Cooking With the MSR Reactor

[Jason762]

Hey all - Got an MSR reactor coming my way soon and I had some questions regarding cooking with it.I understand it's best for boiling water and adding to dehydrated meals or for beverages. However I am wondering if food can be added to the pot while the water is at a rolling boil and the stove is in operation.One of my favorite meals is a salami soup with broccoli. Typically, at home, I will put some cut up salami in a pot and let the water cone to a rolling boil. At that point I add some spices and broccoli (or frozen spinach!) and simmer/boil for 5 minutes. This makes a nice greasy soup where the salami doesn't leave big gobs of pork fat stuck in your teeth; as it does when you eat it cold.Is this doable with the reactor? Or am I better off adding hot water into a bowl of the aforementioned ingredients?-Jason

[Mr. Bumpy]

I cook with mine. You do have a lot control with the flame--much more than a jet boil--but it doesn't really simmer. You'll learn to put the pot on and off to regulate it and you'll have a few boil overs before you get it right. As with any new gear practice at home several times first. I've cooked rice in mine without burning the bottom. I love the stove and have gotten rid of every other stove I have except a pocket rocket. That said, it is at its best when just cooking water. It is so fuel efficient that on some shorter trips I don't take a water filter or anything and just treat anything I drink with the stove.

[Jason762]

Holy cow! I thought I had paragraphs when I typed this on my iPod but it didn't transfer.

Try this again, hopefully make for easier reading.

Hey all -

Got an MSR reactor coming my way soon and I had some questions regarding cooking with it.I understand it's best for boiling water and adding to dehydrated meals or for beverages. However I am wondering if food can be added to the pot while the water is at a rolling boil and the stove is in operation.One of my favorite meals is a salami soup with broccoli.

Typically, at home, I will put some cut up salami in a pot and let the water cone to a rolling boil. At that point I add some spices and broccoli (or frozen spinach!) and simmer/boil for 5 minutes. This makes a nice greasy soup where the salami doesn't leave big gobs of pork fat stuck in your teeth; as it does when you eat it cold.

Is this doable with the reactor? Or am I better off adding hot water into a bowl of the aforementioned ingredients?

-Jason

Bumpy, thanks! Sounds doable, especially if you were able to cook rice (and more so if you were at high altitude! Hats off to you).

[Jason762]

Something else I thought of - Powdered eggs.

How would this fare? Best as I can imagine, you'd get something like an "egg cake". Though you might be able to scramble it...

Thoughts?

[Fog Horn]

I must be tired or in a foul mood, because the only response I can think of for this one is "just try it"

[Don Newcomb]

One of the concerns with the pots that have the heat exchanger fins is that they can be more difficult to clean, or rather they can be damaged when cleaning. This makes cooking dishes like tuna-noodle casserole, pan bread, etc. downright problematic. For the most part, this type of stove (MSR Reactor, JetBoil) stoves are recommended as really efficient water heaters. Good for anything that only requires a light rinse to clean out.

[Jason762]

I recently used the MSR Reactor on a 5 day trip in Yosemite, and I like it. My one and only gripe about the stove... it's awkward as hell to pack it.

How do you all pack the stove? I had it on top of my bear canister towards my head so I'd bump into the bulge when I leaned back and looked up. I desperately wanted to put it in the bear canister, but it wouldn't fit.

Using a Dana Design Arcflex Alpine (link leads to an image of the pack) in case that helps with packing suggestions.

[Papa D]

jason762 mentioned powdered eggs - this is something you used to be able to just buy in a grocery store - now, everything has gone to liquid stuff that you have to refrigerate - anyone know where to get powdered eggs? On my thru - we ate a ton of oatmeal - (regular quaker - mixed with peanut butter), Idahoan Potatoes, potted meat and Nifda Powdered Eggs. I eat a lot better now.

[Jason762]

Amazon.com has powdered eggs, so does packitgourmet.com

[Jungle John]

Don't know about tired or foul mood, but your advice hits it squarely on the head. That answer fits about 99 % of the questions I have read so far pertaining to everything connected to camping/backpacking. Or as Nike say's, "Just do it".