.
So there you have it, and now you have a conversation starter for Thanksgiving dinner.
