From the newsgroup:
The tin opens like magic!
<some interruption occurs>
You stop opening the tin.
Either it opens immediately or it doesn't, so the "opens like magic"
message is inaccurate. Rather than simply changing the phrasing, this
gives blessed tins a 50% chance to really open immediately so that their
contents are available for eating on the same turn, and 50% to behave as
before but with a message which is suitable for the single turn delay.
Hero poly'd into a metalivore always gets the same-turn case when eating
any tin. Use of a tin opener has a chance to do so (always when blessed,
50/50 for same-turn vs 1 turn delay when uncursed, 33/33/33 same-turn or
1 or 2 turn delay when cursed).
Overall, blessed tins are better than they used to be, since half
of the time you'll save a turn, but they're still not reliable to eat in
the midst of combat since sometimes you'll need another turn and will be
likely to get interrupted in that situation. Uncursed tin openers still
give the same behavior as opening blessed tins, so are also better than
they used to be. Blessed tin openers are now superior, and cursed ones
are slightly inferior in addition to being welded to hero's weapon hand.