Do not cook foods in their cans, or in other packaging.

Maybe cooking food in its can isn’t something most of us do.

In fact, the only time I think I have ever heated any food in its can was back when I was camping as a teenager.

But it seems that some people do like cooking in the can, or “can cooking” as it is sometimes referred to. Who would do such a thing? Students living away from home. And campers, of course.

The problem with can cooking is that most cans are lined with a plastic resin which includes the chemical BPA. And as you heat the can, you increase the chances of BPA leaching out into the food you are going to eat.

In short, can cooking is not a healthy choice.

The same goes for plastic packaging. Foods packed in any kind of plastic container, even those described as “food safe”, should not be cooked or heated in their original containers.

What about those single-serving frozen dinners? Good question. Some of those containers are plastic. Others are cardboard. But the cardboard containers are clearly lined with some kind of plastic or resin liner.

The safe choice is to let the frozen dinner defrost, at least partially, and then transfer the food from its original packaging into a glass or ceramic dish before cooking it.

The bottom line is that convenience foods come with risks.

It might be tempting to microwave a quick TV dinner at the end of the day, or cook in the can, but by doing so you are probably exposing yourself to some health risks when those foods are in contact with plastic during the cooking process.