This is a list of instant foods. Instant foods are convenience foods which require minimal preparation, typically just adding water or milk.[1] Some authors define "instant" food as requiring less than five minutes of preparation and "ultra-instant food" as requiring less than one minute.[2] Instant foods are often dehydrated, freeze-dried, or condensed.[3][4]
Instant baby food – dehydrated baby food was produced by Gerber and Heinz in the 1980s.[5] Dehydrated baby food products produced by both companies consisted of dehydrated food flakes.[5][6] The Gerber product never came to fruition as a widely used product; it was only test-run in Omaha, Nebraska, for around eight to nine months, and consumer adoption was not sufficient for the product to go into mass production.[6]
Instant tofu powder – introduced and produced circa 1966 by Japan Protein Industry (Nihon Tanpaku Kogyo), it was used at that time as a time-saver for the production of tofu.[17] Later in 1973, a brand of instant tofu powder named Hausu Hontôfu was produced and marketed to consumers by the Hausu Foods Company.[17]
Powdered milk – in a 1986 session in Moscow, Russia, the International Dairy Federation defined instant skim milk powder as qualifying for the term "instant" when no more than fifteen seconds are required for all lumps to disappear when the powder is mixed with water and stirred.[2]
Field ration – a field ration, combat ration or ration pack is a canned or pre-packaged meal, easily prepared and eaten, transported by military troops on the battlefield.
