View Full Version : How do you make a Knorr meal?
'Til now I've usually had oatmeal or PB&J tortillas for breakfast, a cold lunch and either a Mountain House or mashed potato w/ something added to it for dinner.
I'd like to try something new, so I'm wondering what's the best way to make a Knorr side... I carry a .9 liter ti pot and a stove...
I hate to make a mess to clean up so I'd rather not dirty up my ti pot - can you make a Knorr in a freezer type baggie?
I like to mix different kinds together. Olive oil is worth the weight. Don't think the baggies will work as it requires simmer time. You can greatly reduce cook time depending how long you want to wait, while it it is covered/ cooking/ cooling.
Hikes in Rain
05-24-2009, 17:56
The way I've done it so far is to add a pouched meat, such as chicken, crab, salmon or some such, matched to the Knorr. (Salmon Alfredo, for example). Add some freshly ground pepper from my little backpacker's grinder, some appropriate cheese (cheese fixes everything! Assagio for the Salmon Alfredo example). Simmer for a little while. Maybe some bacon bits, especially with the example given.
I'm told, but can't yet confirm with experience, that you can do it with freezer bag cooking.
my favorite is the broccolli and noodles (alfredo maybe????) with salmon in a chipotl mango sauce. (from Charlie Tuna's company)
To die for good.
I use an alcohol stove and a cozy to conserve fuel so my method may seem odd but it works. I add the package contents to the recommended amount of water in the pot and allow to soak for 15-25 minutes. After getting stove to bloom I place pot on stove and allow to come to a boil (which if I get fuel right boil starts about when the stove goes out). After bringing contents to a boil I put the pot in the cozy for about 10 minutes and dinners done. Only about 3/4 ounce of fuel for the 2 cups of water needed for a typical Knorr dinner.
take-a-knee
05-24-2009, 18:38
It works great freezer bag style, you have to reduce the amount of water you use because (typically about two ounces less) because you aren't boiling any away as you simmer the meal. I use an envelope style cozy made of duct tape and Reflectix. Just pour the boiling water inside, prop up the cozy and leave it alone for ten minutes. I then add a foil chicken pack. On all but the coldest days, the freezer bag will still be too hot to hold. If you haven't tried FB style cooking, the most important thing to remember is this, if you pour boiling water on your skin, it will hurt...a lot.
Monkeywrench
05-26-2009, 09:40
I use an alcohol stove and a cozy to conserve fuel so my method may seem odd but it works. I add the package contents to the recommended amount of water in the pot and allow to soak for 15-25 minutes. After getting stove to bloom I place pot on stove and allow to come to a boil (which if I get fuel right boil starts about when the stove goes out). After bringing contents to a boil I put the pot in the cozy for about 10 minutes and dinners done. Only about 3/4 ounce of fuel for the 2 cups of water needed for a typical Knorr dinner.
I do the same but I have never bothered with the pre-soak. Just bring the water to a boil, add the contents of the package, a bit of olive oil, and a packet of tuna or chicken or whatever. Put the pot in the cozy for 10 minutes, then eat and enjoy. I also usually use a bit less than the called for 2 cups of water, as the water desn't boil off during a long simmer.
The Pasta Alfredo with a bit of dry milk powder and a package of tuna is quite good. So, surprisingly, is beef flavored noodles with a package of Tyson chunk white chicken.
I add a bit of olive oil to just about everything, just to boost the calories.
Then when you get to town, go to the best restaurant you can find and eat some real food! I often end up spending more on a decent dinner than I do on town lodging or food resupply, and am happy to do so! Color me spoiled.
Cookerhiker
05-26-2009, 12:26
It sounds like you're using a Knorr side dish which includes its own pasta. You can also buy Knorr or McCormack sauce-only dishes (alfredo, pesto, 4-cheese among others) so that you can have options for healthier starches. So I use whole-grain noodles or a brown Success rice packet or bulgur wheat, placing them in the pot with the water, turning on the stove (Coleman canister in my case), and adding the sauce mix after the water's boiled about 5 minutes (less for bulgur wheat). At that point, you can also add tuna or whatever meat. If you also have dried vegetables, you can put them in the water with the starch as the water begins to boil.
Not Worthy
05-26-2009, 12:49
I've been lucky so far in not using a pot for the meal. I heat the water in the pot and pour the recommended amount into the envelope, then fold the top down a couple times to seal it. Then I leave it for 10-15 minutes for it to cook like the Mountain House meals. It turned out just as well and I didn't have a pot to clean. I would recommend using a long spoon to make sure the water gets all the way to the bottom of the envelope so you don't get dry noodles or sauce. You have to be a little more careful to not spill the bag since it doesn't have the zip lock like the Mountain House has.
Serial 07
05-26-2009, 13:47
get that asian vegetable sides thing, the one that's double the veggies, in the green packaging...add some peanut butter to that and you're on your way to thailand, baby! that stuff is the whip...
Binder Clips are a multi use tool i carry with me. Just a couple of the Small ones. I use it to hang bandanas and socks, keep my notebook together, and clip bags closed, as not all freeze dried meals are created equal :D.
Just a tip for the day :D
Harris Tetter, a grocery chain in these parts, has the Knorr sides "Buy 1 get 1 free" this week so today I bought a bunch of 'em to experiment with this weekend.
It's going to be a Knorr's weekend at our house!
Knorr sides are my staple woods food. Combined with salmon or tuna in foil, they make awesome meals.
Teriyaki noodles are my favorite.
I carry a Snowpeak 700 ti mug (nested to a nalgene) and one of the Glad containers that minibulldesign uses for a lot of their kits. I use the Glad container as my "freezerbag" and in warm weather, don't even use a cozy. The Glad container holds my fuel canister, MSR pocket rocket, matches, bandana, spork, and two packets of oatmeal. My cookset takes up the size of one nalgene (which I'll be carrying anyway) and one Glad container. Eating from the glad container allows me to make coffee or tea in the mug. Pretty small and versitle IMO.
I don't like cooking directly in the pot either. The Glad container allows me to seal up some food if I don't want to eat it all at once. I like to eat very frequently, so I can toss it back in my pack and come back to it later. Just take the bandana and tie up the items that are normally in the container "hobo style" and find room for them (or tie it to the outside of my pack).
HYOY, but this works very well for me.
Allen1901
06-27-2009, 05:21
The Knorr meals that have a Chili or Mexican type flavor will make the other types smell like chili powder if the paper bag gets a small hole or tear. I carry them in a seperate freezer bag just in case.
Cheers!
flemdawg1
06-29-2009, 15:35
After 3 trips finagling this for the Knorr Sides+ noodle varieties use 1.25Cups boiling water and cozy for 20-30 minutes, make sure you stir/squish around the bag so all the noodles hydrate. These pouches tend to be slightly bland so pack in some extra salt, or add to freezer bag at home.
JohnnyBongo
06-30-2009, 14:58
You can cook the Knorr sides in their own bag if you want as well. Add 1.25 cups of boiling water, fold the top down, paper clip it closed, wait 20 minutes. The Sides Plus have the heavier foil bag which seems to work better for cooking in. I prefer to cook them in a freezer bag though, as the foil pouches can leak if you mishandle them too much. I've had better luck with the rice dishes than the noodle dishes. Sides Plus Southwestern Rice and Beans is awesome, so are the Spanish Rice and Mexican Rice.
srestrepo
06-30-2009, 15:30
i know it sounds ghetto but i haven't yet built up the confidence to go out for more than an overnight by myself so i usually just take two hot dogs and cut those up and dump that in the water with the spanish dirty rice knorr side. i take the rice out of the pot and put it in a tortilla with some taco bell hot sauce and grated cheddar cheese. one package makes enough for three tortillas for two people. its soooooo good. as you can tell i'm definitely not a back country gourmet but it definitely hits the spot.