The Canned Fruit You Should Avoid Buying, And Why

There are many canned fruits you should keep in your pantry, but some are undeniably better than others. Take the classic fruit cocktail, for example. Usually containing peaches, pears, pineapple, cherries, and grapes in thick syrup, it's a staple of childhood lunch packs and barbecue fruit salads. However, while canned fruit cocktail has its uses, like making flavorful ice cubes for actual cocktails, teas, or punches, it has a few notable downsides. 

For one, the syrup used to pack canned fruit cocktails and other canned mixed fruit medleys tend to be loaded with sugar, up to 19 grams of it. While that can be grand if you've got a sweet tooth, the sugar from the syrup often overpowers the fruit flavors, making everything taste a bit one note. It's not exactly overly appetizing when you're chowing down on it by itself. 

Additionally, making your own fruit medley can be more cost-effective than buying a store-bought version, especially if you need a lot of it and the fruit you want to use is in season. Plus, besides being able to manage the amount of sugar in homemade fruit cocktail, preparing your own gives you control over the fruits used. For instance, if you're not a fan of pears, you can simply leave them out.

The best thing about making your own fruit cocktail is you can really tailor it to your tastes. Now, the difference between making a fruit cocktail, a fruit medley, and a typical fruit salad is all in the preparation. Fruit cocktails usually feature small diced fruits, whereas fruit salads have larger pieces. Likewise, fruit medleys can contain a wide variety of fruits, even dried fruits which can add a fun textural element when paired with fresh fruits. By making your own version at home, you can come up with some really creative fruit combinations that you simply wouldn't be able to find in a can. 

For example, you could prepare your own fruit cocktail with a sweet syrup flavored with lemon juice and basil. Alternatively, you could make a medley of oranges, apples, strawberries, pineapple, and plums that will pair perfectly with some homemade sangria. For something a bit more tropical, you can dice up pineapple, papaya, mango, and dragon fruit with a squeeze of lime juice. This mix goes great over yogurt or on its own with a dash of Tajín.

If a particular fruit you want to use isn't in season, frozen fruit is the next best thing, and it will taste much fresher than what you'd find in a can. However, frozen fruit will have a slightly mushier texture after it thaws. That said, frozen fruits often have more nutrients than their canned varieties, so if you want a healthier but still convenient option, frozen is the way to go.