Best Freeze Dried Food experiences? (light, pig, filter, panel)
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$99 14-day emergency food supply w/free shipping in the 48 with the current $50 off sale
The only thing going for it, is that it's cheap. I'm not a fan of products that are just over processed grains and milk isolates. But if somebody is looking for a budget entry into a 25-year shelf life food supply, here it is.
$99 14-day emergency food supply w/free shipping in the 48 with the current $50 off sale
The only thing going for it, is that it's cheap. I'm not a fan of products that are just over processed grains and milk isolates. But if somebody is looking for a budget entry into a 25-year shelf life food supply, here it is.
Sale ends in a couple of days.
One thing about the cheap kits, they use a lot of starches, carbs and fillers instead of proteins. I always check what the menus are in those kits. This one has:
Brown Sugar Oatmeal (10 Servings)
Multigrain Cereal (20 Servings)
Spanish Rice (20 Servings)
Cheddar Cheese Grits with Green Chilies (10 Servings)
Savory Beans and Rice (20 Servings)
Buttery Herb Pasta (20 Servings)
Creamy Rice Pudding (10 Servings)
Hobo Stew (20 Servings)
Cheddar Broccoli Rice (10 Servings)
Hearty Potato Stew (10 Servings)
Pineapple Orange Guava Drink (30 Servings)
Meal Extender Long Grain Rice (10 Servings)
Meal Extender Beans (10 Servings)
Salt and Pepper Packets (14 of each)
Oatmeal, macaroni, rice, you'd be better off making your own stores for a lot less money.
One thing about the cheap kits, they use a lot of starches, carbs and fillers instead of proteins. I always check what the menus are in those kits. This one has:
Brown Sugar Oatmeal (10 Servings)
Multigrain Cereal (20 Servings)
Spanish Rice (20 Servings)
Cheddar Cheese Grits with Green Chilies (10 Servings)
Savory Beans and Rice (20 Servings)
Buttery Herb Pasta (20 Servings)
Creamy Rice Pudding (10 Servings)
Hobo Stew (20 Servings)
Cheddar Broccoli Rice (10 Servings)
Hearty Potato Stew (10 Servings)
Pineapple Orange Guava Drink (30 Servings)
Meal Extender Long Grain Rice (10 Servings)
Meal Extender Beans (10 Servings)
Salt and Pepper Packets (14 of each)
Oatmeal, macaroni, rice, you'd be better off making your own stores for a lot less money.
Using the definition of filer as: calories to give you energy.
Not sure how you define it.
I consider the beans and rice to be the food, the pasta is a filler.
Hobo stew is kinda up in the air: depends on the ratios of ingredients.
I suspect I would consider it filler.
The rest look like seasonings.
Sadly, I don't see cayenne or Franks hot sauce, so it looks like it would be a bit bland.
Using the definition of filer as: calories to give you energy.
Not sure how you define it.
I consider the beans and rice to be the food, the pasta is a filler.
Hobo stew is kinda up in the air: depends on the ratios of ingredients.
I suspect I would consider it filler.
The rest look like seasonings.
Sadly, I don't see cayenne or Franks hot sauce, so it looks like it would be a bit bland.
Mostly salt. But this one does include more salt and a little pepper in the kit.
For me, rations of Pemmican and cold flour go a lot further than macaroni or broccoli. I can make them, and the pemican has all the fats, proteins from the meat and tallow, and all the vitamins and natural sugars from the fruit that a person needs for energy and to avoid hunger.
Cold flour is a great filler as corn meal can be made into bread or biscuit, or mush and the added sugar and spices take the place of oatmeal's or other grains.
I see pasta and sauces as useless fats and starches that fill the gut, but don't have the energy needed in very cold climates to keep warm and active. I like taters, and I like soups, but in a survival situation where ounces count, I'll take the old standbys that kept my ancestors alive any day.
I do like some of the Mountain House freeze dried stuff, but then many of their meals include meat which is seriously lacking in this offering.
Mostly salt. But this one does include more salt and a little pepper in the kit.
I think I detect a bit of sarcasm dripping off of this
(I concur, BTW. Most Americans don't need as much salt as they get, unless they work in hot weather.)
Quote:
For me, rations of Pemmican and cold flour go a lot further than macaroni or broccoli. I can make them, and the pemican has all the fats, proteins from the meat and tallow, and all the vitamins and natural sugars from the fruit that a person needs for energy and to avoid hunger.
Cold flour is a great filler as corn meal can be made into bread or biscuit, or mush and the added sugar and spices take the place of oatmeal's or other grains.
This may be true, but is outside of the mission of this thread. The thread is looking for:
Mass produced and packaged,
low cost meals,
that don't require a lot of prep,
and are freeze dried
(or otherwise preserved)
to last (maybe) 25 years.
Quote:
I see pasta and sauces as useless fats and starches that fill the gut, but don't have the energy needed in very cold climates to keep warm and active. I like taters, and I like soups, but in a survival situation where ounces count, I'll take the old standbys that kept my ancestors alive any day.
Well, pasta is starch, or carbs (same thing, for all practical purposes), sauces are undefined, as there are so many different kinds. Carbs (whether from potatoes, wheat, corn, flour, or pasta) provide energy. No matter what propagandists may say.
Quote:
I do like some of the Mountain House freeze dried stuff, but then many of their meals include meat which is seriously lacking in this offering.
I have heard good things about Mountain House, but haven't tried it.
Pemmican, if done right can last many years. Rendering the fat removes the elements that can rot, the meat is dried and powdered jerky, and the fruit is also dried.
The local Indians would make the stuff in large cakes, put them in a buffalo skin Parfleche, seal it with buffalo tallow and bury it. The stuff would last for years like that.
No, it isn't a mass-produced freeze-dried meal, but it is survival food that lasts for years, and it is dried if not freeze dried. Plus, it doesn't need to be cooked or mixed with boiling water to eat, although you could if you want a hot soup.
I'm not a big fan of pasta, so it isn't something I'd normally go to as normal food let alone a survival food.
Mountain House has food I would eat normally. I'm a carnivore, but I do eat some rice or beans or bread, as long as I have plenty of meat for the meal.
Mountain House is one of the few companies that offer freeze dried FOOD, not just mac and cheese.
For example:
Chicken & Mashed Potato Dinner
Chicken Fajita Bowl
Homestyle Chicken Noodle Casserole
Mexican Adobo Rice & Chicken
Pad Thai with Chicken
Yellow Curry with Chicken & Rice
Fusilli Pasta with Italian Sausage
Homestyle Turkey Dinner
Italian Style Pepper Steak with Rice & Tomatoes
Raspberry Crumble
Scrambled Eggs with Ham & Peppers
Another thing one has to look at with these kits is if they count meal 'servings' to include powdered drink mixes. It might be calories, but to me it isn't "food" and shouldn't be counted as a 'serving' of anything.
Another thing one has to look at with these kits is if they count meal 'servings' to include powdered drink mixes. It might be calories, but to me it isn't "food" and shouldn't be counted as a 'serving' of anything.
Quite correct. And another thing, most of them fail to give you more than 2000 cal per day. In a "grid down" world, (almost) everyone will be doing manual labor, thus needing substantially more than 2000 cal per day.
I would say the first package (around post #62) would be good for about one week, not the month they pretend to be good for.
Frankly, if you have the money, I think Mountain House has potential. I haven't done the analysis so I am not sure. Most of the others wouldn't be worth what you pay for them, and you should probably double your order, to get close to the right amount of food.
If you don't have that kind of money, you are probably better off going a different route.
(Like cans and boxes of stuff you already eat, followed by buckets of grain, a garden, and some chickens, or other livestock.)
Pemmican, if done right can last many years. Rendering the fat removes the elements that can rot, the meat is dried and powdered jerky, and the fruit is also dried.
The local Indians would make the stuff in large cakes, put them in a buffalo skin Parfleche, seal it with buffalo tallow and bury it. The stuff would last for years like that.
No, it isn't a mass-produced freeze-dried meal, but it is survival food that lasts for years, and it is dried if not freeze dried. Plus, it doesn't need to be cooked or mixed with boiling water to eat, although you could if you want a hot soup.
I'm not a big fan of pasta, so it isn't something I'd normally go to as normal food let alone a survival food.
Mountain House has food I would eat normally. I'm a carnivore, but I do eat some rice or beans or bread, as long as I have plenty of meat for the meal.
Mountain House is one of the few companies that offer freeze dried FOOD, not just mac and cheese.
For example:
Chicken & Mashed Potato Dinner
Chicken Fajita Bowl
Homestyle Chicken Noodle Casserole
Mexican Adobo Rice & Chicken
Pad Thai with Chicken
Yellow Curry with Chicken & Rice
Fusilli Pasta with Italian Sausage
Homestyle Turkey Dinner
Italian Style Pepper Steak with Rice & Tomatoes
Raspberry Crumble
Scrambled Eggs with Ham & Peppers
Compare that list with the one we were looking at. If I have to eat Freeze Dry, it's going to be Mountain House even if it does cost more.
Thank you so much for that epicenter link, some great sales going on.
And probably our last chance to pick up any deals on MH meals...ever!.
Just FYI, I placed an order here to sample their quality and never received product, or heard from them in any other way. I wound up getting a refund through the payment processor. Do not recommend.
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