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Did the cook-in-the-bag thing? Need any spices, cook up evenly?
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BTW, it will be a little while before I start this again - my wife started her chemo, and that means some very strict diets, which we will both eat, as I won't make her watch me eat something she can't have. Thanks for everyone who is actually interested in this thread.
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RIP:LTC D.Cabrera/SGT C.Newman-29OCT11-OEF
FL, USA
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Prayers sent for your wife.
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"Everybody gotta die sometime Red."
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Thank you.
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Might be worth giving this a watch, at least from this the take away is Peak Refuel or MountainHouse or just go with a stocked pantry. But, everyone has their own tastes as well.
Which is the best emergency food? We show you and try all the major players. |
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Enjoyed this thread
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Ain't over yet. My wife has mostly recovered from the first round of chemo and we had a Ready Hour meal today, the last of the #10 can of Black Bean Burger mix in patties and the Potato Cheddar Soup. Both were excellent, and she said it felt like it had settled her stomach somewhat.
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Damn interesting thread. The coffee certainly looks interesting, though I feel they might work better if they had it in single serve packets.
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That coffee is STRONG. Good for days with short sleep.
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Good thread, thanks for sharing. I am slowly upping my long storage life food game myself but I do need to be conscious of emergency meals perfect for a low carb and low sugar diet.
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Originally Posted By ArizonaRifleman: Good thread, thanks for sharing. I am slowly upping my long storage life food game myself but I do need to be conscious of emergency meals perfect for a low carb and low sugar diet. View Quote If it's an actual emergency or you need lots of energy, low carbs and low sugar are the last things you should be looking for. Weight loss is the last thing you are looking for. Now if you're a diabetic and out/low on meds, I understand why you are looking for low carbs and sugar. |
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Liberals are a curious mix of communism and fascism, they want to destroy you but want to use your own money to do it.
I'm getting down to the last box, the other have all been destroyed... |
Originally Posted By fxntime: If it's an actual emergency or you need lots of energy, low carbs and low sugar are the last things you should be looking for. Weight loss is the last thing you are looking for. Now if you're a diabetic and out/low on meds, I understand why you are looking for low carbs and sugar. View Quote My girlfriend is, so I kind of want to have sharable meals. We're like never getting married but she's the mother of our child so she needs to be around somewhat |
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for those saying they are salty. this stuff is seasoned precook according to the moisture content. FD foods that are not fully rehydrated with the exact amount of water needed can be seem overly salty or seasoned. try adding more water and waiting a bit.
i have had similar issues rehydrating the FD foods i have made |
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Originally Posted By ArizonaRifleman: My girlfriend is, so I kind of want to have sharable meals. We're like never getting married but she's the mother of our child so she needs to be around somewhat View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By ArizonaRifleman: Originally Posted By fxntime: If it's an actual emergency or you need lots of energy, low carbs and low sugar are the last things you should be looking for. Weight loss is the last thing you are looking for. Now if you're a diabetic and out/low on meds, I understand why you are looking for low carbs and sugar. My girlfriend is, so I kind of want to have sharable meals. We're like never getting married but she's the mother of our child so she needs to be around somewhat With a history of type II in my family, I try to maintain a low carb diet as well. I'll do what I have to do in a survival situation and have plenty of rice and grains to make that happen, but I'd love to find some lower carb options for camping or just to stash in the car, office, and GHB. To that end, there's a company producing low carb FD meals intended for the hiking crowd. Next Mile Meals I'm ordering a sampler kit and some breakfast meals in the next few days, but it's likely to be a while before I use or review them. |
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Originally Posted By corruptor: With a history of type II in my family, I try to maintain a low carb diet as well. I'll do what I have to do in a survival situation and have plenty of rice and grains to make that happen, but I'd love to find some lower carb options for camping or just to stash in the car, office, and GHB. To that end, there's a company producing low carb FD meals intended for the hiking crowd. Next Mile Meals I'm ordering a sampler kit and some breakfast meals in the next few days, but it's likely to be a while before I use or review them. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By corruptor: Originally Posted By ArizonaRifleman: Originally Posted By fxntime: If it's an actual emergency or you need lots of energy, low carbs and low sugar are the last things you should be looking for. Weight loss is the last thing you are looking for. Now if you're a diabetic and out/low on meds, I understand why you are looking for low carbs and sugar. My girlfriend is, so I kind of want to have sharable meals. We're like never getting married but she's the mother of our child so she needs to be around somewhat With a history of type II in my family, I try to maintain a low carb diet as well. I'll do what I have to do in a survival situation and have plenty of rice and grains to make that happen, but I'd love to find some lower carb options for camping or just to stash in the car, office, and GHB. To that end, there's a company producing low carb FD meals intended for the hiking crowd. Next Mile Meals I'm ordering a sampler kit and some breakfast meals in the next few days, but it's likely to be a while before I use or review them. Please send me an @ if you do, I am very interested. |
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"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity" --- Sigmond Freud, General Introduction to Psychoanalysis
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The wife unit said I need to do some more, as she is responding very well to chemo so far, so we'll do something from the gift bag tonight.
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You are doing good work, friend. Thank you for the salt of the earth reviews.
I hope your wife gets better. |
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Thank you very much, sir. Her hair is almost gone, but the wig appointment is this week. She enjoys doing these as well, and it's great having two sets of taste buds at work.
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I don’t believe it’s been mentioned yet but uhhh how are the poops after these?
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free gresay !
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Legitimate question, and the answer is, I haven't noticed anything really different with any of them. I have more, um, "variations" with local greasy pizza and cheap beer...
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@armoredman
What a cool thread! Thanks for taking the time to post this, your writing is as informative as it is entertaining. Also, best wishes to your wife. I can tell she's an awesome lady by her willingness to do this project. Sub'd for sure. |
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Thank you very much, I do have at least one more on deck somewhere.
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A question arose in a different place and it reminded me to air it in here.
There is a difference between Mountain House, ReadyWise and Ready Hour. The first two are camping/bug out style meals you prepare in the bag and eat from the bag, something you jam a half dozen single meals in your bag for a couple of days in nature, boiling the water in an old metal canteen cup over a campfire. Nothing wrong with that, and as I've shown, some of them are quite good. Ready Hour is emergency food that is by and large intended to be cooked in a kitchen of sorts. The directions on many of the items I've posted show that clearly. Now you could certainly use these in camping situations, such as a large cookpot over the fire to feed a family. But they don't generally "cook in the bag". You buy a case or two of these and shove them in the back of the pantry to be forgotten for 20 years, or until something happens to prevent you from going to the store for some time. You can cook many of these in a Dutch Oven over a firepit, or on a gas grill, etc. but I did it on my now famous stove for convenience. I can honestly say that one of the biggest take aways from this is make sure you have spices. Some items are just fine by themselves, many more need a touch of something, The spice blend called simply The Blend is the best we have ever found, and a couple of those jammed in with them would be a good idea. Of course, those don't last as long as the meals, however, plain old salt is a freaking rock and will last until the Earth ends. Another takeaway is be able to do basic math in your head to reduce portions so you can save some of the unused portions, as most of these resealable packages state that they are good for 1 year after being opened. I generally cooked all of the case pouches just because I knew we'd use it up soon. Much of this stuff went to work with me as leftovers, waste not, want not. The #10 cans also state that they are good for one year...but in a real emergency they probably won't need to be fresh that long. The Black Bean Burger mix didn't last 4 months...and this was the stuff that got me into this to begin with! I am not done yet, still have a few left to get and try, but I wanted to clarify this one, from my point of view. Hope you all are enjoying the ride... |
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Another fun fact - I am not "one and done" on this stuff, especially the #10 cans - here is a panful of Potato Cheddar soup and Travelers Stew cooking up for lunch. I only added a little salt to the soup for perfection, but Travelers Stew can be a wee bit bland, so a teaspoon of Chinese Hot Chilis and a squirt of Siracha sauce with a dash of The Blend really got the taste buds going. Also got the sinuses going, too...
Attached File Yes, I noticed about the same time you did, I need to clean under the spice rack... |
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Yep - NOT the refried beans. Starting this series with an old favorite, mac and cheese. Every single survival food/emergency food outfit has made versions of this, and some would even argue the classic dry pasta box dinners qualify, even though they do require milk and butter for the finishing touch. Full disclosure, I had a Mountain House mac and cheese dinner a few days ago, (no pics because I needed something right now before going to work, and lo and behold! That was sitting on the counter), and after following the directions, it was al dente, (crunchy), and tasted really odd. So, I went in to this with low expectations, and I was right.
Attached File Attached File Gotta dig for that damn thing again. Attached File Whisk it into water that is NOT boiling...odd... Attached File Stir often - they are NOT kidding. This stuff tried to glue itself to my pan multiple times before it became cooked enough to stay off the supposedly non stick interior. Attached File |
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The water seemed to rapidly vanish - here at 5 minutes left on the timer. of course, the water becomes the sauce, so it's expected it will diminish.
Attached File OK, all done, let sit exactly 4 minutes. Attached File A part of this unbalanced lunch...mac and cheese plus water. Attached File And? Low taste again, made for old people. The cheese sauce was barely noticeable. I will say the pasta was perfectly cooked, no crunch but not fall apart soggy. We started off adding The Blend, as always, then added grated parmesan cheese. That did it for me, but the loving wife decided to add some red sauce to KINDA make it into an ersatz chili mac. She was happy with that. BTW, I added up everything I have spent on this stuff, and YIKES! I am very glad i have a very understanding wife. VERY lucky. Too bad I am too honest for a sponsorship deal. More to come later this weekend. |
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And here we go again...no, still not refried beans. But, it IS beans...green beans, specifically, as dark green vegetables have lots of vitamins and minerals, or something rot like that. besides, my wife IS under orders to eat green veggies while going through the chemo and she suggested this one. Side note - she has resisted the nausea side effects quite well - I didn't think I'd be doing any of these again for months. But, on to the stuff.
...where's the rest of the bag, man? Attached File Hmm...no, they all look like that... Attached File Down the throat look. Attached File Now I used the portion option here - each portion is 1/4 cup, so...1/2 cup ready to go. Bag resealed for the next time within one year that I need green beans. Attached File Cover in water. Attached File |
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Say, that looks pretty good!
Attached File Nuked for 30 seconds in the micro, (I'd rehydrated them in quite warm water), and we were good to go. Those look like normal people portions. Full disclosure - I had forgotten it was 30 minutes to rehydrate, so we ate the other parts of our dinner before the beans were ready to eat; that's why the plates are empty. Attached File Final? These things are GOOD. Plenty of fresh veggie crunch, tasty and flavorful. 10 out of 10 from both of us. |
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Thank you for taking the time to do these honest reviews! Hope your wife is doing well.
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America is a Constitutional Republic, not a democracy. Democracy supports universal equality. A Constitutional Republic supports individual liberty. There is a huge difference.
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Wishing your wife the best, prayers sent.
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Thank you all, much appreciated.
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Thread rocks, OP. A great thanks to you and your bride for trying this stuff and posting your thoughts and pictures. Sending prayers for both you.
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"Preferred pronouns in social media bios are like bright, vibrant colors on snakes and frogs. Its nature's way of telling you to stay the fuck away". -Grottski, '22
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I have this problem...when I get this stuff in, I want to try it all, right now. So...finally...THE REFRIED BEANS!
Attached File Easy directions. Attached File Handy serving suggestion - I might try that, have almost everything on the list. Corn would be regular canned, though... Attached File But wait, what WILL WE USE TO OPEN THE CAN!!!!! ...drum roll... Attached File I know what you are saying...why the HECK did you buy that? Did I mention that if you make an order $100 or higher from My Patriot Supply, shipping is free? With the difference in cost with shipping, they literally paid me to take one of these things. Attached File Anyone who was in old school military knows what this is and how to use it, just an overgrown P-38/JohnWayne, but made cute for civilian market with giant, soft, bright red safety handle, and helpful, (really?), instructions. Honestly, pictures would have been better. Did I use this? Heck no, I have a number of easy to use can openers around, juts showing it off, then stuffing it down in a Ready Hour storage box - if everything does go to heck in a handbasket, who knows, I might need it. Now, how about them beans, eh? |
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That looks interesting. I thought it looked like bacon bits or beef jerky crumbles. The wife said it looks just like the pre packaged dried refried bean flakes in the inmate store. I never paid that much attention, but it's certainly possible. Next time I do a cell search, I'll look.
Attached File Added to boiling water as directed, using double measurements for the two of us...nobody, but nobody wants ME to have a double helping of beans, not unless you are either 100 miles away or have a really good gas mask. Attached File Stir - that's starting to look right. Attached File Timer went off, strictly 5 minutes per directions...and I stirred...and observed something... Attached File That looks...dry... Attached File So, I served my blushing bride a side of fresh green beans, (really, I can't tell them from the Ready Hour freeze dried ones, those are really good), a pan fried pork steak, and CS grenades, I mean, refried beans. Final? The flavor is there, but the water needs to be a touch more, really. Dry, quite dry, but I am sure with another splash of water over that 1/3 per 1/2 cup, maybe even a full 1/2 cup of water to 1/2 cup of beans, they will come out a little better. I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt, (plus since I opened the can I have 1 year to eat it, so I'd BETTER find a way to make them right!), I will award this one about a 6 out of 10. I'll try it again soon. Maybe if I get the chance to try that recipe on the side, who knows, that might be really good... Again, as always, thank you for looking, this really is as much fun as it sounds like. |
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Originally Posted By armoredman: ... That looks...dry... https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/360589/RB_10_jpg-2895053.JPG So, I served my blushing bride a side of fresh green beans, (really, I can't tell them from the Ready Hour freeze dried ones, those are really good), a pan fried pork steak, and CS grenades, I mean, refried beans. Final? The flavor is there, but the water needs to be a touch more, really. Dry, quite dry, but I am sure with another splash of water over that 1/3 per 1/2 cup, maybe even a full 1/2 cup of water to 1/2 cup of beans, they will come out a little better. I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt, (plus since I opened the can I have 1 year to eat it, so I'd BETTER find a way to make them right!), I will award this one about a 6 out of 10. I'll try it again soon. Maybe if I get the chance to try that recipe on the side, who knows, that might be really good... Again, as always, thank you for looking, this really is as much fun as it sounds like. View Quote I've not tried the MPS refried beans, but I have used the Santiago Dehydrated version. I found that you can adjust things by adding water pretty late in the cooking cycle and still come out ok. As far as storage is concerned, if you have access to a vacuum sealer with a canning jar attachment you can keep it way past the "X Time after opening" listed on the label. I generally eat a low carb diet and keep a jar of the dehydrated beans around for occasional use. I think I stretched my first bag out 3 years or so. Also, repacking half into a mylar bag or canning jar with an O2 absorber has worked well for me for both dry milk substitute and whole egg powder. |
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I will probably try again soon, but if need be, I do have a sucker/sealer to vacuum it again.
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OK, last one for a while. Ordinarily this stuff is way too expensive for my blood, but a touch of overtime and a surprise sale made me finally pull the trigger on the famous, or infamous, Beef Dices. Ordinarily they are $88 for 6 cups of freeze dried beef, and I would say thank you, but no thanks you, SPAM will work just fine. BUT...like I said, a few stars aligned and I said, what the heck. Oh, almost forgot - @SIG_gunner , you asked for this one!
This looks like the beginning of something wonderful... Attached File Easy stuff. Attached File We've all seen this one, the spaghetti is pretty darn good - oddly enough, this one had all the spices solidly in a mass at the bottom of the package. It took much stirring and crushing to get all of it to finally mix in. Still good stuff. Attached File While that's cooking, lets look at our freeze dried beef... Attached File Hmm, let's put this in a bowl so you guys can see it better. Attached File |
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Boiling water, per instructions - I might have too much, I didn't know how big these might get.
OK, I'll say it - I see a lot of brown floaters in there. Attached File After the 5 minutes most of them went to the bottom. Still looks...well, I'll just leave that one alone. After all, I'm the one eating it! Attached File Mixing time! Now THAT looks like actual beef chunks. Attached File Ready to go, with the usual suspects standing ready to assist. Attached File Final? To be completely honest, not impressed, really. It tasted like beef, no problem there, but the wife and I agreed it tasted like well-done steak...and only heathens eat well done steak. Or people starving. Texture was good and taste ok, as I said, for a well-done steak, and it made the spaghetti more enjoyable, but the toughness was off-putting. In THAT combo I am calling 6 out of 10. In a true survival situation where protein is at a premium, the protein and carbs combo would be lighting energy to fire you up. The only thing I have fired up right now, is a pipe full of Captain Black, as soon as I get done writing this. |
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Thanks for testing the beef!
Disappointed on the taste. But like you said, in a survival situation protein is really important. Even if the taste isn't great, I'm sure if I need it it'll be enjoyable enough. I think I will invest at least some. |
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I agree with armoredman 100% on his review of the beef.
Canned meat of all types first. |
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Just found this thread, thanks for doing it, great info, and prayers for your wife!
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