What is the proper temperature too store rations?

[TummaTime45]

I still have a partial case of 2001DOP MREs that I sample occasionally. We ate 1 a cpl months ago and everything in it was good to go. In fact there have only been a few bad items so far in the case.

That isn’t bad at all. The more I think about it though scares me bc what are they doing to them to be able to last that long lol!

[sourwes]

Apparently, they're not too terrible for you. I've been eating them pretty regularly since basic training in 1986 and I'm still kicking It really has a great practical use here on the farm

[nechronius]

Ideal temp is close to freezing without freezing for overall longevity (but not always, read on).

If you are freezing, first pre-chill your product to as close to 32F/0C as possible and then freeze it as quickly as possible (deepest part of the chill chest). This will minimize the formation of large ice crystals that will affect the texture of frozen foods. If you stick a warm MRE into your freezer, you are guaranteeing that the main entree will be as mushy as possible.

Refreezing is not encouraged but follow the same protocol as above if you must. The real issue is condensation, as the thawing cycle causes water to, uh, condense. Not such a big deal in retort pouches, but not so good in a bag of M&Ms or snack bars. This guarantees sugar bloom in chocolate, which is why you never want to freeze chocolate, or refrigerate it, for that matter.

FYI Ideal chocolate storage temperature is roughly 63F/17C +/- 2F/1C with low humidity. Which coincidentally is also great for long term MRE storage as already noted.

[Turbo]

I think 60-65F is a great temperature at which to store them - they should last for many years that way. However, if you want them to last as long as possible, get them as cold as possible. I wouldn't recommend freezing them (besides the space it would take, one freeze/thaw might be ok on the food, but I wouldn't want it to happen often - constant freezing/thawing could stress the packaging, causing leaks).

Hi,

I bought some cases A and B from ebay because our austrian military is not really into mres like the us.

The inspection date says early-mid 2020. I also tought about freezing them because i saw steves video at youtube as he ate an old frozen ration. He got me into rations to be honest.

Would one suggest freezing them in the cardboxes or separately or do you think the plastik bag could take some damage when frozen? I think i could get more in it if i open the case boxes

best regards

Martin