Wednesday, March 18, 2009

efoodsdirect 3-Day Responder

I got my package with a 3-day supply of food in the mail today from efoodsdirect.com. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to try eating the food for exactly 3 days and see how I like it. I'll be adding olive oil to the dinner recipes for more calories.

The packaging is resealable mylar bags with several servings per bag. There is a bit of air in the bags, but not much. They seem to reseal securely. The bags weigh on average 20% more than expected going off the packaging information, including the weight of packaging itself. 

Caloric content
Going by the info on the bags, here is what I get.

1. Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal: 368 cal. / 100 g
2. Tropical Fruit Medley: 228 cal. / 100 g
3. Cheesy Chicken Rice Casserole: 276 cal. / 100 g
4. Vegetable Beef Stew: 350 cal. / 100 g
5. Instant Potatoes: 179 cal. / 100 g
6. Cheesy Potato Soup: 311 cal. / 100 g

1168 calories per day is built into the meal plan, with 40 grams of protein. Assuming 20% more food than what is declared on the packaging, that makes 1401 calories per day and 48 grams of protein. Perhaps another 400 calories could be added by using olive oil liberally with the recipes. 

Cooking instructions
The cooked meals require adding the mixture to boiling water and simmering for 20-25 minutes. I think the same effect could be achieved by taking the pot of boiling liquid off the stove and letting it sit in its "pot cozy" for the same amount of time. The water will slowly cool, but it should still be hot enough to do the trick. 25 minutes is a long time to wait for dinner, though.

I will report on my opinion of the food in 3 days...

Taste test
Oatmeal -- really tasty; I could imagine eating it for days on end
Tropical fruit medley -- pretty good
Casserole -- really tasty
Vegetable beef stew -- didn't like it much
Instant potatoes -- good
Potato soup -- decent

Since I will have only one pot to use during my hike, I can't pour soup over the potatoes.

Conclusion
I liked much of the Responder kit, but not all of it enough to use it to supplement my rations. 

3 comments:

  1. I'll bet those bags are mylar, not aluminum.

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  2. Aha, for sure. I've corrected that.

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  3. Insider tip - Please tell everyone who has ordered any products to check the following:

    1) Empty the contents of a mylar bag, then cut the bag so it is a flat, single layer. Hold it up to the light. If you can see through it, the promised shelf life is a HUGE problem!!!

    2) Check all bags of bread. If the bag is full of "air", the bread has probably gone bad and is rotting - the yeast may be fermenting, causing the bag to puff out.

    These problems have already happened to other eFoodsDirect customers. I doubt the company will issue a recall.

    Contact eFoodsDirect and get any defective products replaced ASAP.

    ReplyDelete