heater meals - zesty bbq sauce with beef and potatoes review
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bishopmarine
- Posts: 423
- Joined: Thu Apr 12, 2007 6:50 pm
- Location: virginia
heater meals - zesty bbq sauce with beef and potatoes review
okay i bought this at bass pro shop in pigeon forge. it was about six bucks. they are too expensive in my opinion but i bought a few so i could try them. easy to prepare. the frh is freaking hot. even hotter and bigger than the mre heater. it came with some salt free seasoning. salt and pepper. spoon and napkin. it had a pouch of salt water to activate the heater. really simple to get it heated. the food was really good. the potatoes were cooked really well. not too mushy. the beef was excellent. really tender, real chunks of beef. not a single grissle or fatty piece in the whole meal. my son loved it, he ate as much of it as i did. all in all it is great food. but too expensive for what you get. if i could get these for around 3.99 i would buy lots but at six dollars is just not worth it in my opinion.
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"Do not attack the First Marine Division. Leave the yellowlegs alone. Strike the American Army."
Orders given to Communist troops in the Korean War;
shortly afterward, the Marines were ordered
to not wear their khaki leggings.
Orders given to Communist troops in the Korean War;
shortly afterward, the Marines were ordered
to not wear their khaki leggings.
Re: heater meals - zesty bbq sauce with beef and potatoes re
$3.99 each is what the HeaterMeal Company charges for them if you buy them directly from them in cartons of 12. It also looks like they've got some of the HeaterMeals Plus menu items on special at $4.99 each right now, in cartons of 12. The caveat is that they do charge you for UPS shipping, so you should ascertain that cost before ordering.
Since HeaterMeals is also the sole supplier of FRHs, I would think that it is no problem for them to use a larger bag with the FRH element to accommodate the HeaterMeal tray. This looks like a change in packaging from the original HeaterMeals that used a bare element in a supplied second plastic tray to heat the menu item tray. The bag approach is probably a lower cost solution and enables a user to heat the entree item without the box if necessary (albeit probably with some loss of heating effectiveness.)
As an even lower cost solution, I've used the military FRHs placed both in the bag, or just the bare element in a larger plastic tray, placed underneath a commercially available retort tray package like a Hormel Compleat to heat it (supply your own box or alternative heating container.) I picked up a lunch bag (I think it was from California Connections) from Costco a while back that had a big front pocket that would accommodate a Hormel Compleat with a FRH underneath it; I just stick a piece of cardboard underneath the FRH to keep it from burning the insulated liner (though you could use any cardboard box as well.) You can also do that with the Taco Bell trays that you find in the grocery store (or Wal*Mart.)
Another lower cost solution that I found was using Tasty Choice meal combos that have a 7oz Thai or Indian vegetarian entree and a 5oz package of either Jasmine or Basmati rice. These combo packages come with the food in two laminated retort bags (like MRE entrees) with a plastic tray/bowl and a spoon. With these, I stick the entree package into the FRH and then activate it; put the rice package underneath the FRH, all in the supplied plastic tray (sans cover) and put it back into the cardboard box. About 15 minutes later, it's all done! I like to throw in a 3oz can of chicken with the vege entree to satisfy my carnivorous needs. Of course this can also be done with any other retort pouch packaged item that will fit in the FRH, like what you may find in many Southeast Asian or Indian grocery stores. The 10oz packages of some of the Indian entree items may not fit (or be a real tight fit) in the FRH, but you can heat those on top of the FRH in an enclosed container.
Since HeaterMeals is also the sole supplier of FRHs, I would think that it is no problem for them to use a larger bag with the FRH element to accommodate the HeaterMeal tray. This looks like a change in packaging from the original HeaterMeals that used a bare element in a supplied second plastic tray to heat the menu item tray. The bag approach is probably a lower cost solution and enables a user to heat the entree item without the box if necessary (albeit probably with some loss of heating effectiveness.)
As an even lower cost solution, I've used the military FRHs placed both in the bag, or just the bare element in a larger plastic tray, placed underneath a commercially available retort tray package like a Hormel Compleat to heat it (supply your own box or alternative heating container.) I picked up a lunch bag (I think it was from California Connections) from Costco a while back that had a big front pocket that would accommodate a Hormel Compleat with a FRH underneath it; I just stick a piece of cardboard underneath the FRH to keep it from burning the insulated liner (though you could use any cardboard box as well.) You can also do that with the Taco Bell trays that you find in the grocery store (or Wal*Mart.)
Another lower cost solution that I found was using Tasty Choice meal combos that have a 7oz Thai or Indian vegetarian entree and a 5oz package of either Jasmine or Basmati rice. These combo packages come with the food in two laminated retort bags (like MRE entrees) with a plastic tray/bowl and a spoon. With these, I stick the entree package into the FRH and then activate it; put the rice package underneath the FRH, all in the supplied plastic tray (sans cover) and put it back into the cardboard box. About 15 minutes later, it's all done! I like to throw in a 3oz can of chicken with the vege entree to satisfy my carnivorous needs. Of course this can also be done with any other retort pouch packaged item that will fit in the FRH, like what you may find in many Southeast Asian or Indian grocery stores. The 10oz packages of some of the Indian entree items may not fit (or be a real tight fit) in the FRH, but you can heat those on top of the FRH in an enclosed container.
bishopmarine wrote:... but too expensive for what you get. if i could get these for around 3.99 i would buy lots but at six dollars is just not worth it in my opinion.
Those are some good heating tips, MCIera. I also like the method the guys at TheEpicenter.com show on their MRE webpage:
From: http://theepicenter.com/mre_military_me ... o_eat.html
I would think this might work well with a smaller thermal lunch bag, too - and maybe just one FRH.
From: http://theepicenter.com/mre_military_me ... o_eat.html
I would think this might work well with a smaller thermal lunch bag, too - and maybe just one FRH.
Yeah, that's where I shamelessly got the idea from 
The lunch bag that I got had a large pocket for storing stuff and I can use the smaller front pocket as as the heating chamber (another shamelessly stolen idea from Mountain House's "oven" bag.
The lunch bag also came with an aluminum 1/2 liter water bottle (I use it to store water for the FRHs (just a little leary of drinking water from a Chinese made metal container
)
I'll try and take some pictures later, to better illustrate what I was talking about.
The lunch bag that I got had a large pocket for storing stuff and I can use the smaller front pocket as as the heating chamber (another shamelessly stolen idea from Mountain House's "oven" bag.
The lunch bag also came with an aluminum 1/2 liter water bottle (I use it to store water for the FRHs (just a little leary of drinking water from a Chinese made metal container
)I'll try and take some pictures later, to better illustrate what I was talking about.
kman wrote:Those are some good heating tips, MCIera. I also like the method the guys at TheEpicenter.com show on their MRE webpage:
From: http://theepicenter.com/mre_military_me ... o_eat.html
I would think this might work well with a smaller thermal lunch bag, too - and maybe just one FRH.
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bishopmarine
- Posts: 423
- Joined: Thu Apr 12, 2007 6:50 pm
- Location: virginia
not bad at 4.95 per meal including shipping. but i will just continue to stock pile mountain house entrees at walmart for less than 4.75 each. i have spaghetti, lasagna, or chili mac to choose from. they require more prep but you get a lot more food. the ones i have been buying have stamped use by date of 2014. they have other varieties that i pick up from time to time but they range from 5.25 to 6.50.
"Do not attack the First Marine Division. Leave the yellowlegs alone. Strike the American Army."
Orders given to Communist troops in the Korean War;
shortly afterward, the Marines were ordered
to not wear their khaki leggings.
Orders given to Communist troops in the Korean War;
shortly afterward, the Marines were ordered
to not wear their khaki leggings.