Mashed Survey Uncovers Fans' Must-Have Canned Good

Few things can unite survivalists, modern artists, homemakers, and James Beard award-winning chefs, but that just goes to show how ubiquitous and useful canned food truly is. From Andy Warhol's legendary art, inspired by 20 years of drinking Campbell's soup for lunch every day, to chef Gabrielle Hamilton's signature dish of canned sardines and Triscuits at one of New York's best restaurants, the greats have been singing the praises of canning for decades. Their long life, versatility, and affordability make canned goods a must-have for any well-stocked family pantry as well as anyone who's looking to create an emergency food stockpile.

But which canned good is the most important to your pantry? The one you just can't do without, the one you're constantly restocking? A Mashed exclusive survey polled over 32,000 can fans to find out. The single most popular canned good, according to the survey, was the iconic canned soup, garnering 38% support.

In addition to soup, the results of our canned food survey skewed overwhelmingly savory, with only 5% saying they always keep canned fruit in their cupboards. It also seems that people prefer having a versatile cupboard staple over a ready-to-go meal in a can, with 62% of votes going to cans of individual ingredients rather than pre-prepared dishes. It's understandable — individual ingredients are flexible to have around, and canned vegetables and fruits are picked at peak freshness and flavor, which means a huge amount of the nutrients are preserved.

However, the legume family can also somewhat claim victory in the poll, with quick-chili lifesaver canned beans winning 1-in-4 votes to come in second place with 25%, and canned green beans, the casserole staple, coming in a respectable 4th place overall with 14%. Although fans of green beans were outvoted by traditional rival canned corn's 17% support, the total combined bean vote actually outscored the winner, soup, by 1%.