Wonderful gluten free food. Great for storage.

Finally-guten free foods for emergency/disasters! I read the reviews and they got good ratings, hopefully, I won't need to put it to the test but now I'm ready.

[Updated 11/8/2016 -- Shelf Life] I purchased my Legacy 120 version with a slightly different menu than this one. A few items in mine are not in this 120 serving GF container, but most are here in larger quantities (the better tasting ones). This 120 serving container includes:

Enchilada, Beans, and Rice - 16 Servings
Loaded Baked Potato - 16 Servings
Cheese and Broccoli Soup - 12 Servings
Cheesy Potato Soup - 12 Servings
Creamy Potato Soup - 12 Servings
Creamy Vegetable and Rice Soup - 12 Servings
Spicy Corn Chowder Soup - 12 Servings
Classic Chili - 16 Servings
White Bean Chili - 12 Servings

Each packet contains 4 servings. However, what isn't explicitly stated is that there is no meat in any of these packets. These are strictly meatless entrees. If you want meat, you'll need to buy something like Freeze Dried Meat Supply: 96 Servings Assorted Beef & Chicken in Bucket to add protein or otherwise have some type of protein on hand.

Packets

One big downside of these packets is that they are not resealable. There is no zip closure or any type of closing mechanism on them. Once the Mylar pouches are opened, they are open. Because these are dried powder ingredients, they can't sit in humid environments without going bad unless used up quickly. So, you should have some zip closure bags or other airtight seal containers handy to store any unused mix.

The ingredients in the mixes tend to separate, though they may have been intentionally packed separated. Meaning, the mix portion falls to the bottom and the rice is at the top. What this means is that when you go to prepare servings of an amount less than using the full pouch, you need to thoroughly mix the packet together so you can ensure you have enough of the entire mix to make the entree work. Mixing is better performed with a spoon than attempting to shake the packet.

In the case where the entree includes rice, noodles or beans, it would be a better idea to separate these out into their own packets which could be cooked separately from the mix and then added together.

Preparation

Unfortunately, the preparation instructions are somewhat lacking. While the packet does state the proper amount of water to use, how long it takes to actually turn the dry mix into an edible entree is much longer than stated (I'll come back to this). The packets offer 2 and 4 serving size options calculated for you because it's easy to use half of or the whole package and doesn't require much measuring. If you want to make servings of any size other than those listed, you will need to calculate the water amount and have a way to measure out the correct amount of mix. It usually takes between 3-4 cups of water to make 2 servings. That's 1.5 to 2 cups per serving. To make all 4 servings, you'll need 6-8 cups of water. This also means you'll need to have a measuring cup on hand. So, you should stick one into one of the containers.

The preparation time usually says to add boiling water and stir until well mixed. Then wait 18-20 minutes. Well, that's definitely not long enough as dry as these ingredients are and especially not boiling water alone. If the entree contains beans, expect to actually simmer the mix over med-low heat (think crock pot) for at least 1.5-2 hours before the beans are of a reasonably soft texture. If it contains rice, it takes about 45 minutes to an hour to fluff up properly. These are not at all quick to prepare and take a fair amount of cooking time to get into reasonably edible state because you're cooking a full mix, not the ingredients alone.

Flavor

This varies depending on the entree, but all that I have tasted are fine. The Cheese Broccoli Soup heats up reasonably fast (not much to hydrate in this), but is rather bland. It doesn't taste enough of cheese and the broccoli bits are tiny, but it's a hearty enough soup similar to canned. The Creamy Ala King (not in this 120 container) has a funky aroma and takes longer because it has rice and the rice takes longer to fluff over med-low heat without burning it, though the flavor is decent. The White Bean Chili is reasonably flavorful, but watch out for the aftermath from the beans if you're prone to that. The Spicy Corn Chowder is reasonably tasty, but it's not at all spicy in that way. You'll want to add some Tabasco or pepper flakes if you really want it spicy.

In fact, most of the entrees I've reconstituted from the packets taste fine. They're not gourmet foods by any stretch, but they don't taste funky either. I wouldn't personally prepare these kinds of foods for myself under normal conditions, but in an emergency situation these would be fine. I'm also testing them to know what to expect if I ever needed to use them. Nothing like being surprised by excessive water or cooking requirements in an emergency situation.

These mixes typically also need added spices to flavor them up, so it's good to have a supply of spices on hand to add while they are simmering such as salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, etc.

Emergency Preparedness

If you're thinking of purchasing these for long term storage, you should read the above to know what you're getting into. It does take a fair amount of water (6-8 cups for a family of 4). In addition, you'll also need a supply of clean water and some way to simmer your food over heat. Adding boiling water alone is not enough. I might suggest matches in addition to a camping stove with fuel, charcoal briquettes, canned heat, wood or something else to generate heat and a way to cook over it. If you have a way to get power, a crock pot works spectacularly well.

As I stated above, you'll want to get some kind of protein to add to these meals as these are strictly non-meat powdered mixes containing carbs and sometimes vegetables. I also caution you to resist the urge to taste the dry powders in the mixes. While they do reconstitute into reasonably tasty meals, the dry mixes can taste unpalatable and off putting.

Shelf Life -- Update as of 11/08/2016

While it's claimed that these packets have a 25 year shelf life, I have recently discovered that some of the packets are going bad after just slightly over 2 years of storage. I bought mine in 2014. Specifically, the Creamy a la King. I know that entree is not in this specific set, but these packets are definitely bad and have a intensely putrid aroma and flavor once prepared. This entree was made with milk and/or milk proteins. I suspect that the milk portions in this have gone bad. Note, the packets were sealed fully, still vacuum packed and had their silica gel packs still intact. So, I know that they were packed correctly. However, this particular entree hasn't lasted more than about 2 years. I'm a little concerned over some of the other milk based packages (Cream of Broccoli Soup, Creamy Potato, etc) and their longevity in this bucket. I'm dropping the rating to 2 stars because of this issue. Part of the attraction is the 25 year shelf life, yet it seems it doesn't really offer this. I'd suspect that to get 25 years of shelf life, these packets would need to be deep frozen the entire 25 years.

Hope I never need it. The portion sizes and food quality are excellent. When purchasing a product like this it is important to do your homework to get the most value for your money. Great seller