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Owner Review: Mountain House
Freeze-Dried Foods
Date: September 28, 2005
Reviewer
Information:
Name: Pam Wyant
Age: 48
Gender: Female
Height: 5 ft 5 in
(1.65 m)
Weight: 165 lb (77
kg)
E-mail address: pamwyant(at)yahoo(dot)com
Location: Western
West Virginia, U.S.A.
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Backpacking Background:
Last year I finally acted on a long time
interest in backpacking, starting out slowly by day hiking, researching
backpacking products and
techniques, purchasing gear, and doing a few
overnight trips, including one solo. This year I’ve turned into a
“weekend
warrior”, taking a number of short trips, and hoping to take a longer
trip this
fall. I hike and backpack mainly in the
hills and valleys of West Virginia, and use a hammock sleeping system.
For a
two-day trip my typical pack weighs 22-30 lb (10-14 kg), and I’m
striving to
lighten that a bit. |
Product
Information
-
Manufacturer: Mountain House
Year of manufacture:
2004, 2005
Manufacturer Website: http://www.mountainhouse.com/
Varieties
reviewed:
Scrambled Eggs with Bacon -
Listed net weight 2.25 oz (64 g)
Packaged weight - Approx. 2.75 oz (78 g)
Measured packaged size: Approx. 7
x 8 x 1 in (18 x 20 x 3 cm)
Package makes one 8 oz (227g) serving
Contains 320 Calories (160 fat
calories) per manufacturer
MSRP: $4.49 US
Beef Stew -
Listed net weight 4.30 oz (122 g)
Packaged weight - Approx. 5 oz (142 g)
Measured packaged size: Approx.
9.5 x 8 x 2 in (24 x 20 x 5
cm)
Package makes two 10 oz (283 g) servings
250 calories (60 fat calories) per
serving, per manufacturer
MSRP: $5.99 US
Chicken Breasts and Mashed
Potatoes with Herbs & Chives -
Listed net weight 3.67 oz (104 g)
Packaged weight - Approx. 4 oz (113 g)
Packaged size: Approx. 9.5 x 8 x
2 in (24 x 20 x 5 cm)
Package makes two servings
200 calories (25 fat calories) per
serving, per manufacturer
MSRP: $7.99 US
NOTE: The scales I have at home only measure in one ounce
increments, so I couldn't measure as precisely as the manufacturer's
listed weight, but when I measured the contents they seemed fairly
consistent with the listed weights. The packaging seems to run
somewhere between 0.50 and 0.75 oz (14 to 21 g).
General Information:
Mountain House reports their food is superior to other freeze-dried
foods, because they start with fresh or frozen food, cook and prepare
the food, and then freeze-dry it, while some other companies blend dry
ingredients and package them. They report freeze-drying removes
98% of the water in food, reducing the weight of the food by about
90%. However using some simple math and comparing the prepared
serving size to the packaged net weight, it appears the food weight is
reducted more along the lines of 70-80%. Still a significant
weight reduction, in my opinion at least.
The packaging of the foods I used consists of a stand-up pouch made of
a material that feels like a plastic coated paper. Inside the
pouch appears metallic, but stills feels like it is plastic
coated. About 2 in (5 cm) from the top is a tear notch, and
slightly under this is a plastic zip-style closure on the inside of the
pouch. In each pouch is an "oxygen scavenger packet" of iron
oxide and the food.
The freeze-dried food as packaged in the pouches has a shelf life of
about five years. Each package has a "best if used by" date and a
code that tells when it was prepared.
To prepare these foods, all that is needed is boiling water. Each
has simple directions that basically amount to opening the package,
removing the oxygen absorber packet, adding boiling water, stirring
thoroughly, closing the zipper, and letting the food sit for several
minutes. After preparation, the food can be eaten directly from
the packaging.
Specific directions for each
variety:
Scrambled
Eggs with Bacon - add 1 cup or 8 fl oz (237 ml) boiling water, let sit
for 5-6 minutes, drain excess water.
Beef Stew - add 2 cups or 16 fl oz (473 ml) boiling water, let sit for
8-9 minutes.
Chicken Breasts with Mashed Potatoes - Add 1.5 cups or 12 fl oz (355
ml) boiling water to chicken only, let sit 2-3 minutes, remove meat,
and pour potatoes into the water remaining in the package, stir, let
sit 2 minutes.
Personal experiences:
I've used the
scrambled eggs and beef stew several times, and the chicken breasts
with mashed potatoes once so far. One thing I like about these
varieties is that they are lower in carbohydrates than most of the
other varieties, and they fit well into my controlled carb diet.
The beef stew has 28 g total carbohydrates of which 3 g are fiber, the
chicken breast with mashed potatoes has 19 g total carbohydrate with
less than 1 g fiber, and the scrambled eggs with bacon has 12 g total
carbohydrate with less than 1 g fiber.
I find the convenience and light weight of these foods hard to
beat. They're super easy to prepare out on the trail - I can just
boil a pot of water and have a hot dinner ready to eat in less than 15
minutes. And there's almost no clean-up - all I need to wash is
the utensil I ate with. I have however found the packaging bulky
to carry, both while containing the food and when empty. The
packaging can be bent and shaped to fit in my food bag and pack to some
extent, but there are still awkward corners that poke out, the
packaging is somewhat stiff, and it takes up more space than simpler
packaging would. The plus side is the heavy packaging protects
the food better, and contributes to the long shelf life.
I have found a few tips that help me enjoy using these meals even
more. One thing I did not like about the scrambled eggs was
having to drain excess water that smelled of eggs onto the ground, and
I didn't want to drink it either. So, when I prepare the
scrambled eggs, I use about a quarter cup (59 ml) less water, and don't
have to drain them. The scrambled eggs make a generous sized
serving for me, and I don't really need to supplement them with
anything else. I usually supplement a single serving of beef stew
with some fresh carrots or another
vegetable, or a sugar-free dessert of some sort, and will probably do
the same the next time I use the chicken breast and mashed potatoes.
 I like to repackage these meals right before I leave for a
trip. For the two serving sizes, I divide the package into two
pint-size Zip-lock freezer bags, eyeballing them up side by side to
make sure I have them even. With the chicken and mashed potatoes,
I place one piece of chicken into a freezer bag, and then separately
pack half of the dry mashed potatoes in a snack size bag. The
eggs can be repackaged into a single freezer bag. I've found the
food takes a lot less space this way, and so does the trash. If I
don't need all the servings on a single trip, I've found the Zip-lock
bags keep them fresh for at least a couple of months, and I can use
them on a later trip. When it's time to rehydrate the food, the
boiling water can be poured right into the freezer bag, and it can be
carefully zipped up. I then wrap some insulating material around
the freezer bag - lately I've been using a pack towel, but a hat,
fleece jacket, or other article of clothing will work too.
Sometimes I bring my water to a rolling boil, and sometimes it's been
just short of a boil, but either way I've found the food rehydrates
well if it's well stirred before sealing. Using the Zip-lock bags
makes it even easier to make sure the food is well reconstituted,
because I can squish it around from time to time as it sits to make
sure it is well blended. I've found the beef stew quite tasty,
and I love the chicken breast. I was amazed how the chicken had a
texture and taste just like freshly cooked chicken breast. Both
of these are lightly seasoned, not too spicy, not too bland for my
taste. The eggs and bacon aren't quite as tasty, and don't have
quite the texture of fresh scrambled eggs, but I find they taste decent.
Other varieties I've used in the past:
Pasta Primavera - delicious (high in carbs)
Macaroni & Cheese - delicious (high in carbs)
Spaghetti - so-so taste
Lasagna - so-so taste
Chicken Teriyaki - yuck (I don't really like teriyaki in anything
though)
Rice & Chicken - good
Chicken a la King - fair
Noodles & chicken - good
Scrambled eggs and ham - good (better than with bacon)
Beef strognaoff - yummy
Chili mac - too spicy
Sausage patties - good
Green beans - good (nice to have veggies on the trail)
Field
Information:
I've used these meals backpacking on various trails in West Virginia
and Virginia, with elevations from 550 feet (168 meters) to
over 4000 feet (1219 meters). Temperatures have
range from lows in the 35 F (2 C) range to highs up to 90 F (32 C), and
humidity has ranged from low to high. My pack weight has varied
between 25-32 lb (11-15 kg).
Likes
–
Convenient - easy to fix
Convenient - light to carry
Convenient - easy to clean up
Dislikes –
On the costly side (but I rationalize this by how much a restaurant
meal would cost instead, so it isn't really that bad)
Bulky packaging (I repackage so this isn't a real problem)
Limited lower carb choices
Read more reviews of Mountain House gear
Read more gear reviews by Pamela Wyant
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