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Hatteras Jack
02-28-2013, 22:17
There's no right way, but what is your strategy when it's dinner time? Everyone has their own method with its quirks. Cook it right in the pot? Ziplock it? Sit on it until it's warm?

Lone Wolf
02-28-2013, 22:20
pocket rocket stove. 1 pot for most meals. fry pan for bacon, eggs, stir fry, etc.

Mountain Mike
02-28-2013, 22:22
Good place to start & figure out what will work for you. http://www.trailcooking.com/trail-cooking-101 .

RodentWhisperer
02-28-2013, 23:12
For my typical short trips (3-5 nights), I "Ziploc it" for breakfast and supper-- assuming you mean boil water in a pot, pour it into dehydrated food in a freezer bag, then let it steep while it rests in a thermal cozy. Lunch usually doesn't involve cooking, unless I'm in the mood for tea.

When I put in a solid 3 weeks on the North Country Trail, I fried a lot of fish in a small, nonstick skillet; it was supper 75% of the time, I'd say. That let me eat whatever I could find in town for breakfast and lunch, and I cooked it up in a 900 mL soup pot (whatever it was).

hikerboy57
02-28-2013, 23:35
pocket rocket, mostly freezer bag meals, knorrs sides,mac and cheese, spam,and ive recently discovered microwave bacon will keep for a week. better than bacon jerky.
ive almost mastered the art of boiling water. i keep it simple.

Hairbear
02-28-2013, 23:55
Car air freshener tin/with carbon fiber wick. Knor sides with salmon,pesto with noodles.

Joker4ink
03-01-2013, 00:41
Cat can alcohol stove, Snow-Peak titanium cup (holds 21 ounces of water), zip-lock freezer bags for: instant mashed potato's, rice, stove-top stuffing, etc.

Different Socks
03-01-2013, 03:15
Cook dinner in the pot, bake dessert right in the 2nd pot. Yeah, that's right, I carry 2 pots. I am not one of the gram weenies that worries about how much every little thing weighs.

Different Socks
03-01-2013, 03:17
Cook dinner in the pot, bake dessert right in the 2nd pot. Yeah, that's right, I carry 2 pots. I am not one of the gram weenies that worries about how much every little thing weighs.

And i use an MSR stove with flame control for the baking, plus car a Bakepacker Oven. Oh, the extra weight, the HORROR!!

prain4u
03-01-2013, 05:11
My homemade alcohol stove is made from an Altoids (breath mints) "Minis" container. I carry one pot--with a lid that can double as a small cup or second very small pot.

When possible, I tend to cook dehydrated food of some kind--ziplock bag cooking or manufactured dehydrated meals--like Mountain House. I also go with no-cook meals. Most of the time--I try to not do much more than boil water in my pot.

I will sometimes cook other kinds of foods in my pot--but I REALLY hate doing dishes. So, I avoid real cooking in my pot when can.

Especially on loner trips with resupply possibilities---I am also pretty good at cooking over (or in) a campfire. Give me some aluminum foil and/or some sticks to serve as a spit or tripod--and I will cook many things---normally using fresh food on my first big meal after a resupply. (My favorite: Put some hamburger on a sheet of aluminum foil. Add some sliced carrots, potato--maybe sliced onion. Wrap up the foil. Set in the coals for 45-60 minutes--similar to having pot roast. I have also been known to substitute chicken breast, beef steak, stew meat, or pork chop for the hamburger).

I have bought canned goods at a resupply point--and cooked the food right in the can and eaten out of the can. (Either in a campfire or over my stove). I just crushed the can--and packed it out. I once cooked a whole canned ham for a group of us--right in the can! Plus baked potatoes wrapped in foil and a couple cans of vegetables heated right in the fire. People though that I was nuts--but they didn't seem to mind eating lots of ham, baked potatoes, and green beans out in the woods. :)

Are these fresh and canned foods heavy? Of course--but they can add variety on a long hike.

prain4u
03-01-2013, 05:30
Here are some campfire and/or aluminum foil cooking ideas. Good for variety--when you don't mind a little extra weight in your pack.

http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,campfire_cooking_in_foil,FF.html

http://eartheasy.com/play_campfire_cooking.htm (Recipes are at bottom of page)

MuddyWaters
03-01-2013, 05:59
heat water with alcohol stove.
soak rice/pasta food 10 min in freezer bag.
add tuna, chicken,salmon, beef jerky

Not gourmet, just basic eating.

Hoop
03-01-2013, 06:08
Caldera Cone for freezer bag meals & coffee/hot chocolate. Use pot only to boil water.

OzJacko
03-01-2013, 06:13
Alcohol stove, single pot.
Usually bring to boil, stir a bit then remove from flame and place in homemade pot cozy to "simmer". Usually make a hot drink in single wall mug while meal simmering.
Cozy also makes it easy to hold and eat out of. Have one for mug as well - can use mug only to make soup.
Pretty well all my hot meals are dehydrated - add boiling water. Close to my cooking talent limits to do that.
Where a fire etc possible, may have sausages (and some aluminium foil to cook them on) first night out of resupply.

illabelle
03-01-2013, 08:10
All of my trail cooking is done for 2-3people – I never hike solo. We are slowly sectioning the AT 3-4 days at atime, so resupply is not a factor. In additionto the pot that came with our stove, I usually bring a small frying pan. I’ve never liked the backpacking frying pansI’ve tried, so we took the handle off of an ordinary pan. It’s heavy, but I carry it anyway.

Food that I have cooked on the trail in the frying pan that Icannot cook in the pot – because it’s too deep, or because it can’t withstandthe higher temperatures of frying – include: pancakes, quesadillas, hashbrowns, fried cornbread (cornbread mix, add water, forget about the egg, frylike pancakes), and fried meat substitutes (we’re vegetarian).

I try to plan variety into our meals. I will often heat a starchy food in the pot (pasta,rice, potatoes), set it aside to hydrate/simmer while I fry something else. Then I put the pot back on to finish up,reheat the fried food for a minute, and serve.

Foods that are heavy or require specialhandling (delicate/frozen/perishable) are included in the first day or two of atrip. For our next section in mid-March,I may bring a small container of frozen strawberries, a real fresh apple, asmall container of chili, a packet of shredded cheese, a couple of fake hotdogs and/or some fake bacon, a half dozen frozen sweet potato fries, and maybea half pound of frozen peas or corn. Throw in some noodles, mashed potatoes, and rice, and we’ll feast!

daddytwosticks
03-01-2013, 08:13
SP Giga canister stove or Esbit, depending on time of year, duration of hike, etc. All my "cooking" is just boiling water. :)

Son Driven
03-01-2013, 09:16
My one indulgence is a one gallon Aluminum pot, so whatever I have to throw in it, and others have to throw in it we will eat.

wornoutboots
03-01-2013, 09:31
I use a jet boil combined dried meals sometimes prepared at home in freezer ziplocks & sometimes store bought. Its been on my mind to make a stove out of an aluminum beer bottle/can & try that as well as to just carry a cook pot & use that over an open fire.

T-Rx
03-01-2013, 09:39
Pocket rocket , freezer bag cooking. I cook mostly knorr sides and Lipton sides with packets of tuna or chicken added. I try to keep it simple. It's hard to mess up boiling water. I typically only boil water for morning coffee and again for dinner.

Tipi Walter
03-01-2013, 09:47
All I ever use is a white gas stove and my current fave is the MSR Simmerlite with between 32 to 44 ozs of fuel for a standard 2 to 3 week trip. On my last 18 day winter trip I used around 25 ozs of fuel out of 38 ozs, mainly because it wasn't frigid cold. A standard 22 oz fuel bottle will most of the time last 17 days. In deep cold like 10F or below it would last around 9 days---big difference.

I try to keep my cooking implements very simple since washing stuff clean sucks especially in the winter, so I go with one titanium MSR .85 liter pot and two spoons. Gotta always have 2 spoons since one WILL BREAK eventually, even the long handled Sea to Summit alum or titanium things. Broke one once using it to cut hard frozen cheese. Oops.

All my cooked meals are dehydrated-at-home stuff like spaghetti or mac and cheese or tomato soup or butternut squash soup, etc. So, I boil up a portion in my pot, turn off the fuel and wrap the pot in my old Ridgerest pot cozy for 30 minutes as it "cooks". This system works well and uses minimum fuel. Often I cook oatmeal.

I have two main foodbags---a Cookables and a Snackables. Ray Jardine says backpackers should carry 2.5 lbs of food a day and this is true for me. Another avid backpacker, LAWTON "DISCO" GRINTER, says---

"It took me the bulk of 10,000 miles of long-distance hiking to really grasp the concept that junk food and carrying less food to save overall pack weight works against you both in the short-term and the long run." From SectionHiker.com.

In other words, don't listen to the guys who say they get by on 1.25 lbs or 1.5 lbs of food per day.

garlic08
03-01-2013, 10:14
Another way of eating on a long hike is by not cooking at all. If, like me, you're not a cook and are tired of fussing with various versions of camps stoves and resupplying them with fuel, it's an option. If, at the end of a satisfying day of hiking, you'd like to eat something right away and skip a couple of chores, think about it. It's not for everybody (like backcountry chefs and coffee drinkers) (and it's not always a weight saver), but a few do it well. Sorry for the thread drift, but I wish someone had told me about the option sooner.

tiptoe
03-01-2013, 11:10
I cook on a Trangia burner (denatured alcohol), and carry two small nesting pots, double boiler style. I generally reconstitute my own dehydrated meals in the lower pot while boiling water for green tea or other beverage in the upper one.

wornoutboots
03-01-2013, 11:19
Another way of eating on a long hike is by not cooking at all. If, like me, you're not a cook and are tired of fussing with various versions of camps stoves and resupplying them with fuel, it's an option. If, at the end of a satisfying day of hiking, you'd like to eat something right away and skip a couple of chores, think about it. It's not for everybody (like backcountry chefs and coffee drinkers) (and it's not always a weight saver), but a few do it well. Sorry for the thread drift, but I wish someone had told me about the option sooner.

I agree, I'm normally stoveless, but after hiking into Davenport Gap Shelter a few years ago & watching a sobo with a very black & beautifully worn ;) cookpot in the open fire, it hit me that if I just carry a pot, I can use it for many different things as well as hot tea, coffee or I can throw a packet of mashed potatoes or any meal in my pack if the desire for something hot hits me.

Cookerhiker
03-01-2013, 13:27
Cook dinner in the pot, bake dessert right in the 2nd pot. Yeah, that's right, I carry 2 pots. I am not one of the gram weenies that worries about how much every little thing weighs.

Another 2-pot guy here (and non-gram weenie). Dinner - cook in large pot, boil water in small pot while I'm eating out of large pot. The boiled water is for hot chocolate and to wash dishes. Breakfast - boil water in large pot, pour into small pot with oatmeal mix and into cup with hot chocolate mix. The cup nests into the small pot which nests into the large one.

Stove: gas canister Coleman Ultralight Exponent F1 (very similar to Pocket Rocket).

Alligator
03-01-2013, 13:45
Most of my pot sets are pots with fry-pan lids which function as small pots. I generally cook a pre-dinner in the lid such as soup or mashed potatoes, sometimes grits. Relax in my T-rest chair. While the stove is hot I'll make a hot cider, wait for it to cool some then toss in a shot or two of whiskey. After that bit of food, I usually add water to a home-made dehydrated meal to soak some. Collect firewood, read, set up my shelter. Then sit back into the chair to cook and eat the main meal.

Trance
03-01-2013, 14:11
I'm planning on carrying a bunch of Mountain House meals and shipping those and other easy items like Lipton rice/instant mash to myself along the way. The A.T. isnt so far out there that you need to carry a massive amount of food to cook anyways.

Sometimes you just need to buy the hamburger.

Feral Bill
03-01-2013, 14:19
Two pots and a Svea stove here. I cook in one pot, then boil water for hot drinks and cleanup in the other. Basic supermarket foods are the usual menu. And no, my overall pack weight is not monstrous.

HooKooDooKu
03-01-2013, 14:32
I'm just gearing up for taking both my sons on camping trips. My current setup:

Snow Peak LiteMax Stove (2oz)
MSR Titan Kettle (0.8L - 4oz)
JetBoil Sol (0.8L - 12.5oz)
MSR Titanium Quick 1 Pot (1.4L - 6.6oz)

A lite setup (just not ultra lite) with lots of flexability:
Cook two meals at once (plus an entire backup system should one stove ever fail or one canister run out)
Rapid & Efficient boiling of water with JetBoil.
Lower Cooking temperatures with the SnowPeak.
Larger (than single serving) meals in the larger pot.

SunnyWalker
03-01-2013, 22:02
Yep, Caldera cone/alchy stove or Pocket Rocket w/GSI Soloist. Ziplock cooking. Greatest invention for the trail since color TV.

QiWiz
03-03-2013, 11:31
Cook in a pot; put pot in cozy; eat out of the pot; use a bit of my beverage (usually tea) with spoon and finger to suspend the "yum yums" and drink them down, repeat as necessary; air dry or use bandana to dry the pot; put away.

Swordpen
03-09-2013, 01:34
Trangia alcohol stove, Vargo Titanium hex stove/ windshield, Snowpeak trek 900 titanium cookset.

Mostly, I boil water, then pour it into ziplock bags containing dehydrated foods.

Mountain Mike
03-09-2013, 03:54
Cook in a pot; put pot in cozy; eat out of the pot; use a bit of my beverage (usually tea) with spoon and finger to suspend the "yum yums" and drink them down, repeat as necessary; air dry or use bandana to dry the pot; put away.

I prefer a small lightweight scraper to get the bigger part out first licking it off. Then the finger scrub with some water & drink it down. Think of it like frosting, you want every last bit you can get. If I packed something for miles you are darn sure I am going to eat every last bit I can.

Carl Calson
03-09-2013, 09:46
cat food can/titanium pot/dehydrated meals in freezer bags.

simple, inexpensive, lightweight.

Maddog
03-09-2013, 11:09
There's no right way, but what is your strategy when it's dinner time? Everyone has their own method with its quirks. Cook it right in the pot? Ziplock it? Sit on it until it's warm?

Evernew Ti DX and Snowpeak Ti Trek 700 with dehydrated meals in freezer bags/cozy! Maddog:D

Teacher & Snacktime
03-09-2013, 12:31
NEWBIE ALERT: What exactly is "freezer bag" cooking? Do you boil water and drop in bagged meal to heat it (ala Banquet frozen meals from the dark ages)? Does the plastic actually hold up to the heat?

Also, what is the most efficent way to use Esbit? I'd like to control the burn a bit to keep the oil residue off the pan, so was thinking of partially capping the stand with heavy foil.

AND....how does one wash the pans and still "leave no trace"?

Most of the cooking we plan to do involves boiled water, Knorr sides w/ added meats, pastas w/ sauce(dehydrated), gnocchi w/ pesto (both dehydrated)...nothing remarkable or "new" to the conversation. This being our first time out we're keeping in simple. There are some great ideas in this post though, and some wonderful reminders of foil pack cooking from my childhood camping trips!

Another Kevin
03-09-2013, 15:46
NEWBIE ALERT: What exactly is "freezer bag" cooking? Do you boil water and drop in bagged meal to heat it (ala Banquet frozen meals from the dark ages)? Does the plastic actually hold up to the heat?

Also, what is the most efficent way to use Esbit? I'd like to control the burn a bit to keep the oil residue off the pan, so was thinking of partially capping the stand with heavy foil.

AND....how does one wash the pans and still "leave no trace"?

Most of the cooking we plan to do involves boiled water, Knorr sides w/ added meats, pastas w/ sauce(dehydrated), gnocchi w/ pesto (both dehydrated)...nothing remarkable or "new" to the conversation. This being our first time out we're keeping in simple. There are some great ideas in this post though, and some wonderful reminders of foil pack cooking from my childhood camping trips!

So many questions...

(1) Freezer bag cooking ordinarily isn't "boil in the bag". Instead, you put the bag in a cozy, boil up your water, dump it in the bag with your food, seal up the bag, and wait. The cozy keeps the food hot so it cooks in the bag. It takes a few minutes longer than direct-heating the pot; 7-8 minute Knorr sides are usually done in 12-15 min. Brand-name freezer bags take the heat quite well. I've had less success with off-brand ones. http://trailcooking.com/ has lots of recipes for freezer bag cooking. My cozy is an envelope just larger than the freezer bag, made of Reflectix insulation and flue tape.

(2) I can't advise about keeping the brown gunk from Esbit off the pot. I can't abide the stench of Esbit, so I don't ordinarily use it. I'd imagine that foil would conduct too much of the heat away. Have you tried a drop of soap smeared on the bottom of the pot?

(3) With FBC, there's no washing up to be done except for your spoon. Seal the bag again and pack it out with the rest of the trash. I like doing hybrid cooking sometimes, where there is something cooking in the bag AND something else cooking in the pot. For that, I scrape the pot as best I can with a scraper (or wipe it out with a tortilla or pita or naan), eating the last of the food. I sometimes need to loosen sticky bits with a splash of water, and drink that. If the pot is horribly yucked (for instance, if I've scorched something), I may use a splash of water and a drop of Dr Bronner's to wash it out and another splash of water to rinse. The greywater goes in a cathole, or else gets sprinkled over a wide area, depending on the preference of the agency that manages the land I'm on. It's not actually that important to be scrupulous about cleaning your pot, because it'll get sterilized the next time you boil in it.

Prime Time
03-09-2013, 21:25
I use a Jet Boil Sol Titanium. Now bear with me here. I have tried everything and this works best for me. I boil water in the .80 liter cup that locks onto the stove. In the 2' 30" that this takes to boil, I "prepare" my Knorr or other such treat in a .75 liter Titanium MSR pot that is upright and with handles. I add the powdered milk, teaspoon of herbed olive oil, whatever else into the second pan. I also get my small drinking cup ready for tea, coffee, hot chocolate or whatever beverage of choice is. When the water is finished boiling, I pour the boiling water into the second pan, and change out the stove for a free standing pot. This takes about 15 seconds. it can't take any longer because the damn thing is hot. I then can control the "simmer" better to finish cooking the Knorr, about 7 minutes, and in the meantime I pour boiling water for my tea and leave some for cleaning up. All of this stacks and fits into a snug net bag except my drink cup which I keep in a side pocket for quick drinks on the trail.

Dogwood
03-09-2013, 23:36
Micro Pocket Rocket or Snow Peak Lite Max isobutane stoves or one of Zelph's Designed adjustable flame(simmer) alchy stoves. Heat water to or near boiling usually just hot enough to cook food in Snow Peak 828 ml Mini Soloist Ti pot. Let sit. Eat out of pot with spork. If not warming a B-fast clean up pot night of dinner so don't have to in morning so can get a quicker start out of camp.

Teacher & Snacktime
03-10-2013, 01:42
Thank you so much Another Kevin...I seem to learn something every day! Do you transfer the contents of the Knorr packets to freezer bags before you head out then? I assume you use the Quart size bag? How do you get the bag to stand up...or do you not bother?

illabelle
03-10-2013, 15:15
Sharing an idea:
On our next trip, I'm taking a can of frozen OJ (I hope they still sell those at the grocery store....) I don't know yet if I'll add water to make a drink - that could be a little tricky. Maybe we'll just put the concentrate in our bowls and eat it with a spoon - like ice cream. Can you imagine how yummy that will be! I love orange juice!!:D

Another Kevin
03-10-2013, 15:38
Thank you so much Another Kevin...I seem to learn something every day! Do you transfer the contents of the Knorr packets to freezer bags before you head out then? I assume you use the Quart size bag? How do you get the bag to stand up...or do you not bother?

Yeah, I usually rebag the Knorr stuff, and I usually add dehydrated veggies and seasonings when I do. If I'm going to add tuna or chicken or shrimp or dry sausage or jerky, that goes in a separate little package. The freezer bag cozy stands up pretty well just leaning it against a rock or something. Reflectix is fairly stiff.

Drybones
03-10-2013, 17:05
I use a Foster beer can for a pot and homemade alcohol stove, all cooking done in zip locks...I hate washing pots.

Darwin Foltz
03-10-2013, 19:11
For my section hike of Maine this summer I will use the Esbit Tabs. I used them while doing the John Muir Trail last summer and made the mistake of bringing on one per day in my resupply. I am going to bring 1.5 tabs per day and will be using Esbit's Fire Light stove combined with a windscreen that I made from an aluminum casserole dish. 1 Tab to boil 16 Ounces of water at night. 1/2 tab for Tea/Coffee in either morning or evening. I also use a AntiGravityGear 3-Cup Bowl Cozy to eat out of.

Hairbear
03-10-2013, 20:56
I prefer a small lightweight scraper to get the bigger part out first licking it off. Then the finger scrub with some water & drink it down. Think of it like frosting, you want every last bit you can get. If I packed something for miles you are darn sure I am going to eat every last bit I can.

Plus 1,ive had many a strange look using coffee to rehydrate my oatmeal then using coffe to wash the pan and drink it . Some have said they wouldnt drink dish water,I say its the same thing you just ate. It saves me the fuel of boiling coffe water too.

Chaco Taco
03-10-2013, 21:02
Cat can stove or any sort of Zelph contraption.
MSR Titan Kettle. Only pot I have ever owned.
Usually do some sort of dehydrated meal. I love the Enertia meals. Just makes things easier. If not, any sort of pasta and sauce, chicken, tuna or smoked salmon in a foil package. Usually boil water and add to bag, or cook in pot and wash out. My titan is really easy to clean out. Just got my wife the Snow Peak backpacking pot. Its very nice.

rocketsocks
03-10-2013, 21:15
Have my Coleman featherlight backpacking stove from the 80's (white gas, not duel fuel), a Sierra wood burning stove from the 90' w/the battery and fan...[JUX]...to white blaze and a alcohol penny stove I made as per instruction, and this x-mas got a Pocket Rocket, so I'm thinking most of my cooking will be in freezer bags for easy clean up, but not really sure which style will fit me yet. It's likely I'll switch things up as the task dictates.

QiWiz
03-14-2013, 13:43
There's no right way, but what is your strategy when it's dinner time? Everyone has their own method with its quirks. Cook it right in the pot? Ziplock it? Sit on it until it's warm?

I always cook in and eat out of my pot, usually after pouring off 2 cups of water for a hot beverage (tea at dinner, coffee in the morning). I use a pot cozy so that I save fuel (no simmering), do not bottom burn my food, and to keep it warm while savoring it.

mainelydave
03-14-2013, 14:13
Sharing an idea:
On our next trip, I'm taking a can of frozen OJ (I hope they still sell those at the grocery store....) I don't know yet if I'll add water to make a drink - that could be a little tricky. Maybe we'll just put the concentrate in our bowls and eat it with a spoon - like ice cream. Can you imagine how yummy that will be! I love orange juice!!:D

Why did the orange get fired from the juice factory? It couldn't concentrate.

shelb
03-14-2013, 23:16
Why did the orange get fired from the juice factory? It couldn't concentrate.

Cute!

Nice joke

illabelle
03-17-2013, 15:58
Why did the orange get fired from the juice factory? It couldn't concentrate.

I like that! :)

By the way, I tried out a taste of OJ concentrate at home - way too strong!! But we did take a small container of concentrate, and after adding water, it was a very refreshing midday drink on our trip. Wish we had more!

BryceB
03-17-2013, 22:52
20+ years of backpacking/hiking/camping and I dont think I've ever purchased the meals marketed to hikers. Tasted some that others have, but I was always to broke to buy those fancy meals and opted for stuff I coud get at the grocery store. Cup-o-soup, noodle/rice with cheese/veggie sauce packets...i used to take dehydrated meat and put it in a water bottle in the afternoon to rehydrate as we hiked to camp and then cook it. Dehydrated Home-made jerky, peppers and onions re-hydrated on the trail and fried up with some tortilas made for great fajitas at camp. The new foil packed meats (instead of cans) are great for tuna and chicen I still make dehydrated fruits and veggies at home.

I never ave a the chance to go for more than a week, so resupplying hasnt been an issue and I'll prep/dehydrate/rebag at home before an adventure.