Overland Journal – August 01, 2019

OVERLAND JOURNAL FALL 2019

53

This will last as long as a Land Cruiser and is nearly as appetizing.

MOUNTAIN HOUSE | BEEF STROGANOFF

T

heoldestbrandinourtest,Moun-
tain House, was started in 1969
during the Vietnam War when the US
militaryputouta requestforlong-lasting,
better-tasting,andlighterrationsforlong-
rangepatrolswiththeSpecialForcesteams.
Theycontinuetomakemilitaryrations,but
also specialize in backpacking, camping,
andemergencypreparedness.For 50 years,
theyhaveproducedfreeze-driedmealsthat
lastupto 30 yearsinstorage,andhavebeen
to the moon and back.We selected beef
stroganoff,a popularoffering,andonerated
highlyamongconsumers.
Thepackage is one of the bulkiest in
thetest,andunnecessarilyso.It is alsodif-
ficulttoopenandleavesa massive(nearly
3-inch)andunusabletopstripthatendsup
ina landfill.Bycomparison,theGoodTo-
Gotoptearis 1/3thesize.Onthepositive
end,the freeze-dried meal cooks in only
nineminutes.Onceplated,it scoredlower
on overall appeal and was generally de-
scribedassmellingbad.Threeofourevalu-
atorsratedthetasteasslightlyaboveaver-
age,whiletheothertwoscoredthemealas
below average to awful. It is extremely salty

PROS

30-yearshelflife

Quickcooktime

“Notbad;Atlaslikesit.”

-Stephanie and Atlas

CONS

Performedpoorlyin tastetest

Strongartificialand chemicalflavor

Monstersodiumload

“It has a chemicaland artificial

flavor,salty.The beef bits are

crunchy.” -Scott

onthepalate,whichmaynotbeidealif the

mealis usedafterenduranceactivities.This

brandis perfectforleavingin thevehiclefor

emergencypreparednessbutwilldisappoint

mostcampersinregularuse.Additivesare

included,andit is worthnotingthatmodi-

fiedcornstarch,maltodextrin,carrageenan,

andothersallhittheingredientslist.

650 CALORIES| 27.5GPROTEIN| $9, TWOAND A

HALF SERVINGS | MOUNTAINHOUSE.COM