repackaging foods

[Pickleodeon]

Hello, I know a lot of people repackage the foods they buy. As far as Lipton's sides, Knorr packages, etc. I dont think I can eat a whole pack, at the beginning of my hike, anyway.

Can I split it in half in ziplocks and just make half of it? Also, when I do this, what's the best way to add powered milk? mix the milk in a water bottle and then pour it in when making it, or pour in the amount of powered milk I'd need into the baggie when repackaging and then add my water later?

[Frick Frack]

You can & will eat a whole pack....esp after you have been hiking a few weeks & more. My wife and I would share 2-3 of them and still be ravinous. If you really can not I would take a dedicated freezer zip-lock for storing the other half with the powdered milk in it.

[garlic08]

It's kind of hard to separate a dried packaged mix, to get the right amount of carbs and dried sauce in each half. Even if you shake it up really well, it seems the noodles or rice pour out first, leaving the powder behind. I've tried it a few times, never been very happy with the result. As you know, though, you won't be doing it for very long. Before long you'll be adding a ramen to "stretch" it.

In my experience, you can add the powdered milk right to the mix.

[freefall]

After a few weeks you'll need the calories. But if you want to separate a dry meal (ie Lipton Noodles, etc...) first hold the package right side up, shake side to side for about 20 seconds. Once this is done, rip off the top of the envelope, and transfer (lift out, don't pour) about half the noodles to a ziplock and then do the same with the other half of the noodles. With the remaining seasoning, pour it into a couple of measuring cups of the same size. Transfer the mix from one cup to the other until they are about equal. Then pour one into each ziploc. Simple enough.

[hoz]

If it comes in a bag already seems wasteful to "repackage" it in another bag...or worse, two.

I open my bag of Knorr, Lipton or Mt House, and use a spoon to bring out approximately half the goodies into my mixing bowl. (Doing my best to pick up some from the bottom, sides, and top.) Then add hot H2O to the bowl to reconstitute. So what if it isn't a perfect ratio?

The Knorr bag is folded and twisted down tight and put back in the food sack to be used in a couple of days. If you're worried about spillage try a twisty tie, rubber band or one of those snap on thingies.

[Tinker]

If you resist the temptation to snack too much the first few days, eating a whole Lipton's dinner at the end of the day won't be a problem at all. Soon after the start of your hike, you'll be eating a Lipton's and looking around for something to finish filling you up. As mentioned above, with Lipton's (Knorr) dinners, the spices and sauces are mixed in with the noodles. It would be near impossible to separate the contents of the package into two meals that had the same flavor.
When I add milk to a meal, I just add the powdered stuff to the mix after boiling it in my pot for a couple of minutes. Then I transfer my pot from stove to cozy. I find it reconstitutes much faster than if you boil the water, throw the mix in, and put it right into the cozy. Two min. makes a big difference, especially in cold temps.
My cozy is made of blue foam cut to the size of my pot (Evernew 1.3 liter ti) and held together with duct tape, which I have to replace from time to time. It has a cover with a duct tape hinge in back and a duct tape "latch" in front to keep it closed.

[budforester]

Another possibility is to make the whole package and "refrigerate" leftovers for breakfast or lunch the next day. Depends on location, season, altitude, etc. Home 'fridge is optimally 35- 38 F.

[Blissful]

You can just make half if you want, fold the bag over and use it another day. Don't need to repackage it. And I get the Liptons that just takes water so you don't have to mess with milk. Or just take a small ziploc of instant milk and add a little to the pot. Don't worry about precision.

[Dogwood]

I know this doesn't directly answer your question Pickleodeon, but U R going to need those cals if U R thru-hiking. Generally, Lipton sides weigh between 4 -5.5 ozs. and provide 400 -550 cals each by themselves. All things considered, when U R hiking 8 + hrs per day and burning upwards of 3000 cals per day 550 cals for dinner is barely enough, or not enough, to maintain your body wt. Now, consider only eating half those cals for dinner - 275. Even, if it doesn't happen at first, eventually, U R not going to have the energy U need to maintain a thru-hike!

[Pickleodeon]

I know my appetite will increase after a few days. I'll probably just make the whole pack. When I first start hiking, my appetite is not very big.

[gearfreak]

What I generally do with home cooked meals that I dehydrate is to lay the food out on a generous size piece of foil, seperate it with a knife into equal size piles, cut the foil between the piles, fold the foil and pour the food into a bag. I vacuum seal mine and prior to bagging, I write the amount of water and cooking time on the bag with a Sharpie. This should work for you. As for the powdered milk or any additional seasonings, I'd mix that in prior to bagging. :cool: