Dehydrated meals recommendations

[Fëanor]

I have often considered that a group of like minded hikers could all go in on a freeze dryer and crank out meals for all invested. Similar to a family canning operation but this would need to be more internet/ venmo based. "Once a year we will make 400 meals total for our 10 investors, each investor pays their 10% for the cost of food and once the volunteer that's operating and housing the freeze dryer completes the meals they get shipped out to the 10 investors. I guess I have only showcased a successful business model here LOL

Question is can you cook!!! ....all that glitters is not gold!

[soboyle]

I can boil water! I think that is about the extent my Jetboil will do, but it's enough for my hiking cooking.
Was perusing the shelf-ready food section at my grocery store the other day, lots of choices, especially if I go the route of Starkist Tuna and Chicken for some meal supliments. Maybe a little heavy but need the protein.

[Birthright]

My favorite in both the packable and the taste categories is Packit Gourmet. Some excellent meals, especially the Tortilla Soup, the Texas State Fair Chili, and the Chicken and Dumplings. But I've never had a bad or even mediocre meal from them. Well worth the price, very light for their calorie count, and easy to prepare (most are just add boiling water to the bag and steep, which is a real pleasure after a long day on the trail.)

I checked out the website. I liked it. Thanks. Will definitely need to try it on trail.

[NJH]

Mountain House #10 cans are currently 40% off.

[RockDoc]

I have about 50 years of experience with these, and I don't think they've changed much or improved in that time. They are highly processed, carb-heavy meals, which are quite expensive. For many years we have been making our own breakfasts and dinners using a dehydrator and adding some commercial dehydrated foods such as cheddar cheese and dried eggs. We favor protein based meals so we dehydrate all kinds of meat, steak, bacon, hamburger, pork and then package individual breakfasts (eggs, cheddar, and meats) and dinners (dehydrated vegetables, meat, and cheese powder), so all we have to do is add boiling water and let it sit in a cozy for 10 minutes. So minimal cooking means minimal fuel usage. For lunch we eat handy foods like hard boiled eggs, jerky, string cheese, dried fruit, and dark chocolate. So as you can see I don't have much use for these packaged backpacker foods, or any other processed foods, really. Processed foods have caused a lot of health problems for millions of people. So we stick with real foods as much as possible, and we especially avoid sugar.

[Slow Trek]

We have used Mountain House from Georgia to New York,with no problems. Breakfast and lunch come from local stores. I have no doubt there are cheaper alternatives,but they taste good and are easy. Compared to the cost of airfare and missed work,food is the cheap part of our trek...

[Time Zone]

I would do what I could to avoid cook-in-bag meals. The last few I've tried, from multiple brands, have simply not been good. I don't mean not very good, I mean not good at all. Perhaps I still haven't tried the right brand - but it has soured me on the search.

I'm also trying to pivot away from boiling water being in contact with plastic (whether FBC or insulated cups). With some planning you can eat much better - start with the Skurka meals and see what you think. You can modify the recipes to be your own. Then pick up some tips here and at other hiking forums for other DIY recipes. If you have your own dehydrator, or can borrow one, that's a route I would try, for sure.