Endeavoring to “take one for the team”, our family did our second test in reviewing the freeze-dried meals that are out on the market by testing the Mountain House Chili Mac meal.
I’ll just get to the point. Surprisingly – we liked it! It had flavor, it was spicy, it had a lot of meat, didn’t have a ton of beans (we’re not bean fans), and for the 2-serving pouch we were eating from, it gave 3 of us a nice little snack-sized meal that could’ve easily been enhanced with some fruit and crackers for a small meal. It would easily feed 2.
The premise of the meals in a pouch is that you pour boiling water into the pouch, seal it up, wait about 10-15 min (on both the Mountain House Freeze Dried Foods and the Wise products we tried, we found that leaving it in a little longer than the directions said gave us a better result), then grab a spoon and tuck in. Beware that the pouch will be just as hot as the boiling water you’re putting in it.
Also read: How to Use Mountain House Freeze Dried Food Pouches
Comparing this to the Wise Food Chili Mac we tried, Mountain House beats Wise hands-down. It was more flavorful, and that, alone, made the biggest difference to us. It was also cheaper for the 2.5 servings. Both company’s products are not organic, do contain soy and other preservatives and enhancers, but when you’re looking at emergency food that will store long term, or get you through an emergency situation, that’s probably isn’t going to be your main concern.
Before we fully jump on Mountain House’s bandwagon, we do want to try a few of the other flavors (edited: we later did a review of a wider variety of pouches here), but based on this one taste test, Mountain House beats Wise Food by a long shot.
Check out our review of more Mountain House flavors here.
You can read our Wise Food review here:
I Tried It for You: A Review of Wise Freeze Dried Foods
Katy Willis is a writer, lifelong homesteader, and master herbalist, master gardener, and canine nutritionist. Katy is a preparedness expert and modern homesteader practicing everyday preparedness, sustainability, and a holistic lifestyle.
She knows how important it is to be prepared for whatever life throws at you, because you just never know what's coming. And preparedness helps you give your family the best chance to thrive in any situation.
Katy is passionate about living naturally, growing food, keeping livestock, foraging, and making and using herbal remedies. Katy is an experienced herbalist and a member of the CMA (Complementary Medical Association).
Her preparedness skills go beyond just being "ready", she's ready to survive the initial disaster, and thrive afterward, too. She grows 100% organic food on roughly 15 acres and raises goats, chickens, and ducks. She also lovingly tends her orchard, where she grows many different fruit trees. And, because she likes to know exactly what she's feeding her family, she's a seasoned from-scratch cook and gluten-free baker.
Katy teaches foraging and environmental education classes, too, including self-sufficient living, modern homesteading, seed saving, and organic vegetable gardening.
Katy helps others learn forgotten skills, including basic survival skills and self-reliance.
She's been published on sites such as MSN, Angi, Home Advisor, Family Handyman, Wealth of Geeks, Readers Digest, and more.