Feb 23 2008
MRE’s and Flameless Ration Heaters (FRH)
What is an FRH, a Flameless Ration Heater?
Convenience is the best advantage MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) has as a survival food.
This convenience is important in a crisis or mobile “on the go” situation. As the name implies MREs are really “ready to eat” no preparation or cooking required. However you may prefer to eat your main course hot as most people prefer a hot meal.
This is where MRE really shines. The military for years has included an FRH or Flameless Ration Heater with their MRE.
It is a plastic pouch that you can put your MRE into and heat in ten minutes by adding a little water.
How do Flameless Heaters work?
When iron rusts it is oxidizing, that is oxygen in the air is reacting with the metal to form an oxide commonly referred to as rust. This process produces heat. It is a slow process so you will not be able to fry an egg on the rusting hood of a car in the winter.
However if you have iron in the form of a fine grain powder and mix it with sodium, magnesium and then add a little water you have a fast reaction producing lots of heat in a small space. This will heat your MRE main course in 10 minutes.
It is important to note that you should not heat you MRE over an open flame as this will melt the container into the contents. The best way to heat MREs is with the flameless heaters.
Most distributors include the flameless heaters with the MRE they sell but check carefully that they are included. You can still eat MREs cold as they are already cooked and ready to eat, but there is nothing like a hot meal when you may be cold, wet, or injured. It will really lift the spirits of you and your family.
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