Hi folks,
It came to mind on a training weekend, while living off MREs. Is it possible to package pre hydrated, pre cooked, home made meals (let's say curry and rice for arguments sake) in mylar bags for later use?
I presume commercially produced ready meals in pouches/bags(such as military rations)have all been pasteurised/irradiated at some point.
My question is, can similar results be obtained using domestic appliances and methods. There are a lot of videos up on YouTube of how to make supposed "MREs", but as almost all of them need hydration, which will certainly involve boiling water, they are not ready to eat and not of as much use in a battlefield/lightweight loadout situation.
Any help much appreciated as always!
BladeFalcon
Long winded answer this one, but the upshot is, MREs are bad, m'kay?
MREs have a far shorter shelf life than you'd expect. In fluctuating conditions they can last as little as a few weeks, and they're not made for survival or long term use. They have high calorie counts because they're designed for use in the field, they don't leave you feeling full, they're heavy, and to be honest they taste like crap. They come in big packages that you usually end up stripping down and discarding half the stuff in there just to be able to get enough of them in your kit. Oh and they can cause epic constipation.
A lot of people think that MREs are a great thing to stockpile, but the military rotate them constantly, and they're only supposed to be used for short periods between being able to get to an actual mess hall. They spoil easily and just don't provide a healthy diet - they're not designed to.
For survival you really do want to go for something dehydrated, as it'll last years (and years and years), it'll taste better, and it'll be lighter. You can make yourself a fairly robust and balanced diet out of dehydrated packs, that'll be suitable for long term use, and that more importantly will fill you up and give you most of what you need.
The dehydrated packs will be lighter, but yes you will need to use water, but then you'll be carrying a decent supply anyway(!).
"The problem with internet quotes is that you can't always depend on their accuracy" - Abraham Lincoln, 1864
I bought a MRE box at the Wilderness Gathering a few years ago and TBH I wasn't impressed with it, it seemed to have more sweeties in it than actual food. I use the "Wayfarer" food packs..can be purchased at most camping shops and online.
lonewolf wrote:I use the "Wayfarer" food packs..can be purchased at most camping shops and online.
If I'm reading that right, then those will eventually starve you to death.
Those Wayfarer meals are 300g, and they're stating 524kj per 100g. So let's say you eat three of those a day, that'll give you 4,716kj per day intake.
You're supposed to take in 8,700kj a day, and you can double that if you're doing something active like hiking. Bear in mind military MREs are somewhere around 8,000kj per meal because they use a figure of around 17,000kj a day combat burn.
Do you find you come back noticeably slimmer from your days out?
"The problem with internet quotes is that you can't always depend on their accuracy" - Abraham Lincoln, 1864
I only have them as an emergency, in my GHB should I need them until I can get back to my base not as a replacement for proper food. I've got about a weeks supply.
lonewolf wrote:I only have them as an emergency, in my GHB should I need them until I can get back to my base not as a replacement for proper food. I've got about a weeks supply.
Fair enough, I just had visions of people trying to use them for a week's camping and coming back 4 stone lighter lol. They actually advertise them on their site as being great for use on camping trips, maybe they could do a cross promotion with weight watchers
"The problem with internet quotes is that you can't always depend on their accuracy" - Abraham Lincoln, 1864
I have used something similar in the past on camping trips, boil in the bag type stuff, but I've also had snack bars and a limited supply of bacon as well.
I've a lot of British rat packs. Personally I prefer them to the American MRE's, the brit pack is all you need for 24 hours in one box.
Home packing 'wet' rations if feasible but not recommended because of the risk of the food spoiling and leaving you hungry and or ill. Its safer to dehydrate home meals for a trip.
@Holomon Very valuable input, thank you! Don't worry I wouldn't dream of stockpiling these things for an emergency in the long term. More like something I can quickly whip up a day or two before a weekends hiking/exercise. I was just wondering how the military rat packs are produced, and whether it's possible to get similar results at home. Something like a month or two lifespan perhaps..?
@rik Also many thanks for the link, I had looked for something similar, guess my Google skills just aren't up to it!
Only tried the American MRE's a couple of times. Not impressed. The heat to eat system (chemical heat pad) is a good idea but the food itself was pretty abysmal.
The UK Army boil in the bag rations I find excellent. Longest time period I've used them for was an 8 day stretch. They are easy to prepare, just stick in boiling water for 10mins. Always like to have at least 10 boxes in storage for shooting or walking trips, mainly because I'm a terrible cook.
