morilla's Full Review: Mountain House Products Scrambled Eggs with Ham, R...
When I was a kid, powdered eggs were all the rage as an 'eat like at home' camper's breakfast. If you had powdered eggs, pancake 'mix,' and dehydrated potatoes, you were set as a backpacker. The trouble was that the pancakes never seemed to fluff at altitude, the potatoes tended to stick to the bottom of the mess kit's frying pan, and the eggs... well, egg 'flavored' sand might have been less of a grind on the teeth.
Thus, it was with some trepidation that I gave the Mountain House Scambled Eggs with Ham, Red, and Green Peppers a try last year. Normally, I just toss a few packets of Instant Oatmeal and dehydrated fruit into the pack for backpacking breakfasts - and still do. However, when backpacking, it can be helpful to mix things up a bit when it comes to food since one's appetite can be a trifle dulled with altitude; i.e., sometimes it's difficult to face yet another meal of the same thing, which has led to some very interesting negotiations late on a group excursion. The idea here was to create one day out of the week where things were 'different.'
Details
Alright, before getting into how this qualifies as 'different,' let's look at the nutritional information...
Mountain House Scambled Eggs with Ham, Red and Green Peppers comes in a 2.54 oz. package (equivalent to an 8 oz. serving when rehydrated) and ostensibly serves one person (more on that in a minute). The package lists these as 'precooked;' but, I would not advise you attempt to eat this without adding the boiling water and allowing to 'reconstitute.' Eggs and ham should both be cooked properly; even if they've purportedly been 'precooked.'
Speaking of ingredients...
Precooked Scrambled Eggs (whole eggs, egg yolks, nonfat dry milk, modified corn starch, corn oil, salt, yeast extract, sunflower oil and smoke flavor, xanthan gum), Ham (ham, salt, dextrose, sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium erythorbate, smoke flavor, sodium nitrite), and Red and Green Peppers.
Now, for those with allergies, you will note that Mountain House scrambled eggs are made with EGGS - whole eggs, with yolks. Also note the milk. Some don't tolerate ham well either. While this may seem redundant to some, I point this out as there are egg & meat flavored products on the market which don't contain the real thing. In this case, you can believe in the packaging and take a hint therefrom.
This gives you 370 calories (180 from fat). Twenty grams of total fat with five of those being saturated. Cholesterol equals 560 mg and a whopping 1,300 mg of sodium; which is not entirely bad when you're out sweating under a heavy pack in the heat. Total carbohydrates are 16 g; with 10 of those grams being sugars. The good news is that there are 30 grams of protein which provide long-term energy; something I have to supplement the oatmeal with by hauling in some form of beef or buffalo jerky.
Serves One?
Compare this to my oatmeal/beef jerky breakfast. The four packets of mixed, instant oatmeal runs 580 calories, plus approximately 80 calories from the jerky for a total of 660 calories. Let's say with the dehydrated fruit I typically add to the oatmeal, the caloric content is virtually double that of the Mountain House Scrambled Eggs with Ham, Red and Green Peppers.
In a nutshell, the oatmeal/jerky also provides: 10.5 - 12 g of fat depending on the mix with a total of about 2.5 g of that coming from saturated fats; roughly 25 mg of cholesterol (remember, these are package listings, I'm not a lab rat who can measure it precisely); approximately 1,430 mg of sodium - but, even more importantly, 220 mg or more (if I add dehydrated bananas) of potassium; 121 g of carbohydrates, with 47 grams of that coming from sugars (remember, I said this was Instant oatmeal); and, finally, 28 grams of protein.
In that context, the oatmeal/jerky breakfast provides twice the calories, give or take half the fat, a fraction of the cholesterol, a bit more sodium with considerably more potassium, exponentially more carbohydrates (which backpackers love) at a price of nearly five times the sugars (which can be problematic in terms of energy swings), and nearly the same amount of protein. Given this information, you could argue that the oatmeal/jerky breakfast is not only healthier, but better geared toward activities such as backpacking. It is also, given the substantially higher calorie count, more of a 'stick to your ribs' breakfast. Right?
Of course, there is that pesky little problem of the oatmeal/jerky being twice the "dry" weight in the pack; meaning that you could haul two scrambled eggs packs or one scrambled egg pack and something else to supplement the meal - which will probably be necessary in that 'Serves 1' is a bit of an overstatement when it comes to my appetite. Now, while both only require boiling water, there's also the issue of being able to eat straight from the Mountain House bag, where you'd have to clean a pot with the oatmeal. Then again, both only require a spoon.
Yeah, But How Does It Taste?
I will admit that 'powdered' eggs have come a way since my youth. To prepare, you boil 8 ounces of water, add, knead, zip the pouch closed, wait about 10 minutes (the pouch says 5-6, but you have to account for altitude, the phase of the moon, and the fact that you probably didn't hold your mouth right when pouring the water in), stir, then drain any excess water. The eggs fluff out reasonably with no gritty taste; but, can be a little 'runny' given the water needed to reconstitute. The ham seems to be done and peppers are just enough to notice without overwhelming the mix.
Yep, they nearly taste like real eggs; both going down and throughout the remainder of the day - if you get my drift. I attribute a substantial part of this to not being able to find a way - yet - to successfully make these come out stiff (as I think scrambled eggs should be) without adding too little water; with too little water leaving one taking an occasional bite of powdered egg. (What did the Valley Girl say - "Ugh. Gag me with a spoon.")
Worth It?
Does the Mountain House Scrambled Eggs with Ham, Red and Green Peppers provide an alternative breakfast taste? Sure. Is it worth the $4.28 I paid at the 'local' grocer (Mountain House lists them at $5 as does REI) in terms of being an alternative breakfast? Well, if I use 'em on a rest day (which is a good time to break things up a bit) or on a day when I'm in a hurry to hit the trail, then... okay. Would I want to have to eat this as my everyday backpacking breakfast? Uh, well, ahem...
I'll trade you the pack of peaches & cream oatmeal for the raisins & spice... :o)
Fantastic prices with ease & c...(Stock status: N/A)
Mountain House's Scrambled Eggs with Ham freeze-dried meal is a combination of precooked eggs, smoke flavored ham, green and red peppers. Just add boi...More at Amazon Marketplace
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