OMeals – Vegetable Beef Stew

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OMeals

Overall Rating:

Out on a multi-day kayaking trip, pulling up to a rocky shore. It’s noon and I’m tired. Breaking out all my cooking gear is just too much of a hassle. Instead, it’s time to try Omeals Southwest Style Chicken.

Preparing this self-heating meal is a breeze, and if the end result doesn’t look ANYTHING like the picture on the bag…. so what. It’s still a decent vegetable stew that even came with its own spoon.

Preparation

Taste

Weight

OMeals – Vegetable Beef Stew

Additional information
Preparation
Taste
Weight

Specification: OMeals – Vegetable Beef Stew

Calories per Ounce	19
Calories per Package	170
Carbs per Package	21g
Fat per Package	3g
Protein per Package	14g
Sodium per Package	610mg
Sugar per Package	4g
Vegetarian	No
Vegan	No
Gluten Free	No
Food Allergens	Fish, Soy, Wheat
Pack Weight (oz)	9 oz
Prep Time	5 Minutes
Shelf Life	3 Years

Preparation

Omeals is an all in one, fully inclusive meal system that includes not only the ability to heat itself, but also the spoon and napkin. Omeals uses the same heating system that the original MREs use, a powdered mixture of iron, magnesium, and table salt that uses water to activate an exothermic process.

When opening the Omeals bag, you will find and remove several smaller bags. These include the food pouch, heating element, and the spoon with a napkin. Remove the heating element from its packaging and place it in the bottom of the Omeals bag. Place the food pouch with the heating element inside the Omeals bag. Add 4-6 ounces of water to the Omeals bag. Close the Omeals bag, leaving it in the upright position, and wait 5 minutes. Stand back from the bag, as the steam will quickly leave a vent in the top of the bag and can potentially burn you. After 5 minutes, carefully open the Omeals bag and let stand for an additional minute. After the minute of cooling, remove the food pouch, open, and enjoy.

We recommend kneading the food pouch beforehand to disperse the ingredients, and after heating, to disperse the temperature.

PROS:

No fuel, burner, or pot needed.
High quality ingredients that have never been dehydrated.
The bag itself had a mark to indicate how much water to use.

CONS:

While cooking, the package lets off quite a bit of steam that can burn you if you aren’t careful.
The food was only warm to luke warm and unevenly heated.

Taste

At first mouthful, the large chunks of potato and meat are welcome and a bit surprising. The taste and texture are comparable to a can of vegetable soup in the supermarket, albeit a higher end brand. It was a bit salty at first, but that quickly faded to the background as the other seasonings hit my taste buds. Be sure to check out our review of Backpacker’s Pantry Shepherds Potato Stew With Beef which scored in taste.