Best of the prepared foods?

[Rivershot]

I've gone blind trying to compare Mre, Wise, Mountain House, etc....
I would like some opinions of taste and price and where ya'll buy. I would like to be able to get veg., sides and meats separately as I have some of each already, just not a balanced pantry.

On a side note, whats a good way too store dry pet foods? I know canned will last 2-4 years but what about dried?
Thanks

 

[Gunfighter]

I stick with what I know.
Menu A&B
US Government MRE!

 

[StringBeans03]

On a side note, whats a good way too store dry pet foods? I know canned will last 2-4 years but what about dried?
Thanks

I've wondered about this, too. It would seem that if you keep it dry and away from rats, mice and squirrels it would last a long time.

 

[Outlander]

I like Mountain House (pricey), Gourmet Reserve (pricey) and Thrive/Shelf Reliance. Thrive seems to have better prices on the vegtables and fruits.

 

[Rivershot]

Thanks for the replys, keep um coming. .

 

[Billrube]

I've tried Mountain House and Wise; while both are bland (you will want some salt/pepper spices on hand) the mountain house actually tastes like the entree described on the package.
My wise experience was not so good. I tried the Chili Mac, which required additional chili powder to make it taste like chili. Afterward, I got a good case of the bubble guts that made me and the porcelain throne pretty good buddies.
I have eaten several Mountain House entrees and never had the bubble guts with those.
Wise proponents say the "body will have to adjust" to a different diet and that may be true BUT in a survival situation I don't want a three day case of the screamers while my body gets adjusted.
I think it's more to do with Wise using soy protein instead of real meat.
That being said, I do have some Wise food in my stash although the majority is Mountain House.

 

[Patronus]

For ther 15 year range I stopped buying Wise when I discovered Chef's Banquet. I know Wiuse cklaims 25 years and Chef;s says 15 but close enough to me. Not only is the Chef's better tasting, it is a hell of a lot better bargain. Wise 60 serving is usually about $100, whereas for $100 you can get a Chef's Banquet "ARK" *330 serving 6 gallon bucket. The calorie contrast is incredible too.

Just looked at the calorie count so I could get it right.

Wise: 14,320
Chef: 63,000
Diff: 48,680

For my hundred bucks, 48,000 calories more to LIVE ON just makes sense. I only tried one of the Chef's so far(the chicken "stew"). It was delicious! It needed a little more time for the peas to soften than the directions said but hey, I can live with crunchy peas in a hurry to stave off starvation. And I think "stew" may be a generous term....more like soup, but even so the taste compares very favorably to anything in a can..or anywhere I have ever had a comparable type soup for that matter.

I bought my Chef's Banquet ARKs at Overstock.com. The first order I placed for 2 buckets was $203, no shipping charged. The second order for 2 buckets was $207($2.95 shipping on all orders from them). The latests order was for 4 buckets. They emailed me a 10% off coupon with my 2nd order update so I paid $367(I think) for 4 buckets(200 pounds of food) delivered right to my door. I am concerned about the diet getting monotonous if we had to live on it but I am more concerned about not living at all because I was concerned about monotony. lol. Besides, if it ever does hit the fan, I expect I will be adding food from nature and scavenging to the mix. But 63000 calories a month per person or even split between the wife and I will sure make a great foundation and tide us thru the lean times.


http://www.overstock.com/Emergency-...rage-Supply-330-Servings/5701015/product.html

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By the way, this is my basic water treatment setup.

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[Chris Mac]

I like Mountain House (pricey), Gourmet Reserve (pricey) and Thrive/Shelf Reliance. Thrive seems to have better prices on the vegtables and fruits.

What Outlander said. I happen to like some of the newer stuff from Wise. Mountain House has always been good, but keep an extra supply of spices on hand along with some canned meat to add to the meal. Also, it's a REALLY GOOD IDEA to buy a #10 can of the stuff and prepare it for your family. Once you put it on the table, you'd be surprised at the actual volume of food you are getting. It's not calorie dense stuff, you need to supplement it.

Did you know you can dry can some of the stuff yourself and save a bundle of cash? You can do it via mylar bags with oxygen absorbers and then seal it in buckets, or vacuum seal it with a small 02 absorber in Ball jars (pretty inexpensive and we do this often with dry goods and dehydrated veggies/fruits).

Or you can invest in your own #10 canning equipment and buy the cans, lids, and even labels. If you are planning on doing volume, this is a great way to build up your inventory rapidly. You simply buy the raw materials (rice, beans, pasta, dried milk, dried fruits, cocoa, rolled oats, wheat, dried corn, honey, even some cereals, etc.) at a restaurant supply store, seal it in the cans with an 02 absorber, label it, and store it in a cool/dry location. The investment on something like this is about $1K up front and maybe $1,500 if you want to motorize the canning equipment, but when you consider some of these #10 canned items can cost $25-$50 each and you need to stock a LOT of them, you'll do okay.

 

[Rivershot]

Thanks for replies folks. After some more reading and thinking, I think we are gonna go for the mylar bags and a good seed bank. My wife hates anything that has a single green pea in it, and all of the food buckets have 10-20% of there servings with peas and with all the rice and pasta servings they are way over priced IMO. We still will pick up a bucket here and there for last resort backup.

Thanks again.

 

[Outlander]

Just remember that while a seed bank is a great idea there my be situations where growing food in the short and intermediate term may not be possible.