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Scientists Create Pizza That Can Last Years

An anonymous reader writes "Researchers at the US Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center have created a pizza that can be stored for up to three years while still remaining edible. 'It pretty much tastes just like a typical pan pizza that you would make at home and take out of the oven or the toaster oven,' said Jill Bates who heads up the lab. 'The only thing missing from that experience would be it's not hot when you eat it. It's room temperature.'"

17 of 225 comments (clear)

  1. the good news by Karl+Cocknozzle · · Score: 5, Funny

    The good news is that after three years it still tastes better than Dominos.

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    1. Re:the good news by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      The better news is that now MRE's are apparently 'edible'.

    2. Re:the good news by GarethIwanFairclough · · Score: 5, Informative

      The better news is that now MRE's are apparently 'edible'.

      I never thought they were that bad to be honest. At least they didn't have the 'joys' of the "rocks and custard" (''Fruit' dumplings' in something that is supposed to be butterscotch sauce) desert* we Brits sometimes had in our ration packs.

      That said, I didn't have many MRE's, but the ones I did get were okay. That may have been down to luck, the advice of the US troops I worked with, or it may have been that I could stomach just about anything.

      But not the rocks and custard. That one was just fucking minging.

      *As in, "likely to cause desertion".

      Link showing what a typical British ration pack looked like a few years ago; http://www.arrse.co.uk/wiki/24...

    3. Re:the good news by quenda · · Score: 3, Funny

      Holly: Nothing wrong with UA Army pizza. Full of goodness, full of vitamins, full of marrowbone jelly. Lasts longer than any other type of pizza, US Army pizza.
      Lister: Why?
      Holly: No bugger'll eat it. Plus, of course, the advantage of US Army pizza is that when it goes off, it tastes exactly the same as when it's fresh.
      Lister: Why didn't you tell me, Holly?

  2. That's ok by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Funny

    It would still be warmer than the average delivery pizza.

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  3. Re:Three Years? by icebike · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If they only just close enough to finalizing the recipe now how do they know it will last three years?

    These guys invent MREs. That's what they do.
    They have years of experience developing and packaging for long term duration.

    As to how good will it taste in three years, that's based on historical analysis of other similar MREs.
    The Spaghetti MREs are pretty good after three years.

    I know guys who actually like MREs, and bought their own supply for hunting trips after the left the service.

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  4. Re:Nutritional value ? by icebike · · Score: 3

    This problem has been solved for decades.
    Check out the Wiki page on how many different menus there are for MREs.

    As for injuring the soldiers' teeth these are combat rations, MREs, stuff you eat when bullets are flying, and therefore the least of your worries.

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  5. Re:I just wish... by DanielRavenNest · · Score: 3, Funny

    Just hold it in front of the anti-aircraft radar for 30 seconds.

    There's a reason the first microwave ovens were called "Radaranges" (http://www.radar58.com/radarange/radar.html), and were made by the Amana division of Raytheon, a military radar manufacturer.

  6. Re:Three Years? by Deadstick · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The Spaghetti MREs are pretty good after three years.

    I know guys who actually like MREs, and bought their own supply for hunting trips after the left the service.

    Many sporting-goods stores stock MREs. Not bad compared to a lot of camping food.

    I went on a field exercise in 1961 with K-Rats packed in 1943...I'd have been delighted to have MREs.

  7. Re:Cuisine hits rock bottom by sv_libertarian · · Score: 3, Informative

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... No, it was a commercial food product that got adapted for military use.

  8. Re:I'd rather not. by Immerman · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Don't be a prisoner to the circle! French-bread pizza can be awesome - use the top and bottom halves of a loaf as the crusts and pile as many topping as you can. Use big enough chunks and you can stack that sucker as tall as the original loaf.

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  9. Pizza Hut by Goody · · Score: 3, Funny

    I was going to say they just re-invented Pizza Hut pizza, but then I saw the part about it being edible. At least they don't have to worry about Pizza Hut suing for patent infringement.

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  10. There's a difference here. by Sable+Drakon · · Score: 3, Informative

    That's 4 years while frozen. Almost anything intended for refridgeration can handle being stored for long-term so long as the temperature holds. This however is 3 years on the shelf with no temperature controls at all. There are very few things that can make that particular claim. Just ask anyone that works in your local Target/Wal-mart/regional groccery about product rotation. Only candy manages to hit the 3 year mark, and that's pushing it.

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  11. Re:Three Years? by Ralph+Wiggam · · Score: 4, Interesting

    My cousin owns a surplus store. I have recently eaten K rations from WW2. The sponge cake wasn't bad.

  12. Re:I'd rather not. by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 5, Funny

    . . . and then put the top and bottom halves back together to make a giant sub sandwich, wrap it in bacon to keep it together, dip it in batter, and deep fry it!

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  13. Re:Nutritional value ? by dead_user · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I can assure you the seals on the MRE's are airtight. After Katrina I went through about 5 cases of them myself. The entree's seal is about 8 mils of rubbery but laminated aluminum backed plastic. They have those curls cut in the end that make you think it should be a tear-able edge, but all that happens is the plastic stretches a little. I never had a problem once the knife came out though. Those MRE's are as well sealed as the tires on my car. The M&M's and Skittles were in their standard packaging. The little packets of gum were hard as rocks, and were rumored to contain a mild laxative. I can't speak to that, as I spat them out the instant I stuck them in my mouth. Nasty. I still have a collection of really tiny Tabasco bottles. One with every meal, you know.

    The pasta dishes were by far the tastiest. The chicken cacciatore in particular was quite good. The tomato based sauces were all pretty ok, but they just tasted a little off. Metallic, maybe. The meat entrees suffered a little bit more by the processing. Anything beef was better by than anything pork. The "pork ribs" was a large piece of jerky-style pork pressed into a childs rendition of a Mc-Rib and stored in this weird transparent BBQ sauce preservative. Ewwww. The crackers and packets of peanut butter and jelly were completely normal. The "bread" depended on where the MRE was manufactured. The ones that came from the midwest were better. The bread was a thick fig-newton shaped bar of pressed bread. Ugly as sin, but it tasted OK. The MRE's that were made in the east had bread that was shaped like a bread icon but tasted like cardboard. The only thing that was truly inedible was the omelette. Trust me, trade the omelette for an extra pack of the sport-drink.

    The chemical heaters didn't really do that good of a job heating the food. I suspect that with time, the aggressiveness of the reaction fades a bit. I'd just boil a pot of water and drop the whole entree packets in to heat them up.

  14. Re:Nutritional value ? by Hognoxious · · Score: 3, Funny

    Bacteria need 3 things to grow: moisture, time and nutrients

    4th thing: not being already dead.

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