If you haven't sampled these Mountain House foods, you might not want to buy a bulk supply. On the other hand, I've tried the following: Beef Stroganoff, Beef Stew, Lasagna, and granola with blue berries, and I've enjoyed them all; however, as others have observed, they contain a lot of salt. Nevertheless, I like freeze-dried prepared foods because they pack small, they are light, they can be eaten out of the package (no dishes to clean), and they reconstitute without simmering (as opposed to grocery store packaged foods), and that saves A LOT of fuel. I also like Idahoan brand instant mashed potatoes. The packages require only water to make, and are remarkably tasty. I often add some instant mashed potatoes to freeze dried foods to thicken them up and add calories.

I've also have a food dehydrator and use it to make all kinds of things for tours and bike camping, especially beef jerky--however, it takes a long time to dry your own food, and unless you have a vacuum sealer, these foods will spoil quickly.

In the long run, I've decided that it's easier to buy high quality freeze dried meals and an assortment of packaged food (tuna and chicken, for example) from the grocery store. I like to cook, I like the notion of being self-contained, I like the idea that I'm not dependent upon a restaurant or store for food, and so I always bring freeze dried packaged food. While Mountain House does not offer the more exotic choices of say, Backpackers Pantry, their food--except for freeze-dried eggs!--has always been dependable and filling.