View Full Version : Cook in bag question
HangNhike
05-01-2012, 12:30
I'm doing a trip next week and having quite a few dehydrated meals.....I've used the cook in bags from packet gorumet before but I was wondering if theres a zip lock that i can use as a cook in bag that can handle boiling water for like knorrs side or instant mash taters.
thanks
I use Ziploc freezer bags, they work fine.
+1 on quart size Ziplock FREEZER BAGS. Don't use regular bags and don't use a fork or spork!
Repackage the food in the freezer bags before you leave.
wookinpanub
05-01-2012, 13:46
Ziplock makes a steaming bag that works very nicely. They are a little more expensive than freezer bags and are more "crinkly" if that makes sense.
coach lou
05-01-2012, 13:49
You folks are saying.....boil the bag and all? The freezer bags hold up!?
coach lou
05-01-2012, 13:51
Spokes, I think I know this person!
HangNhike
05-01-2012, 14:31
You folks are saying.....boil the bag and all? The freezer bags hold up!?
I'm looking to put dehydrated food and boiling water INTO the bag to cook food...
These are good for this yes?
I'm looking to put dehydrated food and boiling water INTO the bag to cook food...
These are good for this yes?
Yes. Put dehydrated food in bag. Add boiling (or close to it) water. Put in insulated cozy. Wait. Eat. :)
Use brand name freezer bags (not storage bags). Add your dried food to the bag and sqeeze out the air for storage in your food bag. When its time to eat, add hot water, wrap something around the bag to hold the heat in (or use a cozy) until it "cooks". Use a long handle spoon rather then a spork or fork to eat with. Google "Freezer Bag Cooking" for more info. I've been cooking this way since 2007 and on a PCT thru-hike with no problems. Most people don't fully boil their water when backpacking as it isn't necessary. When it starts to release a few bubbles from the bottom of your pot, its hot enough to prepare most food.
Darlamcbeth
05-10-2012, 18:41
exaclty what everyone else said! ZIPLOC
You can also boil the bags in water. Our scouts do this with eggs all the time. (Put 2 eggs, cheese, onion, ham, etc. in freezer bag; seal it; squeeze; place in boiling water until done)
WIAPilot
05-10-2012, 22:58
The best bags are the Ziplock type that are pleated at the bottom because they have the ability to stand up by themselves.
An excellent cookbook is: Freezer Bag Cooking: Trail Food Made Simple by Sarah Svien Kirkconnell. I especially liked her breakfast recipes. I ordered mine from Amazon last week - $14.95. A little expensive for about an estimated 150 recipes??, but still I am very glad I purchased it.
T
An excellent cookbook is: Freezer Bag Cooking: Trail Food Made Simple by Sarah Svien Kirkconnell. I ordered mine from Amazon last week - $14.95. .
If you get even ONE really great recipe from this, it will be worth it! I will order one also. THANKS!!!
Big Dawg
05-11-2012, 00:30
I even use Ziploc freezer bags for my brand name dehydrated meals,,, like Mountain House, Hawk Vittles, etc. Just before trip, I'll dump the ingredients (like MH Chili Mac or HV Southwest Lasagna) into the Ziploc and roll it up while eliminating the air. This allows me to greatly reduce the size of the package.
I use Ziploc freezer bags for my brand name dehydrated meals,, I'll dump the ingredients (like MH Chili Mac or HV Southwest Lasagna) into the Ziploc and roll it up while eliminating the air..
Great idea!
Fiddleback
05-11-2012, 11:04
...most people don't fully boil their water when backpacking as it isn't necessary. When it starts to release a few bubbles from the bottom of your pot, its hot enough to prepare most food.
+1
fb
skinewmexico
05-11-2012, 13:43
The best bags are the Ziplock type that are pleated at the bottom because they have the ability to stand up by themselves.
An excellent cookbook is: Freezer Bag Cooking: Trail Food Made Simple by Sarah Svien Kirkconnell. I especially liked her breakfast recipes. I ordered mine from Amazon last week - $14.95. A little expensive for about an estimated 150 recipes??, but still I am very glad I purchased it.
Sarbar used to post on here pretty frequently; still posts on BPL pretty often. She has a great website too, which I prefer to use over Amazon.
And don't put boiling water in freezer bags, they aren't made for it. Near boiling works just as well if you put it in a cozy, and is safer. Might take 1 minute longer.
You can also boil the bags in water. Our scouts do this with eggs all the time. (Put 2 eggs, cheese, onion, ham, etc. in freezer bag; seal it; squeeze; place in boiling water until done)
I wouldn't.
Ziploc once had the explanation at their website: the standard for the Ziploc freezer bags is add-hot-water.
By the time you lift the boiling water off your backpacking stove, have the bag in place, and pour, it will meet the add-hot-water standard.
The boil-in-a-bag standard is usually found in plastic bags made for the vacuum sealer machines for home use.
I wouldn't.
Ziploc once had the explanation at their website: the standard for the Ziploc freezer bags is add-hot-water.
By the time you lift the boiling water off your backpacking stove, have the bag in place, and pour, it will meet the add-hot-water standard.
The boil-in-a-bag standard is usually found in plastic bags made for the vacuum sealer machines for home use.
You can boil them. If you use the GSI tea kettle, or a 1 liter pot, you have enough room to put the bag and water in and bring it to a boil. I usually double-bag Ziplocks just because I've a couple over the years that leaked in the cozy. Give the boiling thing a try at home. By the way, I've found that if I pour hot water in the outer bag it helps with some hard to rehydrate foods. E.g. cooked & dehydrated portabella mushrooms seem to take a lot of heat & time to rehydrate to something chewable.
Has anybody used the Vacuum Seal Ziplok freezer bags? I just put up a bunch of dehydrated meals in them. I hope I can FBC in these!
http://www.ziploc.com/Products/Pages/VacuumFreezerSystem.aspx
I vacuum-pack for the freezer (Seal-A-Meal) and for the backpack (Ziploc Vacuum Freezer System) for freshness.
Air removes flavor. Vacuum preserves flavor.
If I keep my vacuum packed food for backpacking out of high temperatures and out of sunlight inside the vehicle, my expensive or time-consuming preparations of my food for backpacking holds all of the flavor.
If non-sticky, or, not too spicy, I reuse the bags. I do use the add-hot-water technique. I haven't had the vacuum fail. I have started putting the spices and the sticky add-ons in separate smaller ziploc bags.
I fill the Ziploc Vacuum Freezer System bags, for backpacking, while on a long cross-country drive, buying while traveling. By this means, I have managed to get in some serious backpacking while taking my time to travel to the coast and back, for example.
I have a 12 VDC frig' I use for long distance. I may add a bag or two of ice, if there is no air conditioning in the vehicle. Even so, the Ziploc Vacuum Freezer Bag System works well. I have everything inside for the meal. I label it. I have no extra packaging to carry out, only the Ziploc Vacuum Freezer Bag System bags.
It is only expensive, if small or large critters get to my food.
For that reason, I use one OPSak for my food sack and a smaller OPSak for my garbage bag.
dla, You can boil them. If you use the GSI tea kettle, or a 1 liter pot, you have enough room to put the bag and water in and bring it to a boil. I usually double-bag Ziplocks just because I've a couple over the years that leaked in the cozy. Give the boiling thing a try at home.
I am not going to do that. If the plastic touches the side of the cookware, it will melt.
Besides, boiling water is much hotter than add-hot-water.
I am not keen on ingesting plasticizers. I would rather keep to the recommendation made by Ziploc: add-hot-water.
Maybe their website doesn't always have that notice? I don't know. I read it once, while the controversy over "freezer bags" was raging. I will not use their product outside its own rating.
I do purchase Albertson's freezer bags and other brand freezer bags, as available.
I like the freezer bags with the triple lines of closure. I haven't had those open up.
Of course, I avoid putting weight or pressure on the freezer bags. I think almost any freezer bag would burst if stepped on. I pack them in the food bag nested inside my pack.
Besides, boiling water is much hotter than add-hot-water.
Water boils at 212*F at sea level, less at elevation.
atraildreamer
05-18-2012, 13:30
The best bags are the Ziplock type that are pleated at the bottom because they have the ability to stand up by themselves.
An excellent cookbook is: Freezer Bag Cooking: Trail Food Made Simple by Sarah Svien Kirkconnell. I especially liked her breakfast recipes. I ordered mine from Amazon last week - $14.95. A little expensive for about an estimated 150 recipes??, but still I am very glad I purchased it.
Sarah, aka: Sarbar, has an excellent website devoted to the subject. Check it out at:
http://www.trailcooking.com/
:banana
If the plastic touches the side of the cookware, it will melt.
Besides, boiling water is much hotter than add-hot-water.Boiling water at sea level is 212F. Water just below boiling can be 211.99999999+. Unless you are measuring the water with a thermometer to make sure it's 210 or 200 or whatever you prefer, you may have a very small margin of difference to be making a big deal about.
And no, the plastic won't melt, at least not on any bags I've ever used, as long as the touching is under water. If the touching is above water (e.g. as can happen when using a cut-down BakePacker) there is still no melting unless the stove flame is really shooting up the sides of the pot and making the exposed sides of the pot _extremely_ hot. This has happened to me exactly once in decades of using plastic bags for cooking, many hundreds of hours of cooking time.