What's Really Behind The Upside-Down Label On Cranberry Sauce Cans?

There are not many foods that taste delicious immediately after sliding out of a can. And there are even fewer foods where the shape and the ribbed imprint of a tin can are delightful features rather than unappetizing details. Jellied cranberry sauce is the exception, gracing many a holiday spread with its perfectly cylindrical form. Leaning into this nostalgic serving method, many cranberry sauce manufacturers redesigned their cans to make for a consistently satisfying sliding mechanism — and the upside-down label is key.

If you pick up any other can from your pantry, the top will always have a slight lip or ridge — something for your can opener to bite into. And while it's in our nature to store cans right-side-up, it's not usually necessary to store canned goods in any particular way. But with canned cranberry sauce, that's simply not the case. Jellied cranberry sauce is canned with a purposeful pocket of air inside that rests on top of the cranberry contents. When opened, that pocket of air helps push the cranberry jelly out of the can and onto your plate. Without it, you'd have to resort to scooping, ruining its perfectly canned shape.

As conveyed on Ocean Spray's TikTok channel, that makes canning and storing jellied cranberries a little more complicated. The air bubble has to stay on top of the can, but the can has to be opened from the bottom. Ocean Spray's answer? Print the label upside down.

When storing a can of jellied cranberries, most consumers will follow their inclination to store cans with the label facing the right way up for readability. Betting on human nature, brands like Ocean Spray vacuum-seal the pocket of air so that it corresponds with the top of the label, leaving the air suspended on top of the cranberries throughout the buying and storing journey.

But when it comes time to open the can, you might be surprised to find the openable end of the can has been on the bottom the entire time. After quickly inverting the can and working a can opener along the easy-to-open ridge, all you'll need to do is run a knife along the inside of your can, and your jellied cranberry sauce will appear with a satisfying thunk. It's a brilliant canning hack that practically guarantees success — no instructions required.

Now that your favorite seasonal jelly has made it successfully out of the can, level up your canned cranberries with a spritz of lemon juice or a dusting of orange zest, or add texture to cranberry sauce with a smattering of toasted nuts.