MENU 10 Chili and Macaroni (2014)

[[ex-Member1]]

Chili Macaroni by the Wornick Company
Just to point out I don't have much experience with various menues, this is my 4th MRE and 2nd review on this forum.


I have chosen this particular menu because it's chili menu and I kinda liked Chili Beans so this looked appealing to me, to continue on the chili road. After finding out there is accesory pack A with coffee inside I had no doubt about opening it and trying this Menu 16 for the first time.

Contents of the bag with datecodes:

Chili and Macaroni (4045)
Marble Pound Cake (4013)
Carbo/Electro Beverage Powder, Lemon-Lime (4021)
Crackers (4055)
Cheddar Cheese Spread with Jalapenos (3315)
Skittles (best before x.x.2015.)
Hot beverage bag
Cardboard sleeve
FRH
MRE spoon
MRE accessory pack A (4058)

Contents outside the bag (click on the thumbnails for bigger photo)



Marble Pound Cake - pretty big piece of it. Great taste, looks great, smell was even better. Could imagine folding it to the smallest size and putting it in sleeve pocket for later. Very light and yet so cool piece of food. We have similar cakes in our stores and I like them as I liked this one.


Accesory pack A with extra bag of sugar. I don't know is it mistake or it's because 6oz coffe that was inside but I am the coffee man and I like it sweet - mistake or not I loved it. As you can see there is also a ground red pepper here, it made me scared so I put it away in a hurry.



Cheddar Cheese Spread with Jalapenos. Photo is little blurry, sorry for that. I love cheese spreads in MRE and it makes me happy to see one in a bag. This time I didn't heat it but it was really good so it didn't matter after all.


Standard MRE crackers. I got it both out in one piece no cracks at all.


Carbohydrate Electrolyte Beverage Powder, Lemon-Lime. Natural and artificial flavor. Not so sweet so I liked it and I used about 0.4L of water with it, a bit more then it said on the bag.


Cardboard sleeve



Hot beverage bag

FHR

MRE spoon


Chili and Macaroni. They where heated just about right. Smelled awesome thanks to chili part of this dish. On the first few taste it was missing something so I've remembered "mac&cheese" I always had opportunity to hear in american TV shows and movies so I decided to mix it a bit. I used half on my cheese spread on one of the crackers, the other half I put in chili macaroni bag along with another cracker that I crushed a bit, then I added little of the salt and mixed it all together. And that was a win. Like last time I had chili beans and while crying because red pepper I mixed in it this time there was no tears and pain to pay for feeling like an American. It was free feeling with chili,macaroni,cheese spread and cracker meal gents. I had a little urge for about 3 seconds to kick in some of that red pepper I hide at the begining but the common sense won and I didn't do it. If I have this menu in the future I will always mix all this together.



Skittles where tropic if I remember correctly, sorry for not having a picture but the bag was plain commercial version of Skittles no additional brown bag packing. Coffee this time was excellent, for a instant coffee that is. I used 6oz of water as it says on a bag, used both of sugars and a non-diary creamer but it still wasn't sweet, just about right for instant coffee in a field, amount, taste and all.

All in all this wasn't bad actually, but MENU 1 Chili Beans would be my coice over this menu, I liked it more then this one.

[MREHungary]

Menu 16 or Menu 10?

Nevertheless a great review. I hope someday I get to this meal myself too ^^
How was the pasta itself? I am always interested in the consistency of the pasta, was it "al dente", just good or too mushy.

[[ex-Member1]]

Menu 16 or Menu 10?

Nevertheless a great review. I hope someday I get to this meal myself too ^^
How was the pasta itself? I am always interested in the consistency of the pasta, was it "al dente", just good or too mushy.

It's menu 10... my bad

About pasta I would say mushy, but somehow it does not makes this meal bad just because that, there is plenty of beef and chili smell is great - all that covers for pasta... I hope you'll get the chance to try it soon so I can hear your thoughts about this meal.

[parafireboy]

Good review Asger! I've always liked this menu. I've never tried mixing any of the cheese spread or crackers in with the chili and mac, but it sounds good, and I'm going to have to give it a try!

[BlackDogBob]

I really enjoyed this review. Makes me want to crack one open. Mixing the crackers in with it is always a good way to go. Back in the day (late 80s early 90s) when I was in the Corps, we used to mix the cheese and crackers into the Chicken A La King. Man! A part of me is glad that part of my life is over and another part wishes I was still in.

Anyway, thanks for the review. Has me wanted to try one. Will be in Missouri this weekend and will be picking up a couple cases of very fresh Military MREs. Gonna have to eat one of these as soon as I busy open the case.

[elandil]

awesome review....suprisingly, I have never tried this particular menu, so it's a treat to see how it is from your perspective.

Keep up the good work.

[[ex-Member1]]

Thanks guys. In the meantime CRO CSO has sent me one but he had different one packaged by Ameriqual...it had that additinal inner bag. Should I say it didn't wait for long to be opened and I just went on the old path putting half of cheese on one cracker and the other half along with the second cracker right into the entree pouch. I LOVE IT!

Until now I tried these MRE menues:
2015
Rib shaped barbecue flavor pork patty (was outdoors, shocked when I took a look inside and seen there was no coffee!!! no cheese! few tears escaped I must admit)
Maple sausage (this was great, I like American food like this I never had before, first maple sirup too... like walnut taste in honey texture)

2016 made review on both here on forums:
Chilli beans
Chili and Mac

Chili entrees strikes me more as "real food" over patties and such. You can get them hot just enough to start eating when it's right temperature, you can boost it with other items from the MRE bag... and both menues have coffee.

[alcockell]

CHucking the crackers and half the cheese into the pouch is what Stefan Gates did on this BBC clip.