I bought this ration pack a year or two ago for a kayak camping trip but I didn't eat it. It has been stored in my basement since then. Last weekend I consolidated all my camping rations into one large tuff box that I got for free. Someone had placed it out at the curb to be thrown away. These boxes go for anywhere from $79.99 to $119.99, depending where you buy them. What a great save for me.
As I was going through the various freeze-dried foods, cans, and pouches, I came across this 5 Minute Chef meal. I checked the date and the "Best By" date was in August 2023. I am no stickler for these dates, which more often than not are just marketing ploys designed to entice you to either throw food away or quickly eat it and but more. In my cool, dry, dark basement, this meal packet would still be good to eat years from now. BUT, it was the only meal of this type I had on hand and I decided to eat it for lunch at work this past week.
I decided to heat it in the microwave and keep the chemical heater for later use. That is a very small portion, 9 ounces is what the label says. But I took along some naan bread, carrots, radishes, scallions, and a slice of pie for dessert so it ended up being a good meal. By itself it is basically a child's or a small woman's portion though. A full sized adult doing some physical work, such as hiking, would be very hungry afterwards
I give it two thumbs up for taste, texture, and appearance. I very much enjoyed it. It only has 210 calories, making it little more than a snack. It does have 15 grams of protein, which is pretty high for only 210 calories. It had a surprising amount of meat in the sauce. The little oblong meatballs are a perfect size for eating the meal with a spoon. Sodium is not too high, compared to most foods of this type. Sugars and carbs are low, which is one reason why the total calories are so low. Most people would probably want to shake some hot sauce on it to spice up the flavor.
It comes with a chemical heater, which has detailed instructions printed on it. I presume the idea behind the name is that it can be heated in five minutes. These chemical heaters can get very hot and can give off gases that are unpleasant, so it is best to use these outdoors.
It also comes with a plastic spoon and paper napkin. The spoon is way too short, you would never be able to get at the last of the meal without getting sauce all over your fingers. I always carry my own Army MRE spoon with me (several actually), because they are extra long and very sturdy.
This short "spork" is way too small. Oh, the meal pouch does not come open easily, I had to use the scissors of my Swiss Army knife to cut both the main bag that everything came in, and the pouch with the food in it.
Final Grade: A for flavor and edibility, C for ease of use and serving size, F for long term storage.
These sell for $6.99 and I would consider that a good price for what you get. But you really should only consider it as the entree portion, you will need to add other items to make it a satisfactory meal.
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