Food Wars: Who Makes the Best Dehydrated Biscuits and Gravy for Backpacking?

For those of you who joined us for the first two installments of our "Food Wars" series, welcome back! If you didn't catch them, you can search "Food Wars," on the main page of our blog, to get links to the previous installments. 

A quick recap:

On our trip to the Great Smoky Mountains, we decided to compare the various brands of dehydrated meals marketed to backpackers. We hoped to determine which companies produced the best-tasting meals and whether some of the more expensive offerings were worth the additional cost. We're passing our findings along to you, in hopes that they will improve your future backpacking experiences! We did not receive anything of value from any of the companies involved in the tests, so you can trust our observations to be objective.


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How were the tests conducted?

We conducted our taste tests in the field. We made our best efforts to adhere to the manufacturer's instructions when preparing meals (i.e. we didn't adjust the amount of water specified by the manufacturer nor the amount of time suggested for rehydration). In the few instances where we did deviate from the instructions, we will disclose the circumstances. We both tried each product, made notes about our observations on flavor and texture, and rated each on a scale of 1 mylar pouch (worst) to 5 mylar pouches (best).

Image from: Peakrefuel.com
 

Who makes the best dehydrated biscuits and gravy for backpacking?

While individual preferences may vary, Peak Refuel Biscuits & Sausage Gravy was our favorite dehydrated biscuits and gravy option.

Which dehydrated biscuits and gravy options did we test?

We compared two dehydrated biscuits and gravy options: Mountain House Biscuits & Gravy and Peak Refuel Biscuits & Sausage Gravy.

Why did we choose Peak Refuel Biscuits & Sausage Gravy as our winner?

As we mentioned in a previous post, Peak Refuel professes a focus on the things that matter to backpackers: carrying weight, nutrition, time to prepare, and amount of water to prepare. Peak also utilizes quality ingredients and delivers on flavor. It's a combination that's hard to argue with.

The Peak Refuel "2 serving" pouch weighs in at 6.77 ounces (192 grams). It packs 1100 calories and 34 grams of protein. It requires only 1 and 1/3 cups (around 315 mililiters) of water to rehydrate. The biscuits and gravy take about 10 minutes to prepare and can be purchased, via Peak Refuel's website, for $12.99. You can also get it here.

In addition to the solid base numbers, both of us preferred the flavor of the Peak Refuel Biscuits & Sausage Gravy. Tom felt it was comparable to what he would expect from a local diner. Unlike the Mountain House option, there were two full biscuits in the Peak Refuel Biscuits & Sausage Gravy. We did note that, after the recommended 10-minute preparation time, the biscuits were not fully rehydrated. You may wish to let the mixture sit for another minute or two, but once the biscuits are broken into pieces, the sausage gravy soaks in, improving the flavor and texture. 


Image from: Mountainhouse.com

Is Mountain House Biscuits and Gravy a good option for a backpacking meal?

Mountain House Biscuits and Gravy comes in a "2 serving" pouch, weighing in at 4.4 ounces (124 grams). While a couple of ounces lighter than the Peak Refuel option, Mountain House Biscuits & Gravy provides 560 calories (about 1/2) and 11 grams of protein (about 1/3), giving the Peak Refuel Biscuits & Sausage Gravy a significant edge from a nutritional perspective. It should be noted, however, that both options are quite high in sodium (around 3/4 of the Recommended Daily Allowance!). The Mountain House variety also won the cost comparison, retailing at $7.99 through Mountain House's website. You can also get it here.

Mountain House does generally have the most predictable consistency when rehydrated. It may remind some of hospital food, but it is typically preferable to crunchy bites that failed to rehydrate properly. This particular option was a little thick and clumpy... Perhaps a touch more water would have been helpful (the package recommends 1 and 1/2 cups of water - about 355 mL). Alternatively, waiting a couple of minutes beyond the 9 minutes recommended may be advisable but may not be a desirable option for hikers looking to satisfy hunger quickly.

The flavor of Mountain House Biscuits & Gravy was actually fairly satisfying. As in our experience with beef stroganoff, we would be happy eating the Mountain House option in most circumstances. If given the option, though, we would opt for the Peak Refuel Biscuits & Sausage Gravy because of the superior flavor and nutritional advantages. In this case, we thought the extra cost (even though pretty significant) of the Peak Refuel Biscuits & Sausage Gravy was justified.

We hope this installment of Food Wars has been helpful to you! Please let us know, in the comments below, if there are specific meals (or products) you would like to see us review in the future!

 

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