Have you tried My Patriot Supply food? Ready Hour/Augason/misc., another new update 8/26/26! (Page 5 of 6)
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Originally Posted By armoredman: Sorry guys, been active in a lot of places, and with work/wife cancer treatment/election/joining SASS/etc., it's been a back burner thing. There HAVE been some new products in from Ready Hour I have to dig up, and I promise I'll play with my food again soon.   Its all good Family first............................... just didnt want to have your work fade into the past............. |
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So, a package showed up...it will be a few days before I can start. .Attached File |
OK, the wife wanted me to try this for a while, and I thought, why? Traditional chocolate pudding mix is pretty darn cheap. right, and it doesn't really go bad, right? I mean, I bought this one last year, and it should be good for quite awhile right? Hmm.  Ok, well., how long does this stuff last?  Aha...and look at the major difference between this and regular chocolate pudding mix.  Right, water, not milk...and the simple act of writing that suddenly makes me want to try this with Ready Hour Whey Milk...hmmm, but back to ourregularly scheduled programming. :ets do this one by the book and exactly by the recipe. Well, it LOOKS like every chocolate pudding mix I've ever had.  Hello, my old friend. I really have to buy stock in this company.  Not using a mixing bowl, just use the BIG measuring cup. I went for the middle one with two cups of water, and saving the left overs.  This stuff is as dry flyaway as freaking corn starch. Probably really useful as a DAI.  The instructions say to whisk for 5-7 minutes. Try like a minute or two - it firmed up fast. I did keep mixing just to make sure all the powder was mixed in. The leftovers got stuffed into a little SnapWare container for later.  Like most Ready Hour foods, this one makes some assumptions, like there might be electricity and refrigeration available when you can't find food. Maybe. It says chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.  Well, there it is, looking like folded over chilled turds.  And.....? Not. Freaking. Bad. The texture was almost airy, not as dense as regular Jello pudding, and the flavor reminded me very much of dark chocolate. This stuff needed NO sweetner at all, was a perfect balance to this old desert rat's palette. When you make it, a 1/4 cup really is an appropriate serving, I mean, regardless of how dense it doesn't FEEL, that really was a large serving, had to plow through it, (for the science, man, for the science!). The wife and I both enjoyed it quite a bit. I am willing to bet when I get up tomorrow that the leftover cup will have vanished into her bag for work. 9 out of 10, given the requirements for a refrigerator. It probably would firm up and be edible left in a room temperature environment - maybe I'll try that, too. Ah, it feels good to be back in the saddle again! |
Two fer...actually a three fer, if you will. See, I needed something to make for dinner and I had this pound of hamburger defrosting...and in the framework of survival/making do type foods, I was inspired again by Tasting History's Max Miller and the World War Two Emergency Steak. Cooking on the American Home Front During WWII But what would go WITH it? BTW, the 92% burger has been frozen for over a year, so it really fits the theme. Didn't lose any flavor whatsoever.  Oh yeah.  So lets get started. The beans have to cook longest, so lets get that one going. Doesn't look special...kinda looks like dirty raisins...  Instructions are cook the entire package at once, so if you lack refrigeration, only open this one when feeding the whole squad at once.  "Steak" is ready for the broiler - this really is surprisingly good.  Gotta have the last element, and this is really fast, just like every other dry potato flakes I've ever tried. Looks exactly the same. Hmm, that blue package looks familiar...  Still looks the same. At least I don't have to cook the entire package.  Looks the same, VERY creamy, of course.  Beans are done. Or are they? The package said to simmer for 20-30 minutes so I simmered for 25 minutes. Hmm  They were not quite done, quite chewy, so I cooked them for another 10 minutes.  And done and plated, Emergency Steak, Ready Hour Baked Beans and Ready Hour Cherrywood Mashed Potatoes.  Survey says............meh. The mashed potatoes tasted like every other potato flake I have ever had. The only thing that sets it apart is the packaging that keeps it usable for much longer than a cardboard box. I added butter, salt and pepper, and it was just fine for both of us. The beans were chewy, and it seemed like several clumps had not quite separated during the cooking. The taste was not bad, really didn't need any more seasonings, but cooking was a little more interesting than it should have been. The Emergency Steak? Great - that was the third time I've made it. I have to reach to find new things RH has coming out, so sometimes...sometimes it's not really exciting. |
Among our chief weapons are...
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It seemed like the right thing to do... Glad to see someone is still reading it. Speaking of, reheating leftovers. I play along with Ready Hour's assumption that power will still be on, and refrigerate and reheat leftovers. I discovered the following things - the bean SUCK until you cook them about 1.5 times as long as they recommend but reheated with some brown sugar and a little Stubbs BBQ sauce after appropriate cooking time, they were excellent. I would assume that those additions would work wonders on the original too - I always start off with the exact recipe, so as not to "poison the well" with my own tastes. The taters started to separate the water to mix after a day, but mixing and adding butter made them quite good as well, and well pudding is pudding is pudding - eating the leftovers right now. Considering some of the incoming Administrations tariff ideas on products made in various other countries, and how much food we import, (why, just why???), I can see Ready Hour's assumptions becoming possibly more correct. 
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Not a problem at all - the ones I didn't like got donated.  I still have one left to try out, but I might leave that until Christmas so I can bring something really unusual for Christmas dinner at the In Laws house...and not tell them! THAT should get some honest feedback!
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Appreciate your posting this stuff! Originally Posted By armoredman: Yes, I think I posted on a couple of them that "when starving, this will taste wonderful". It's good to have something to give to the neighbors. I found some Augason broccoli and some other stuff I would never eat by choice on the Walmart clearance rack for <$3/ can. We don't have stored foods really in the WM down here, it must have been bought in Utah or wherever and then returned here in TX. But I bought it for the stash, you never know. |
"And I never did get my lawnmower back!" - Bandit 6
"On the bright side, the money we saved by not going to Mars in the 1970s, we spent on welfare and public schools." - @MorlockP
"On the bright side, the money we saved by not going to Mars in the 1970s, we spent on welfare and public schools." - @MorlockP
I keep a supply of Idahoan brand mashed potatoes at the cabin, one year shelf life but have eaten older bags & they taste fine . Just add hot water. They come in 4oz($1.45) & 8oz bags ($2.55). & many different flavors, all are pretty good. Still enjoying your taste testing.
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Originally Posted By ruffhowzer: I keep a supply of Idahoan brand mashed potatoes at the cabin, one year shelf life but have eaten older bags & they taste fine . Just add hot water. They come in 4oz($1.45) & 8oz bags ($2.55). & many different flavors, all are pretty good. Still enjoying your taste testing. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/326114/s-l1200-3400743.jpg Those are great. I've made them in the bag and they're not hard to mix thoroughly. |
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Among our chief weapons are...
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I had to go to work, unable to pull that last one off, and probably a good thing since nobody cared about the food I DID bring in. Oh well. Yes, Tasting History is REALLY neat, lots of great ideas there, and that Emergency Steak is quite good. Chipped beef on toast...not so much. Anyone need any dried beef? BTW, I reccomend the cookbook, if you are looking for something really off the wall for dinner tonight.
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Not to hijack thread but..... Wife and I tried mountain house breakfast skillet this morning. Easy directions, looked appetizing when opened. Add boiling water, stir, wait 5 minutes, Open stir , close wait 4 minutes, serve. Looked like a breakfast mix of eggs, taters, sausage crumbles, peppers.... Eggs were like little egg cubes, but had good taste, everything else was as expected Wife said okay.......this will suffice as emergency food. We are trying a few different meals inorder to put together food buckets to cashe for ourselves. I'll post when we try chicken and dumplings meal |
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| Thank you for write ups, this post has been very interesting. I've not had many freeze dried foods but I think I will have to try some soon. Do you see many of these foods becoming regular staples in your diet, or are you mainly trying these to see what to stock up on? I really haven't looked into prices to see what is practical. |
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Originally Posted By -Nick-: Thank you for write ups, this post has been very interesting. I've not had many freeze dried foods but I think I will have to try some soon. Do you see many of these foods becoming regular staples in your diet, or are you mainly trying these to see what to stock up on? I really haven't looked into prices to see what is practical. Someone posted a freeze dried sausage and gravy deal about a year or so ago that ended up being a great deal and tasted far better then it should have. I still have an unopened case in the basement. |
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 others have all been destroyed...
I'm getting down to the last box, the others have all been destroyed...
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Originally Posted By CNYtrucker: Not to hijack thread but..... Wife and I tried mountain house breakfast skillet this morning. Easy directions, looked appetizing when opened. Add boiling water, stir, wait 5 minutes, Open stir , close wait 4 minutes, serve. Looked like a breakfast mix of eggs, taters, sausage crumbles, peppers.... Eggs were like little egg cubes, but had good taste, everything else was as expected Wife said okay.......this will suffice as emergency food. We are trying a few different meals inorder to put together food buckets to cashe for ourselves. I'll post when we try chicken and dumplings meal Before covid hit, MH thru walmart had some incredibly cheap prices on a lot of the decent types, I got a case + 2 of the skillet, I ate one, it was better then expected. |
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 others have all been destroyed...
I'm getting down to the last box, the others have all been destroyed...
| I will say the black bean burger mix is a regular, though not often, addition to the table. Since an opened can is good for at least a year, we can do that every month or so and use it up well within time frames. I am glad some people found this thread useful, I certainly had fun doing it, and I do have a few more to try, when I am back on my feet. |
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so this past sunday, the wife and i had the MH chicken and dumplings, looked good upon opening, with chunks of chicken, peas, carrots and what looked like croutons again, add boiling water, stir close up for 5 minutes then open and stir again, close it up and give it 4 more minutes it have a smell like chicken pot pies, which was quite nice peas and carrots softened up well, the chicken could have gone probably another minute but was flavorful the dumplings on the other hand were still like well, croutons................... the saving grace was the gravy and that helped to make the dumplings edible probably 2 or 3 minutes more for them all in all, we think that will pass enough to be included in the food buckets we are assembling after discussion we are gonna get some of the gravy and biscuits mix and perhaps another chicken dinner mix for the next trial |
Among our chief weapons are...
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Originally Posted By armoredman: I will say the black bean burger mix is a regular, though not often, addition to the table. Since an opened can is good for at least a year, we can do that every month or so and use it up well within time frames. I am glad some people found this thread useful, I certainly had fun doing it, and I do have a few more to try, when I am back on my feet. Take your time sir. We appreciate your sharing, but in no way demand it. Thanks for letting us ride along! |
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Originally Posted By CNYtrucker: after discussion we are gonna get some of the gravy and biscuits mix and perhaps another chicken dinner mix for the next trial I use to really like the MH biscuits and gravy, but over the last couple years it just isn’t as good. Flavor is ok, but it just does not rehydrate well. The biscuits are tough and the sausage chunks have almost a rubbery texture to them. I still have a few packets and found the best way to make them more palatable is to add the boiling water, stir very well, seal it up and let it sit a few minutes longer that the instructions. Open and stir again and maybe add a few more tablespoons of boiling water if it is not still runny. Stir again then seal up and let it sit a few minutes longer again. I let it sit almost double the recommended total time. Peak Refuel B&G is much better in my opinion. |
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This is one that is timely, I think. Considering the prices of shell eggs nowadays... And the funny thing is, this is considered good pricing! Several shelves on the sides and bottom were empty.  There was a line of people behind me to get to what was left. Now, I usually DON'T buy eggs in the store, since I have a friend who has a lot of chickens, and I get fresh farm eggs for $4 a dozen for years. Even when shell eggs are cheaper, the fresh ones are better... BUT; Not everybody has access to that, not by a long shot, so, with the slaughter of millions of chickens by The Bidet, and the resulting shortage of eggs, well, it is time. Time to cook a survival breakfast.   OK, I love SPAM in many ways, not REALLY a survival food...or is it? That is the case pouch of scrambled eggs from Ready Hour, and I figured it was time for two reasons, one, egg shortage, and tax return, 'casue this stuff is NOT cheap. A box of 6 of these pouches is $88. Before that really sinks in, consider it has 72 servings per case, which comes to about $1.20 per plate of eggs. OK, that doesn't sound TOO bad... What does it look like? Expecting something weird...  Safety tip - this stuff is a fine as flour and just as fly away. And what is in the mix? Oh, yeah - I need to buy stock in this company.  So measure 1/2 cup, (me and the wife, 1/4 each), while trying to not make a mess. It does NOT come up to a full cup like the directions say. Remember what I said about it being fly away like flour? It does NOT dust off a black shirt. Public service announcement there.  Add 1/2 cup of warm water, and mix. NOTE - mix WELL with a whisk, fork won't do it, many chunks were left. Whisk it, whisk it good.  Pour.  Scramble and serve. It cooked just as fast as a fresh egg would have.  Results? 100% tasted like an egg I had pulled out of the fridge and scrambled up out of the shell. The wife was happy, said they were quite good. For the price, they'd BETTER be! If eggs do vanish for a length of time because of stupid politicians and Chinese diseases, yes, this makes a damn good substitute, indeed. 10 out of 10 stars. |
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Originally Posted By armoredman: If eggs do vanish for a length of time because of stupid politicians and Chinese diseases, yes, this makes a damn good substitute, indeed. 10 out of 10 stars. Thanks man, great review! Basically same stuff right? Emergency Essentials #10 cans (72 servings) for $37.5o when you buy a case https://www.beprepared.com/products/emergency-essentials%c2%ae-whole-egg-powder-6-can-case |
"And I never did get my lawnmower back!" - Bandit 6
"On the bright side, the money we saved by not going to Mars in the 1970s, we spent on welfare and public schools." - @MorlockP
"On the bright side, the money we saved by not going to Mars in the 1970s, we spent on welfare and public schools." - @MorlockP
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Originally Posted By armoredman: Not the same, that's whole egg powder like you get in a military mess hall. These are a bit different, I think. I didn't buy the whole egg powder. ?? I make scrambled eggs with the whole egg, no? edit: the milk then? And Attached File Edit2: EE has no milk, half the serving size and half the calories per serving. |
"And I never did get my lawnmower back!" - Bandit 6
"On the bright side, the money we saved by not going to Mars in the 1970s, we spent on welfare and public schools." - @MorlockP
"On the bright side, the money we saved by not going to Mars in the 1970s, we spent on welfare and public schools." - @MorlockP
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Not really sure, because Ready Hour actually had Whole Egg Powder listed. Let me compare ingredients - would be funny if they were the exact same. This is the one I posted. Attached File I got this off the web; Attached File So it seems the scrambled egg mix has powdered milk, corn oil and salt in it, so the whole egg powder would probably be the same thing, just add milk! If you can get it cheaper, heck yes, this stuff is expensive, the Ready Hour version is $80 for the can with 72 servings. I guess the attraction of the pouch is the one I opened I will have to use in a year, while the reast of the pouches can stay sealed and good for ten years. Good catch, thank you for pointing that out. |
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It's always important to check the labels for ingredients and also portion sizes against the $$. For one example I know the apples slices are very different in their contents in a #10 can, LDS having 16x110=1760 calories, Augason having 20v60=1200 calories. This egg thing caught my eye since people on another forum were noting the eggs are only dried eggs, not freeze-dried, and had a suggested 10 year storage life instead of 25 that you see for other FD things. But I know people put eggs in their freeze-driers, would that be meaningfully different? Or is this just the manufacturers being more cost-effective, when they do freeze-dry eggs for breakfast skillet etc for 25 years? the apple slices are only claimed dehydrated, not freeze dried, but claim 25-30 years. |
"And I never did get my lawnmower back!" - Bandit 6
"On the bright side, the money we saved by not going to Mars in the 1970s, we spent on welfare and public schools." - @MorlockP
"On the bright side, the money we saved by not going to Mars in the 1970s, we spent on welfare and public schools." - @MorlockP
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anything with any amount of oil will have a shorter shelf life, as the oil will turn. i want to again thank you guys for these thread and all of your opinions and advice, as it is a way to make comparisions without the huge expense of purchasing products that might suck if we all contribute, the costs get spread out and we all benefit. we will be checking out the Peak brand foods as well as the backpackers pantry meals as well BTW, not really freezed dried, but yes 1- SPAM is an emergency or prepper food as well and an all around snack food or main course............. 2- is dried beef in this mix anywhere as i have a jar of it and have threatened the wife with a meal of SOS.... |
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Originally Posted By armoredman: Not really sure, because Ready Hour actually had Whole Egg Powder listed. Let me compare ingredients - would be funny if they were the exact same. This is the one I posted. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/360589/SE_2_jpg-3457805.JPG I got this off the web; https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/360589/Whole-Egg-Mix_b315e9c3-cd3a-454b-82fa-df-3457807.JPG So it seems the scrambled egg mix has powdered milk, corn oil and salt in it, so the whole egg powder would probably be the same thing, just add milk! If you can get it cheaper, heck yes, this stuff is expensive, the Ready Hour version is $80 for the can with 72 servings. I guess the attraction of the pouch is the one I opened I will have to use in a year, while the reast of the pouches can stay sealed and good for ten years. Good catch, thank you for pointing that out. @armoredman Have you tried using the egg powder for baking? With the proce of eggs creeping up, I'm wondering if this is a viable alternative for fresh eggs for baking and making noodles. |
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Excellent thread! After seeing it mentioned here and rated so highly in this thread I picked up a small bottle of Kinder's "The Blend" seasoning yesterday. Holy cats! Where has this stuff been all my life? I'm putting it on and in almost everything now from Chicken noodle soup to eggs and corned beef hash. Fantastic seasoning. Side note to the OP, I'm dealing with cancer myself right now so I have a built in empathy for anyone that is dealing with it and I wish your wife the very best with her treatments and continuing battle. |
No more geriatric politicians.
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Originally Posted By CNYtrucker: anything with any amount of oil will have a shorter shelf life, as the oil will turn. i want to again thank you guys for these thread and all of your opinions and advice, as it is a way to make comparisions without the huge expense of purchasing products that might suck if we all contribute, the costs get spread out and we all benefit. we will be checking out the Peak brand foods as well as the backpackers pantry meals as well BTW, not really freezed dried, but yes 1- SPAM is an emergency or prepper food as well and an all around snack food or main course............. 2- is dried beef in this mix anywhere as i have a jar of it and have threatened the wife with a meal of SOS.... The SPAM comment was tongue in cheek - I always keep some on hand because for a wet pork product, it has an amazing shelf life. I have used dried beef exactly once, doing the Tasting History recipe for Chipped Beef on Toast. It tasted exactly as I suspected it would...oddly enough, my wife really liked it. I started this thread by accident...guess it kinda got out of control, didn't it?
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Originally Posted By Ronin72: @armoredman Have you tried using the egg powder for baking? With the proce of eggs creeping up, I'm wondering if this is a viable alternative for fresh eggs for baking and making noodles. No, not yet, I can't get the whole egg powder in the case pouch, and opening a #10 can means use it up within a year. I agree, egg prices are insane, but I have a friend close by with a bunch of free range chickens.
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Originally Posted By SmokeEater2: Excellent thread! After seeing it mentioned here and rated so highly in this thread I picked up a small bottle of Kinder's "The Blend" seasoning yesterday. Holy cats! Where has this stuff been all my life? I'm putting it on and in almost everything now from Chicken noodle soup to eggs and corned beef hash. Fantastic seasoning. Side note to the OP, I'm dealing with cancer myself right now so I have a built in empathy for anyone that is dealing with it and I wish your wife the very best with her treatments and continuing battle. We always have The Blend available, never run out! I find it cheaper at Costco. I am very sorry sir, no fun at all. I bought a cookbook for my wife at the in-house shop at the cancer center, literally called "What To Eat During Cancer Treatment", has some interesting recipes inside. Best of luck sir, and may God Bless you and yours. |
