Eight Ounce tin cans with pull-tab lids have become very popular as a lunchtime food source. There are many common meal items such as beans, meat, vegetables, fruit, pudding, etc. The cans stack well and usually have a relatively long shelf life. But what happens when you’re on a road trip or a hike and you forgot to bring eating utensils?

One option is to use the can like a cup and “drink” the contents. For loose contents like corn, this actually works quite well, but for pudding, it’s inefficient and sometimes messy. Fortunately, a spoon can be improvised from the lid that can be very useful and efficient in collecting the entire contents of your can.

It should be said that handling sharp edged metal can be hazardous, especially when forming the spoon or when eating from it, so don’t be in a rush and take care in the process. When I form a spoon, I take the removed lid and return the pull-tab to the original flat position. Then I swivel the tab 180 degrees outward so that it extends out past the outer edge. If the tab is too stiff to rotate, just bent it outward. Either way this makes a fine handle. Then I form a narrow triangular scoop by rolling the adjacent edges to the tab upward to form short walls and with the remaining narrow edge I fold up only slightly. In short order you will be adept at using it to eat.

So, remember to take care when forming the spoon and eating from it. You’ll be surprised how efficient it is and you may decide that carrying utensils may no longer be necessary.