This one is one of the most popular answers I have written on Quora , with some of the most views and, more importantly, some of the most up-votes. The question dealt with canning and canned foods. It also, surprisingly, raised some controversial canning questions in the replies by other users. The question was: Are all canned foods cooked? That answer to the question, “are all canned foods cooked,” is “kinda.” They are definitely processed and the processing involves a preserving form of cooking. It is the definition of canning . Canning is a way of preserving food so that the edible contents are processed and sealed in an airtight container in order to provide a stable shelf life that ranges from about one to five years, depending on the product and the process. The canning process has been historically been used in many homes before home refrigeration was available. It was used in to preserve freshly harvested foods before they spoil. One way they were