Mountain House Macaroni & Cheese

Summary

Probably the worst freeze dried meal this side of eggs that I can remember having.

I was planning a camping trip with my son and as part of that I let him pick out a few freeze dried meals. I wanted to try the chili-mac but my son has periodic mouth issues that make him shy away from anything that might be spicy. Fortunately, at least for him, this meal isn't spicy or tasty or flavorful.

The advantage to Mountain House meals is that it comes in a foil pouch that can be resealed so the meal can be cooked in the pouch.  The pouch is food storage bag, then the cooking pot and finally the garbage bag.  This is why I like these meals just add boiling water, no need to waste fuel simmering, and let sit.

What I didn't like was the flavor.  The macaroni still had a bit of unrehydrated crunch even after waiting more than the recommended ten minutes.  The "cheese"  sauce had no flavor, was thin and watery,  I'm sure its only function was to remind the eater that they were having mac-n-cheese and not just mac.

As with most of these meals even though they say dinner for two you need to serve them with something more.

Summary

Lousy. Skip this one.

Bland and boring. Not much cheesy taste, and nothing much of anything else.

Cooking was easy, like any boil-in-a-bag, but even with leaving it for many extra minutes, it still didn't cook properly.

We followed the directions carefully, but the macaroni stayed stiff and didn't expand very much. The sauce was runny, and in spite of everybody being hungry, there was still half a package left after supper.

You're better off with a box of Kraft Dinner. That's better tasting, and although you'll need more fuel to cook it, you'll be a lot happier with the result. And the cost is 1/10th that of the Mountain House brand.

These freeze-dried meals are the best of their kind that I have EVER tasted. They are lightweight to transport, made from quality ingredients and easy to make. We just had to boil the water needed, pour it into the bag and wait for a few minutes. The macaroni and cheese tasted great; I would just make sure that you bring the water filter needed to have the water for the food.

Editor's Note: The reviewer represents an online retailer that carries this product and brand.