Newbie Comments on Menu 13 - Cheese Tortellini in Tomato Sauce
Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2019 10:01 pm
Main course: I was pleasantly surprised to see that the sauce remained thick after heating. The scent of onion powder rose immediately upon opening the pouch, was pleasantly strong and not over powering. I had expected the sauce to be bland and sickly sweet in a way similar to Chef Boyardee and other cheap canned foods marketed for children. While still sweet compared to home made sauces and better commercial sauces, it was quite palatable. I threw the hot sauce packet in mine, but if you’re at home and have red pepper flakes I recommend using that instead so you can skip the vinegar in the flavor.
The rich texture and adult flavor spectrum should make most people happy considering this is survival food. The pasta and cheese filling itself remained enjoyably firm. The cheese was very neutral tasting and did not stand out in any particular way, but did have the mouth feel you might expect from a mix of ricotta and parmesan just like store bought tortellini. The final ingredient listed is simply “spice”, and I think they may have added a bit of white pepper. There was enough onion powder to hide it well if there is white pepper in the mix. This was a good main course for me as a newbie collector.
Trail mix, recovery: Disappointing. A mix of peanuts, cashews, almonds, and pretzel orbs. None of the nuts are salted, so without any chocolate or fruit included this was a very bland mix. All of the nuts are roasted very minimally, so they taste raw. Since the pretzel orbs are light weight and round, they come out of the pouch first with each handful and you have to pinch at the bag to get a good mix. This item left me wishing for the pack of smoked almonds that come in other ration menus. I’m left to wonder if it’s deliberately dry and bland since it’s marked for recovery and you’ll want your beverage powder along with this for sure. Unless you're hungry or in genuine need of calories I recommend just leaving it sealed for emergency use or trade.
Chocolate peanut spread: I loved this. It tastes just like the over-priced & hydrogenated chocolate flavored PB’s you can find in the novelty section of the PB aisle at the store these days. It made the unsalted MRE crackers not bad to eat at all. I kneaded mine thoroughly and the heat from my fingers made it a bit thinner, like a frosting. So, if you want it thicker like traditional peanut butter, just open and eat. I can easily see someone on the go just squeezing this from the pouch.
Vanilla Pudding Dessert Powder: saved for later review. Given that the meal includes a chocolate snack with a similar consistency to pudding, it seemed like a redundant dessert item and I lacked the appetite after the rest of the meal. The pouch is large, so I foresee no issue whenever I decide to mix it up.
Lemon-lime beverage powder: This was a bit strange. It has an acrid smell to it that you intuitively recognize as the lime flavoring. Like an artificial version of the zest or pith of a lime peel. However, the lime flavor doesn’t pop in that tart way you can taste or smell with commercial sports drinks. I added approx. 16oz of water as opposed to the instructed 12 oz. thinking it would be strong in flavor and regretted it. Weak stuff that tastes like sweet nothing and smells sharply bitter and funky like powdered bathroom cleaner from the dollar store.
Accessory packet included Coffee, Instant type III and non-dairy creamer.
The rich texture and adult flavor spectrum should make most people happy considering this is survival food. The pasta and cheese filling itself remained enjoyably firm. The cheese was very neutral tasting and did not stand out in any particular way, but did have the mouth feel you might expect from a mix of ricotta and parmesan just like store bought tortellini. The final ingredient listed is simply “spice”, and I think they may have added a bit of white pepper. There was enough onion powder to hide it well if there is white pepper in the mix. This was a good main course for me as a newbie collector.
Trail mix, recovery: Disappointing. A mix of peanuts, cashews, almonds, and pretzel orbs. None of the nuts are salted, so without any chocolate or fruit included this was a very bland mix. All of the nuts are roasted very minimally, so they taste raw. Since the pretzel orbs are light weight and round, they come out of the pouch first with each handful and you have to pinch at the bag to get a good mix. This item left me wishing for the pack of smoked almonds that come in other ration menus. I’m left to wonder if it’s deliberately dry and bland since it’s marked for recovery and you’ll want your beverage powder along with this for sure. Unless you're hungry or in genuine need of calories I recommend just leaving it sealed for emergency use or trade.
Chocolate peanut spread: I loved this. It tastes just like the over-priced & hydrogenated chocolate flavored PB’s you can find in the novelty section of the PB aisle at the store these days. It made the unsalted MRE crackers not bad to eat at all. I kneaded mine thoroughly and the heat from my fingers made it a bit thinner, like a frosting. So, if you want it thicker like traditional peanut butter, just open and eat. I can easily see someone on the go just squeezing this from the pouch.
Vanilla Pudding Dessert Powder: saved for later review. Given that the meal includes a chocolate snack with a similar consistency to pudding, it seemed like a redundant dessert item and I lacked the appetite after the rest of the meal. The pouch is large, so I foresee no issue whenever I decide to mix it up.
Lemon-lime beverage powder: This was a bit strange. It has an acrid smell to it that you intuitively recognize as the lime flavoring. Like an artificial version of the zest or pith of a lime peel. However, the lime flavor doesn’t pop in that tart way you can taste or smell with commercial sports drinks. I added approx. 16oz of water as opposed to the instructed 12 oz. thinking it would be strong in flavor and regretted it. Weak stuff that tastes like sweet nothing and smells sharply bitter and funky like powdered bathroom cleaner from the dollar store.
Accessory packet included Coffee, Instant type III and non-dairy creamer.