Softened by Heat

What softens the bones in canned fish?

The bones in canned fish are softened by heat, not by oil, as popularly supposed. Canned foods are processed after the containers are sealed. Processing is heating for a certain period at temperatures sufficiently high to kill all organisms that may cause spoilage. It is this heating that softens the bones in canned salmon, sardines, kippered herring and similar fish products.

From the A Book About a Thousand Things, by George Stimpson, copyrighted in 1946 by Harper and Brothers. This information could prove useful to folks who may be lucky enough to be in a fish area. I have been through four kids, and worry each time we have fish for dinner. Bones can choke a child, or anyone for that matter. And there may be no doctors around. Sometimes, it's the little things that count.

Offered by Clip.