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If the food is freeze dried its fine.
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10+ year old MREs, the good, the bad, the ugly.
- Thread starter Toxie
- Start date
If the food is freeze dried its fine.
timcsaw
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I just looked for dates on the DARK brown one's that I have and can't find any dates at all (production dates OR expiry dates). I would guess though that the 8 or 10 I have left are probably between 15 and 20 years old).
It's been quite a while since I've actually opened one of these dark brown MRE's, but if memory serves, I think that everything in them was freeze dried. Has anyone opened one of the old, Dark Brown lately who might confirm that they are all freeze-dried?
It seems that that was one of the reasons that I put them in my vehicles and figured I could just forget about them. I figured that they might offer some amount of nourishment in a pinch without killing me!
"confirm that they are all freeze-dried?"
You might have some of the LRP rations, which were different than standard MRE's. If memory serves me correctly, the beef patty was the only main meal that was dehydrated in the dark brown-bag MRE's. Some of the side dishes (fruit) were also dehydrated.
You might have some of the LRP rations, which were different than standard MRE's. If memory serves me correctly, the beef patty was the only main meal that was dehydrated in the dark brown-bag MRE's. Some of the side dishes (fruit) were also dehydrated.
I've got a bunch dated '81, and they were fine last year... 
Actually, parts of them were fine. Crackers were nasty, so was the cheese. Everything else was ok. Freeze dried strawberries were still perfect, the entree's probably tasted like they did when they started...
If it didn't kill me, I must be stronger, right? Actually, I don't worry about them too much. Nothing is going to grow in the food after it is ultra pastuerized and bagged in multiple layers. If it did go bad, you would see the bags bulging...
Actually, parts of them were fine. Crackers were nasty, so was the cheese. Everything else was ok. Freeze dried strawberries were still perfect, the entree's probably tasted like they did when they started...If it didn't kill me, I must be stronger, right? Actually, I don't worry about them too much. Nothing is going to grow in the food after it is ultra pastuerized and bagged in multiple layers. If it did go bad, you would see the bags bulging...
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I've got a bunch dated '81, and they were fine last year...
If it didn't kill me, I must be stronger, right? Actually, I don't worry about them too much. Nothing is going to grow in the food after it is ultra pastuerized and bagged in multiple layers. If it did go bad, you would see the bags bulging...
did you get TAN M&M's?? the old ones taste like real chocolate....
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the brown bag ones had freeze dried parts but not the whole meal... I am still looking for some white bags if anyone has any... the clear bag train as we fight meals are good!! and not full of unneeded calories.
Guy in my church originally from south Louisiana has a basement full of cases of MRE's that he obtained after Hurricane Katrina. He visited his mother's house several times in the Katrina aftermath and he said that quite often a FEMA truck would come around almost begging them to take more MRE's.
I deer hunt with him and we have been taking the MRE's with us for lunch for several years. I really have found them to be pretty good eating. Certainly better than a can of beans.
I deer hunt with him and we have been taking the MRE's with us for lunch for several years. I really have found them to be pretty good eating. Certainly better than a can of beans.
Well, to finish it up:
Beef stew: Smelled ok, tasted OK.
Chicken w/ Rice: Good, was tasty and nice!
Chicken patty: This was very like the beef patty, it was tasty and good. One of the best eats in menu A of this "vintage".
In ending;
The good: The entrees, sides, crackers, drink mixes, pound cakes and peanut butter/jam, double packed commercial products were all good.
The bad: creamer, cheese, loose commercially packaged food.
The Ugly: ALL the fruit.
Beef stew: Smelled ok, tasted OK.
Chicken w/ Rice: Good, was tasty and nice!
Chicken patty: This was very like the beef patty, it was tasty and good. One of the best eats in menu A of this "vintage".
In ending;
The good: The entrees, sides, crackers, drink mixes, pound cakes and peanut butter/jam, double packed commercial products were all good.
The bad: creamer, cheese, loose commercially packaged food.
The Ugly: ALL the fruit.
You talking about the "bread, shelf stable"? Came in a little dark brown package with one mini loaf? That was good stuff if you could get ahold of it.
From the menus I remember ('91-95 timeframe):
-Corned beef hash was tolerable (until an FTX in Dec 93 when I got stomach flu)
-Chicken Ala King wasn't horrible
-Tuna was noodles was a winner (and personal fav)
-Ham slice was the bomb on the bread with the cheese packet heated on a Hummer hood.
-Nothing sucked worse than getting the Omelet with Ham
MRE Menu information
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Everyone in the Corps avoided Omelet with Ham like the plague! You couldn't trade it away for anything! Ham slice, and Spaghetti were both great meals! Chicken Ala King was ok, Tuna with Noodes wasn't one of my favorites. Corned Beef Hash was tolerable every once in a while but not too often.
Any of the tomato dishes (spaghetti, pork rice bbq etc) used to give me the worst heartburn imagineable. And I was only 18-21 years old! But man, oh, man nothing sucked worse than drawing the Omelet!
Looking over my link, I remember the Esc. Potatoes w/Ham were pretty good. I don't recall ever having the beef stew, I know I must have, as I practically lived off of them for months at a time.
I remember eating my first one in Basic, I ate the freeze dried fruit as is. So I'm standing there munching away on a piece of styrofoam and a drill says, "hey d#*@head! You're supposed to put 'em in your canteen cup and add water. Do push ups!"