Today, I’ve got something really important to share…
My review of one of the top freeze-dried food brands on the market today:
Valley Food Storage.
But does it live up to the hype? Is it worth an investment? How does it taste?
Today, I answer ALL these questions and more…
TOPICS IN THIS REVIEW… ↓(click to jump)
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At some point in every independent adult’s life, they realize they’re fully responsible.
They are no longer a child; they are the ones others look to for their next meal.
This realization often occurs in our late twenties; for the rest of us, it occurs in our thirties.
For me, it was the day my daughter was born.
It was the day I truly became responsible for someone else’s well-being.
Before then, I supported my wife and our chocolate lab.
But if push came to shove, they could take care of themselves.
NOT my newborn daughter, though…
She’s helpless for at least the next decade.
That’s when I realized just how much responsibility I had on my shoulders.
Not my parents, not my friends, not my neighbors, not my government… mine.
I’ve been a survivalist and prepper for many years now.
I’ve worked hard to go from part of the fragile masses to the resilient few.
I have always strived to be independent (no handouts or soup kitchens).
But my motivations changed that day.
I became a Father.
I took a cold, hard look at my past preps.
At this point:
I realized that my meager 2 weeks stash of food was no longer adequate.
There are too many potential black swan events to feel comfortable with such a small food stockpile.
I needed to take care of my family.
That’s when I made it my mission to do some serious food stockpiling research.
After many hours comparing food prices, qualities, services, etc.
I decided my food company of choice would be Valley Food Storage.
Over the next several months, I systematically added to my food stockpile.
Now I have a much larger food stockpile, and it’s guaranteed to last at least 25 years.
Here’s my survival review of their (Irish Pub Style Cheddar Potato and Chicken A La King).
Valley Food Storage Video Review
Here’s my unboxing and review of VFS’s survival food:
↓ Valley Food Storage Review & Unboxing (Long-Term Food)
First Impressions
Note: Since this was originally written – VFS has changed its packing…
I don’t take much stock in superficial things such as design or color regarding packaging.
Because I know packaging can manipulate one’s perspective.
That’s not to say packaging doesn’t matter.
It’s just that I’m more interested in the quality of packaging and not its aesthetics.
I try not to judge a book by its cover.
This is survival food; there’s no need for the packaging to be pretty.
It does need to be of high quality, though.
And that’s exactly what my first impression of this product was when I received it.
The quality of the packaging was evident when I saw it, even though its overall look was a bit drab and utilitarian.
Looking at it took me back to my extensive food manufacturing experience.
When you spend ten years working for a major food manufacturer, you understand what high-quality packaging looks like.
You also realize how much money gets wasted on marketing in the packaging.
Money could be better spent on a higher-quality product if people could only look past the packaging.
Unfortunately, most cannot.
I appreciate their lack of attention-grabbing salesmanship, which is the opposite of what you see on most packaging nowadays.
To me, this signifies they’re confident in the product.
They don’t feel the need to invest large sums of money in packaging aesthetics.
Instead, they invest in high-quality Mylar bags labeled with the information you need.
No more, no less.
I like this when it comes to my survival food kits.
All function and no-frills.
Mylar Bags
Their Mylar bags are sealed extremely well.
You’ll have a hell of a time “accidentally” puncturing this bag.
It won’t survive a direct knife stab, but it won’t explode open if you drop it.
It’s tough.
Here’s a close-up of the seal around the outside of the Mylar bags.
As you can see, this bag is sealed shut without question.
This is why Valley Food Storage has a 25-year shelf life guarantee.
There are a few other reasons (I’ll cover them later), but this one is key.
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It’s time to see what the actual food looks like.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
So here’s a picture of the food inside the bag.
Chicken A La King
Irish Pub Style Cheddar Potato
It looks pretty much like any other freeze-dried food I’ve ever had.
You can see little bits of ingredients such as peas, red bell peppers, rice, and potatoes.
You can also see the “flavor dust,” as I call it.
It’s dehydrated sauces like dried milk, garlic powder, and Worcestershire powder.
Here’s what it looks like when dumped out of the Mylar bags.
Chicken A La King
Irish Pub Style Cheddar Potato
Ingredient List
If you poke around on Valley Food Storage’s website, you’ll find the following quote:
With Valley Food Storage, we encourage you to read our labels! We only use the highest quality real ingredients in our food and products to make sure your food will not only be there when you need it, but it will be nutritious as well.
We eliminate all the unhealthy preservatives, hydrogenated oils, MSG’s and many other ingredients that limit the nutritional value, shelf-life, and taste.
With that said:
Let’s examine the ingredients in the food I’m about to cook and eat in more detail.
Chicken A La King Ingredients
Enriched Parboiled White Rice, Non-Fat Dry Milk, Food Starch, Non-Dairy Creamer, Chicken Base, Chopped Onions, Freeze Dried Peas, Red & Green Bell Peppers, Dried Mushrooms, Chicken Broth, Sea Salt, Carrot Flakes, Butter Powder, Sugar, Cream Plus Butter Bulbs, Garlic Powder, Chives, Sauteed Mushroom Flavor, Crushed Worcestershire Powder, Nutmeg, Thyme.
Well, I have to say, I recognize the names of all of these ingredients for a change. Nice.
Irish Pub Style Cheddar Potato Ingredients
Potato Dices, Non-Dairy Creamer (Palm Oil), Food Starch, Sweet Whey, Savory Chicken Flavor, Red and Green Bell Peppers, Sea Salt, Chicken Powder, Cheddar Cheese Powder, Chopped Onions, Xanthan Gum, Aged Parmesan Cheese Powder, Crushed Worcestershire Powder, Parsley Flakes, White Pepper, Butter Buds, Beer Flavor.
I have no idea what Xanthan Gum is.
I recognize the rest. Impressive compared to the ingredient list I typically see on our food labels.
Let’s Find Out How These Ingredients Taste
The cooking instructions are straightforward for nearly all freeze-dried foods.
Valley Food Storages is no exception here.
Essentially, it comes down to boiling water and then turning the heat to a gentle boil for 10- 20 minutes.
After that, you let it stand for another 5-7 minutes.
Plate and serve. Easy.
Here are a few pictures of the process, but it’s so easy that I won’t bore you with any more details.
Stirring Well
Heat On High
Gently Boiling
Dinner Time (Or If You’re From The Midwest: Supper Time)
Great packaging and legible ingredients can only take us so far.
If it doesn’t taste good, who cares, right?
After letting our main dish (Chicken A La King) and our side dish (Irish Pub Style Cheddar Potatoes) rest for 7 minutes, we were ready to dig in.
These two dishes created a pleasant aroma that filled the kitchen.
As is normal with dinner, our dog, Loui, pulled up some kitchen floor and drooled in anticipation.
I can’t blame him, though; it smelled delicious.
Here’s what the end products looked like just before devouring.
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I did have to strain the Chicken A La King some since I prefer my main dish to be a bit more chunky and a bit less soupy.
The Irish Potato turned out nice and creamy, perfect for me.
The food was delicious.
Normally, I only eat freeze-dried food while on backpacking trips.
During these multi-day excursions, any food tastes good.
So it’s always hard to tell if it’s really good or if you’re just so hungry that anything would taste good.
But for this test, we decided to prep the meals as a replacement for a regular meal.
Fortunately, no one was disappointed.
For me, The Chicken A La King did need a dash of salt, but that’s such a common and easy fix.
For my wife and daughter, it was just fine without any alterations.
And Loui sure wasn’t complaining…
We all ate until we were full.
Which for me included a second helping, and we still had enough leftovers for at least 2 more meals.
The packaging states that each freeze-dried meal consists of 5 servings.
So we prepared 10 servings total.
There were three of us eating (Loui just got to clean the pots), so we ate three servings and had six servings remaining.
For a total of ~ 9 servings.
Serving estimates are not an exact science.
But I do appreciate their honesty in this regard.
I feel like we got what we paid for with their servings.
If you are familiar with most manufacturers’ food-serving statements, you know it can get silly.
Rarely will a stated serving on packaging fill you up – which wasn’t the case here.
Why I Chose Valley Food Storage
They are, in my opinion, the best.
Especially when you compare them on important survival aspects, including:
- Price
- Shipping Costs
- No Fillers
- High-Quality Packaging Materials
- Package Process – Nitrogen Replacement
- Non-GMO
- No MSG
- Made In The USA
Just check out the many reasons why you should choose Valley Food Storage.
Price, quality packaging, real ingredients, no fillers, and free shipping are why I choose VFS for my family’s food stockpile, and you should, too.
Review Wrap Up
Maybe you’re still on the fence.
I respect that 100%.
But there are no do-overs in survival.
Click here to buy some today.
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