Why Is My Can of Cranberry Sauce Upside-Down?

If you’re out grabbing all of your last-minute groceries for Thanksgiving this week, you may have also snatched a can of cranberry sauce…only to realize that all of the cans are upside-down. Not only that, but based on how the labels are placed on these cans, it seems that storing the can upside-down is actually on purpose. Turns out, it is actually a thing; cranberry sauce is stored this way for a particular reason, all so you can get that perfect jiggly shape when you open it up.

Why is canned cranberry sauce stored upside-down?

In a recent video from TikTok, an expert at Ocean Spray shared why its cans are indeed stored upside-down. It all has to do with maintaining that can-shaped cylinder of sauce once it’s removed from the can.

@oceanspray #stitch @t a y l o r j a n e we’re no @Hank Green ♬ original sound – Ocean Spray Inc.

The rounded part of the can is on the top instead of the bottom and has an air vacuum bubble in it. That way, when you open up the can, it makes it easy to simply give the sauce a little shake or a scrape around the sides with a rubber spatula. With that, it all comes out in that jiggly cylinder mold we all know and love from our cranberry sauce.

Without that air bubble, the sauce wouldn’t be able to jiggle out in one piece. According to Ocean Spray, you would have to scrape out scoops of cranberry sauce instead of getting that perfect form that you can easily slice and serve at Thanksgiving. Who knew?

What is the best canned cranberry sauce to buy?

There are a lot of canned cranberry sauces to choose from, and we did a cranberry sauce taste test to find which ones offered the best tangy and tart flavors.

If you’re looking for a sauce that mimics the homemade cranberry sauces your grandma used to make, opt for whole-berry. You’ll still get the sweet tang of store-bought cranberry sauce, but with more texture that feels like you simmered it over the stove yourself. Whole-berry sauce will be especially delicious on a leftover turkey sandwich.

Those looking for the nostalgia of having a cranberry log as part of the Thanksgiving spread should opt for the jellied version. It’ll come out in one piece perfect for slicing and passing around the table. Whichever one you choose, there are plenty of ways to use leftover cranberry sauce, so you just might want to buy extra cans.