Meals, Ready to Eat?

[The CO]

Make your own dry cooler:

Parts:
One cooler
One baking/cooling rack 3-6 inches tall, that fits in cooler.
One plastic sheet that fits over rack-visqueen, garbage bag.

Put rack in cooler.
Add ice (about-2-4 #) under rack.
Cover rack with plastic.
Put veggies on plastic.
Enjoy delicious veggies all week.

If you keep one end of the cooler clear, you can flip up the plastic and add ice without unloading.

[SaintTemple]

I have survived on theses on and off for over the years when I was in the military! Just remember these things are huge in calories and carbohydrates. There meant to keep marines fueled up for combat. They have gotten better every year few years with newer improved menus though I do miss the dehydrated strawberries that they use to have in them 20 years ago. Just make shure you hydrate anything that needs it. In the heat eating dehydrated food and it rehydrating in your stomach is a bad bad idea.

Get rid of the outside packaging and defiantly add some spices to help flavor them up. You might also want to learn a few recipes from the MRE cookbookhttp://david.brubakers.us/cookb ... books.html I would also make sure you add a few camping meals to the menu like the granola and berries for breakfast and some jerky.

Enjoy your MRE's

[Ugly Dougly]

Here's your URL:
http://david.brubakers.us/cookbook/rationcookbooks.html
Scroll down to MREs of course.
Those little Tabasco bottles go a long way.

[dragonpilot]

What's the shelf life for MREs...I've got some I've had for a few years.

[dragonpilot]

Nevermind...I Googled and found an MRE Info forum member that has tried 11 year old MREs and is still alive to write about it. Make sure original plastic packaging has not been punctured. Also cooler storage temps help, too. YMMV.

[Super Evil Brian]

How well do Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs) work in BRC? Pros? Cons? Favourite menus? Menus better left at home? What's the gifting potential of MREs you don't need (as for example, you got gifted a meal elsewhere?)

I used them on and off the playa and they're not bad, depending which ones you get and the contractor who made them. It's just a rumor that they have retarded amounts of calories. One a day will be more than enough, especially if you have granola bars, the Malto Meal generic cereals in the large plastic bags (read the ingredients, many have no high fructose corn syrup or other nasty things) or the other dried food mentioned.

At $7 something a meal, they're not the cheapest alternative but are pretty easy. Some taste pretty good while others are a notch above starving.

On the playa I didn't feel like cooking or eating much, so I broke the MREs apart and ate the parts piecemeal with handfulls of cereal or snacks. I didn't eat actual meals, I ate when I was hungry.

I was able to eat in the BRC commissary (it's oddly free of dust) a few times and my neighbors cooked feasts for every meal and threw food at me, so I got away lucky.

[Super Evil Brian]

Nevermind...I Googled and found an MRE Info forum member that has tried 11 year old MREs and is still alive to write about it. Make sure original plastic packaging has not been punctured. Also cooler storage temps help, too. YMMV.

Sometimes they have batches of contaminated MRE's with spoiled food and other horrible things. It's a roll of the dice.

[dragonpilot]

Nevermind...I Googled and found an MRE Info forum member that has tried 11 year old MREs and is still alive to write about it. Make sure original plastic packaging has not been punctured. Also cooler storage temps help, too. YMMV.

Sometimes they have batches of contaminated MRE's with spoiled food and other horrible things. It's a roll of the dice.

Crap! Now I'll have to get a ticket for my food taster....

[Foxfur]

Here's your URL:
http://david.brubakers.us/cookbook/rationcookbooks.html
Scroll down to MREs of course.
Those little Tabasco bottles go a long way.

They're never enough!
I went with the nuclear option:

Fuckton of Tabasco.jpg

[FIGJAM]

Also goes in the first aid kit in case of heart attack!!!!!!!!!!


http://www.infiniteunknown.net/2011/03/09/scientists-find-that-capsaicin-could-stop-a-heart-attack-in-progress/

[Ugly Dougly]

I think you're all due for a ration:



And I hope that nothing inside offends your global sensibilities.

[catinthefunnyhat]

I think you're all due for a ration:



And I hope that nothing inside offends your global sensibilities.

"Food gift from the People of the United States of America."

Now say Thanks to your Uncle! And don't make that face!

[Ugly Dougly]

These are designed for hippies and individuals from fucked-up countries.

[catinthefunnyhat]

And are not to be confused with the UEs from cluster bombs.

[Super Evil Brian]

And are not to be confused with the UEs from cluster bombs.

Because those are from Jesus.

[Foxfur]

These are designed for hippies and individuals from fucked-up countries.

I heard they loved the BBQ shredded pork. Ahh, the guilty pleasures are the sweetest.


EAT THE FUCKING BACON!!!!!
Thank you.

[Oldguy]

During basic training in 1969, we were given canned C-Rats dated 1944. I liked chili better than eggs with ham. I was discharged in 1976 without ever eating MRE's. I like freeze dried camping meals, so I guess they are as good or better. I like Beefaroni or ravioli from a can.

[aknod]

My friend and I bought 2 cases of MREs for our 1st burn in 2008 (that was such a shitshow I've surprised we survived). A full case came back. We re-upped with a second case for 2010 (missed 2009) but that idiot I burn with bought the same "A" menu we already had. We also usually bring a couple of packs of bacon, some fresh fruit/veg for the first few days, peanut butter, chips, etc. There's always something left over, but we try to share a lot and have a variety. The MRE "main course" in the pouch gets eaten, and usually the granola bar or bread or whatever, but the "fruit drink" and "dairy shake product" never do. (We did have a friend try the DSP in coffee as creamer once. It wasn't bad, all things considered.)

The whole MRE is 2500-3000 calories, which is way more than I can eat on the playa, but the "shake" or "fruit drink" is about 3-400 of that.

[Ugly Dougly]

"Shake"? Gotta try that someday.

Back when I was in the Guard, we go these individually wrapped loaves of bread. I kid you now, they were great! I haven't seen anything like them on the civilian market.

[Oldguy]

Hardtack: feeding America since the Revolution. Salt pork and cornmeal and you are good to go.

[the other kevin]

I was planning to bring some MREs. I've had them before and they are convenient, better than airline food, and easy to break up and eat piecemeal. One a day is overkill, there's a lot of food there. The moop factor isn't that bad, since the wrappers aren't any bigger empty than they are full, and I could usually fit all the trash into the box the entree came in. The self-heater eliminates having to pack a stove. It might be worth bringing some alternatives to break it up a bit, bacon, jerky, and add some fresh or dried fruit.

[sovietidaho]

My camp and I ate the entrees a lot last year. They're nice because they're calorie-dense (and when you don't want to eat, making every bite count is important). Also, if you're in a group you can cook for everyone with one pot of water and no dishes! Backpacking meals can be delicious as well, but in my experience they're WAY expensive - plus you often have to bring extra water to rehydrate them.

We did supplement pretty heavily with grilled cheese sandwiches (our staple of choice), and various comforting snack foods. I wouldn't want to live on them exclusively, but there's enough variety that I wouldn't go crazy if I had to. Some people get a kick out of cooking gourmet on the playa - more power to them! Personally, I don't have the energy to cook for myself after a day of work, let alone a day of running around in the desert. My priority is delicious calories, fast.

I found this site that has them: http://beprepared.com/quickshoplist.asp ... 20to%20Eat)
Reading through to refresh my memory, I remember liking the ravoli, the tortellini, and the sausage. Some of the breakfast options were good, also. They're cheap enough that if you order a smattering now, you could sample some to find out what you like.