1917 US Reserve Ration Hard Bread Review Preserved 24 Hour MRE Tasting Test

4 different Hard Bread ration cans opened. The Hard Bread tins are over 100 years old.

First one is quite nice, another is perfectly preserved. Two others... you'll have to see for yourself. The Reserve Ration was used in WW1 and is what evolved to Field Ration Type C, which is the ration that eventually becomes the MRE, or Meal, Ready to Eat, Individual.
Exclusive shelf stable food history from beginning to end.

Filmed October 2019, February 2021, and December 2023.

Introducing the 1914 US Navy Emergency Ration and 1899 US Standard Emergency Ration in the latter part of this review. Stay tuned for more expensive, rare, and truly fascinating rations from the past.

A good portion of the Reserve Rations used in WW1 were shipped off to Poland after the war. Check out an exclusive photo at the end of the video showing this, and a ration dump with a whole bunch of canned salmon. Truly a fascinating look at not only the ration, but some really cool lost history in the photos as well.

Can 1 2:00
Can 2 14:01
Can 3 15:08
Can 4 27:43
Can 3 is by far the most amazing. They were vacuum sealed and perfectly preserved hard bread biscuits - much different and more palatable than the first tin's Sunshine hard tack. It turns into a true ration cooking show with a meal that is guaranteed to make you hungry. I sure was when preparing it, after a long day with very little food. It was a meal to remember!

For correspondence, or to send a Military Ration for review, my exact mailing information is:
Steve1989
3616 Harden Blvd
360
Lakeland, FL 33803

I only post on YouTube.
-Steve1989

[prospectorjamesmarshall]

Guaranteed whoever packaged that ration NEVER thought someone would eat it in 2024 and thousands of people would watch him eat it on the telephones. What a bizarre world we live in.

[carking]

My man's about to become the last casualty of World War One.

[rodrigodepierola]

"My 100-year old cookie is fresher than the 150-year old one I had the other day".
Sure, they're 50 years fresher.

[LRJ]

As we can see here Steve carefully navigates the bugs, even when choosing among the hardtack to extract from the box he carefully selects the one with the smallest weevils on it. This is because Steve, being a wise man, knows you must always choose the lesser of two weevils.

[assmandelta]

Steve truly is one of the best creators on the platform. No nonsense, no fluff, just a man eating 107 year old food and being just so chuffed to do so. Steve is one of the few people i am subbed to that i check often for new uploads. Truly interesting stuff with fun facts and history to go along with it.

I rate Steve: Nice/10

[wendysbaconator]

Only Steve can make a 33 minute video of a dude eating crackers and still captivate the audience. Top tier content.

[definitelyanempath]

Hearing Steve say "no hiss" has to be the most devastating thing ever

[culman]

The first army to hire Steve to build their MREs is going to be unstoppable

[rjohnson]

A WWI vet I once knew said they ate so much canned salmon that he couldn’t eat salmon 80 years later.

[ryanr]

Thanks for the video. My dad was a huge fan of yours and he left me all his MRE's. When i eat an MRE i feel like i am spending time with my dad.

[Bubblepoot]

My wife surprised me this Christmas with a tray and MRE. I didn't ask for it, she did because she saw me always watching Steve 😂❤

[plarbear]

It’s always a great day when Steve uploads

[charlesrocks]

107 year old ration. No smokes? Must’ve been rough.

[nicksss]

Super awesome! My Great Grandma (1918-2003) and my Grandfather (1935-2019) lived a whole life while this ration was in the can. Life is indeed precious, and short. Appreciated you getting this out onto a tray - Nice!

[dylanogames]

I lost it when he said the legendary, “Alright, let’s get this out onto a tray. Nice! M’kay!” And it he just plopped the can on the tray. I was rolling! 😂 Then he did it a second time! Stellar!

[Ethzed]

Those hardbread biscuits are shockingly good quality for something over a century old! An amazing piece of history right there. Thanks Steve!

[jimclercx]

"let's get this out on a tray!" ... (can sitting on tray) Steve, you are a classic!!! that alone was worth the price of admission 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[SeedyL]

Great work Steve, crazy to think you've sat on some footage for almost 5 years for this. Your dedication is unrivalled.

[grandmasteryado]

Can we just talk about how Steve has found a winning format for his videos that he’s done for years and still going strong? That’s what every channel should aspire to. Love your videos Steve!

[vikinglordsean]

Haven't watched one of your videos in a long time but i'm so glad to see you're still around doing the MRE thing. Very cool.