High Sierra Topix

I'm going to be making my own meals this year. I meant to start last year, but when I wasn't able to do any trips I had to hold off. With that said, I bought two books that have recipes and tips on how to do things (more for reference than anything for my own meals).

One says they make their meals in freezer bags. As in, they heat their water up (just below boiling), and add it into the bag, stir and let sit for the amount of time necessary. Does anyone do this? It doesn't seem troublesome to me, but was wondering if it's a bad idea for any reasons I'm not thinking of?

If you don't do that, are you just making your food in a pot and cleaning it out every night?

InsaneBoost wrote:One says they make their meals in freezer bags. As in, they heat their water up (just below boiling), and add it into the bag, stir and let sit for the amount of time necessary. Does anyone do this?

I am a huge fan of Freezer Bag 'Cooking"!
There are a ton of great meals to be made at home, dehydrated and reconstituted at camp. When solo, I'll eat right out of the bag with a long handle spoon. When I'm with others, I pour the food on to/in to plates/bowls, and chow down. No pots or pans to clean. Works perfect with a Jetboil or other similar system.

Awesome. I have a jetboil and thought this would be a great way, plus they don't take up a ton of space like those Mountain House meals. Especially if you get the vacuum sealed ones.

When solo, I'll eat right out of the bag with a long handle spoon.

Me too, the quicker the clean-up afterwards the better.

Some food takes a bit of simmering, especially at altitude. As long as you're okay with leaving those food options at home the freezer bag method works well.

One other thing though. Although they're less bulky than Mountain House bags freezer bags are still bulkier than the bags you would need if you weren't rehydrating your food in them. They get bulkier still with wet food remnants stuck inside. So one alternative is to cook and eat out of your pot. In that case you trade off carrying a certain amount of extra trash for a bit of pot cleaning.

Lots of ways to skin a cat.

Cook food at home. Throw it in the dehydrator. Bag it. In camp, add hot water and stick it in a cozy.

Some things you dehydrate some components -- I cook elbow macaroni and basmati or jasmine rice, then make several meals with each by dehydrating chili, those thai premade meals from Trader Joes, or adding sauce mix to them. Other things, like tuna casserole or other leftover all-in-one dishes, I throw it on a tray and set the temperature high enough.

I so very very very very very rarely actually cook on the trail. It has to be something really good. Like the fish we catch, or one of the more involved Packit Gourmet meals -- most of which are just add water as well.

I eat mostly homemade dehydrated meals, but not usually out of a freezer bag. I don't really like eating out of a bag, freezer bags are heavier than sandwich bags and the bag is really hot and floppy after adding water. I suppose a rigid cozy would solve some of those issues. Cooking in the pot can be inconvenient if you are sharing a stove but making separate meals. Also, the process of heating water to clean the pot sometimes cooks/burns the food onto the pot, which is counter productive.

I bring one of those Ziploc or Glad brand plastic containers to eat out of. Mine holds 2.5 cups and weighs about 1.25 oz. When I eat out of a freezer bag, I prefer the pint size since they aren't as tall, and use the bowl to support the bag. The container is also good for holding something you don't want to get squished in your pack.

Like many other things this is personal preference. Try different approaches and see what you prefer.

At home, I dehydrate mostly whole grains that include brown rice and steel cut oats, pinto beans peas and carrots with mash potatoes then add seasonings, to taste.

Last year I had great success with adding water to my dinner contents in the AM to get the rehydration process going, then at dinner time empty the contents into my pot to heat and eat out of. I use a cosy only to keep it warm and protect my hands.

This preparation and cooking method also saves on fuel because you only need to bring the contents to a boil then let it rest until it's cooled enough to eat.






A typical dinner. I add homemade dehydrated smoke flavored salmon for added flavor and protein.



Less time cooking gives me more time to spend with these guys!



In spaces like this in a basin under Mount Jordan.

We "cook" in a 7 cup Rubbermaid "Chili Storage" container. 11 cup version if there are four of us. We tried cooking in baggies of different types, but the moist food-contaminated baggies were both messy and smelly--not good in bear country, prone to tip over when filled, and take up more volume since you can't super squish em with soft contents. Also tried cooking in metal pots but clean up was messy.

The large pot (lower right, still in plastic bag) is used for water storage and is cook kit container. Water heated in coffee pot. Typical meal for us is hot soup, followed by freeze dried main course, sometimes followed by hot pudding. Everything reconstituted in 7 cup Rubbermaid Storage Container, which in this photo is inside knit hat.

Hat is OK as a pot cozy in warmish conditions, but when its cold we wrap the hat-cozied Rubbermaid inside a down garment. Lid secures well and have not had problems with lid coming off inside cozy.

The Rubbermaid's plastic is somewhat phobic of oils and water, which makes it easy to clean. Do not clean between 'courses'. At end of meal, I rinse with hot water, which I drink. I wipe interior dry with 1/16th of a blue 'shop towel'. Never used the dish cleaning supplies, so stopped carrying them.

Everything in our kit nests together and fits inside the large pot.

Eiprahs- Nice setup! Is that a coffee pot percolator in your windscreen?