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AR15.COM
2/19/2009 9:09:38 PM EDT
Anyone have any experience or reviews for TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein), the kind that Honeyville has and some of the other freeze dried/dehydrated food manufacturers sell?

I have had great personal experience with dehydrating Spam but chicken comes out so so, edible but not great, and the beef comes out like crap. BTW this is for use in cooking, not jerky lol. Spam rehydrates fast and still retains the flavor and texture but chicken and beef come out real tough. I was hoping to buy some fake meats to suppliment for camping purposes etc.
2/20/2009 2:16:37 AM EDT
[#1]
i belive its this or part 2 that shows some TVP from one of the major packers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBoKCSFA1lQ

sides that i have a few cases of #10's of the stuff and have eaten a bunch. lil hot /warm h20..few minutes at best and ya got a "meat" like product . Ive dumped it in eggs..salads etc.
hope it helps

2/20/2009 2:20:54 AM EDT
[#2]
have you ever eaten beef jerky??  that's dehydrated beef. Some of the quality depends on the cut of the meat and prep.
 TVP works good for me in recipes. stews .chili, that sort of thing.  gives you the flavor when you don't really need to 'chew' the meat
2/20/2009 2:29:42 AM EDT
[#3]
I got some of it from harmony house foods I got there sample pack the Beefish Bits, taco Flavored Bits and ham where good the chicken chucks where not good at all not even the wild animals around we would eat it when I put it outside. The chicken chucks kind of turned me off from trying the other chicken bits I had.

The taco was good on it own and I mixed the beef bits in some other meal and used the ham to make soup. Just so you know make sure you soak them for a long time or they are chew like rubber. Don't think you can soak them for a little then add it to some type of liquid and they will soften up because it did not work when I tried to make pot pie with the chicken chunks.
2/20/2009 4:56:28 AM EDT
[#4]
We recently made spaghetti and soup from the Honeyville Beef TVP and it was good.

It has a slightly different texture than hamburger but not bad.

I just ordered a few cases more for both long term storage and daily use.

We also eat the Honeyville oats, fruits and vegetables.

When I open a #10 can I put a new oxygen absorber in a half gallon jar and the rest in a quart jar with the old O2 absorber.

The big jar gets put in the basement and the small jar goes in the pantry for use and is filled up from the larger jar

We had a can of strawberries go mushy before it was all gone using the original can and lid so we now store all opened items in glass jars
2/20/2009 5:07:50 AM EDT
[#5]
I don't especially like the texture of TVP, but it is edible.

Taste wise it seems kind of bland. Seems to work best in something that has its own flavour like BBQ or chili.
2/20/2009 3:12:51 PM EDT
[#6]
When I rehydrate it I throw a couple of boullion cubes and whatever seasonings I'm going to use in with it and pour in the hot water.  Then I put a plate over it and let it steep for a half hour or so.  I've used it to make tacos, spaghetti, veggie burgers, and other stuff, works great.
2/20/2009 4:29:43 PM EDT
[#7]
Boiling water, some TVP, bulk rice, and a bullion cube in a freezer bag tucked in a Reflectix coozie makes for a damn fine meal...  If you've been hiking all day and just want to sack out.  It is easy to work into almost anything.

I consider it highly edible.
2/20/2009 5:58:49 PM EDT
[#8]
I think everyone has convinced me to try some TVP. Still a little sad that I can't make the real thing work.
2/20/2009 7:08:32 PM EDT
[#9]
I'd ETA, but I JUST learned how to make links hot...

The hippie grocery store (Sun Harvest) by me sells the stuff in bulk out of the same style dispenser that you buy jelly beans and crap out of.  Not sure if they have flavors. Buy a few cups before stacking it deep.
2/20/2009 7:52:49 PM EDT
[#10]
That's where I get mine.
2/20/2009 8:20:40 PM EDT
[#11]
Whole foods sells it on their bulk aisle from a dispenser too. It's not for everyone, so definitely try it before you buy any real amount. I tried to make tacos with it once and had to way over season it because the TVP flakes taste like nothing. I didn't care for the texture either. Prepared TVP items, like the vegan beef jerky stuff, are much more bearable. It would probably be okay if you used it as a small part of a recipe, such as a very beany chilli, but I don't like it on its own. I'd eat it if it were the last thing in my stores and I had nothing else, but I'd eat everything else before i touched TVP flakes on their own.