Mountain House Freeze Dried Food

Mountain House, also known as Oregon Freeze Dry got their start in the 1960’s dehydrating fruit for children’s cereal. Later they worked with Americas Department of Defence, developing freeze-dried meals. These meals weighed less (5oz/140g), taste better (compared to dehydrated food) and were easy to prepare (just add water), perfect for soldiers and backcountry hikers alike. They offer meals for breakfast, entrees for lunch and dinner, as well as sides and desserts. Dietary options include gluten free, low sodium and vegetarian varieties.

Mountain House freeze-dried food comes in a wide variety of flavours and sizes for all appetites & dietary restrictions. Simple to use packages are light and filling. Simply add hot water, reseal bag, wait for rehydration and enjoy.

Freeze dry foods are ideal for backpacking; they weigh less than fresh or canned food and maintain flavour, colour, aroma and nutritional value. The packaging is ideal for saving space and the zip lock makes it is easy to save leftovers and to avoid attracting wildlife.

Remember to remove the oxygen absorber! But if you accidentally rehydrate your food with it inside that is ok, just don’t eat it!

Available in easy to pack in and pack out pouches or #10 cans. The shelf life for the pouches is 10 years, and 25 years for the cans. Ice cream products have a 2 year shelf life. Make sure, of course, to keep packages unharmed and in a cool, dry area. Different sizes are also available from the Pro-Pak, a smaller vacuum-sealed pouch (makes 2 cups), standard size entree (2.5 cups), and the family size (5 cups) that comes with two inner preparation pouches that can be split between two people.

Add 1 to 2 cups of boiling water to packaging depending on rehydrating instructions. Stir thoroughly before resealing package and wait about 5-10 minutes.

Preparation:

Simply follow the instructions on the back of each package. In short, add boiling water, wait 10 minutes and enjoy. Each package size has different water amounts (i.e. 1 cup for vegetables, 2 cups for standard size, 1.5 cups for Pro-Pak, etc). In extreme conditions room temperature or cold water will work, but you must double the wait time for rehydration. Don’t forget to remove the oxygen absorber! But it won’t kill you if you forget.

The Mountain House packaging will heat up with the boiled water inside, but you may still hold the package from the bottom (shown above) or from the very top. This may be difficult for some who eat right out of the bag.

Features:

- Flavourful freeze-dried food.
- Resealable packaging.
- Nutritional information & grams per serving.
- Lightweight & easy to pack in/out.

Fire Roasted Vegetables

This was my least favourite given the lack of substance. I would imagine vegetarians would be equally disappointed, as freeze-dried vegetables don’t come close to comparing with fresh. That being said, it is not a bad idea to consider mixing the fire roasted vegetables with another meal for added substance. I mixed mine with tomato soup, as I was not able to eat the entire bag alone.

Ingredients: Corn, Black Beans, Fire Roasted Red and Green Bell Peppers and Fire Roasted Onion.

Chicken a la King with Noodles

Out of all the Mountain House meals I sampled, this was by far my favourite. I ate it so fast I didn’t actually get any photos of it. You see when it comes to freeze-dried food, there is no score for presentation. Bagged food doesn’t look appetizing. Points awarded for a solid balance between heartiness and flavour. With 3 servings per bag & 16 grams of protein per serving, it is no wonder that I was full for most of the day after eating it for breakfast. Also, it is more salty then the others, reminding me to get hydrated as I prepare for the excursion ahead. Red Ribbon!

Ingredients: cooked chicken, mushrooms, pimientos, green peppers, nonfat dry milk, celery, corn oil, wheat flour, 2% or less chicken base (chicken including natural chicken juices, maltodextrin, hydrolyzed corn gluten, dried whey, onion powder, spice extractives, turmeric), salt, chicken fat, sugar, modified cornstarch, natural flavour (yeast extract, safflower oil, natural flavour, onion powder, spices, citric acid, and ascorbic acid). Pre-cooked noodles: durum semolina, whole eggs, and salt.

Mexican-Style Rice & Chicken

Comparable in heartiness to the freeze-dried Chicken Teriyaki, but with a little more kick, this dish’s aroma is appetizing to any hungry hiker. Beans and olives are complimented well with the sauce, and works well with rice. The chicken leaves a bit more to be desired. Third Place. Ingredients: Ingredients: kidney beans, tomato puree, cooked chicken, instant brown rice and contains 2% or less black olives, green peppers, seasoning (spices, hydrolyzed soy protein and safflower oil, dextrose, onion powder, maltodextrin, beef fat flavour, nonfat dry milk, caramel colour, spice extractive, turmeric extractive), red peppers, modified cornstarch, dried chicken broth, onions, chicken fat, chilli powder (chilli pepper, spices, garlic powder), salt, sugar, jalapeño pepper powder, and red pepper powder. Contains: Milk, Soy.
Chicken Teriyaki with Rice
 
Tastes like leftovers! And I love leftovers. With less protein then the Chicken a la King with Noodles it is not as substantial of a meal but will satisfy your hunger, if not your taste buds. Ingredients seem to have fewer chemicals then most. Goes well with a Blue Ribbon!

Ingredients: cooked chicken, soy sauce (wheat, soybeans, salt), brown sugar, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, red peppers, green peas, modified cornstarch, sherry wine (contains sulphite), onions, green peppers, garlic powder, alcohol, ground ginger, salt, vinegar, lactic acid. Rice: pre-cooked enriched rice. Contains: soy, wheat.

Apple Crisp

As far as desserts go, everybody knows nothing can compare to Mom’s baking. Mountain House Apple Crisp is no exception. Apple crisp is a “fresh out of the oven” type dish, this is more like a novelty item then an appetizing dessert. I recommend pairing with astronaut ice cream. A nice touch, however, was separating the granola from the apple & brown sugar. The “dextrose, apple essence and other aromatics” will leave your tent smelling like apple crisp at night, and not so much in the morning.

Ingredients: Granola (oats, brown sugar, coconut, soybean oil, wheat germ, sesame seed, natural vanilla flavouring); Seasoning Mix (graham cracker crumbs [unbleached enriched flour {wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine, mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid}, whole grain wheat flour, sugar, soybean oil, molasses, high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, leavening {baking soda and/or calcium phosphate}, salt, and sulphur dioxide {sulphites} added to preserve freshness], sugar, brown sugar, modified corn starch, maltodextrin, natural and artificial apple flavour [dextrose, apple essence and other aromatics], rice concentrate, spice, malic acid, salt), Apples (apples, cinnamon, citric acid). Contains: Wheat, Coconut.

Verdict:

Initially the appearance of freeze-dried food is not exactly appetizing. But in the backcountry when rations are limited, Mountain House is a great alternative to fresh food. It is not only lightweight and easy to pack in/pack out, but it is nutritional and surprisingly delicious. They have a large variety of meals and are sensitive to dietary restrictions. Meals are hearty, large enough for one or two people and easy to share with sides and desserts. Leftovers are easy to save inside the Ziploc packaging, cutting down on required dishes and making cleanup a breeze. I was impressed with the flavour of all meals I sampled and was pleased with the nutritional value as well. The only drawback was how hot the package became after adding water. You are able to avoid burning yourself by holding the package from below but it can be difficult to enjoy eating out of the package.

Customer service goes a long way. After sending an inquiring email from their website, Mountain House replied with answers within a couple of hours from a friendly customer service representative.

Mountain House recommends using the dry contents within one week of opening, and treating any hydrated food as you would fresh food. On the back is the manufacturing (MFG) code Month/Day/Year for the day it was packaged. If you come across dehydrated or freeze dried food from prior to 2006 or even 1989, check the Mountain House website for a table on how to decipher the MFG code. Also look for Marine Cuisine, the exact same product in a different package, marketed toward the boating industry.

SPECS:

Chicken a la King with Noodles
Price: $8.99US
Protein: 16 g per serving
Net Weight: 6.35 oz / 180g
Calories: 260 per serving

Chicken Teriyaki with Rice
Price:$7.99US
Protein: 10 g per serving
Net Weight: 5.01 oz / 142g
Calories: 220 per serving

Mexican Style Rice & Chicken
Price:$6.99US
Protein: 12 g per serving
Net Weight: 5.40 oz / 153g
Calories: 220 per serving

Fire Roasted Vegetable Blend
Price: $3.99US
Protein: 3 g per serving
Net Weight: 1.48 oz / 42g
Calories: 60 per serving

PROS:

Easy preparation. Able to use in extreme conditions. Lightweight. Easy to pack in & pack out. Filling & very flavourful. Inexpensive. Eating right from the resealing package requires less dishes and cleanup. Package designed to stand up on own.

CONS:

Packaging heats up with boiled water inside so be careful. It would be nice if the packages were recyclable.

Rating: 8.5/10

Innovation:    1.5/2
Flavour:         1.5/2
Convenience: 2/2
Nutrition:       1.5/2
Quality/Price: 2/2

This is only our opinion. Do you disagree? Did we miss something? Are we totally out to lunch? Join the discussion in the forums here, and let us know what you think. People like/dislike gear for different reasons so chime in and we'll get a well-rounded evaluation.

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