How much water to cook with?

[shoe]

Is there a general rule about all these macaroni and cheese and Lipton rice and noodle dishes about how much water to use so I don't use too much.

I know rice is 1 to 1 (i think)

Do I just cut the water in half? Will that work?

And what do I do if I cook too much food? Is there a proper way to dispose of it if I can't force it down.

[sarbar]

Lipton's: follow the package.
Mac and cheese: you can boil pasta in 3 cups or so of water.

Too much food:
Hope you have a pesky thru hiker that's nickname is "Moochy" next to you in camp, or a dog.

[jlb2012]

depends on how you are cooking the Liptons / macaroni - if you are freezer bag cooking you would use less water than the directions on the Liptons

I commonly do uncooked macaroni in the bag - 4 ounces dry weight macaroni and 1.75 cups boiling water is what I use - let it sit in the cozy for 30 minutes - use a good cozy that retains the heat well

[Mammoth]

As a rule, I never boil more than 2 cups of water at once. I boil, mix with whatever, pop in the cozy, and hope for the best. At that point, it is usually enough water, or the extra water makes a wierd soup. Sometimes the noodles turn out disgusting and gluey, but it still goes down with enough willpower.

[TJ aka Teej]

mel, practice cooking at home. Keep track of how much fuel, how much water, which method of cooking what works best. Better to work this stuff out now!

[hopefulhiker]

I always just boiled around two cups at a time but I also used dehydrated food and a cozy to cook and rehydrate.

[shoe]

I guess I should go out and get some extra pasta dishes to play with. At least I have a general guideline now.

I got a pot cozy from anti gravity gear. I will probably do a little mixture of cooking types. Have to wait and see when I get out there.

Thanks again. All you guys are great on here

[weary]

Is there a general rule about all these macaroni and cheese and Lipton rice and noodle dishes about how much water to use so I don't use too much.

I know rice is 1 to 1 (i think)

Do I just cut the water in half? Will that work?

And what do I do if I cook too much food? Is there a proper way to dispose of it if I can't force it down.

The general rule for generic rice, pasta, and oatmeal is one cup of solids to two cups of water.

I use the same formula for Mac & Cheese and Lipton sides, though Lipton sides often contain precooked rice, which requires a bit less water, and a much shorter cooking time.

If it looks too watery when I take it out of a cozy or off the stove, I usually stiffen it up with a few potato flakes.

Weary

[sarbar]

Instant rice is 1:1 though. Couscous is a weird ration (1/3 cup couscous to 1/2 cup water)