View Full Version : Lipton sides + FBC = mushy mess, help!
Earl Grey
03-12-2007, 19:32
Ive probaly tried doing this about 10 times and each time it comes out in a mess and tastes bad. What I do is boil the amount of water that says on the packaging and then when its boiled dump the water in the bag and seal. Then ill put it in my sleeping bag or something for like 10 minutes and take it out. The water does not get soaked up by the pasta/rice so very watery and just blah. What am I doing wrong?
Skidsteer
03-12-2007, 19:40
Use less water and let it sit 15-20 minutes.
ditto Skidsteer - I use only about 1.5 to 1.75 cups of water for a Lipton's and I let it sit longer - 20 min for noodle things and 30 min for rice things
also tastes better if you add some olive oil to the Liptons just before pouring the boiling water in the bag
also if you repackage the Lipton's into the freezer bag feel free to add some spices that you might like at that time (this only works if you have access to a selection of spices - thruhiking this would be somewhat difficult or expensive or heavy - works much better if just going out for a week or less)
saimyoji
03-13-2007, 02:12
Then ill put it in my sleeping bag...
You're probably aware of this being a really dangerous thing to do...
Some healthfood stores sell spices by the oz. It's much cheaper than bottles, and you can repackage them in individual plastic bags (Not ziplocks, just little baggies with a twist-tie). I carry a whole spice kit like this. It's in a quart-size freezer bag and weighs about 3 oz. Just put the bulk spices in your bounce box and refill your baggies.
Also.. yeah, be careful with the water/food-in-sleeping bag thing. I find it easier and safer to just wrap it in a spare piece of clothing.
Why not just cook it the way the directions say to. Usually, it's either add the dry ingrediants to boiling water, or mix dry ingrediants to water and bring to a boil. Then, simmer for 10 minutes. Always works for me.
Tasteless? Then add squeeze Parkay, olive oil, butter buds, and/or powdered milk.
NICKTHEGREEK
03-13-2007, 10:43
Why not just cook it the way the directions say to. Usually, it's either add the dry ingrediants to boiling water, or mix dry ingrediants to water and bring to a boil. Then, simmer for 10 minutes. Always works for me.
Tasteless? Then add squeeze Parkay, olive oil, butter buds, and/or powdered milk.
Of course it works when you follow the directions, but you seem to be in the minority of people who actually do.
Really, I can't believe the stuff people do to try and work around an inadequate stove or save a few oz of packweight.
Freezer bag cooking is more about funk, less about ounces. If it works 80% as well and 1) I don't have to do dishes after a long day and 2) I never again have to experience oatmeal with a hint of broccoli cheese, it's totally worth it for me. The weight savings of being able to switch to alcohol and a 400 ML pot is just icing.
I have found that Liptons Sidekick noodles do not respond well to the freezer bag method of "cooking". I've tried enough times. It's strange; my own dehydrated pasta and brown rice meals work just fine in a freezer bag. It makes one wonder just what the Liptons stuff is actually made of.
Big Dawg
03-13-2007, 11:17
Why not just cook it the way the directions say to. Usually, it's either add the dry ingrediants to boiling water, or mix dry ingrediants to water and bring to a boil. Then, simmer for 10 minutes. Always works for me.
Tasteless? Then add squeeze Parkay, olive oil, butter buds, and/or powdered milk.
Because using the freezer bag method eliminates a dirty pot. For us FBC'ers (freezer bag cookers), the thought of cleaning a dirty pot/dish after hiking all day, setting up camp, cooking,,, is not a fun way to end the day. We just like to eliminate that messy ending.
Fiddleback
03-13-2007, 12:15
FBC...no clean-up, lighter, better tasting/healthier homemade meals...what's not to like?:sun
FB
FBC...no clean-up, lighter, better tasting/healthier homemade meals...what's not to like?:sun
FB
The trash!
saimyoji
03-13-2007, 12:42
save fuel?
Big Dawg
03-13-2007, 12:57
The trash!
You have trash either way. With pot cooking, you have the original packaging. With FBC, you have the ziploc.
gold bond
03-13-2007, 13:45
The FBC is the way to go!! I just completed a hike and had three days of food either repackaged or made up in the FB and had a great time. No clean up and half the weight. As far as trash...one one quart bag per meal! I added all my seasoning packets at home. I had a one quart bag of trash! All I did was boil water. Even had hot lunches. Had mine cooked in about as much time as it took everyone else to squeeze PB & J on something!
FBC...no clean-up, lighter, better tasting/healthier homemade meals...what's not to like?:sun FB
Every shelter fire place seems to have half burned, or unburned plastic bags with scraps of cooked food inside them. At least some of these comes from freezer bag cooking, I suspect.
I rarely use Lipton sides. But when I do (usually when they are on a half off sale) I usually dump the contents into a storage bag and discard the container before leaving town or home, as the case may be.
My usual trail evening meal is a combination of quick-cooking brown rice and pasta, with added spices, salt, pepper, and whatever meat I may have in my pack.
I mix a cup of concoction with two cups of water. It cooks in 10-12 minutes in my pot. Cleaning difficulties are greatly exaggerated in my experience. After cooking, I usually boil a bit of water for hot chocalate, tang, dried apple cider, lemonade as the mood requires. This removes the rare scrap of concoction left in my pot and sterilizes things for use the next morning when I cook one minute oatmeal for two minutes, and then add extra water for a morning beverage or two, thus achieving needed fluids, while easing pot washing.
When more than a boiling water rinse is needed, I add a sliver of Ivory soap, to the boiling water left in the pot, swish it around a bit, and dump the mixture and rinse water in the woods away from the shelter or campsite.
I find this a far better system than carrying around wet zip locks with wet food scraps between resupply, assuming anyone actually does that rather than leaving an ugly fireplace mess for a campsite maintainer to deal with.
Weary
gold bond
03-13-2007, 13:50
O yeah...bought a set of pot holders at the dollar store. Sewed them together leaving about an inch at the top unsewed. A one quart fb fits in there perfectly! Kept the food hot while it set up and hot while I ate it. No extra weight as well as didn't take up any space in my pack. Try the potatoe recipe under the breakfast menue....GREAT!!
Weary, it seems like your cooking system actually uses more plastic bags than FBC does... I'm not sure where you're going with that.
The trash!
Glad and Ziploc bags are fully recylable in areas that take #2 and 3 plastics.
mweinstone
03-13-2007, 19:18
a taxman came to my door the other day. i cut out his liver and ate it with some fava beans. funny,.....i had the same problem, i added too much water and diddnt wait long enough. the liver was tough and the beans dry. thanx for the tip! fvlip
And yes, it will come off as cheap self promotion, but why did I get into FBC way back when?
The long (and windy!) story:
I hike with my son, and for a number of years, I was the Pack Donkey, carrying all of our communal gear. I am 5' 4" and anything over 35 lbs, and I am miserable. When he was 5-6 years old he started backpacking with me, before that I had eaten a steady diet of freeze dried meals and Stove Top Stuffing in ziploc bags. I figured that since I had my kid with me, I had to carry real pans. Well, in dealing with a kid, and setting up camp when bone tired, I fast realized cooking in pans blew.
I also started backpacking cross country routes, where "dry" camps became the norm. I fast realized that if all I needed was drinking water, and water to make dinner/breakfast, I could quit being dependent on streams and lakes for camping. FBC cuts water use in half at least for me.
So anyways, it was 2004 when I really got into it, and started the orginal website, compiling my recipes and all the recipes sent in to me, to share with everyone.
I think what I love most is:
No dishes to wash
No food scraps left behind
Not needing access to water
Not leaving soap behind
Less fuel being used (and having to carry!)
One pan to boil water
That my son and I can eat different dinners
Simplicty: If I am worn out, I can still make Ford dinner, and not eat.
And...my food fits into my Ursack and Bear Vault a whole lot easier ;)
No matter what type of cooking you do, you will generate garbage. Just remember: if you use high end bags, you can recycle! I do!
Skidsteer
03-13-2007, 19:25
a taxman came to my door the other day. i cut out his liver and ate it with some fava beans. funny,.....i had the same problem, i added too much water and diddnt wait long enough. the liver was tough and the beans dry. thanx for the tip! fvlip
That's some funny s***! :D ROFLMAO! fvlip
I have not read all the pots but here is what i do.
I boil water in pot. but noddles in and sauce mix into boiling water. stir.
I then put bot in cozy. Come back in 10-15 min.
I then EAT all FOOD IN POT, and rinse. Regardless if i want to eat it or not.
Good lord......... lol.
Believe it or not, I even didn't use a cozy. Too much water? drink some of it first by scooping up some of it with a spoon. If it still doesn't taste good, dump it all out and go hungry lol. wft.
Fiddleback
03-14-2007, 11:07
So add to the benefits of FBC, less 'stuff' poured out on the ground...:) ...unless one rinses out the baggies?:-?
But really, it's all about what make's you feel good on the trail (subject to considerations of burnt trash in fire rings, dirty dish water, etc.). There are folks that cook up luxurious meals on campfires, those that use FBC, and a whole bunch in between. There's even those that go 'cold', doing no cooking at all. The method preferred relates to the camper's emphasis on 'good meals', time, calorie requirements, fuel use, pack weight, safety, sanitation, cost, convenience, etc..
For me, FBC is a natural progression from commercial freeze dried meals. FBC provides 'home cooked' meals that are better tasting, healthier, and cheaper. There's even less trash with FBC than, e.g., a Mountain House meal. But there's no comparison between a FBC meal and a broiled steak in the outback. No comparison in taste, pack weight, time, convenience...
We had a saying in my Scout group, "Any fool can be uncomfortable." We weren't then, and I'm not now, interested in seeing what discomfort is endured...the idea was to have a pleasurable, fun camp as long as it didn't impinge on others or mess up the environment. FBC helps get that done.
FB
digger51
03-14-2007, 14:26
I had the same mess problem when I started using freezer bags for cooking. I found the water needed to stay hot longer to soak into the noodles. The easiest solution I found was to make a cozy (sort of like you use your sleeping bag) out of that aluminum covered bubble wrap like is used in auto window sun deflectors. The water stayed hotter longer and the food cooked much better. Even works on Kraft mac and cheese.
I had the same mess problem when I started using freezer bags for cooking. I found the water needed to stay hot longer to soak into the noodles. The easiest solution I found was to make a cozy (sort of like you use your sleeping bag) out of that aluminum covered bubble wrap like is used in auto window sun deflectors. The water stayed hotter longer and the food cooked much better. Even works on Kraft mac and cheese.
This sounds right to me - I have never had problems cooking Lipton's in a bag but I have always used a very heat retentive cozy.
1) Cut the water in half
2) press all the excess air out of the bag before sealing
3) Use a snug cozy. A couple of layers of foil/foam windshield sun screen will keep the food hotter longer than your sleeping bag. But it should be snug. Space permits loss of heat through convection.
It doesn't seem to matter whether you use the freezer bag method or just cozy the pot. As long as you follow these basic steps, you will get perfect pasta every time.
iliketacos
03-14-2007, 18:35
I use my wool hat as a cozy as suggested by someone here on another post. One good way I have found of getting rid of the mushy FBC dinner that has gone wrong is to mix in instant mash potatos-fixes it right up. If you add a bunch of cheese watch out-yummmm.
sarbar, thank you for your comments and your web site, I haven't taken the leap to dehydrating any food but I still need to get your book to see what I'm missing as far as recipes go.