Emergency Food Recommendations

Relatively Ninja · 12-26-2012

I'm looking for some advice on different types of emergency rations. The situation I'm planning for is something along the lines of a natural disaster that involves the loss of one or more major utilities (water and/or power) and the inability to obtain food from my local grocery store for three days. I live by myself in a small apartment, so space is an issue, as is money.

Essentially, I want something that I can throw in my closet and more or less forget about until I need to use it.

Originally I was thinking of picking up some MRE's, but after researching them I've heard lots of mixed reviews. I like the idea of having a chemical heater included with every meal and having the meals come already hydrated. I'm not so crazy about the things that these will (allegedly) do to your digestive system. Then again, my plan only accounts for three days of eating this food.

I looked into some dehydrated meals (such as Mountain House), but I don't like the added complications of the extra water and external heat source needed to re-hydrate the meals. There are flameless heaters available (like this one) but I don't like the limited number of uses. On the other hand, they seem to get much higher reviews regarding taste and the whole not messing with your digestive system thing.

The final option I've considered would be to keep some non perishables and canned foods on hand (nothing special, just from the grocery store). However, heating them would require some kind of camping stove and it would be more difficult to create distinct meals. I'm just one guy, and I really don't care for my dinner to be an entire can of corn.

Again, the purpose of this food is to nourish me as I hunker down in my apartment and wait for utilities to be restored. I won't be out camping and exerting myself all day, just laying low at home. I won't be making a fire to cook food; using a small camp stove or something similar on top of my stove is about as flammable as I'm looking to go.

To boil it down, my questions are as follows:

Are MRE's really that bad for you to eat, even for just a couple days?
Are dehydrated meals worth the extra hassle of storing the extra water and finding an external heat source?
Are canned and non-perishable foods worth the reduced cost?
Is there anything else I may have overlooked that you could recommend to me?

Thanks

Mcolson181 · 12-26-2012

MRE's taste pretty good from what I have had and are nice because of the chemical heater. From what I understand they aren't "bad" for you but you shouldn't live off them.

As far as canned goods go you can get something simple like spam or tuna and they don't need to be heated.

Relatively Ninja · 12-26-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mcolson181

As far as canned goods go you can get something simple like spam or tuna and they don't need to be heated.

True, but since the other two options I listed included a heating method I figured I would like to include it with canned foods to level the playing field and make for a better direct comparison.

kycrawler · 12-26-2012

You seriously dont have 3 days worth of food at home ?

I lived off mre's for about a month at a time during a deployment to panama then later afghanistan , too expensive and better options available if your at home and dont have to carry it with you . 10 cans of spaghetti o's would get you through 3 days and cost about $7 A 25 lb bag of rice and some canned meats /fruits would get you through a month . To cook rice or noodles use a cook stove to boil the water pour water and noodles or rice in a thermos and cap it and let it sit .

Relatively Ninja · 12-26-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by kycrawler

You seriously dont have 3 days worth of food at home ?

I usually have three days worth of food at home. I should have mentioned that this is a college apartment. While I could probably survive off the food remaining in my pantry, there is also a possibility of a storm coming through when I'm out of groceries. That's why I'd like to have a few days of rations in my closet; just in case.

Justin Case · 12-26-2012

Here are a few items that can easily be stored and used in an emergency. These require little or no cooking. If you want to heat your food then get a couple of small cans of sterno fuel. There are of course more nutritious options, but these are easy to prepare, low cost and you're only talking about a few days.

Peanut Butter
Saltine Crackers
Ritz Crackers
Canned Tuna
Beanie Weenies
Pork & Beans
Spaghetti O's
Quaker Quick Oats
Clif Bars
Energy Bars
Breakfast Bars
Sports Drinks
Bottled Water
Graham Crackers
Vanilla Wafers
Canned Beef Stew
Canned Soup
Pretzels
Fritos Corn Chips
And of course, ramen noodles!

It is of course recommended that you eat what you store and store what you eat. This makes rotating your emergency food easier.

pirate · 12-26-2012

I saw walmart is now selling 5 gallon buckets full of prep food for around 60-70 bucks. Supposed to last 25 years in the bucket. didn't read much more than that when going by.

10-32 · 12-27-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justin Case

Here are a few items that can easily be stored and used in an emergency. These require little or no cooking. If you want to heat your food then get a couple of small cans of sterno fuel. There are of course more nutritious options, but these are easy to prepare, low cost and you're only talking about a few days.

Peanut Butter
Saltine Crackers
Ritz Crackers
Canned Tuna
Beanie Weenies
Pork & Beans
Spaghetti O's with meat balls (protein with carbs)
Quaker Quick Oats
Clif Bars
Energy Bars
Breakfast Bars
Sports Drinks
Bottled Water
Graham Crackers
Vanilla Wafers
Canned Beef Stew
Canned Soup
Pretzels
Fritos Corn Chips
And of course, ramen noodles!
Beef Ravioli
Soups that are not condensed - progreso soups

It is of course recommended that you eat what you store and store what you eat. This makes rotating your emergency food easier.

I personally would just keep these items with the rest of my food and only store a few cases of bottled water in the closet if you're only looking for a few extra days supply on hand.

netsecurity · 12-27-2012

My favorite so far is the individual tuna/salmon packs, which are good for a few years, and don't need heated. They taste great and make a healthy meal by themselves.

LtScott14 · 12-27-2012

Good list Justincase! Have a lot with minimal cost. Keep a small gas grill and /or hibachi with charcoal, and you have a picnic! Frozen burgers, steaks, chops can all go into a cooler w/snow to maintain. Watch your mayo stuff though, can turn quickly. During the last 5 day power outage we cooked, played board games, read books, and heated our home with a vent free nat gas fireplace. Was better than going to Turkey Run for a weekend. Note: our towns water wells were also not working, so melt snow when needed.

12-26-2012	#1 (permalink)
Relatively Ninja Marksman Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Bloomington Posts: 371	Emergency Food Recommendations I'm looking for some advice on different types of emergency rations. The situation I'm planning for is something along the lines of a natural disaster that involves the loss of one or more major utilities (water and/or power) and the inability to obtain food from my local grocery store for three days. I live by myself in a small apartment, so space is an issue, as is money. Essentially, I want something that I can throw in my closet and more or less forget about until I need to use it. Originally I was thinking of picking up some MRE's, but after researching them I've heard lots of mixed reviews. I like the idea of having a chemical heater included with every meal and having the meals come already hydrated. I'm not so crazy about the things that these will (allegedly) do to your digestive system. Then again, my plan only accounts for three days of eating this food. I looked into some dehydrated meals (such as Mountain House), but I don't like the added complications of the extra water and external heat source needed to re-hydrate the meals. There are flameless heaters available (like this one) but I don't like the limited number of uses. On the other hand, they seem to get much higher reviews regarding taste and the whole not messing with your digestive system thing. The final option I've considered would be to keep some non perishables and canned foods on hand (nothing special, just from the grocery store). However, heating them would require some kind of camping stove and it would be more difficult to create distinct meals. I'm just one guy, and I really don't care for my dinner to be an entire can of corn. Again, the purpose of this food is to nourish me as I hunker down in my apartment and wait for utilities to be restored. I won't be out camping and exerting myself all day, just laying low at home. I won't be making a fire to cook food; using a small camp stove or something similar on top of my stove is about as flammable as I'm looking to go. To boil it down, my questions are as follows: Are MRE's really that bad for you to eat, even for just a couple days? Are dehydrated meals worth the extra hassle of storing the extra water and finding an external heat source? Are canned and non-perishable foods worth the reduced cost? Is there anything else I may have overlooked that you could recommend to me? Thanks __________________ I may be paranoid, but I am also still alive.

12-27-2012	#9 (permalink)
netsecurity Master Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Hamilton County Posts: 3,152	My favorite so far is the individual tuna/salmon packs, which are good for a few years, and don't need heated. They taste great and make a healthy meal by themselves. __________________ Liberals are anything but liberal. ->If a conservative doesn't like guns, he doesn't buy guns. ->If a liberal doesn't like guns, he doesn't want anyone to be able to buy guns.

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12-26-2012	#2 (permalink)
Mcolson181 Plinker Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Vigo Co. Posts: 96	MRE's taste pretty good from what I have had and are nice because of the chemical heater. From what I understand they aren't "bad" for you but you shouldn't live off them. As far as canned goods go you can get something simple like spam or tuna and they don't need to be heated.

12-26-2012	#4 (permalink)
kycrawler Plinker Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Crawfordsville Posts: 64	You seriously dont have 3 days worth of food at home ? I lived off mre's for about a month at a time during a deployment to panama then later afghanistan , too expensive and better options available if your at home and dont have to carry it with you . 10 cans of spaghetti o's would get you through 3 days and cost about $7 A 25 lb bag of rice and some canned meats /fruits would get you through a month . To cook rice or noodles use a cook stove to boil the water pour water and noodles or rice in a thermos and cap it and let it sit .

12-26-2012	#6 (permalink)
Justin Case Marksman Join Date: May 2012 Location: Brown County Posts: 693	Here are a few items that can easily be stored and used in an emergency. These require little or no cooking. If you want to heat your food then get a couple of small cans of sterno fuel. There are of course more nutritious options, but these are easy to prepare, low cost and you're only talking about a few days. Peanut Butter Saltine Crackers Ritz Crackers Canned Tuna Beanie Weenies Pork & Beans Spaghetti O's Quaker Quick Oats Clif Bars Energy Bars Breakfast Bars Sports Drinks Bottled Water Graham Crackers Vanilla Wafers Canned Beef Stew Canned Soup Pretzels Fritos Corn Chips And of course, ramen noodles! It is of course recommended that you eat what you store and store what you eat. This makes rotating your emergency food easier.

12-26-2012	#7 (permalink)
pirate Sharpshooter Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 937	I saw walmart is now selling 5 gallon buckets full of prep food for around 60-70 bucks. Supposed to last 25 years in the bucket. didn't read much more than that when going by.

12-27-2012	#10 (permalink)
LtScott14 Marksman Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Porter County Posts: 481	Good list Justincase! Have a lot with minimal cost. Keep a small gas grill and /or hibachi with charcoal, and you have a picnic! Frozen burgers, steaks, chops can all go into a cooler w/snow to maintain. Watch your mayo stuff though, can turn quickly. During the last 5 day power outage we cooked, played board games, read books, and heated our home with a vent free nat gas fireplace. Was better than going to Turkey Run for a weekend. Note: our towns water wells were also not working, so melt snow when needed.