US Army perfects the two-year sandwich

[Jelly_]

[quote]
The military is known for engaging in top-secret, expensive, high-tech projects. These range from new vehicles and planes to weapons and armor. You may be surprised then to hear of the US [URL="http://www.geek.com/articles/tagged/army"]Army’s[/URL] latest project. Taking to task the horrible taste of Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), the Army has finally cracked the code of the sandwich.
Gone will be the days of bland peanut butter, flavorless crackers, and freeze-dried meatloaf. This sandwich has meat, cheese, and lettuce inside delicious bread. If you’ve ever seen a Hot Pocket, this is similar. It may not be from a five-star restaurant, but soldiers like it.

[URL="http://www.geek.com/articles/geek-cetera/us-army-perfects-the-two-year-sandwich-2011128/2-year-sandwich/"][IMG]http://www.geek.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/2-year-sandwich-549x440.png[/IMG][/URL]
Shelf life is the cornerstone of any MRE, and this sandwich fits the bill: it stays fresh for two years. For food to rot, you usually need oxygen and water. MREs that eliminate water have great shelf-life, but horrible taste. The two-year sandwich doesn’t shy away from moist ingredients, but it uses preservation techniques to keep the H2O in check.

When jams — which have high water content — are stored, they stay fresh because a) sugar locks in the moisture and b) the container is air-tight. These are the exact ingredients in the two-year sandwich. It has sugar, and a packet of iron fillings shares the vacuum-sealed wrapping. The iron draws in excess moisture, converts it into rust, and traps it.
A sandwich preserved with this method won’t last forever, but two years will suffice for the Army. Considering the bile that soldiers are used to eating, a year less of shelf life will be a welcome tradeoff.
[/quote]
Source: [url]http://www.geek.com/articles/geek-cetera/us-army-perfects-the-two-year-sandwich-2011128/[/url]

[Van-man]

[QUOTE]The iron draws in excess moisture, converts it into rust, and traps it.[/QUOTE]

Mmmm rust sandwich.
That aside this could possibly also be used to help 3rd world countries.

[Contag]

[QUOTE=Van-man;33639219]Mmmm rust sandwich.
That aside this could possibly also be used to help 3rd world countries.[/QUOTE]

It'd be too expensive (relatively) for them. Starvation in 3rd world countries is mostly because they don't have enough money to buy food, not that there isn't enough food available.

Good for survivalist nuts though.

[Smartlord]

Great development, we might as well give them something nice to eat

[ExplodingGuy]

Morale +2

[666]

I want one.

[Hullu V3]

Finally, the perfect food for students!

[Gatsby]

They just improved the Military's life like, 2 times probably.

[Van-man]

[QUOTE=Hullu V3;33639352]Finally, the perfect food for students![/QUOTE]

Buy it in bulk for cheap.
never do serious cooking again.

[Conely]

Are other sandwiches available?

Not everyone likes meat and cheese. Some watercress'd be nice.

[-Rusty-]

Wow finallly... I wish I would have had this earlier. It sucks having to eat god damn MREs for a month because you're in the field training.

[WhiteFox08]

the Chili MRE is tasty as fuck, I've got to admit the military meals are not that bad compared to civilian food. Except for the Vegi Burger MRE, that is the worst tasting piece of shit i have ever put into my mouth.

[Disgruntled]

[QUOTE=Cone;33639392]Are other sandwiches available?

Not everyone likes meat and cheese. Some watercress'd be nice.[/QUOTE]

I doubt the boys in the army are quite as picky as you.

[Awesomecaek]

I wonder for how long would it stay edible if stored at sub-zero temperature.

[Contag]

[QUOTE=-Rusty-;33639873]Wow finallly... I wish I would have had this earlier. It sucks having to eat god damn MREs for a month because you're in the field training.[/QUOTE]

if you were in the USAF you'd get lobster every night

[Hidole555]

[QUOTE=ExplodingGuy;33639274]Morale +2[/QUOTE]

Now I want to play Hearts of Iron.

[Madman_Andre]

[quote]Considering the bile that soldiers are used to eating, a year less of shelf life will be a welcome tradeoff.[/quote]

I never could understand why people didn't like the MREs in the brown bags, I thought the entrees tasted pretty good.

[RuinedIt]

The MRE's aren't as bad as people make them out to be. Glad to hear they're getting something a little better though.

[Saber15]

[QUOTE=Madman_Andre;33640465]I never could understand why people didn't like the MREs in the brown bags, I thought the entrees tasted pretty good.[/QUOTE]

Some of them are good, some of them are bagged vomit. I like some MREs, but I can see why some people would hate them if you have to eat them on a semi-regular basis.

[DarkCisco]

[QUOTE=Van-man;33639386]Buy it in bulk for cheap.
never do serious cooking again.[/QUOTE]

Too bad these MRE's are like 2000 calories a box

[Ven Kaeo]

[QUOTE=Cone;33639392]Are other sandwiches available?

Not everyone likes meat and cheese. Some watercress'd be nice.[/QUOTE]

Right away m'lord I shall fetch you a Watercress sandwich. Wouldst thou like a stout meat to go with your meal?

[viperfan7]

great improvement over the omelets I say, if you've ever had to eat an MRE omelet you'll know why I say this

[Thoughtless]

[QUOTE=DarkCisco;33640599]Too bad these MRE's are like 2000 calories a box[/QUOTE]

One-two a day, and that's all you need.

[WishesForFishes]

I heard people who work on submarines get some amazing ass food almost every day.
Well comparatively speaking. It's stuff like freshly made steak, eggs 'n' bacon, and hamburgers.
Now the rest of the armed forces are catching up.

[GetBent]

[QUOTE=Katatonic717;33640858]I heard people who work on submarines get some amazing ass food almost every day.
Well comparatively speaking. It's stuff like freshly made steak, eggs 'n' bacon, and hamburgers.
Now the rest of the armed forces are catching up.[/QUOTE]

Pretty sure it's like that on all Navy ships. Everytime I see a documentary on aircraft carriers etc. they have things like that.

[Saber15]

[QUOTE=Katatonic717;33640858]I heard people who work on submarines get some amazing ass food almost every day.
Well comparatively speaking. It's stuff like freshly made steak, eggs 'n' bacon, and hamburgers.
Now the rest of the armed forces are catching up.[/QUOTE]

They're stuck inside a sardine can for 6 months at a time; they need good food. :v:

[S31-Syntax]

[QUOTE=DarkCisco;33640599]Too bad these MRE's are like 2000 calories a box[/QUOTE]

Its engineered to have that much plus a bunch of vitamins in order to give a quick boost to energy and alertness after eating it.

And I dunno what they are talking about, the MRE's I've had kicked [I]ASS[/I] and I so wish I could have more.

This is cool though. Might make MRE's cheaper for purchase. :P

[notgeogzm]

My uncle works in the navy and apparently they have barbeques and shit

[Provost]

[QUOTE=RuinedIt;33640484]The MRE's aren't as bad as people make them out to be. Glad to hear they're getting something a little better though.[/QUOTE]

From what I've heard, they were terrible back in Vietnam. That's probably where the impression comes from.

But yeah, my dad still has a few left over from his time in the Army Reserves (1980's-'90s), and they aren't half bad.

[Bones85]

Are they gonna be available to the public?