By Tim H. Martin
I’m always on the lookout for cool new products for Buckmasters fans. When I received an email from an agency promoting a ‘self-heating home style meal requiring no stove or flame,’ I was intrigued.
The email explained all you need is 3 to 5 ounces of liquid to activate the heating pack — even old coffee or creek water! I had to know how that worked.
So I contacted the agency for a sample and they sent me several packs to try, including Southwest Style Chicken, Lentils with Beef and Creole Chicken.
I chose the Creole Chicken to put in my backpack on a cold November day. When it came time to eat lunch, I followed the instructions and had a steaming hot meal in 5 minutes, just as advertised.
Basically, you are heating a fully cooked bag of food within a bag of boiling water. A liquid-activated heat pack is used to heat the water, warming the sealed food bag inside a bigger bag.
After plopping the heat pack in and adding water, steam released through a small vent within seconds. Trust me, the water got HOT.
I let it sit a minute, then opened the big bag and carefully fished out the food bag. I tore it open (no need for a knife) and dug in. They even provided a little plastic spoon and napkin.
You could eat right out of the food bag, but I brought a small metal pan for photography purposes. When I was done, I poured out the water and stuffed the trash inside the bag, sealed it and brought it out in my backpack.
The Chicken Creole was very savory — so much more flavorful than dehydrated food — and I ate a small pack of OMEALS Habanero Cheese Bites for dessert.
Although the products seem originally intended for campers and hikers, I believe it would be of interest to hunters like me who desire a hot lunch, but don’t want to drive somewhere, carry a stove or start a fire.
Most meals work out to about $10 each, and I recommend ordering a few bags to try, storing them in your hunting vehicle. Next time the deer are moving well and you decide to hunt all day, you’ll have a hot meal handy.
I like the fact no flame is required, which eliminates the possibility of smoking up your hunting clothes. I also like that the food is not freeze dried, like most bagged trail foods.
For more info, visit: www.omeals.com
— Photo Courtesy of Tim H. Martin
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