View Full Version : freezer bag cooking
I am very surprised how I saw no one cooking their meals in zip lock bags. I did every night and watched as people were washing and scraping out their pans. People were asking alot of questions about what type of bags to use and where did I come up with the Idea to cook like that. I told them that I thought everyone knew about this cooking style. It sure is nice not to wash pots.
for those that don't know about freezer bag cooking this is the site to go to. Sarbar has lots of ideas on the site. She also has a book out about it. Great site!
http://www.freewebs.com/freezerbagcooking/
Just Jeff
04-26-2006, 23:41
Dishes are my least favorite chore, hands down. I don't use freezerbags every meal, but it sure is convenient when I do!
I too can't believe more people do not do this--I will NEVER wash another pot in the woods as long as I live...:banana
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Great link, thanks!!
I suspect that the main reason why most thru-hikers don't use freezer bags for cooking is that it generates more trash that needs to be packed out. Plus, cost.
Having said that, people who use commercial freeze dried foods like Mountain House products in effect use a freezer bag.
Skidsteer
04-27-2006, 08:00
I suspect that the main reason why most thru-hikers don't use freezer bags for cooking is that it generates more trash that needs to be packed out. Plus, cost.
Having said that, people who use commercial freeze dried foods like Mountain House products in effect use a freezer bag.
And a freezer bag weighs no more than say, the packaging that a Lipton's comes in. And you can use it to store (and keep sealed) other trash.
the trash is fairly minimal and if a campfire is handy it burns just fine unlike the foil wrapped meals which require a hotter fire to burn the trash completely
another advantage of zip lock cooking is that you can use a smaller pot since all you need to do is to boil water - I use a Heineken beer can pot
stoikurt
04-27-2006, 09:01
I think that the trash produced from other forms of cooking would be greater than that produced from freezer bag cooking.
Clark Fork
04-27-2006, 10:33
I am very surprised how I saw no one cooking their meals in zip lock bags. I did every night and watched as people were washing and scraping out their pans. People were asking alot of questions about what type of bags to use and where did I come up with the Idea to cook like that. I told them that I thought everyone knew about this cooking style. It sure is nice not to wash pots.
Here is my take on FBC and a review of Sarbar's great book. Coincidently two books were published within months of one another but only very recently. Both are noted in the trail essay under "Green Eggs & Ham Part I"
FBC will soon make the same impact as has the introduction of the tin can alcohol stove. More and more change is backpacking is being driven by the Internet. Like the almost $0 cost homemade alcohol stove, FBC is not something the manufacturers and retailers want hikers to know about. News travels fast over the Internet,however. Soon Sarbar will be regarded as the Julia Child of trail cooking and everyone will be toting less expensive, safer and more nutritious meals that fulfill the ideals of fast clean up and LNT hiking.
Clark Fork's Journal (http://www.trailjournals.com/ClarkFork/)
Best Regards,
Clark Fork in Western Montana
BTW, I think her book will be for sale at Trail days...hey sarbar do I get a kick back for promoting it :D
Pennsylvania Rose
04-27-2006, 12:05
I tried freezer bag cooking on my last trip and loved the quick clean up. I had one problem, though. Ramen noodles poked microscopic holes in the bag. I couldn't see them, but once I added water - think sieve. I was using my daughter's hat as a cozy and she smelled like soup for the rest of the trip. Any suggestions?
At home, dump the dry ramen in a plastic bowl then crush or break up into smaller pieces. Then put the crushed ramen in a freezer bag. I made the same mistake..put the noodles in the freezer bag and broke them up with my hand and poked holes in the bag.
I tried freezer bag cooking on my last trip and loved the quick clean up. I had one problem, though. Ramen noodles poked microscopic holes in the bag. I couldn't see them, but once I added water - think sieve. I was using my daughter's hat as a cozy and she smelled like soup for the rest of the trip. Any suggestions?
Try cold Ramen, it is good. I have done this before on the trail and at work. Only thing I would do different is to use a powdered gatorade mix container (small one) instead of the freezer bag. You can use the container for other things also.
Ramen Salad
1 Pkg. Ramen noodles (discard flavor pkt.)
2 Tbl. dried veggie flakes or Just Veggie freezedried veggies
1 pkt salad dressing of choice (shelf stable, find at fast food places, delis or use 2 tubs of Ranch dip/dressing)
Put Ramen and veggies in a quart freezer bag. In camp add 1 1/2 cups water (room temp), and seal. Let sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Drain well. Add dressing and toss well. Great with cubed cheese and or pepperoni slices.
Serves 1.
Skidsteer
04-27-2006, 17:43
At home, dump the dry ramen in a plastic bowl then crush or break up into smaller pieces. Then put the crushed ramen in a freezer bag. I made the same mistake..put the noodles in the freezer bag and broke them up with my hand and poked holes in the bag.
I do something similar, although I don't normally eat much Ramen (Spaghetti is the culprit for me).
We usually dehydrate in fairly large batches so I use one clean 1-gallon ziploc to "pulverize"all the noodles, then transfer to 1-quart ziplocs for storage and eventual trail dinners.
Rationale is that it keeps both my hands and the food cleaner.
Works for me. No leaks.
I too can't believe more people do not do this--I will NEVER wash another pot in the woods as long as I live...:banana
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Great link, thanks!!
And, you sure as hell won't be washing them if your not living:D
River Runner
04-27-2006, 18:23
I love freezer bag cooking - fast, easy, no clean up. Sarbar is my hero. :clap
I've not carried a pot in the past three years of hiking--and packing out the garbage has not been a problem, but I am not a thru-hiker, just a sectioner. I love the variety I can get by making my own meals, and I buy bulk freeze dried meats for the protein additive, much lighter than carrying the chicken or tuna. Can't think of a reason I'd go back to any other kind of hiking food.
Mountain Maiden
04-28-2006, 08:41
I've not carried a pot in the past three years of hiking--and packing out the garbage has not been a problem, but I am not a thru-hiker, just a sectioner. I love the variety I can get by making my own meals, and I buy bulk freeze dried meats for the protein additive, much lighter than carrying the chicken or tuna. Can't think of a reason I'd go back to any other kind of hiking food.
Hi Gumball--pls tell us more about bulk freeze dried meats
Blue Jay
04-28-2006, 18:37
I hate to be a wet blanket but, I'm a chemist. If you heat any plastic to boiling temperatures there are chemicals which are outgassed. Granted, no one knows if they are harmless or not. Also there is huge variation due to plastic formulation within any specific brand and also specific temperature achieved. You need to know you are turning yourself into a lab animal for the sake of cleanup time.
Pennsylvania Rose
04-28-2006, 19:06
I hate to be a wet blanket but, I'm a chemist. If you heat any plastic to boiling temperatures there are chemicals which are outgassed. Granted, no one knows if they are harmless or not. Also there is huge variation due to plastic formulation within any specific brand and also specific temperature achieved. You need to know you are turning yourself into a lab animal for the sake of cleanup time.
I agree with you. But in this day and age everyone, even those living in remote areas, is exposed to manmade chemicals with unknown and known, deadly effects. Just walking down the street, eating anything (even organic food), or living in a super-tight home exposes us to 1000's of them. Granted, this sounds pessimistic, even self-defeating (especially for a treehugging biologist). But I don't think a few freezer bag meals will make a big difference to the chemical load in my body.
Sure--I get them from:
http://www.wildernessdining.com/ingredients.html, although there are a few other places. I usually get a couple of pouches of turkey, beef, chicken--whatever we might like--and substitute them for carrying the wet pouch of tuna or chicken. I throw in a scoop of meat for protein with the rest of the freezer bag meal and its one less pouch (of tuna or chicken) to carry out.
I also sometimes put in Texturized Vegetable Protein as a substitute for meat. You can buy pouches of the meat--and it won't seem like there is a lot of meat in there--but it goes a long way. Pouches are $4 to $5, and I probably get four or five meals per pouch. You can also buy the cannister, which would probably be more economical--but then you are stuck with one type of meat.
Works for us. I hate packing out empty tuna pouches, as you can't really burn them...even when I seal them in another ziploc, I am always looking behind me for Mr. B. Bear...