February is National Canned Food month and canned foods are a great way to stay prepared for any disaster or SHTF event. So, for all of February, Chowmageddon is all about eating out of cans--not all three meals, every day, but one meal per day. Soups alone could meet this requirement, but who wants to eat soup every day?
To kick things off here on Day 1, we're one of the best meals in a can: chili.
Many folks might argue that if it comes in a can, it's not chili. Or that real chili doesn't have beans. Regardless of your stance on what the proper chili ingredients should be, canned, store bought chili is a great, complete meal in a can.
For this meal, we went with Armor Star Chili:
A standard can of Armor Chili (with beans),14 ounces, is essentially, 2 servings, each of which has the following nutritional values:
380 Calories, 170 of which are from fat.
19g of fat, total (29%of your daily recommended)
7g of saturated fat (35%
32g of carbohydrates (11% of your daily recommended)
8g of daily fiber (32% of your daily recommended)
1280mg pf salt (53% of your daily recommended)
2g of sugar
22g of protein
While it is possible you could share a can of chili with someone in an emergency situation, realistically speaking, you're probably going to eat the whole thing by yourself. That makes the salt level a little concerning, especially if water is scarce. However, given that this chili is ready to go, right out of the can, it does seem like it's an excellent choice to keep you alive.
Speaking of the can, unlike so many manufacturers today, Armor still uses a can that requires a can opener to be opened. While that may not be convenient if you've misplaced yours in the apocalypse, it does mean this chili will keep in your pantry for considerably longer.
So, a can of Armor chili is an entire meal all by itself. But c'mon, in the apocalypse you don't want to just survive, you want some comfort food to lift your spirits. So what can we add to our chili to make it a more enjoyable meal?
Given that it's the chowmageddon, we may not have electricity, so our choices need to be other canned foods, or dry goods--anything that doesn't require refrigeration.
First off, as I get older, foods seem a lot spicier than they did in my youth. To combat this with canned chili, I reach for some cheese, melting it into my meal. Without refrigeration, my go-to choice for the Apocalypse is a can of spray cheese...
Once that's mixed in, the most obvious topping is crackers. But not just plain saltines. Instead, I opt for cheddar crackers, like Cheez-Its brand (or a generic equivalent)...
Finally, to top it all off and add a little to the presentation, some Parmesan sprinkle cheese is added.
Given that grated parmesan like this contains maybe more cellulose than cheese, and that you see it siting out on restaurant tables in glass jars all day, I feel safe in not refrigerating mine, even after opening. It's a nice little addition to many canned foods, not just chili, as you'll see in the coming days and weeks of this Canned Food Challenge.
The real question here, though, is how does it taste? We know it'll keep us alive, bat can we stomach eating it--maybe many times?
I love Armor Chili, it has always been one of my favorite foods, canned or fresh. I smuggled it into the field in my backpack when I was stationed in Germany, opting for a can of bubbling fresh chili while everyone else ate MREs (not that I dislike MREs). Yes, I probably could east chili everyday, at least taste-wise. Given how much sodium it contains, however, I think my heart, veins and arteries might have a problem. Best instead to save this as a treat every couple of days.
Overall ratings:
PRICE:
While I love this chili, it does seem costly when compared to a can of soup, or even Raviolis. On sale, I generally pick this up for $1.39 a can at my local grocer. Not unreasonable, but again, significantly high than many alternatives.
SHELF LIFE
Honestly, I can't keep enough of these in the house. If there ever is an apocalypse or major disaster, odds are I'll only have a can or two left--I eat this stuff every weekend. As far as I can tell, this canned goodness will last an exceptionally long time.
EASE OF PREPARATION
Yes, you need a can opener, but good grief, if you don't have one of those you are NOT prepared for emergencies. I carry a P38 opener on my keychain every day. And I use it. For Armor Chili, all I have to do is open the can and dump it into a bowl for microwaving (a non-apocalyptic scenario) or into a pot for cooking over a flame. In the old days, I'd actually set the can on the burner, and coo the chili in it (the top opened of course) then use tongs to lift it off the heat source and pour it into a bowl or other receptacle for eating. I've read that today, Armor uses some kind of plastic lining in the can to preserve the chili's shelf life, and that the lining can break down when heated. I seriously doubt that chemicals leached from the plastic lining would kill you on a single cooking session, so if you have to do it, go ahead--just don't say I didn't warn you. In any event, it's all here, a complete meal, no water needed. Suck it, soup.
NUTRITIONAL VALUE
Okay, I'll grudgingly admit this stuff is really high in sodium. Eating it every day would definitely be unhealthy. But, when you need calories, and a warm, tasty meal, it seems pretty good to me. (but I'm no nutritionist) At least it's high in fiber.
VERSATILITY
Okay, it pains me to say this, but Chili isn't very versatile. I mean, you could dip corn chips in it. You can put it on hot dogs. You could even pour it over rice. But, basically, it's a meal all by itself. The best thing to combine it with, other than more of itself, is cheese and crackers.
TASTE
This is what it all comes down to: is this any good, or is it going to depress me more than I already am when I'm hunkered down in the bunker, waiting for a crisis to pass?
The answer is YES. I eat this stuff at lest once a week. I love it. It even has a slight medicinal effect, in that if my stomach is upset from some other food, or even a touch of the flu, Armor Chili seems to neutralize offending germs in my digestive tract, burning out any illness and restoring order. It's considerably better than Pepto or Tums, and will undoubtedly keep me alive a lot longer.
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