I like MH meals for my Bug Out kits, but for bugging in, canned goods or MREs take priority for me. Water is bound to be an issue in a bug-in situation. We've got the room and don't need to worry about carry them so the weight isn't an issue. I also find the MH meals a little too salty and heavy for regular eating. After hiking, hauling, chopping, building, etc. though, they're perfect!

Thanks for the review of the MH Oven. I saw Les Stroud using one in an episode and wondered. I thought maybe it was a spiffy MRE heater. I've never seen them around here, but will know what to look for now.

Freeze dried eggs are hideous no matter the brand.

Notif you have enough salsa, which might be quite a lot...

A lot of salsa indeed. Especially is the salsa is freeze dried, too!

Nice review ... and I wouldn't mind the comments about length.
I do agree with comments on cost and that other methods are available to package your own stuff and save money and lower salt intake etc ...BUT there is still a place for these products IMHO.
I wouldn't choose a huge pile of them for a bug-in stash ...but one can't dispute the ease of making a hot meal ....the food kit, some water, a spoon ....and you're done ...Sounds like a pretty efficiently small pkg of items to assemble easily, quickly and be able to feed a couple three folks with little fuss.
I would also offer that if anyone hasn't looked they might google "freezer bag cooking' [FBC] and read some of the ideas from the backpacking community for packaged meals some of which are ADD hot water and let steep 15 minutes, then eat. BUT, you would need a heat source of some kind ... the posted kit had everything in one pkg.
IMHO a multi-faceted approach to emergency food seems best ... so I enjoy hearing everyone's ideas and preps.
And I really enjoy being ready with things like warm food, light and shelter in an emergency...even if only a short interruption of services ....like a power outage for 12 hrs.
I have wondered how this product would perform ...now I know.

I think you are on the right track by checking out techniques like FBC. What is highly desirable are meals that are nutritious, satisfying, and easy and quick to prepare. There is no universal law that states that emergency food must be tasteless, especially if you are looking at a "bugging in" situation.

A luxury SPAM recipe with some of those other survival ingredients such as those Ramen Noodles and Hot dogs from a can!.

Budae Jjigae

A Chicken Korma and rice dish (1100 Kcal) can be purchased for about £1.20 (will have a 3 year BBF date. £1 for the can and about £0.2 for the boil in the bag rice.

http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=268180761

It is also easy and quick to prepare using a Military Trangia Cookset. Boil the rice in the large lower pot and use the smaller pot to simmer the Chicken Korma. Cooking time is around the same as the Mountain House Oven Kit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WdoibW-Og0

Trangia cookers can also be used indoors without to much trouble if the area is well ventilated.

The longest I can keep it around is a couple months. It takes 4 cans to load up the dehydrator, and the wife won't leave it alone any longer.

I've left it in a Ziploc on top of the refrigerator during the summertime and it seems to be fine. The wife is picky enough that any off taste would put her off of it.

She does dob off a bit of oil when removing it from the dehydrator, but from a mass ratio perspective that is fairly negligible. She only likes the regular recipe.

It will literally dry to a brittle state if you process it long enough. I find that setting it like sole leather (stiff but still pliable), seems the most desirable.

I guess there's enough salt and other preservatives in Spam to keep it from spoiling. Go figure.