I've had dehydrated and freeze dried meals many times before. Until today, however, I hadn't tried an MRE.
I had a couple "extra" after packing three day emergency supplies for my family along with a few in our bob and ghb. So, I tought I'd do a taste test.
It was decent.:thumb:
I had the cheese tortellini (forgive my spelling, if i got it wrong). It wasn't any different than the canned versions, except the sauce was a bit thicker and it wasn't as salty as some canned stuff I've had. Actually, those were two big plusses for me (thicker sauce, less salt).
I learned a couple of things:
They are definitely better with the MRE heaters.
MRE heaters need a bit of water to activate the heating element (just a couple tablespoons).
A single MRE "meal" is actually a decent sized serving. And I packed too much for the 3-day survival supply. There's no way my kids will eat a main dish and two sides three times a day.
I would take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the MRE heater. It's simple, but it's important to follow the directions closely. I wouldn't want to be fumbling around with the directions in a survival, high stress situation. Do it once and you'll remember the process from here on out.
I found the directions quite accurate. Even the "cooking" time was accurate, though you could leave the MRE in the heater for longer than suggested and things would only improve. And the heating element gets pretty darn hot. I started mine 35 minutes ago and its still producing.
Definitely better than some freeze dried backpacking "meals" I've eaten before.
Of course, my MRE was only three years old. Still a positive and reassuring experience.
This may be old hat to some of you, but thought I'd pass along my experience for those who might not have had the culinary pleasure.
I had a couple "extra" after packing three day emergency supplies for my family along with a few in our bob and ghb. So, I tought I'd do a taste test.
It was decent.:thumb:
I had the cheese tortellini (forgive my spelling, if i got it wrong). It wasn't any different than the canned versions, except the sauce was a bit thicker and it wasn't as salty as some canned stuff I've had. Actually, those were two big plusses for me (thicker sauce, less salt).
I learned a couple of things:
They are definitely better with the MRE heaters.
MRE heaters need a bit of water to activate the heating element (just a couple tablespoons).
A single MRE "meal" is actually a decent sized serving. And I packed too much for the 3-day survival supply. There's no way my kids will eat a main dish and two sides three times a day.
I would take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the MRE heater. It's simple, but it's important to follow the directions closely. I wouldn't want to be fumbling around with the directions in a survival, high stress situation. Do it once and you'll remember the process from here on out.
I found the directions quite accurate. Even the "cooking" time was accurate, though you could leave the MRE in the heater for longer than suggested and things would only improve. And the heating element gets pretty darn hot. I started mine 35 minutes ago and its still producing.
Definitely better than some freeze dried backpacking "meals" I've eaten before.
Of course, my MRE was only three years old. Still a positive and reassuring experience.
This may be old hat to some of you, but thought I'd pass along my experience for those who might not have had the culinary pleasure.