View Full Version : Freezer Bag Cooking
I wanted to get some input on freezer bag cooking. I am going to give it a try on my sobo thru and had wanted to see what others did. How often do you change out your bag or do you carry multiple ones and buy new ones as you resupply? I am trying to keep my pot free of food so i figure this is the best way to keep it clean.
Rocket Jones
07-09-2014, 09:57
I pack each meal in a ziplock (use a brand name, not generic cheapie) and use it for FBC. At the end of the hike I can rinse and reuse bags for storage, although I don't reuse for FBC.
atraildreamer
07-09-2014, 10:34
Go to the source:
http://www.trailcooking.com/
Sarah has written a great book on the subject!
+1 for www.trailcooking.com, i use that website all the time, as well other sites. i will reuse my brand-name freezer quality ziplock baggies if i can, such as when i pour my meal into another bowl; otherwise, i sort of rinse out the baggie and save it for home if possible and reuse at home.
i dehydrate most all my food for hiking, use a vacuum sealer to preserve the meals, and follow FBC on the Trail. it's wonderful!
.com
Leanthree
07-09-2014, 13:36
Use winter hat for coozie.
slbirdnerd
07-09-2014, 16:15
Use winter hat for coozie.
I do this, and to eat I fold the sides down making a "bowl" for my freezer bag--keeps my food warm too. Be sure to put it in your bear bag at night. I use Ziploc Freezer Bags, they work great. And trailcooking.com is the place to start! I also have tried to turn things I like to eat at home into FBC meals, just experiment at home first but use the supplies/coozie you will be using on the trail.
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Use winter hat for coozie.
You have to use a cozy. I made one from scrap thin foam and it makes all the difference. Mine is too tall, you only need less than half the height of a quarter zip lock. I add Nido and TVP, about half the water Knott calls for. Let it sit 10 min, add tuna, Spam or bacon and let sit for another 10 or so.
Thank you for the replies. Trailcooking.com was the right start and got got some great info from the site. I will work on a coozie and do some test meals.
Damn Yankee
07-09-2014, 19:30
a car sunscreen works well for cozies and cost much less than reflectix
Rocket Jones
07-10-2014, 05:59
+1 on the car sunscreen. You can make a usable cozy out of bubble wrap sandwiched between heavy duty foil. It'll last a season or so.
Farr Away
07-10-2014, 08:52
+1 on the car sunscreen. You can make a usable cozy out of bubble wrap sandwiched between heavy duty foil. It'll last a season or so.
Unless you have a leak, then your cozy will smell like tuna fish or whatever. The second time that happened, I made a washable cozy out of the leftover materials I had from making my overquilt.
-FA
Rocket Jones
07-10-2014, 10:17
Very true! That's why I don't recommend using a hat or spare clothes as a cozy. Leaks can happen, and then you've got a delicious smelling article of clothing.
rocketsocks
07-10-2014, 11:13
a car sunscreen works well for cozies and cost much less than reflectix
here's one I made out of a sun screen for freeze dried meals. It'll hold two at a time.
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rocketsocks
07-10-2014, 11:27
Two...cause sometimes I'm real hungry, and want a red beans and rice with a side of chili mac. :p
If you make your cozy the right size, you can jam in two bags of food ;-)
AfghanVet
07-10-2014, 13:23
So wait, you just cook your meal and then freeze it in a standard freezer? O_o
rocketsocks
07-10-2014, 13:28
If you make your cozy the right size, you can jam in two bags of food ;-)good point. :D July is that you?
Hikes in Rain
07-10-2014, 13:45
So wait, you just cook your meal and then freeze it in a standard freezer? O_o
Other way around. Put your food in a freezer bag, add boiling water and insulate. The heat in the water rehydrates and cooks the food. No mess, no fuss, no cleanup.
rocketsocks
07-10-2014, 13:53
Other way around. Put your food in a freezer bag, add boiling water and insulate. The heat in the water rehydrates and cooks the food. No mess, no fuss, no cleanup.
easy like dat! :sun
AfghanVet
07-10-2014, 13:55
Wait, wait. So you cook non-perishable foods then and don't have to freeze them for storage? Just leave them cooked or do you put them in a dehydrator? I'm a new and ignorant sort so you have to forgive me and preferably (though it isn't required) exercise a little patience :D I'm just wondering how does the food not spoil if not dehydrated or frozen and what's the shelf life?
dangerdave
07-10-2014, 13:58
Is this practical for an AT Thru-Hike? Or is supplying along the way the way to go. I checked out the trail cooking web site, and all the recipes sounded great! But it would require a great deal of pre-hike organization and off-trail support to have all of your meals mail dropped to you at the exact time you need them...would it not?
I'm still learning, here, so someone fill me in. I haven't gotten to the mail drop section yet. So, you'd gather all of your ingredients for five or six months worth of meals (most of them anyway), including store-bought or personally dehydrated produce. Then bag up more than 400 meals, place them in boxes holding, what, a week's worth at a time and have them dropped to you along the way? It certainly could be done, but how may of you plan to or have done this.
I have the ability, but lack the inclination for such a project. Guess I'm not as OCD as I thought I am.
Hikes in Rain
07-10-2014, 14:24
Wait, wait. So you cook non-perishable foods then and don't have to freeze them for storage? Just leave them cooked or do you put them in a dehydrator? I'm a new and ignorant sort so you have to forgive me and preferably (though it isn't required) exercise a little patience :D I'm just wondering how does the food not spoil if not dehydrated or frozen and what's the shelf life?
You can cook your own stuff, dehydrate it, and use the freezer bag to rehydrate and heat. Or, use off-the-shelf dried or dehydrated stuff. One example might be a Lipton-Knorr side with a pouch of tuna or chicken. Transfer the side to the freezer bag, squish the air out and seal it. In camp, add the pouched meat and maybe half a cup less boiling water than the directions call for, reseal and mix it around. Insulate for a period of time (it varies), and the heat ends up cooking the food. That's a pretty simplistic view of it; some cooks can go ballistic with ingredients and such!
Somewhere up in the posts, someone linked to Sarah's Freezer Bag Cooking site. Worth scrolling up to find it. I have her book (it's excellent!) and one of her cozy's (ditto!). Her site is a wealth of information.
Dangerdave, i was looking for a way to keep my cooking pot clean for sanitation reasons. By cooking meals in a freezer bag this allows me to do so. Im a simple dinner couscous cooker and only need to boil water for that and sometimes oatmeal. Some people do go crazy with the dehydrating process (i only stockpile dehydrated beans and peas) for long resupply points. I could have wife send me meals at every resupply poi t but that would be a pain for her. I just want to reduce chances of getting sick along the trail.
gunner76
07-10-2014, 18:56
add boiling water
Do not add boiling water to zip lock bag. Near boiling is OK and plenty hot to re hydrate your meal. Most of zip lock bags are not designed to handle boiling water.
As others have said, MAKE SURE to use the BRAND-NAME!
Unbranded bags tend to break while boiling! My preference: Zip lock freezer bags.
Also - DO NOT use the ones that have the "zipper" thing that moves across the top to seal it.
rocketsocks
07-10-2014, 23:57
Do not add boiling water to zip lock bag. Near boiling is OK and plenty hot to re hydrate your meal. Most of zip lock bags are not designed to handle boiling water.
Same, even in Winter I haven't brought it to a rolling boil...just under, when it starts smokin' a little.
Very true! That's why I don't recommend using a hat or spare clothes as a cozy. Leaks can happen, and then you've got a delicious smelling article of clothing.
+1 You really don't want any clothes (like your hat) that you will be wearing, especially at night while sleeping, to become a smellable. I love cozies and use them all the time, but would never use my beanie as a cozy for this reason.
I use one of those manila mailing envelopes with the bubble pack lining inside for a cozy. Extremely light and can be folded down to the size of a bar of soap...works great!
For stuff like oatmeal I use freezer bags
For dehydrated stuff I use a foodsaver
Apparently I eat a lot of stuff :-)
The Cleaner
01-05-2017, 19:23
IMO it's kinda sad that some hikers plan to hike 2000+ miles but are not willing to wash a dirty pot.One reason contraptions like the Jet Boil type pots are really only for heating water.I take one pot that I cook in and the other for heating water only that is used to wash the cook pot.With my system your menu options are not limited.37778377793778037781