You really going to be able to eat 50 ½ cup servings of ..it on a shingle in a week?
I would guess not, unless there's a big family.
At $1 per ½ cup, it's kinda expensive - especially for dog food.

My personal experience with Mountain House foods is they are small servings with too much salt. Always need extra food to satisfy.

 

2-5 adults 2sheps 125lbs 1 shep 75lbs So let’s say 3 hungry adults and 325lbs of shepherds. I do agree with the heavy sodium and smaller portions. Figured 2-3 servings per adult and double for pups would be 12 or more servings per day 4x in that week can is gone. Once again over rice and freeze dry veggies. The hearty servings could be rationed a bit and by the time this is necessary it’ll be a real feast in really bad times. And I honestly hope I’m wasting $$$ with this food insurance and never need it to survive but it makes me feel better that it’s there

 

A couple of concerns with this...

Ingredients:

Creamed Beef Gravy Mix: Buttermilk Powder, Enriched Flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Modified Corn Starch, Palm Oil, Nonfat Dry Milk, Corn Syrup Solids, Salt, Less than 2% of: Spices, Sodium Caseinate, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, Dipotassium Phosphate, Carmel Color, Silicon Dioxide (to prevent caking)Cooked Beef*: Beef, Salt, Rosemary Extract*Freeze-DriedCONTAINS: Milk, Wheat

Beef is the LAST ingredient. You are basically paying for flour and Buttermilk powder, and a bunch of preservatives, very little beef.

There is 410mg sodium per serving. That is too much for dogs to handle imo.

I would personally store freeze dried ground beef, and flour, and make my own creamed beef.

 

A couple of concerns with this...

Ingredients:

Creamed Beef Gravy Mix: Buttermilk Powder, Enriched Flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), Modified Corn Starch, Palm Oil, Nonfat Dry Milk, Corn Syrup Solids, Salt, Less than 2% of: Spices, Sodium Caseinate, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, Dipotassium Phosphate, Carmel Color, Silicon Dioxide (to prevent caking)Cooked Beef*: Beef, Salt, Rosemary Extract*Freeze-DriedCONTAINS: Milk, Wheat

Beef is the LAST ingredient. You are basically paying for flour and Buttermilk powder, and a bunch of preservatives, very little beef.

There is 410mg sodium per serving. That is too much for dogs to handle imo.

I would personally store freeze dried ground beef, and flour, and make my own creamed beef.

And freeze dried or powdered milk.

 

I can only guess its just CYA?Anytime air hits it,it degrades,especially oil/dairy I can't see it being dangerous if covered/stored in fridge after opening.
Was in the business(Cook)30 some years,and racking my brain trying to figure out if its a dry mix,why 7 days.

 

The other thing about buying plain freeze dried ground beef, other than better bang for the buck and lower sodium, is its versatility. Here are

22 different ways to use freeze dried ground beef.

 

I suspect that dried ingredients are going to start absorbing water from the atmosphere, and eventually something is going to grow on it.
Probably the 1 week is due to an abundance of caution - not everybody lives in a dry climate.

 

I keep a pallet load of military MH foods in my preps. We are currently using food stored just prior to the Y2K rollover and all has been fine. Besides the creamed beef I keep the full variety of other offerings all packed in case lots of #10 cans. When I open a #10 can I immediately repack the contents into pint canning jars and move them from the cellar food storage to the kitchen pantry. I date the lids of the canning jars and normally use them up within a month with zero issues. At any time there are about 20 assorted jars which make menu planning and meal prep easy.

With inflation and supply chain issues we are using more freeze dried and fewer grocery store items. We purchase fresh vegetables and baked goods at the farmer's market and enjoy fish and game as seasonally available.

 

Just FYI-

Amazon.com: Mountain House Ground Beef #10 Can | Freeze Dried Survival & Emergency Food | Gluten-Free | 22 Servings : Everything Else

Amazon.com: Mountain House Ground Beef #10 Can | Freeze Dried Survival & Emergency Food | Gluten-Free | 22 Servings : Everything Else

www.amazon.com

Comes to $43.48 a can when you buy 2

 

Once open, I wouldn't consider them shelf stable for years... But the one week recommendation most assuredly came from their legal team. I wouldn't hesitate to reseal with a desiccant pack and maybe an oxygen absorber and store for several more months. I would still use them without a desiccant pack or oxygen absorber after a few months. I routinely eat produce, meat, milk, etc. more than a week past its "expiration date" without issues.

 

I fed a bunch of freeloading relatives so after a hurricane. It went al ong way.

 

When I repack opened #10 cans into pint canning jars I don't insert any O2 absorbers because my intent is for short term storage up to 30 days. Once a pint jar gets opened it gets prepared and used immediately. Any prepared leftovers are usually eaten the very next day. Longer than that they become dog food. The GSDs absolutely love them. I don't use freeze dried frequently for dog food due to the sodium content, but blend it into kibble with lots of water as a treat maybe once weekly.

 

I absolutely adore creamed chipped beef on toast. I don't make it often but I keep the ingredients stocked on my shelves.

It can be made from totally shelf stable ingredients.

Chipped beef: shelf stable, sold in small jars in the potted/canned meats section.

Flour

Butter: canned

Dairy, one or more of the following: canned evaporated milk, powdered milk, powdered heavy cream (available on Amazon.)

Dry seasonings: salt, pepper, granulated garlic, cayenne pepper.

Seasoning variation: you can also add a splash of Worcestershire sauce and/ or hot sauce.

You likely keep most of these items on your shelves anyway. Just add canned butter and several jars of chipped beef.

One jar of chipped beef and one can of butter will make a decent breakfast for four people, or a very hearty breakfast for two people, with at least a half a can of butter left over.

Hubs doesn't eat it at all, so when I make it, it's all mine. I get three generous breakfasts out of one batch.

Bonus round: all ingredients can be used in other recipes/dishes.

 

... and now I need a make a batch of creamed chipped beef on toast, lol.

Also, it's stoopid easy to make from scratch.
And the fat and protein make it filling and satiating.

 

Assemble ingredients.

Chop the dried beef.

Make a roux.

Add dairy: milk, half and half, and/or heavy cream. Whisk to avoid lumps. Thin with a little water if it becomes too thick.

Season. I used salt, pepper, granulated garlic, cayenne pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Go easy on the salt. The dried beef and the Worcestershire sauce are both salty.

Stir in chopped beef.

 

My Dad (A Marine) made that every Sunday morning that God brought to the face of the earth, when I was growing up. I asked one Sunday...Dad, can we have something else, sometime? He looked at me and said...If it's good enough for the CORPS, it's good enough for YOU. 🤣

Sir, Yes Sir!

 

To whichever Mod unscramble my photos (the alert didn't say whom) thank you! ❤

 

I absolutely adore creamed chipped beef on toast. I don't make it often but I keep the ingredients stocked on my shelves.

It can be made from totally shelf stable ingredients.

Chipped beef: shelf stable, sold in small jars in the potted/canned meats section.

Flour

Butter: canned

Dairy, one or more of the following: canned evaporated milk, powdered milk, powdered heavy cream (available on Amazon.)

Dry seasonings: salt, pepper, granulated garlic, cayenne pepper.

Seasoning variation: you can also add a splash of Worcestershire sauce and/ or hot sauce.

You likely keep most of these items on your shelves anyway. Just add canned butter and several jars of chipped beef.

One jar of chipped beef and one can of butter will make a decent breakfast for four people, or a very hearty breakfast for two people, with at least a half a can of butter left over.

Hubs doesn't eat it at all, so when I make it, it's all mine. I get three generous breakfasts out of one batch.

Bonus round: all ingredients can be used in other recipes/dishes.

So now that

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Assemble ingredients.

Chop the dried beef.

Make a roux.

Add dairy: milk, half and half, and/or heavy cream. Whisk to avoid lumps. Thin with a little water if it becomes too thick.

Season. I used salt, pepper, granulated garlic, cayenne pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Go easy on the salt. The dried beef and the Worcestershire sauce are both salty.

Stir in chopped beef.

On another note. You could make it, we meet up. I freeze dry it and we split it. Just a thought. 😁👍

 

So now that


On another note. You could make it, we meet up. I freeze dry it and we split it. Just a thought. 😁👍

I betcha it would freeze dry well!

 

W never could afford the fancy dried beef in a jar..the packs of Carl Budding beef worked,last time I got it though,it was 1.50$ for a 1 oz. envelope(not positive)..used to be 4/1$ back when I could have sex 3 times a day,I'm aging myself.

 

Armour is $3.86/2.25 oz jar, or $7.33/2 jar pack, same size jars, on walmart.com.
That's really not bad when you consider that I'll get three solid meals from one jar.
It's 6pm, I've had one meal of two pieces of wheat toast with creamed chipped beef, that's all I've eaten today (about 5 hours ago?) I'm not yet hungry.

I also love corned beef hash, straight out of a humble can is fine, preferably with scrambled eggs.

I love good pork sausage patties, preferably homemade.
I loathe sausage gravy. Bletch.
Go figure.

Can we introduce ham into this discussion?

Before I learned that it was verboten, I canned up a copious amount of left over spiral sliced honey glazed ham in pint jars, PC'd for 75 minutes. The slices maintained their structural integrity in the jars, with plenty of fluid able to move in the jar, in between the slices.

IIRC the problem with canning ham and other cured meats is that curing meat changes the texture of the meat, which could cause it to fall apart in the jar, compress and become a density/heat penetration issue. I am not arguing against this logic and rule. I am saying that did not appear to be a problem with my jars of ham slices.

When I opened and drained, that ham was soooo versatile.
Ham for soup, ham and eggs, ham in quiche, ham salad, and OMG the best deviled ham I've ever tasted. It flaked up beautifully, moist, great punch of flavor. Pulsed in the food processor with Duke's mayonnaise, Grey Poupon mustard, black pepper, cayenne pepper, a bit of onion, a couple of cloves of garlic, a spoonful of sweet pickle or pepper relish, it made an excellent pate' for crackers or a crusty French or Italian bread.

Honestly, I'd can it again, just for that pate'.

 

Mountain house Black Friday sale is getting good. Prices are like pre Covid. Creamed beef $40.14 turkey gravy $$42.75 now This thread has really made me think because I was always looking at the calories and “servings “ ( which I know are small and always figured double). I always knew sodium was heavy on survival foods and never put much thought into it. 2ftgd brought that to my attention. About monthly when I get supplies I’ll hit McDonald’s drive through because we don’t have any fast food for 20 miles minimum and I’ll get a 20pk of nuggets and give to the dogs as a special treat there’s 1800 milligrams of sodium split 3 ways 600 each. I never thought about that. Doing it once a month isn’t the same as every day. Mountain house rice and chicken $19.75 #ten can but 730mg sodium per one cup serving. Was looking for different ways to break up food boredom’s and extend dogs food stores but have a lot of rethinking now. But this is why I’m here to get help for what I don’t know and offer help for members of what I do have experience with.

 

Servings aren’t important for survival. Calories are most important , followed by sufficient protein and fats ( the latter is the more likely issue), followed by vitamins and minerals.

Chipped beef may be a don't care in the sodium depending on what you serve it on.

 

I eat a mre or first strike rations for lunch on jobs like 2-3 times a week that’s true just broke open a Mexican rice and beans menu 14 totaled up sodium content 1755 milligrams. Meanwhile my girlfriend is now busting my stones that this is why I don’t sleep because I eat this and drink very little water I also drink Gatorades at 200 plus mg sodium. Starting to wonder how I’m actually alive? I never considered this angle.

 

I just rcvd email from Mountain House. All #10 cans now 50% off!. Thats a deal.

 

Trouble with the #10 cans is I'm not feeding a platoon.
"Found to be acceptable up to 1 week after opening".

I would prefer not to eat SOS 3x per day for a week...

I'm guessing there are two things that could cause problems: oxygen, and moisture.

Would "repackaging" some of these in jars, with oxy. absorbers make them last longer?
Anyone with direct experience?

 

I repack the leftover contents in pint canning jars and then use within a month.

 

On Black Friday I went to order and son of a beech I missed the creamed beef again. Sold out Ya snooze ya loose. Did get shredded beef which I never got before. More granola and blueberries because ya can never have enough of that. And for giggles got two turkey gravy cans Always looking for different storage food options My storage closet now packed like sardines so I’ll stand fast for a bit with the foods. Thank you for your responses and education