Why Is My Can of Cranberry Sauce Upside-Down?

If you’re out picking up things for Thanksgiving, you may have grabbed 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 on purpose! Turns out, this is a thing; cranberry sauce is stored this way for a particular reason.

Why is cranberry sauce upside-down?

In a viral TikTok, an expert at Ocean Spray shared why its cans are indeed upside down. It 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 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 can shape we all know and love for our cranberry sauce.

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

What is the best canned cranberry sauce?

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. Whatever you choose, there are plenty of ways to use leftover cranberry sauce, so buy extra cans!