This is the only camp meal that I can eat that meets all of my allergy requirements. As others noted, the noodles definitely don't all get cooked evenly. However, I've eaten this many times over and throughout the sitting period, you just have to shake it around a lot. Ultimately, I've just gotten used to the semi-crunchiness of it. I tried another mac n' cheese that REI sells and I woke up SOO sick at 1am (literally my worst backpacking nightmare). The price tag is definitely too steep for what it is, but for now, I will happily pay until I buy myself a dehydrator and can make my own meals.
I do love this mac and cheese more so than other varieties I have tried. It's even better if you add more cheese to it, if you happen to be carrying a block of cheese that you don't feel like carrying.
This was quick and easy to make. It was easy to pack and perfect for filling us up. We were hopeful that this would be a fan favorite for our children, but it only passed the test for one of the kids; and that was a "so-so" review. You have to make sure you have the water hot enough so the noodles prepare fully (user error the first time we made it -- nothing to do with the product). The flavor was ok. Nothing great, but certainly better than other backpacking Mac & Cheese meals we have tried. Even though it is not our favorite, I would use this again.
We bought this Mac & Cheese last year, and it was in our top 3 dinners for easy camp cooking. We also love the MaryJaneFarms Oatmeal breakfast. Great job REI for carrying an Organic alternative.
This was the first Mary Jane's Farms backpacking meal I have tried, and it is still one of my favorites. Classic Mac & Cheese can't go wrong!
My only suggestion is to make sure you cook it the full 10+ minutes or else the pasta will be chewy.
Also, some ground black pepper is a nice spice to add, as with all Mac & Cheese.
Yum!
Food is very subjective so I can't tell you what you will like. I however find this to be quite good Mac & Cheese. It is NOT the strongest flavor but I actually enjoyed the subtlety.
IMO this is definitely worth trying. You may find you agree with other reviewers or not depending upon your personal tastes.
I tried this on my most recent backpacking outing. I added a few slices of real cheese when I poured in the boiling water. Not as good as what my mother made for holiday meals, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Just ordered another for my next trip out in about a week.
Despite the 1 star reviews posted previously. I thought this meal had really good cheese flavor. This is much better than the other freeze dried Mac 'n Cheese meals available. Most importantly for our family is that both of our kids loved it!!
I recently bought this for a solo backpacking trip to Olympic NP and I really enjoyed it! As a dinner it was alllmost too big for one very hungry person, but I set it down and came back to finish later that evening which was fine. Some of the noodles at the bottom were a little crunchy, but I think I just need to insulate the bag while it’s cooking. I like that this brand’s packaging is able to be burned in a hot campfire, what a great way to save on space and weight and also have built in tinder!
I actually saved this meal for the last night of a 9-day backpack leading to the Mt Whitney summit, thinking there could never be anything better than mac and cheese on the trail. Wow, was I wrong. This had absolutely no flavor. I am not a finicky eater, but even I had to convince my hiking partner to add several spoonfuls of his bean chili meal (of another brand) to make it palatable.
Decent dehydrated mac and cheese. Ok serving size. I appreciate the option for organic, prepackaged, dehydrated meals.
This dinner requires less water than other dehydrated foods that I've made in the past which was welcome, more for me to drink on the hike! Tasted good but took longer than expected to cook. There were still some crunchy noodles after the 10 minute suggested cooking time. All of this is ok but the packaging tore easily and got a hole, thankfully it was high enough that the bag could still hold water but this could have been a big bummer if the hole occurred lower.
On a recent trip to the Sierras, we cooked up some MaryJanesFarms mac and cheese. Cooked well, texture was fine, but there is some kind of funky taste in the cheese, which I also noticed in the Mountain House pasta primavera. I think they all must be using the same kind of processed cheese. We just didn't think it tasted very good, although I choked it down.
This dish was very good compared to others I've tasted.
"Caution Yellow" was the color of this otherwise insipid entree. Are they trying to jazz it up or just warn us. The sticky "cheese" substance was hard to clean off of the bowl. This rates as one of the worst F-D meals of 18 years of backpacking. Evidently one can go wrong with mac and cheese.
This was by far my favorite meal of an 8 day backpacking trip, second only to their Bell Pepper Pasta. I thought there was plenty of salt, I hope they don't tweak to add more. What makes it even better is adding a packet of tuna, grated parmesan cheese and a bit of Suzie Q seasoning to spice up the tuna. This will be in my pack every time I go out from now on!
Brought this on a 5-day trip. Even after 15 minutes...in a coozy...in the summer, there were still crunchy noodles. I feel like they tried to use a "sharp" cheese, but it just doesn't come out right in execution....taste was a little funky and I had a hard time finishing it to be honest. I was expecting more because my wife loves some of their other meals.
I don't bring measuring cups with me so the first time I prepared this the flavorlessness was entirely my fault (too much water).
I had hopes for this product but, for me, it seemed exceptionally salty - I'd probably take along a box of mac 'n cheese so as to dilute this product - otherwise I found it unexceptional, especially in comparison with off the shelf organic man 'n cheese @ say, Whole Foods. NOTE: I quite like their Organic Shepherd's Pie.
After a 12 hour Mt Adams climb (camp to summit and summit to camp), I prepared this meal expecting to consume a basic mac 'n cheese dinner.
I have been on the hunt for a good dehydrated Mac and cheese meal and so far this one is the best! I loved it so much I came back to buy more and write a review.
This Organic backpacking grub did not sacrifice flavor at all...a high energy mac n cheese great for grown ups and kids alike. I brought it along when I took my son backpacking up the Matilija Canyon above Ojai, CA...was quite tasty...white cheddar.
The flavor is a bit of an acquired taste for those of us that grew up on Kraft mac' and cheese, but I really enjoy it. As an added bonus, the packaging is thin which makes it easier to pack.
Hands down the best meal I had on my last backpacking trip. The taste was absolutely phenomenal. It was so enjoyable, I would honestly eat it at home for a meal.
with the addition of red pepper flakes, this was a great dinner. but at 10,500 feet, you really need to let it sit longer than what the package says.
This product was too salty and contained very little cheese. Plain, salty noodles. I would not buy it again.
Add dehydrated vegetables and tuna for a delicious dinner.
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