Dehydrated dinners....Ok, want to know..

[nawlunz]

what are the best tasting brands and best meals for the brands in your opinion. I realize everyone has different tastes...but, I get sick of eating the same dinners several nights in a row...

So, what is your favorite dinner for your favorite brand of dehydrated meals...and why?

[couscous]

Near East Couscous Mixes .. obviously .. Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil, Paremsan, Herbed Chicken Flavor, Toasted Pine Nut, Broccoli & Cheese. My favorite is Toasted Pine Nut. I always have Couscous when backpacking because I like the taste, multiple flavors, inexpensive, works well for freezer bag cooking, and it can be prepared without hot water if necessary.

[10-K]

All I know is that everything tastes better with bbq Fritos mixed with it.

[johnnybgood]

The Mountain House brand is my limited experience with dehydrated dinners.

I have tried and liked the Teriyaki Chicken w rice , Beef Stroganoff w noodles the most.

They also sell their meals in #10 cans for long term storage, > 30 yrs.

[PUNKINPUSS11]

bear creek soups r great!!!!!!!!

[Rocket Jones]

I'd rather make my own. A little instant mashed potato, instant brown rice or stuffing mix, a little powdered gravy, some dried veggies, spices and when ready to eat add a pouch of chicken, spam, pepperoni or some summer sausage.

Never the same thing twice, unless you find one you really like

[Mrs Baggins]

When the stores have the Lipton/Knorr Sides (rice/noodles) on sale, usually 10 for $10, I buy up 10 - 20 at a time. We mix in foil packs of tuna or salmon or chicken, and dehydrated veggies and spices. One side packet plus meat feeds both of us when over nighting/section hiking for just 3 - 4 days. Longer than that and the appetites would kick in and we'd easily each eat one packet with meat.

[Tipi Walter]

I've tried them all, pretty much, and my least favorite are the heavily salted MREs, Mountain House, Backcountry Pantry and a few others. Some of these are very salty. Who hasn't eaten the old standy Pasta-Sides(parmesan comes to mind). Pasta-Cides? Death by pasta?

I now take a few of Mary Jane's Farm meals, although here again there are some that are hard to eat after a few meals. My current favorite is her Polenta--I've got 9 meals packed and ready for my next trip. Her black bean soup is great and the tofu rice isn't too bad.

Another good place is Hawk Vittles--homemade and tasty.

Lately I've been getting prepared frozen meals like Amy's burritos or Mexican casseroles or Cedar Hill burritos or Kashi frozen pasta meals and double ziploc around 4 or 5 and take them out. Sure, they thaw out but usually last about 4 days, even in this heat. I just add a little water to the pot and heat them up--yup, a boiled burrito in a pot. It's a change o pace and worth the weight for the variety. You can also take out organic frozen broccoli and butternut squash and eat them during the first 3 days.

[Sierra Echo]

I bought some freeze dried Mountain House Neopolitan Ice cream at wally world tonight for my trip. I assume you just open the bag and eat it as there are no instructions.

[Feral Bill]

I bought some freeze dried Mountain House Neopolitan Ice cream at wally world tonight for my trip. I assume you just open the bag and eat it as there are no instructions.

That's about it. Very odd stuff IIRC, but tasty.

[trailangelbronco]

The bears swear by uncooked hiker butt smothered in tall grass. Easy to prepare, fun to chase down and yummy in the tummy.

[modiyooch]

I don't buy the dehydrated stuff. I buy microwavable items like Pad Thai. Tonight I bought a steak portobello meal from Healthy Choice. I'll give it a try next week.

[Strategic]

I tend to make a lot of my own food for the trail, but I do buy freeze-dried and dehydrated meals from time to time. The best by far are those made by Packit Gourmet. Generally they're very tasty (i.e., they taste like real food, just like the stuff I make for myself) and pack in a lot of good calories. Their meals also tend to be easy to prepare, with many being formulated for in-the-bag cooking. I always keep some of these guys' meals on hand for when I'm just not able to prep my own food.

[grayfox]

, I get sick of eating the same dinners several nights in a row...

I think all pre packaged FD food tastes much the same. I have been using basic ingredients from Harmony House and others and mixing my own.

I try to avoid mixes with mashed potatoes because they are too expensive and don't taste good to me. I also avoid the ones that have more than 25% of daily salt per serving--if you eat the whole package then that is 50% or more which is too much for me even in summer.

So, my advice for adding variety is to start with something that you like that doesn't have too much salt but is maybe kind of bland to start with. Add to that extra vegetables, meat, fruit, nuts, extra rice or pasta. Add the spices and flavorings that you like best. No two meals need ever be the same. I usually find that one package will stretch out for two meals after I add the things I like.

For instance, start with Sweet and Sour Chicken. Open the package and empty it into a bowl or pot. Add a cup of minute rice. Add some dried pineapple. Add a spoonful of ginger. Add a spoonful of brown sugar. Add some almonds, some vegetables, a bit of chicken boulion. Divide into two meal size bags and label/date the bags and include any instructions from the original bag-which you can reuse if it seals. I will add vinegar and sesame oil when I cook this dinner, along with any fresh things I might have like carrots or onions.

If you find some fresh foods along the way, use them to add variety to your packaged foods. Also, make a 'food repair kit'. Include the spices you like, sugar, little packs of condiments, soup mix or bouilion. It is worth its weight to carry. The small pill ziplock bags from the drugstore work well for this.

Bon appetit!

[Sarcasm the elf]

I'm still fairly new to this, but what I've found so far is that variety is more important that the brand. I started with Mountain House Mac and Cheese and Backpackers Pantry Lasagna, both of which I recommend aside from the cost. Couscous and some olive oil work great and can be bought in bulk and the Knorr (Lipton) dinner Sides are cheap an excellent.

Mostly just try to switch these up and rotate them every couple of days, and remember that hunger is the best spice.

Oh, and never underestimate the importance of Snickers bars.

[Sierra Echo]

Oh, and never underestimate the importance of Snickers bars.

What is it with snickers bars?
In the book 'just passin thru' they eat a ton of snickers bars.
they never say why but had assume there was a reason.

[Lyle]

Why Snickers?

1) They taste good
2) Quick Energy
3) Easy to carry
4) Compact
5) Available everywhere
6) Have nuts, so give the impression that they are healthy
7) Same nuts do provide some sustained energy, unlike pure candy
8) Can eat them on the run - like during a rain storm, when it's too miserable to stop for a proper lunch
9) Comfort food
10) Did I mention? They taste Good!!!!!

Saw one video where the guy referred to it as "taking" a Snickers as opposed to eating.

[modiyooch]

Keep in mind that chocolate is a great for bartering.

[vamelungeon]

Keep in mind that chocolate is a great for bartering.

My old man is a WWII vet, and he vouches for that. Soap was a big item in Italy too. LOL

[Tipi Walter]

I tend to make a lot of my own food for the trail, but I do buy freeze-dried and dehydrated meals from time to time. The best by far are those made by Packit Gourmet. Generally they're very tasty (i.e., they taste like real food, just like the stuff I make for myself) and pack in a lot of good calories. Their meals also tend to be easy to prepare, with many being formulated for in-the-bag cooking. I always keep some of these guys' meals on hand for when I'm just not able to prep my own food.

I'm always looking for new meals to take with me and so I casually scanned the Packit Gourmet website and gotta say many of their meals would not fit into a diet that is looking to avoid additives and preservatives. Some examples:

** Fruit Smoothie--Kiwi Berry: hydrogenated coconut oil, acesulfame potassium(??), dipotassium phosphate(?), sodium aluminosilicate(?), FD&C Red #40.

** Lemon Cheesecake: First ingredient is sugar. Hydrogenated cottenseed oil, Yellow #5, Yellow #6. This baby is loaded with stuff.

** Banana Pudding: Main ingredient sugar. Hydrogenated soybean oil, Yellow 5 and 6.

** Austintacious Tortilla Soup: Monosodium glutamate--MSG. This one was real disappointing.

Anyway, I did find some of their meals I'd like to order, namely:
** Market Pasta Puttanesca
** Migas del Sol
** Picnic Potato Salad
** TexMex Breakfast Taco
** Black Bean Flaquities with Salsa
** Diner Deluxe Scrambled Eggs