View Full Version : The best food enhancer
strollingalong
11-06-2011, 16:54
In the spirit of my new blog post, I'm dedicating a lot of thinking time today to food and taste for the trail.... what is your best food tip/taste enhancer you guys know of? I'll be carrying a big sack of dried chiles. Chile de arbol will be my bread and butter in this department....
Crunched up honey twist Fritoes go good with almost everything.
aaronthebugbuffet
11-06-2011, 17:24
Hunger!
Shredded coconut.
wannahike
11-06-2011, 17:27
I make reg. salsa and tomatillo salsa and dehydrate, then pack in small individual baggies, makes anything taste great. Takes a couple of mins to rehydrate. Also dehydrated a can of chipotle in adobo, chopped fine. I love that flavor.
Hosaphone
11-06-2011, 22:37
Crunched up honey twist Fritoes go good with almost everything.
This is true even when not on trail.
I always carry a container of dried basil. Usually it's homegrown and home dried. A tiny plastic container weighs virtually nothing and lasts weeks. And I notice when I offer a bit of basil to hikers I meet on the trail, they always say yes.
4eyedbuzzard
11-06-2011, 22:56
Garlic flavored oil, honey, cinnamon, chocolate, a spice blend like mrs dash (keeps things simple with a single spice container), hot sauce (those little packs are great).
4eyedbuzzard
11-06-2011, 22:58
And I notice when I offer a bit of basil to hikers I meet on the trail, they always say yes. yeah, but half of them don't know what it is and roll it and smoke it :D
Odd Man Out
11-06-2011, 23:12
Curry Powder
Johnny Thunder
11-06-2011, 23:14
chipotle bullion
parmesan cheese
a tube of concentrated pesto.
Echraide
11-07-2011, 04:22
Lemon pepper.
daddytwosticks
11-07-2011, 08:13
Hot sauce. :)
Northern Lights
11-07-2011, 10:00
cayenne pepper
Kerosene
11-07-2011, 10:46
Being outside all day hiking is the best food enhancer that I know of. ;)
PapaGarrettP
11-07-2011, 11:56
Short trip - tiny bottle of Tabasco (you can order them from the company, 3 to a box)
Long trip - Regular size (small) bottle of Tabasco
bronconite
11-07-2011, 12:34
Msg.......
BobTheBuilder
11-07-2011, 12:37
HYOH if you want, but all previous answers are incorrect. The correct answer is Tony Chachere's.
14342
Buffalo Skipper
11-07-2011, 13:06
I do not dislike a little heat and bite. So the chilis, Tobasco, cayenne and the like are ok. But I like creamy, gravy dishes. So I like to add a little something to thicken my broths. I also like to add some sour cream powder, milk powder and gravy mixes to make things somewhat smoother. Then I will add a drop of Maggi seasoning. It really adds a flavor boost. Be careful not to overuse, it is strong stuff.
Chef Bobby Flay once said if he was trapped on an island and could only have one spice it would be black pepper.
FYI, "Pepper" was used in a figurative sense to mean "spirit" or "energy" at least as far back as the 1840s; in the early 20th century, this was shortened to pep according to Wikipedia.
I say fresh garlic is a good second runner-up
Short trip - tiny bottle of Tabasco (you can order them from the company, 3 to a box)
Long trip - Regular size (small) bottle of Tabasco
Tabasco is the God but I have issues with the bottle of it in long distances. It pissesd me off to carry the glass but i carry a small one anyway.
strollingalong
11-07-2011, 16:36
Maggi is a great sauce, def agree. It's also great for beer. 1.5 limes and three glugs of maggi into a beer a little salt on the top of the can and you're automatically transported to Oaxaca. even better about 5-10 drops of tabasco and you're in heaven
Tabasco is the God but I have issues with the bottle of it in long distances. It pissesd me off to carry the glass but i carry a small one anyway.
Carry glass????? That's what leakproof Nalgene containers are for. They come in all sizes too........
14345
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Feral Bill
11-07-2011, 17:19
I say fresh garlic is a good second runner-up Garlic is not a flavor enhancer. Garlic is food.
My best food enhancer is cofee whitener. It is dry, has a very good gram per kcal ratio, dosn't go wrong, easy to carry and very versatile for me. I make hot milk and make it a good snack with biscuites. Add it to many different soups to make it creamy and delicious or add to your coffee or tea.
Especially Nestle makes them all Lactose free which works the best for me. Tabasco is a taste enhancer and many other things we put here are ostly taste enhancer. Mayonnaise for example ( my runner up) is a food enhancer. so is sour creame and some others. Op's intentiom I guess was both.
Carry glass????? That's what leakproof Nalgene containers are for. They come in all sizes too........
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14346
Thanks for the tip. I left a good collection of the home and when I bought Tabasco I realized ,Ok so these bottles that I bought are good to carry,but it was too late for me . Now I have them reday everywhere I go.
Wise Old Owl
11-07-2011, 19:14
Wrights Liquid Smoke
Mesquite
Garlic - onion - chilli and Tyme.
AND THIS. (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?65731-Ok-Girls%21-New-tricks-in-spicing-up-a-bland-dish&highlight=mccormick)
Umm... I think these are all great enhancers, but everyone seems to forget SALT. Salt can make a huge difference in the flavor of any meal, ask any chef or resturaunt cook. A small container will last a long time. It's also cheap and easy to get (and not as bad for you as a lot of people think... IMO).
Wise Old Owl
11-07-2011, 19:50
No Salt and sodium is the devil - you are young.... when you get older you discover there is far too much salt in everything..... Salt is the bane and cause of a lot of ailments later in life.
Sea Salt - Morton Lite - potassium substitutes.
I didn't specify the type of salt, but yes, I use sea salt and kosher salt in my home kitchen. These are what I use on the trail, depending on what's available, too.
Garlic is not a flavor enhancer. Garlic is food.
Hmmmm, Wikipedia states:
"Garlic is widely used around the world for its pungent flavor as a seasoning or condiment".
And the National Cancer Institute states:
"Garlic is used for flavoring in cooking and is unique because of its high sulfur content".
I'd say that qualifies.
hikerboy57
11-07-2011, 20:53
land o lakes single packet hot chocolates in differnt flavors(hazelnut, whit e chocolate, rasberry, caramel-great with coffee instead of ND creamer, also great for oatmeal.
and, of course, cinnamon, which goes with everything.
rocketsocks
11-07-2011, 21:14
cumin,and fresh black peper corns.Crack as you need them.sometimes I pop one in my mouth and chew on it.:mad:
Wise Old Owl
11-07-2011, 23:52
Parkay! Parkay!
Something's not right with you... You need to step away from the keyboard.... eat a donut or english muffin....
Leanthree
11-08-2011, 00:41
True lemon. Food cooked in a kitchen often uses wine or vinegar or citrus juice and these are heavy to go backpacking with. Most of the time in the backcountry we eat over salt food because there isnt enough acid. It is good in water, most flavors of couscous, anything with chicken/tuna/salmon packets, most knors sides, many other uses. Lots of flavor for near 0 weight.
Salt is the only Flavor Enhancer that maters....Everything else is just gravey..........
Salt is the only Flavor Enhancer that maters....Everything else is just gravey..........
Ladies and Gentelmen, We have a new Chef/prophet here.
doritotex
11-08-2011, 17:34
HYOH if you want, but all previous answers are incorrect. The correct answer is Tony Chachere's.
14342You are absolutely right! I'm from the Tx gulf coast, spent a LOT of time in NOLA and I put it on everything!! Ramen noodles, grits, mashed potatoes, eggs, soups, beans.....I haven't tried it in oatmeal yet!!!
+1...I put on or in almost everything when on the trail.
HYOH if you want, but all previous answers are incorrect. The correct answer is Tony Chachere's.
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Wise Old Owl
11-10-2011, 00:17
Oh I give up just smother it in Red Eye. No real chefs here.
coach lou
11-10-2011, 00:34
The next hiker feed is in Paoli!!!
fungi601
11-12-2011, 06:55
I make reg. salsa and tomatillo salsa and dehydrate, then pack in small individual baggies, makes anything taste great. Takes a couple of mins to rehydrate. Also dehydrated a can of chipotle in adobo, chopped fine. I love that flavor.
I love the idea of dehydrating chipotle in adobo. I make tomato powder to use in several things by dehydrating a can of tomato paste till its really firm and then grinding it with my coffee grinder to a fine powder. I think that the chipotle in adobo done this way would make a really great flavor enhancer for certian dishes. Have a can in the pantry now and going to give it a try today.
Thanks for the idea!