Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

The Future of MREs

Posted by michael on from the blinded-me-with-science dept.

jonerik writes: "MSNBC features this article today about scientists at Washington State University who are attempting to perfect a way to add two staples of American cuisine - eggs and macaroni & cheese - to the US military's MRE ration packs. The problem has been that MREs need to have a shelf life of three years. The scientists have focused on microwaving the rations during the packaging process instead of the traditional method of boiling the contents (which alters the smell and color of eggs and cheese and makes pasta soggy)."

6 of 335 comments (clear)

  1. The current menu by spt · · Score: 5, Informative

    MREs

    They look nice. I'll have a #3 please.

    1. Re:The current menu by Daniel+Dvorkin · · Score: 3, Informative

      Man, kids today are spoiled. :) When I was in the infantry (1987-89) there were like eight different "menus", and two of those were the beef and pork patties, which looked and tasted pretty much identical: like baked sand. We used to call them "Alpo crackers" for obvious reasons. I had lousy luck -- I remember one time, we were downrange for two weeks, and I think I got nothing but beef and pork patties for ten days or so. This probably explains why after a couple of years I crosstrained to be a medic.

      --
      The correlation between ignorance of statistics and using "correlation is not causation" as an argument is close to 1.
  2. good for bears by oyenstikker · · Score: 5, Informative

    MRE's a great for camping in bear country. The bears are smart. They learn to knock down bear bags. They'll suck your maple syrup dry, eat your oreos, tear the tent apart, even break the latrine down if you try to put food in it. But they can't smell the MREs and don't touch them. Good thing too, we had a diabetic with us.

    --
    The masses are the crack whores of religion.
  3. Re:Rock or something .... by kikta · · Score: 3, Informative

    Amen. Seriously, I usually just use my boot. You pop the clips on your LBV (load bearing vest) and lean back on the butt-pack, sort of like a field-expedient recliner, and lean the heater on you boot. It's in the box and if you can feel the heat, you have problems to begin with. Really, I rarely use the heater (too hungry), but most of my fellow Marines prefer hot meals. When I was stationed at Quantico, I had the chance to sample some of the new menus that MARCORSYSCOM (Marine Corps Systems Command - the people who decide what we're going to buy) had approved about a year ago, and even got my picture in the Marine Corps Times. I recommed everything except the Gumbo. It tasted like asshole du-jour.

    Pound cake rules!!!

  4. Re:Rock or something .... by Paul+Komarek · · Score: 3, Informative

    Do they still have those gelatin-covered hot-dog or sausage things? I'm not a real militar person, but I used to do search and rescue with Civil Air Patrol, in a rather army-and-survival centred squadron. I was warned never to eat those slimey hot-dog things, which made me want to try one so I could say "They're not that bad." However, once I actually saw them, I decided to take the advice I'd been given.

    We used to make some sort of cookie-like think using the creamer, sugar, and a flame.

    The other advice I received was to dring *plenty* of water when living off of MREs. That's one more piece of advice I learned to respect.

    -Paul Komarek

  5. Re:But what about hot dogs and apple pie? by nathanm · · Score: 3, Informative
    What next?
    Peanut butter and jelly?
    Actually, every MRE comes with these big crackers (kind of like hard tack) and something to spread on them. Either peanut butter, jelly, cheese spread, or my favorite: jalapeno cheese spread.