I hear it's all gravy, but what kind?

[johnnybgood]

I want to try instant potatoes on the trail the next free weekend I have but wondered how tasty the instant gravy is ? Do you prefer bringing a freezer bag of gravy to heat up at camp better ?

[Hooch]

I want to try instant potatoes on the trail the next free weekend I have but wondered how tasty the instant gravy is ? Do you prefer bringing a freezer bag of gravy to heat up at camp better ?

Dancer did this last week when she and I were hiking. She just put the potatoes and gravy mix in the same Ziplock at home when she repackaged her food before we left. In camp, she added a little extra water and was able to enjoy gravy potato goodness.

[HiKen2011]

Dancer did this last week when she and I were hiking. She just put the potatoes and gravy mix in the same Ziplock at home when she repackaged her food before we left. In camp, she added a little extra water and was able to enjoy gravy potato goodness.

I do the same, tasty!!!!!!!!!!!

[pjkirk]

Expect it to taste like the gravy at an elementary, and you'll have a decent impression of normal store-bought dried gravy.

I happen to have liked the cheap gravy at elementary school, so it's a comfort food of sorts for me.

I'd put it in a separate baggy and pour it over my potatoes or rice, though.

[Wise Old Owl]

All gravy can be made ahead of time and thrown on a fruit roll up rack and dehydrated. Reconstitution (my guess) would be easier and there would be less salt and more choices.

[Rick500]

Instant mashed potatoes are my favorite trail food... Try the "loaded" variety and you won't even miss gravy.

[Erin]

The instant gravy with water is surprisingly good. We used the brown gravy and used it with pouch chicken and stove top stuffing. Did the instant gravy in s separate deal and poured it on. I am a gravy person and thought it would be crap. The key is not too much water.

[harryfred]

Instant mashed potatoes are my favorite trail food... Try the "loaded" variety and you won't even miss gravy.

Thats my favorite. I also mix in a little Real Bacon Pieces in it or some times a little of my cheese.

[Stubafeller]

Butter and Herb potatoes, Turkey gravy and a foil pack of chicken(include the liquid) is a great meal for two!

[FarmerChef]

I use brown gravy in my recipes but have found that the flavor is a bit bland, especially on the trail where my tastebuds seem to get a bit desensitized on dehydrated food. To counteract this I just add a packet of beef bouillon when I make up the gravy. The extra salt helps replace electrolytes and the flavor is that much better. I don't combine the potatoes and gravy mix together at the same time as others have done but I might give that a try sometime.

My favorite mashed potatoes and gravy recipe is to dehydrate ground beef, mushrooms and onions. In camp, heat a pot of hot water and make mashed potatoes as desired (I like to add butter flakes, nido milk, salt, pepper and dried chives). Place potatoes in bowl in cozy to stay warm. Place additional water in pot and rehydrate ground beef, mushrooms and onions. When ready, add gravy mix and bouillon, simmering until thickness is achieved. Pour ground beef, gravy, mushroom slurry over mashed potatoes. Bon Appetit!

[MDSection12]

Instant mashed potatoes are my favorite trail food... Try the "loaded" variety and you won't even miss gravy.

+1

The bag I had was probably the best dehydrated anything I've ever eaten... And it was such a large serving that I literally forgot to eat the ramen I had planned to eat with it.

[solobip]

I had instant mashed potatoes 2 weeks ago, I took some Bacon Jerky (yeah from wal-mart) and mixed it up in the dry mix, added hot water to the pouch then a lot of butter (fake) It was killer. I have used olive oil instead of gravy and the butter, bacon is the best. Big chunks melted fat!

[johnnybgood]

I did try the "loaded" variety of instant potatoes, which I found a DELICIOUS change from Mountain House meals and protein bars.

[Drybones]

Food for thought...Papa Johns always puts garlic butter in with our pizzas even though we ask for the maranara souce. I've started saving them to try on such items as potatos on the trail.

[Wise Old Owl]

I use brown gravy in my recipes but have found that the flavor is a bit bland, especially on the trail where my tastebuds seem to get a bit desensitized on dehydrated food. To counteract this I just add a packet of beef bouillon when I make up the gravy. The extra salt helps replace electrolytes and the flavor is that much better. I don't combine the potatoes and gravy mix together at the same time as others have done but I might give that a try sometime.

My favorite mashed potatoes and gravy recipe is to dehydrate ground beef, mushrooms and onions. In camp, heat a pot of hot water and make mashed potatoes as desired (I like to add butter flakes, nido milk, salt, pepper and dried chives). Place potatoes in bowl in cozy to stay warm. Place additional water in pot and rehydrate ground beef, mushrooms and onions. When ready, add gravy mix and bouillon, simmering until thickness is achieved. Pour ground beef, gravy, mushroom slurry over mashed potatoes. Bon Appetit!

Sorry this FC is just off! Dehydration removes the steam and odor that carry's the flavor to the nose... salt doesn't compensate. Fat & Spice does. Add a table spoon to potatoes & a dehydrated leather of favorite gravy and touch of thyme ... well you will get the picture. OR get Idahoan packets and split them up.

[oldbear]

When we have to do scratch made soups and sauces in a professional kitchen we use something called a soup base as the main flavoring agent
Minor's makes them ; they are expensive, they do have to be refrigerated ( But at this time of year that shouldn't a problem in most of the US ) and they are really good
http://www.soupbase.com/Soup-Bases/departments/1/
So if you want to make a beef gravy
Make a peanut butter colored roux==> reserve
Bring a quantity of water up to a slow boil
add beef base
taste
Incrementally whisk in your roux until you get sauce consistency ==> chopsticks also work
If you want to tweak it add some red wine and peppercorns
Done

[SCRUB HIKER]

Trying to use instant gravy with cold water was one of the more repulsive mistakes of my long stoveless experiment. Instant potatoes taste fine without hot water; instant gravy, not so much. A word to the wise.

[Dogwood]

Try the tasty, at least I think so, dry mix brown, chicken, mushroom, turkey gravies made by McCormick or Organic. Beware, and take into account, some types are basically high priced flavored salt. Add some ButterBuds(basically dried butter), dried milks, dried Parmesan Cheese, red pepper flakes, dried basil(I get packets of Parm cheese, RP flakes, dried Basil, and Oregano free, for the asking, at Pizzerias and Italian Restaurants), dried spices, dried shrooms(no not that kind!), sea salt, blk pepper to a plain 2 or 4 oz Idaho Potato packet. Also consider what you might mix into the tatters like chicken, dried meats, packets of flavored tuna, sardines in oil, mackarel, clams, oysters, etc add flavor.

This will fall mainly on deaf ears. I know this will be debatable for some. Even though I know the flavored dry instant mashed potatoes can be tasty, I know of VERY FEW conventional grocery stores that typically carry flavored instant potatoes that DO NOT contain hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. Hydrogenated oils are NOT something that any person, especially a hiker who's concerned with their health, should be putting into their bodies. I know I'm being opinionated and judgemental. I also know I'm right. There's plenty of data to back up what I said. You do the research or ignore my comments. Whenever possible, opt for the Idahoan Non-Flavored(PLAIN) Instant Mashed Potatoes and flavor them yourself to your liking in a healthier fashion!

[Bianchi Veloce]

I like to use Knorr's Pesto Sauce dry mix added to instant potatoes.

http://www.knorr.com/product/detail/245922/pesto

[etboy]

You could try 'Bisto' its a Brit gravy, probably a bit blander than what we get over here, but I was brought up on it, and love it. Super easy to mix also. It was impossible to get in American supermarkets, at least on the left coast, until recently, you could only get it in Brit shops. But now you can get it in most supermarkets. Economical to.