morilla's Full Review: Meals: Mountain House Products Beef Stroganoff wit...
I've run the gamut in terms of 'backpacking' foods - canned foods, dehydrating my own, grocery store shelves, retort pouched, energy 'bars,' basic staples supplemented by fishing/gathering - and the only definitive conclusion I've come to is that when you're in the woods, carrying a heavy pack, they all taste good. As regards the weight, effort to prepare, etc., it all depends on the trip, what kind of shape I'm in, and the primary purpose for being 'there.' In the end, unless it's a lightweight trip (i.e., I'm outta shape, got some distance to cover, and gonna be there more than overnight), freeze-dried foods are well down on my list of choices.
The reasons for this are quite simple - cost and lack of taste. No matter how you slice it, freeze-dried foods for backpacking are more expensive than eating in a good restaurant. In the end, I can't help feeling that I'm sitting there, eating a mostly bland, pasty concoction that costs virtually as much as a decent meal at a good buffet. The tradeoff, is that it weighed only ounces in the pack and didn't require more than boiling water to prepare.
Okay, there are these little tradeoffs in life and, as tradeoffs go, the Mountain House Beef Stroganoff with Noodles ain't so bad...
What's In A Name?
Whether you are eyeing Richmoor, Mountain House, Backpacker's Pantry, or some other brand of freeze-dried foods for backpacking, the name of the item can tell you a lot. For instance, Mountain House offers "Beef Stroganoff with Noodles." Simple. Straight-forward. On the other hand, Backpacker's Pantry offers "Beef Stroganoff with Wild Mushrooms" and AlpineAire offers "Stroganoff Flavored with Beef and Noodles." Huh? See the hint yet?
What's the first ingredient on the list? AlpineAire's is "pasta," followed by sour cream powder. Remember, they said 'stroganoff with beef and noodles.' Backpacker's Pantry lists "sour cream sauce" first; with noodles, beef, and mushrooms being the last three items on the ingredients list. I wonder why they'd emphsize the 'wild mushrooms' in the name? Distraction?
Get the idea? Maybe if we recognize that a basic beef stroganoff consists of beef, sour cream, and mushrooms (onions or shallots optional); usually served over some type of noodles. In other words, if you look at the name of the product, pay particular attention to the emphasis in the name; considerable time and attention went into selecting it. If the emphasis is on the stroganoff, it's likely that beef isn't going to be the main ingredient. If they're trying to draw your attention to things like mushrooms, pine nuts, or other gourmet/vegetarian options, it's also a good bet that beef ain't gonna be the first thing on the list of ingredients.
This is important from a couple of perspectives. First, if the primary meal is focused on the noodles, with the tradeoff of a little more complexity/clean-up, you can pick up a package of package of Lipton Stroganoff Noodles or Lipton Creamy Garlic Pasta (see Makes Into A "Taste Treat") for as little as 88 cents. Second, while carbo-loading is a favorite eating rite of backpackers, proteins and fat (such as beef) are essential for long-term energy which translates into shallower energy ups/downs, longer distances, and warmer sleep.
Ingredients
With all that said, what's actually in the Mountain House Beef Stroganoff With Noodles?
Cooked Beef (Beef Flavoring, Salt), Sour Cream (cultured cream, milk, whey, sodium phosphate, guar gum, carrageenan, calcium sulfate, locust bean gum, and cultures), Mushrooms, Modified Corn Starch, Corn Oil, Nonfat Dry Milk, Dehydrated Onions, Salt, Hydrolyzed Corn Torula and Brewers Yeast Wheat Gluten Soy Protein, Lemon Juice Concentrate and Lemon Oil, Beef Base (roasted beef and concentrated beef stock, hydrolyzed corn gluten, soy, corn, and wheat protein, natural flavoring, sugar, dried whey, and yeast extract), Molasses, Spices, Garlic Powder, and Soybean Oil and Spice Extract. Precooked Noodles: Durum Semolina, Whole Eggs, and Salt. Contains: Milk, Wheat, Soy, Egg
Note that the first ingredient is "cooked beef." Kinda helps justify the $5.48 they charge at a 'local' grocer for the 4.8 ounce, serves 2 package. For those with certain allergies, note the items such as soy, wheat, gluten, yeast, milk, and eggs. You also might note, below, the amount of sodium per serving.
As noted, the 4.8 ounce package (Mountain House also markets a 4.06 ounce "Pro-Pak") ostensibly serves 2. Each 'serving' contains 310 calories with 110 of those calories from fat; 12 grams of fat (4.5 saturated); 50 mg cholesterol; 1,010 mg of sodium; 36 grams of carbohydrates; and 13 grams of protein.
Preparation
Mountain House has it down; but, it may take some time for you to get there. Most of their freeze-dried meals, including the Beef Stroganoff with Noodles, now come in a 'convenience' pack where you open, remove the oxygen absorber, add boiling water, stir, 'Ziplock' the bag closed, wait 10 minutes, drain excess water, if any, eat. Sounds easy - right?
Uh, well. Okay. Sure. It sorta works that way. But, there can be some nuances.
The first time I tried this over a decade ago, I followed the instructions, to the letter. I ended up with a... textured? ... meal that crunched on occasion. The last time I ate this (literally, last week at about 7,800 feet), it was juuussstttt right. What was the difference? The first time, at 9,500 ft., 10 minutes wasn't quite enough time to fully 'cook' the noodles or the beef. Exacerbating this was the fact that I followed instructions and drained off what I perceived to be 'excess water.' After a decade of trial and error, I've come to the following conclusions...
First, pay attention to your altitude. Food takes longer to cook the higher you go. Second, if you think you added exactly the 16 ounces of water the instructions call for, you probably didn't. Boiling causes some water to evaporate. Simple solution: cover the pot when boiling the water. Third, don't worry about a little excess fluid. As long as you haven't added substantially more than the instructions call for, you ain't gonna get soup. Bear in mind that you probably need the fluids after a long, sweaty hike. Also remember that the stroganoff is supposed to be sauteed and served in a sour cream sauce; so, draining off 'excess' fluid generally means you're draining sauce, thereby losing not only needed fluids, but nutrients as well. Finally, don't rely on this as the sole component of dinner.
Last week, at 7,800 ft., I added the boiling water and worked/kneaded, not stirred, the ingredients. Once I was satisfied that the water had met all the ingredients and not been drained to the bottom or pooled on top, I 'zippered' it shut and let it sit for 20 minutes or so while I did other things. The seal held the heat quite nicely and the noodles/beef actually had a chance to cook. Finally, when I opened the bag, I then stirred the ingredients; making sure the sauce had a chance to coat everything. I then consumed with a Lexan spoon, not a fork.
(Uh, I probably shouldn't have to say this, but... A word of warning - You did just add boiling water!!! The package is going to be more than warm to the touch... If you're going to eat it straight out of the package - which does save dish 'washing' - use a bandanna as a pot holder.)
As A "Meal"
While Mountain House lists the 4.8 oz. package as serving TWO, it will only do so if your companion eats like a bird. The trouble is that it can be a bit much for ONE. (Which is probably why the Pro Pack, ostensibly for one, is only 3/4 of an oz. lighter.) Theoretically, what you get is two, 10 ounce servings in the 4.8 oz. pack and one, 16 ounce serving in the 4.06 oz. pro pack. Therefore, if you're splitting between two people, you're going to want something else to supplement the meal.
One of the attractions for me is, as alluded to above, Mountain House has kept it simple. There's no fancy 'decoration' such as pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, and other 'organic' ingredients that not only drive the price up, but detract from the taste in that it allows the company to reduce the amount of other ingredients (such as the beef). If you do want to add a little "spice" to the mix, you can do what I do - put a mix of Lawry's Beef Stroganoff Spices & Seasoning, ground up dehydrated peppers (I home dehydrate), and a bit of All Spice in a ziplock bag, season to taste.
Frankly, I would personally prefer it if they added a little more beef to the mix. However, I don't think I want to get into the price increase this would create and, to be fair, as indicated, they are about the only freeze-dried food version on the market that lists beef as the first ingredient. The mushrooms, again to my taste, are about right in that they don't overwhelm the mix. You'll just have to be certain, when splitting between two people, that each gets their 'fair share' of beef and mushrooms.
Final Thoughts
Freeze-dried foods for backpacking have their advantages. However, they are, generally, not my first choice. Most of my reticence stems from the price. I can currently purchase Mountain House Beef Stroganoff with Noodles in the 4.8 oz. package for $5.48 and the 4.06 oz. pro pack for $4.98 at a 'local' grocery store. Other retailers, such as Vitacost, REI, et al. can range from $5.00 to over $7 for the 4.8 oz., serves two package. Bear in mind that outfitter, backpacking, sporting goods stores will generally be more expensive.
Another issue driving the price these days is that Mountain House has announced that the shelf life on their freeze dried foods is now, theoretically, 7 years; as opposed to the 5 years previously claimed. Of course, this is under ideal conditions and I generally make sure any packages I purchase are consumed within two seasons. However, this makes them attractive for bugout kits, emergency food storage (though the Mountain House #10 cans tend to be the mainstay for this), and I even know a guy (aw, nothing like being in your mid-20's with money and time) who stocks up with 'em for road trips so he doesn't have to find appropriate restaurants. With all the emphasis on 'emergency preparedness,' this has contributed to the ever-increasing prices.
However, as backpacking food goes, the Mountain House Beef Stroganoff with Noodles makes an edible, more than palatable, easy-to-prepare, lightweight alternative for the boil it, bung it, beat it crowd. It also works well for the aging, out-of-shape, still want to get there individual who can make a reasonable argument for a government conspiracy which has removed more oxygen from the air, moved the destination farther from the trailhead, made the trail steeper, and snuck a couple of bricks into the pack when they weren't looking...
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