AT Mac & Cheese

[swjohnsey]

Macaroni and Chesse modified to increase calories and decrease fuel used.

Take a box of M&C, I use the cheap stuff 3/$, put the macaroni in qt Ziploc, stow cheese packet seperately. You will also need a stick of margarine, again, cheapest stuff around $0.60 pound. Margarine will keep indefinately without refrigeration. I remove the paper from a stick and put it in a pint Ziploc and the store in qt Ziploc. Save all Ziploc bags for reuse. No trash except cheese packet. Total cost $0.48.

Add macaroni to 16 ounces of water and bring to boil for around 3 - 4 minutes (about 2 ounces of alcohol for my White Box stove). Let sit for 5 minutes after fuel burns out. Don't drain. Add margarine and cheese packet, stir, enjoy. :)

A dash of Tobasco spices anything up a bit. You can also add Spam or anything else you have handy.

You can also increase calories and protein by adding a tbs or two of powered whole milk, 40 calories & 2 g protein/Tbs.

1400 calories & 26 g protein.

[Fog Horn]

You can add spam too :)

[Old Hiker]

Don't forget the spam!

[Namaste]

I agree, great cheap meal.

Are you mixing everything in the pot? I boil the water, cook the pasta in minimum amount of water then throw everything in a ziploc bag and mix that way there's no messy pot to clean. I also carry Crazy Jane's mixed up salt & pepper but there are many ways to flavor this dish up.

[garlic08]

I was just listening to NPR's "Splendid Table". One of the guests proposed a radical new idea of cooking pasta in just the right amount of water for eating--no dumping or rinsing. He proposed it as a way to save water and energy, and it tastes just as good. No kidding--hikers have known that since the beginning of pasta.

The only comment I have on the recipe is that the margarine is optional, but the extra fat would be nice.

[swjohnsey]

The margarine adds lotsa calories, 640, for cheap.

[sbhikes]

Rather than margarine, I add cheese. I add a whole packet of Knorr Alfredo Cheese sauce and some chunks of cheddar or Swiss grueyere cheese. Now that is mac and CHEESE.

[swjohnsey]

Anyone try adding oil like corn or olive oil to M&C instead of butter or margarine?

[Namaste]

Anyone try adding oil like corn or olive oil to M&C instead of butter or margarine?

Yes, I always carry olive oil and use it in my trail recipes including mac & cheese. I like the flavor and it holds up better than butter (sorry, but I never eat margarine).

[swjohnsey]

No lard, either?

[FatherTime09]

... Margarine will keep indefinately without refrigeration.

Don't you find this just a little disturbing? Nothing will touch the stuff, not animals, not insects, not even fungus (mold). It's supposedly one molecule away from being plastic.

[LoneRidgeRunner]

Don't you find this just a little disturbing? Nothing will touch the stuff, not animals, not insects, not even fungus (mold). It's supposedly one molecule away from being plastic.

My Collie once stole and ate a whole stick of Margarine so that shoots down the theory that nothing will touch the stuff. My Collie thought she was human but even humans are "animals." (FatherTime09 was referring to margarine.)

[swjohnsey]

Don't you find this just a little disturbing? Nothing will touch the stuff, not animals, not insects, not even fungus (mold). It's supposedly one molecule away from being plastic.

Margarine is nothing more than solidified vegetable oil. I can think of other stuff that will keep almost forever like honey, peanutbutter and olive oil that I consider quite good.

[handlebar]

One of my favorite trail dishes. I cook mine like the OP, but I cube up a Spam single and add several tablespoons of olive oil to the water I boil the pasta in. Sometimes, I let it simmer on my alchy stove (the featherfire stove I use does actually simmer) until there's just enough liquid left to dissolve the cheese packet and a couple tablespoons of dried milk powder I add. Other times, I put the pot in my home-made cozy to finish cooking like the OP. The olive oil is much more healthy for you than margarine or butter.

[Wise Old Owl]

Don't forget you can open the can of spam - slice it, soak in real soy sauce and dehydrate cutting the weight in half. When its broken up and tossed back in it will rehydrate with the mac....

[sarbar]

I was just listening to NPR's "Splendid Table". One of the guests proposed a radical new idea of cooking pasta in just the right amount of water for eating--no dumping or rinsing. He proposed it as a way to save water and energy, and it tastes just as good. No kidding--hikers have known that since the beginning of pasta.

Hah...no kidding. One of the easiest ways to make a pasta dinner! No draining, no extra water needed.

This is one of mine that does that:
http://www.trailcooking.com/recipes/asian-inspired-chicken-veggies

[Odd Man Out]

Margarine is nothing more than solidified vegetable oil. I can think of other stuff that will keep almost forever like honey, peanutbutter and olive oil that I consider quite good.

Most margarine will have trans fat from the chemical process (hydrogenation) to make it solid. Why not just take butter. Contrary to popular belief it doesn't spoil (at least not in the time it will take to get eaten on the trail).

[sarbar]

Or use oil. If olive oil turns you off, use canola - it is nearly tasteless. You won't notice the difference between it and butter.

[swjohnsey]

I'm gonna cook up some M&C with 1/2 c corn or canola oil just for grins. It would be more convenient to have oil on the trail than margarine in a Ziploc.

[flemdawg1]

I pretty much do this now except use EVOO and add dry milk.

[OnThePath]

what is the best method for carrying olive oil on the trail without it spilling in your food bag?

[Zac]

I have used a small plastic pop bottle(6oz) to carry olive oil in. I have switched to using the small naglene bottles like the 1 or 2 oz for overnighters. I always put them in a snack ziploc for the just in case scenarios.

[sarbar]

I prefer the packets for oil but if you are hiking long distance a bottle works well. You can in some stores find small plastic oil bottles...if not a good one from REI or similar works - but carry in a bag to be safe.

[Scratch]

Does anyone do dehydrated hamburger meat to make cheeseburger mac? I've been thinking about doing that.

[Farr Away]

Does anyone do dehydrated hamburger meat to make cheeseburger mac? I've been thinking about doing that.

Yes, it works great. Check sarbar's site for how to do hamburger 'gravel'. And recipes, and ... Seriously, her site is a great resource.

-FA

[sarbar]

Beef and Mac= match made in heaven for hungry hikers I can tell you that (or hungry little boys even....hehheh!) Add in some dried salsa as well!

[the judge]

how big a pot/pan are you all using to make mac n cheese in while hiking? I'm for sure going to eat a lot of it out there but don't want to A. spill a bunch of it over the side of a pan that's too small, or B. carry way too much weight in a standard cooking pot that I'd use here at home.

[Kerosene]

Ham TVP (textured vegetable protein) is also a nice addition. Sometimes I'll carry a small can of peas and one of stewed tomatoes to add the first night out of town.

[swjohnsey]

I'm using one that hold 48 oz but on that will hold 32 oz is big enough.

[sarbar]

how big a pot/pan are you all using to make mac n cheese in while hiking? I'm for sure going to eat a lot of it out there but don't want to A. spill a bunch of it over the side of a pan that's too small, or B. carry way too much weight in a standard cooking pot that I'd use here at home.
You can do it in a 1.2 or 1.3 L pot (you don't need a ton of water really) though a 2L pot is much roomier. But for one person really as long as you can boil 6 or so cups water life is good.

[Ashman]

what is the best method for carrying olive oil on the trail without it spilling in your food bag?

You can buy individual serving packets of Olive Oil from www.minimus.biz

[jimmi]

Yes, it works great. Check sarbar's site for how to do hamburger 'gravel'. And recipes, and ... Seriously, her site is a great resource.

-FA
Yes I have tried.





List of Cheeses (http://www.ranker.com/lists/cheese)

[waasj]

Use instant potatoes to absorb any water (works for any meal) or thicken. Adds a few more calories and doesn't weigh much.

[sweerek]

Kitchen test results
..... with many Ziplocs of failures until I found one that worked

Goal: Kraft Mac-n-Cheese that my 10 year will eat at home but made on the trail.

Start: Many recipes found online, including this one. All of these resulted in cheese-starch paste.

Final Recipe with separated noodles, 1580 calories & 16 oz per meal, and picky-kid-proven

0. Box of Kraft Maccaroni & Cheese dinner, original style, 7.25 ounce box. Noodles into a quart freezer bag Ziploc. Cheese packet. 1 T whole powered milk (whole milk like Nido preferred) + 4 T margarine (half stick) into snack-size Ziploc. Optional meat: we prefer summer sausage, size not critical. Optional half-cup dehydrated veggies into noodle bag, increase water by half cup below. Ziploc cozy = folded window shade or a plastic bag + sweater.

1. Add 1 cup boiling water to Ziploc. 1.5 if with 0.5 cup dehydrated veggies. (any more leads to soup)
2. Place into cozy for 8 minutes. (any more leads to paste)
3. Cube 1/4 of a stick of meat (about quarter pound)
4. Open cozy & Ziploc, add cheese packet, meat, milk powder, margarine. Stir well.
5 Return to cozy for 3 minutes.
6. Eat from Ziplock & cozy.

Misc.
For a large group, 4 meals with a whole summer sausage fit perfectly w/in a gallon Ziploc. Much plastic waste but no dishes to wash sticky cheese outta. Amount is right for a hungry on-trail adult but too much for kids. Recommend you drink alotta water / juice with the meal since its a bit on the dry side. Longer spoons recommended.

[tsgosnell]

I too have ended up with paste, I will follow sweerek's info and see if I can get my 6yo to give me the thumbs up!

[mr.rainmaker]

what is the best method for carrying olive oil on the trail without it spilling in your food bag?

I have found that the little orange screw top childproof bottles from the pharmacy work very well keeping olive oil. Best of all if you visit you're local CVS or Walgreens they usually will give them to you for free!

[SunnyWalker]

Yeah, water, milk, cheese packet, half cube of margerine I like butter instead), slice off generous portion of slab of real cheese, and the spam/tuna/(meat selection), and Idaho potatoes also. Stir. Eat. Ymmmmmmmmmmmm . . . .

[Siarl]

Don't you find this just a little disturbing? Nothing will touch the stuff, not animals, not insects, not even fungus (mold). It's supposedly one molecule away from being plastic.

I keep indefinitely without refrigeration and I feel fine and my two chihuahuas don't seem to mind either. Lots of animals will not or should not touch food items that we humans eat. It doesn't mean anything other than it's just a personal choice. I grew up in Grayson and Carroll Counties in VA, I'm 52 y/o and everything I've eaten while growing up in those mountains hasn't stopped me living as of this moment. Spam, Velveeta, Mac and Cheese, margarine, my aunt's walnut and green jello salad, etc. Personal choices.

[Siarl]

Now, I don't eat Spam but every now and then such as once maybe every six months or so but the only way that I like it is to slice it as thin as you can get it and fry it up in a skillet without oil (it has it's own grease) until it's like bacon. Cut it up or crumble it (it usually doesn't crumble like bacon does but you can dice it up pretty good) and use it to sprinkle in your scrambled eggs and in this case, your Mac and Cheese and it is just scrumptious I'm telling ya! It's also great on a tomato, lettuce, and avocado sandwich.