MRE Review: Menu No.20 Spaghetti With Meat And Sauce (During Hurricane Irene Power Outage)

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August 28, 2011
Hurricane Irene wasn't as bad as predicted, but we did lose power for about 24 hours. I took the opportunity to eat an MRE for lunch, and make a review video. It was nice to not have to open up the refrigerator door for a while to conserve precious coldness. This MRE (Meal, Ready to Eat) is menu number 20: Spaghetti with Meat and Sauce. It was packaged in 2006. For something five years old it wasn't too bad, but the spaghetti and the dessert seemed to have acquired a bit of flavor from the packaging. Other than that everything was just fine.
Contents:
-Spaghetti with Meat and Sauce
-Cherry Blueberry Cobbler
-Potato Sticks
-Wheat Snack Bread
-Plain Cheese Spread
-Lemon-Lime Beverage Powder
-Accessory Pack "A" (Coffee, Creamer, Sugar, Salt, Tabasco Sauce, Moist Towelette, Toilet Paper, Chewing Gum, Matches)

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15 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 307

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

Thank you for the kind words. I appreciate it. It's nice to know that there are people who can get something out of these videos. I was thinking about stopping posting them because of some of the troll activity, but will try to keep them coming.

@gunsman988 10 лет назад

If you can eat todays school food, you can eat an MRE...

@sprinklefriend 9 лет назад

+Tbo bau i don't even want to know what school food in the US tastes like today, with all the laws about what can be served. i mean, it's mass-produced food, it's not going to be great. even still, we all know that 1) most kids prefer junk food, and 2) most junk food tastes better to children than healthy food. that is especially true if the said healthy food is mass-produced rather than made at home. when i was in public middle school, we had french fries every single day. still, i was actually UNDER weight, and had milk at every lunch. overall i was very happy, and literally could always find something to eat. (if you didn't like the entree on offer that day, which 2 of the lunch lines served, there was a 3rd line that sold only pizza every day, so that was always there if necessary.) without that pizza line i'd have STARVED! i ended up switching to private Christian school after my freshman year of high school, and it was small enough that we didn't have lunch provided. i HATED packing lunch, and missed my public school lunches! still, my private school ordered Pizza Hut on fridays, which we all LOVED! i wonder if the laws apply to ALL schools or just private schools - the difference being that my school did not accept a single penny of government money, so i don't know if the same rules applied because the lunches weren't government-supplied. if they had taken our Pizza Hut Fridays away, i'd have gone nuts!

@smxkcher 8 лет назад

I just had one of these (albeit with quite different snacks, since the package was from 2013), and I was surprised at how fine the entree tasted. Very nice, lots of meat, the temperature nice and warm from the FRH. I tried it with the cheese spread and with the Tabasco, and both were nice additions.Thanks for the great reviews!

@gschultz9 8 лет назад

+revoltracers Thanks for saying so, and thanks for your thoughts on the newer one. They certainly don't skimp on the meat in the sauce, which is nice. I need to try out a more recent one one of these days.

@jewjew832 10 лет назад

When i got the JALAPENO cheese spread maaaan i thought i won the lottery lmao. its so good!! mres are not that bad honestly, some are REALLY good, some are okayy, && others are nasty!

@freakystar2718 6 лет назад

They are if they are from 2008 and it's 2018

@gschultz9 12 лет назад

Good question. No, you do not have to heat the water at all. It's just a small amount of water (any temperature) that is used to activate the heating elements in the FRH.

@PallyLIVE 11 лет назад

Sir, your MRE videos are SO fascinating. I've started buying MREs. Mostly just for hobby, but I do keep several around in case the need for them arises! Thank you and I look forward to more:)

@livetolovesome182 10 лет назад

earthquake? i remember that day i was trying to potty train my son who was 3 at the time when it hit in va. for a month after that quake he would not go near it.

@sprinklefriend 9 лет назад

+livetolovesome182 that sucks. my cat was very unhappy when any sort of rumbling truck (dump, delivery, etc) drove by for awhile. :-P it LITERALLY had me tumble out of bed, and i understood what was happening, so i can't imagine how a cat, dog, or even a very young human would feel! it must've been scary not to know what an earthquake is, or that it will be okay. i'll admit, i was kind of scared only because i'm 29 and it's the ONLY quake i have EVER felt - and i've lived in the DC area my entire life. i used to spend time in california, and always WANTED to experience a quake... but when it's in your own home with your own family, and it's COMPLETELY unexpected, it's scary!

@ja2595 10 лет назад

Go to 1:07 if you care to skip hearing about Irene on the radio.

@Swaygooy 9 лет назад

ja2595 I owe you my life

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

Good question. Yes, there are indeed breakfast MREs, but I believe that there is only one of them at any one time (out of 24 different menus). For the past few years the breakfast MRE has been Maple Sausage (which I haven't had myself but have heard is good). Before that there was the dreaded Cheese and Vegetable Omelet. Can't imagine anyone misses that one!

@gschultz9 12 лет назад

Very interesting. I had no idea. Guess you really do learn something new every day! Thanks.

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

Very true. The FRH is an amazing thing and a great improvement over older MREs, but not really necessary if you have other ways of heating stuff up (boiling water)--like a fire while camping or a camp stove.

@Mark11340 10 лет назад

Another great video! Hey, have you ever thought of sliding the Cherry Blueberry Cobbler into the box next to the FRH on the other side of the MRE and heat that while the meal is heating? Just a thought.

@sprinklefriend 9 лет назад

please be sure to warn folks NOT to use those ration heaters near flames (such as the candle very close to you in this video). the packaging says that, but not everyone actually bothers to read everything, especially if they know how to activate the heaters. (if you say this later in the video, my apologies - i'm only part of the way through.)

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

All the videos I've done so far have been of genuine military meals (MREs and TOTMs). I'm planning on trying out some commercial ones to show what they do and don't have.

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

All the ones I've reviewed so far have come from eBay. I recently bought a few commercial MREs from a surplus store that I hope to review soon.

@gschultz9 12 лет назад

4-5 years is a pretty good estimate of an MRE's shelf life, but there's no set amount of time that they're good for. It all depends on how they're stored (the hotter the storage the shorter the shelf life). That's the problem with buying them on the secondary market (pretty much the only way to buy them if you're not in the military)--you don't really know how they've been stored. And they generally stay "edible" long after shelf life has expired--that is based on taste quality.

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

Thanks for the sub! Interesting that you should ask about that now. Since I don't drink coffee I haven't used the beverage bags for that in the vids. I just filmed another one where I actually DID try to make the coffee (mainly for people curious about how to do it). But, yes, you're right about how to use it. The problem is trying to get your entree hot and still have enough heat left over to heat up the coffee before the FRH cools off.

@gschultz9 12 лет назад

Totally understandable. I liked rations when I was a kid, then got kind of sick of them by the time I got out of the service. It took a few years for the interest to return. And thanks for the compliment!

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

I'm sure a lot of testing and research went into what cutlery to put into MREs. If it were realistic I'd think that some would have spoons and a few might have forks instead. But if it really HAS to be just one piece for every meal then I think they made a good choice with the spoon. On the other hand, I don't know why they didn't consider a spork? And my kids have a plastic utensil that has a fork on one end, a spoon on the other and a little sharp edge on the side for cutting. Could that work?

@gschultz9 12 лет назад

Sounds like an effective use of the heating elements. Thanks for the tip!

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

They are supposed to remain "fresh" for 3-5 years if stored properly. They can remain edible for many years after that, but the 3-5 year shelf life is what they're designed for.

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

Nice that you had a generator. How long did you lose power for?

@gschultz9 12 лет назад

Cool. Are they cordless? As soon as the power goes out ours stop working--even if they have a full charge!

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

This was in New England. There wasn't much left of Irene by the time it got to us. In our area we got some wind and rain, but that's about it. Enough to knock out the power for a day or so, but no real big problems (for our neighborhood at least).

@gschultz9 13 лет назад

@paulalex19 I'll have to try a newer Spaghetti MRE. This one was good, but not as good as I was expecting. Other than losing power for 24 hours Irene wasn't much of a big deal for us either. Some people had basement flooding and no power for about a week, but that seemed to be the worst of it.

@MRSPIKE001 13 лет назад

Nice video. I had to stop it half way in to get something to eat, these videos always make me hungry. I hope you did not suffer any major problems with the hurricane. All the best Spike.

@davidlhsl 11 лет назад

I know it's been a while since you've recorded this, but I'm curious about the effect of the age you mention. With old MREs, is it simply a bland taste, a change in texture, or does it have an off-taste?

@MrAshleyVs 11 лет назад

Loved this MRE! Spent 4 years in the Navy. Every field exercise (FEX) we went on this was one of the more desired meals. I recall people even pulling rank to get one. When you eat it, it helps to heat the cobbler also. Not the best overall tasting, but it also didn't have anything bad in it. Sometimes you can get a great entree, but horrible sides. Everyone hated the cheese omelette!

@ja2595 10 лет назад

The cobbler is better once you heat it up.

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

I got mine at the Brimfield Flea Market in Massachusetts a few years back. Not sure how old they are, and not sure where a good place to find them would be (besides eBay of course).

@gschultz9 12 лет назад

Most of the ones I've used in these videos have been from eBay. The only other "easy" way to get them I know if is at Army/Navy surplus stores.

@laxmike224 12 лет назад

Hey, Im gonna do a research report on the comparison of ww2 mres to modern day ones. Now, I have heard that these have absolutly have no fiber. Is this true? Also, what is the "aftermath" of eating one of these? Sorry for the spelling mistakes

@kampgruppe101 11 лет назад

i know i sound stupid but i just wanna ask, does an MRE have a designated expiry date or are they made to last?

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

I picked up two of them at the Brimfield (MA) Flea Market a few years back. Some seller had stacks of them along with other camp-type plastic/melmac dinnerware (plates, cups, saucers...). I think they were less than five bucks each.

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

No I haven't, but that's one of the things I really like about MREs--the fact that they change up not only the entrees, but also all the other components to keep it interesting. Thanks for telling me about the changes.

@gschultz9 12 лет назад

@dromezz1993 I have not had that one, but I have one waiting to be eaten. Is it a good one?

@PositionLight 13 лет назад

Interesting, usually its better to add water to powder as the other way round results in floating balls of powder that won't mix. I would really hope the DoD sells the past shelf life ones instead of just destroying them or something.

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

To be honest, I like most of them. Haven't tried them all, but will say that the best thing about current MREs is that there is NO Veggie Omelette anymore! Best of luck in the Marines by the way!

@charlesmartin9889 10 лет назад

This is actually the only MRE I've had and I liked it a lot!

@gschultz9 12 лет назад

@AwesomePossumVids According to mreinfo.com each MRE provides an average of 1,250 calories. I didn't add up how many were in this particular meal, but I guess you can safely say that most should be within a couple hundred calories of 1,250.

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

I haven't had Chicken Pesto Pasta yet, but have one waiting for me. Is it good?

@SRNF 12 лет назад

ye they are all cordless. Canada has a separate power grid for phones I suppose. I just plug it into the phone outlet and it charges the phones and what not.

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

I hear you on the omelette! A few people have mentioned heating up the cobbler. If I get another one I'll definitely try to do that. Thanks. Thanks for your service too by the way.

@KirbyKilla1000 11 лет назад

Do you have a stockpile of these or do you go to a military surplus store?

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

I might have to try to find another one of these. People have been making some good suggestions about the cobbler (heating it up first, putting it on the bread...). I should try it again!

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

MA. How did you do in CT with Irene?

@gschultz9 12 лет назад

@pjc2239 Yeah, that should be fine. They're only recommended for a few years based on taste tests. From what I've heard they remain edible for quite a few years (if stored properly). The only problem is that the flavor keeps getting worse as time goes by...

@gschultz9 12 лет назад

Yeah, time is a luxury not always possible in the field. They hadn't started adding the FRH's yet when I was in the Army so I never used them either. I would certainly have appreciated being able to heat up some of those entrees if there was ever time for it!

@gschultz9 13 лет назад

@sturmovikdragon Yeah, it can be confusing. Sometimes it seems to work better adding the powder first, but with this one it worked much better adding the water first (plus it makes for accurate water measurement in the Hot Beverage Bag). as far as I know the DoD does indeed destroy older stock of MREs. Such a waste!

@JenniferinIllinois 7 лет назад

I love the old school red phone. I'm imagining you on the phone with an MRE reviewer in Russia. Hehehe..

@dsdraconia 12 лет назад

do you need to heat the water then put it in the heater, or do you not?

@largol33t1 10 лет назад

I don't understand the packaging. I once bought the exact same thing. The condiments pack did NOT have Tabasco sauce and instant coffee/creamer. Why would those items be absent from the package? And the potato sticks were replaced with mashed potatoes! Overall, the food was decent and if I ever join the Army, at least the food won't make me feel ill!

@MrZhuntergay 10 лет назад

Wait till you see the French MRE you will be shock at the quality of the American MRE to the French one

@randomlyentertaining8287 10 лет назад

They mix things up every once and a while.

@cooking23 11 лет назад

i have only ever seen main meals of these MRE's are there breakfast ones??

@gschultz9 12 лет назад

Shelf life varies greatly depending on how the MRE was stored. They're designed to last (I believe) around 5-7 years, but if properly stored can remain edible for many years after that. one from 2000 would be stretching it a bit, but if you know it was stored right and there are no signs of leakage, bloating or damage to the packaging it might very well be okay to eat. Just be careful! Anything that smells funny (beyond the normal smell of an MRE) is a sign you shouldn't eat it.

@EstaticFeats 11 лет назад

I'm planning on enlisting in the Marines in a couple years. What in your opinion is the best meal?

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

Why thank you Dirty Dan. I'm very glad to hear that!

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

Unless they re-introduced it recently it doesn't look like they've made the alfredo MRE for quite a few years. I also don't have any on hand. But, if I happen to come across one I'd probably review it.

@OHMIBushcraft 11 лет назад

Great videos! Just subbed! How do the hot beverage bags work if you actually wanted to make the coffee? Would it just go in the FRH bag after your food is cooked?

@CJODell12 6 лет назад

What radio station is that at the start?

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

I don't exactly remember where I got this one, but most likely it was off of eBay.

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

I know that for the most part MREs have a lot of sodium. I've never really needed to add salt and/or pepper to the entrees. But I'll probably have to add SOMETHING to the cornbread stuffing if I ever have that again. That stuff was pretty bland.

@Phammal 11 лет назад

Great to have mres during life threating weather events

@Nigeljohnlong 11 лет назад

is this you making the videos or have you downloaded them :)

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

I gave it about fifteen minutes. That generally seems like plenty of time to heat up an entree.

@gschultz9 12 лет назад

You're welcome, and thank you for the kind words!

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

Yes, all the time. I just don't film myself eating beyond what's needed for the review. I don't really like wasting food.

@niconick72 12 лет назад

what is the shelf life of an MRE i just bought one that was made in the year 2000 duno if its good to eat..

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

All the ones I've used in the reviews so far (except the one from 1986) have come from eBay.

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

I'd have to agree. I'd like to try a newer one. I was expecting it to be pretty tasty and was slightly disappointed.

@yourmanzach2307 11 лет назад

hey man, iv'e been watching your mre videos for over a year now lol can't wait to eat the mre's in the Air Force! i leave november 25th for San Antonio.

@Hartsock2009 12 лет назад

Is that a radio with a turn handle to power it?

@twinnfoxx9652 11 лет назад

Can you choose the type of meal you want? i.e. Roast beef or whatever you like? I wanted to try ordering MRE's but the sites i went to, do not give a choice of what i wanted. It was more box of MRE's with a mixed menu...kinda you get what they give you... I didnt like that since there are foods i dont like such as macaroni and cheese etc...

@dylanney43 11 лет назад

When your in the military when would you eat a mre?

@OHMIBushcraft 11 лет назад

Thanks for the reply! I'll keep my eye out for the video where you demonstrate it. That was my next question was how long does the heat bags last. I suppose if your camping you can always just heat up water the old fashioned way for the hot beverage :) Thanks for the videos!! -Woody

@gschultz9 13 лет назад

@MRSPIKE001 Thanks Spike! Yeah, it's kind of an odd thing I suppose, but I like watching MRE videos too. We didn't have any damage or flooding from the storm, just no power for about 24 hours. It certainly could have been a whole lot worse...

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

A single MRE averages 1,250 calories (according to MREinfo dot com). That's 1/3 of the military's target for daily calorie intake. Some will have more and some will have less, but that is supposedly the average.

@MrHansta 11 лет назад

@gschultz9 in your opinion, would it be easier with any other cutlery than just a spoon

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

Originally from Central MA, but currently living close to Boston.

@MsSpy 11 лет назад

Where did you get your tray?

@oldigger7060 12 лет назад

Thanks for the thanks. Unfortunately, being a veteran is viewed by many modern Australians as politically incorrect. At best, we are usually just ignored except on special days. Some friends who visited the US recently told me how veterans there are treated with respect. It's nice to see that. BTW, C-Rats were gourmet food compared to Australian 24 hour ration packs. They were horrible!

@gschultz9 12 лет назад

You're welcome. There certainly are no guarantees, but it can't hurt to have a back-up. If the power goes out then most cordless phones won't work. If there's some kind of disaster that knocks out the cell phone grid (or whatever it is) at least there is one more option. Obviously if the phone lines are down or the phone system itself is out of commission the rotary won't work. But it would have to be pretty bad for ALL of those things to happen!

@speyburn10 11 лет назад

Where do you get your trays? Thanks.

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

Sorry, I don't understand the question.

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

I like them. Some people seem to hate them. If you can get your hands on one its worth trying to see for yourself!

@itsmebao851 11 лет назад

aren't the amount of calories in a whole set of MREs like super high?

@Scotty_A 5 лет назад

How about dipping the potato sticks in the cheese sauce, and crumbling the bread into the cobbler? 👍

@gschultz9 12 лет назад

You forgot to mention that I also used all those lighting sources while it was LIGHT outside and I didn't actually need ANY of them! LOL. Seriously though, I was just using them for atmosphere for the video obviously. Didn't realize at the time that we'd be without power for a couple days. And the lantern was powered by cranking, so at least that one didn't need batteries or anything.

@Mr0superman 10 лет назад

Love your videos

@gschultz9 12 лет назад

I have to admit that I don't really know what the fiber content of MREs is. I've heard a lot about the calories, sodium, carbs and fat content, but not much about fiber. Sorry. As far as the "aftermath", I've heard all the stories about these things being designed to make you have to "relieve yourself", as well as stories about them stopping people up for days or weeks. When I was in the Army I had a good number of MREs and never really found them to have much of an effect on my works.

@ReinbachThe3rd 11 лет назад

Military surplus stores generally have them in stock.

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

To be honest, I'm not exactly sure about the science behind them. It's probably a combination of all three. The Natick Labs have been developing and tweaking MREs for decades. They've gotten to the point where they are pretty good-even after quite a few years. That's quite an accomplishment! They're still not "gourmet food" by any means, but I think that's understandable.

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

Basically you'd be given MREs anytime it wasn't convenient or possible to bring you a hot meal. Combat situations and field training exercises would be the most obvious examples.

@REILLYAssociatedActs 12 лет назад

I really enjoy watching these.

@imjustinb 12 лет назад

Did it come with the tray?

@gof22 11 лет назад

How long does an MRE stay good for?

@gschultz9 11 лет назад

Not yet. I'm always careful with the older ones to not eat anything that has obviously spoiled or gone bad.

@gschultz9 12 лет назад

Three companies currently make MREs for the government: Sopakco, Ameriqual and The Wornick Company. Lots more information about MREs can be found at mreinfo.com