Wise Company – Chili Mac with Beef
Overall Rating:
Biking around the local lake can build up quite an appetite, which meant that is was an ideal time to try Wise Company Chili Mac with Beef. We hadn’t eaten yet and we needed something substantial in order to finish out the day.
As expected, preparation was a cinch. It was in the taste and texture where this meal really fell short. The cheese and meat used were of low quality, which made us a bit queasy. While the appearance of this chili mac matches our childhood memories of it, the taste fell far short.
Preparation 
Taste 
Weight
Additional information
Specification: Wise Company – Chili Mac with Beef
| Calories per Ounce | 110 |
|---|---|
| Calories per Package | 660 |
| Carbs per Package | 90g |
| Fat per Package | 16g |
| Protein per Package | 36g |
| Sodium per Package | 2440mg |
| Sugar per Package | 16g |
| Vegetarian | No |
| Vegan | No |
| Gluten Free | No |
| Food Allergens | Dairy, Soy, Wheat |
| Pack Weight (oz) | 6 oz |
| Prep Time | 15 Minutes |
| Shelf Life | 7 Years |
Preparation
Preparation
Preparing the Chili Mac with Beef is quite simple and straightforward. Simply add 2 cups of boiling water to the dry ingredients, stir, and wait 15 minutes.
- We recommend mixing the dry ingredients evenly beforehand. Powdered ingredients tend to gravitate to the bottom of the package and become difficult to mix once wet.
- Once the hot water is added, you need to thoroughly mix the ingredients again. We mixed ours for 2 minutes and still had some hard spots of clumped up ingredients.
- Roughly 20 minutes to fully prepare.
- Most of the preparation time is simply waiting for the ingredients to steep in the boiled water, which is added directly to the original package.
- No recommendation to mix dry ingredients thoroughly before filling the package with boiling water.
- Extremely thorough mixing needed before and after adding hot water.
Taste
Taste
Reminiscent of my days in middle school, Wise Company Chili Mac with Beef would be right at home being plopped down on my food tray by a lunch lady. While this was a filling and high calorie meal, the heavily processed meat and cheese did not sit well in my stomach. Both the noodles and meat did not fully rehydrate, which made it quite chewy as well.
- Very filling, high in carbs and calorically dense.
- Highly processed taste.
- The meal felt very heavy in my stomach. Like a rock in gut, it made me a bit sick to my stomach
- Grainy texture.
- Not fully rehydrated.
Weight
Weight
At Outdoor Food Lab, we list our weight ratings as such:
- 150+ calories/ounce:
/ Ultralight Hiking Food - 131-149 calories/ounce:
- 111-130 calories/ounce:
- 90-110 calories/ounce:
- Less than 90 calories/ounce:
