I just went through my first "REAL" natural disaster, in my life. The Noreaster that hit Southern New England. A wake up call to say the least. IT CAN HAPPEN TO ME! My only downfall was not enough back up gasoline. Other than that I did just fine.
To the point. My girlfriend is ex-military and says MREs just plain suck. I want to put it out to the forum and those of you who actually tried these things. What is the best tasting MREs/ dehydrated foods on the market today? Cost is of little importance to me cause I budget a part of my income regularly to "Emergency Gear". I cannot put a dollar amount on my survival, and I refuse to waste my hard earned dollar on cheap crap. With this being said I put it out to you the good and knowledgeable people of this forum to guide me in an area to which I know nothing about. Thanks-chinagreen
The Norwegian company Drytech / REAL makes quite good dehydrated food. The bags are vacuumed packed so they take up very little space in pack as well. They also make 24 hour rations for military units; I’m very surprised that Mountain House or Shelf Reliance has not introduced a similar concept.
Of course she would say that. It's the soldier's way. Even when the food is ok, it sucks.
MRE's are ok. For lightweight, convenient food on the go, they are ok. Not great, but ok. I have eaten thousands of them.
My favorite part of an MRE is the compressed oatmeal cookie bar. It is food direct from the gods of war. Second would be MRE cheese (especially the jalepeno cheese) and the MRE crackers. Beyond that, it all starts pretty much tasting the same, anyway.
I have friends who really like them. And kids tend to think they are the coolest thing on earth.
I have to say that the current MRE's are way better than they were when the first came out. The dehydrated pork patty---what the hell was that thing, anyway??????
MREs are a decent choice for short term disasters. No cooking required, no cooking smells, etc. They're bulky and expensive for what you actually get. But they do the job exceedingly well. They just don't make a good long term diet.
I'm not a fan of them myself, but I keep a few cases on hand simply because they make sense in some situations.
I have eaten quite a few MRE's over the years whille wildland firefighting. I'm not a huge fan of them but they will work when needed. Yes, I have a couple of cases on hand. (I double dog dare you to try the Omelet)
As for all freeze dried and dehdrated products out there the only commercial that I really like is Maryjanesoutpost.org. All the rest have far too much sodium for my taste. MH is the absolute WORSE!
For dehydrated I've been experimenting with making my own meals. It's really quite easy if you have a dehydrator.
Thanks for your concern. Mountain House wants to help you live a long, healthy and adventurous life. Our new freeze-dried meals have less than 300mg of sodium & we think you’d love them. Send us a DM for a sample w/ your name, email and address. Feel free to out check us out on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MountainHouse and Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/mtnhouse (@mtnhouse).
I have to say I like Mountain House meals but if you want to put a little money in it try some from Packit Gourmet.
They are geared towards backpackers but they are awesome. Never heard a bad word on any of them.
Having said all that, why not make your own?
You already like it and you know where it comes from.
Or do it like I do and make meals from dry ingredients at hand. You pack it up now and use it when you need it.
To extend the shelf life pack it in your freezer.
Check out these links.
I remember liking the black bean burrito a lot and chicken with salsa is not bad. Just remember hot sauce is you friend with MREs (meals ready to excrete).
With me, it's more like "meals reluctant to excrete". And I usually have the opposite problem with most foods. But 3 days on MREs will plug me up solid as a brick.
Has anyone tried these mre tortillas! (link below) I grow vegs for salsa and can it. Tortillas would be great to go along with the TVP taco 'meat' I've got in #10 cans!
It's a little past half way down the page. Does anyone know of other long shelf life tortilla suppliers out there?
Tortillas are too easy to make to worry about storing. At least the flour ones are. And the corn ones are just as easy if you store the dry masa mix. Making the masa from dry corn is a different story.
While not a true MRE a store in my area has MTR & Kohinoor brands of Indian food and I haven't tried a variety of either brand I don't like :thumb: I have been taking them in my lunch on fairly steady basis for about 6 years now. All the ones I currently have expire in July 2013/2014 so self life isn't too bad. They are single serv entree's not an entire meal/cracker/dessert package like an MRE but are heat & eat and pre-cooked in a foil pack. I don't mind a regular MRE but have thought about buying some dessert's & other add on's from regular MRE's, just to keep with them in my BOB.
If they're anything like Tasty Bite, they will last for years past their "best by" date, like most foods. This weekend, I ate a Tasty Bite that was dated 2008 and it tasted every bit as fresh as if I had gotten it yesterday. Now, I doubt the retort packaged foods will last as long as canned foods, but they do have a pretty amazing shelf life.
I have to say that the current MRE's are way better than they were when the first came out. The dehydrated pork patty---what the hell was that thing, anyway??????
The reason we store foods is so that we don't have to get hungry enough. That should never be a criteria for food storage when there are plenty of options for foods that we already like to eat.
We ordered the sample pack from efoodsglobal.com.
For $9.95 you get Cheesy Chicken Rice Casserole, Tortilla soup, and Creamy Potato soup.
Each package is supposed to have 4 cups prepared, they came up a little short but everything tasted decent.
MRE's charm is in the fact that they are self-sufficient. No heating needed other than adding a little water to the (included) heater. Good for grab-and-go "food".
That's were the charm ends for me. MREs cost more than freeze-dried food, they include stuff you really dont want(tobasco, mints, salt/pepper etc), you dont really know what all is in that bag until you open it, and no expiration date is included. They also taste much worse than many freeze dried foods. All you need to prepare freeze-dried is a way to boil water.
Go to your local wallmart or camping store and get a variety of Mountain House freeze dried entrees from the camping section and try them out one evening along with an MRE. Once you and your spouse find some freeze dried foods that you like, order the #10 cans that can be stored for 30 years in the pantry. MREs require freezers to last that long.
Don't throw away your MREs though, they are great for feeding homeless or giving to folks in disaster areas.
MRE's charm is in the fact that they are self-sufficient. No heating needed other than adding a little water to the (included) heater. Good for grab-and-go "food".
I like most of the MRE's but Pot Roast,Meatloaf,Sloppy Joe,Chili Beans,PorkRib,Maple Sausage,Meatballs,BeefStew,Spaghetti,Chili Mac,Beef & Blackbeans are all great for me. The real military MRE's are my favorites because I seem to get more to eat. Some think they are expensive but the price is cheap when you consider they can last 10 yrs if properly stored.
In the MRE tray packs Burgundy Beef,Roast Beef and Pork Carnitas are all very good. I steal the older ones from the stash when the woman is gone for a few weeks.
Other than the MRE meals I use the tray packs and freeze dried food with rice or instant mashed potatoes. I like eating and keep a rather large stash of all this stuff that will last many years. I won't be trading gold for a miserable case of beans to some dreamer.
I'll pass on some recent MRE tasting notes to you from my last order with Emergency Essentials:
Brownie with Chocolate Chips
Soft cookie with lots of chocolate flavor. Very few chips. Nice, light dessert.
Chili & Macaroni
Very good quality ingredients and a great tasting mixture of macaroni and beef chili. Better than Mountain House, etc.
Cheese Tortellini in Tomato Sauce
Rich and thick sauce. Aromatic and flavorful. Quality throughout. Add Parmesan cheese for a feast.
Peas and Pasta
Total crap. Mushy, foul smelling garbage and not because the package was broken. A bad idea made worse by producing it. The package calls it an HDR (Humanitarian Daily Ration). There’s nothing humanitarian about what’s inside of it.
Macaroni and Beef in Sauce
Nice and thick with rich chili flavors. A bit too hot. Not bad, just a little too spicy for daily consumption. It is satisfying, though.
Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake
Not at all bad. Good lemony flavor. Rich tasting with a nice poppy seed/cake texture. Get more of this.
The black bean re-fried beans are great on BBQ potato chips.
Thanks everyone for the invaluable input I ordered a couple of different kinds to try them out, thanks again for steering me in the right direction.-chinagreen
For me money *IS* a concern, so I buy my dried food at the grocery store.
I like the tubs of dried apricots, the lipton packaged noodle mixes (especially butter flavor) beef jerky, and the Bear Creek chili and soup mixes.
And, I rotate them which is why taste is important. The kids need to enjoy them also.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Survivalist Forum
11.6M posts
167.1K members
Since 2007
A forum community dedicated to survivalists and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about collections, gear, DIY projects, hobbies, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!