Recently, a friend of mine asked me my opinion of the buckets of shelf-stable food one of those big membership stores used to sell on their website. I told him I had no idea of the quality, and I urged him to consider keeping stores of extra canned goods instead.
And then I perused the company's website...and I found this link for free samples. Well, I can't resist a free sample, so I submitted a request. A few weeks later, I got a call from a representative at the company. She asked my reasons for wanting a sample, my mailing information, and a few other basic survey questions for their records. She sent out a package of food and encouraged me to write a review. She also let me know I would be hearing from another representative who would be in touch with me before and after receiving my sample.
About a week and a half later, I got my sample: Creamy pasta and Vegetable Rotini.
I neglected to take any pictures, but we made it for dinner one night that week.
The sample arrives in a mylar/foil pouch and made me think of one of those Lipton or Knorr noodle sides. Upon cooking, the initial appearance is very soupy. I figured since it had similiar characteristics to those other pouch foods, that it would set up after cooling a bit. It became VERY thick - ideal for hikers/campers and the like. Definitely rib-sticking thick.
The smell was just like those noodles-in-a-bag sides. Lots of oniony goodness came from that pot. I have to admit, I was drooling. I'm no food snob, and I consider those sides a form of comfort food, as I grew up eating that stuff. As you can imagine, I was a bit excited about this.
The flavor was very mild, and I liked it. Chris's opinion was that it was not unpleasant, and it needed chicken. I felt it could use a dash of pepper. It already has TVP in as a protein source, so I can't imagine how filling it would be with extra protein. It's a bit heavy but it definitely sticks to the ribs. I could see carrying this on a backpacking trip. I had enough left over for a small lunch the next day, and I found that upon reheating the garlic/onion flavor really comes through. This may be a turnoff for some people but I liked it, and enjoyed it to the last bite.
I'm seriously considering trying other options from them. They could come in handy when we're out camping. Thanks, Wise!
2 comments:
Thanks for the review, very informative. I actually bought one of their buckets, but I have yet to open it up and try anything since I didn't want to break the seal. If the food is decent I think I'll go buy a few more. My local gun range has a stack of them by the entrance. I do a lot of backpacking and having something that can be used in emergencies and while on holiday makes for a nice option.
I have no problem with recommending this food to other people. Go for it.
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