Luckily I had repackaged my MH meals in freezer bags cause the MH bags are too big, stiff, and heavy.
Use it as an abrasive to clean the pot.
I find it terrific in terms of quality, satisfaction, and especially convenience. I have used the Freezer Bag Cooking (FBC) method for all of my hot meals on the trail for the past decade.
This would necessitate that I thoroughly clean that container after every meal. I came here from a search trying to find lower sodium options for backpacking food and landed in the middle of this crap.. Awesome.
I would be bulkier and it would be slightly heavier.
Flour, Chicken, Buttermilk, Milk,
DUMPLINGS, 2 cup And if I start and get interrupted and have to stop I only have half heated water instead of a half cooked meal with fully dirty utensils surrounding it. Oddly, while Kirkconnell recommends cooking in and eating from a freezer bag, she is not insistent on it.
Although, if I didnt steep in a freezer bag, your point about sandwich bags would be well taken (more compact). I carry this water any way for the rest of the afternoon, and so it adds no additional weight. Just add cold water or boiling water for those chilly mornings.
I have backpacked extensively in arid areas and frequently dry camp.
First, I can make some awesome premade meals and carry them with me for less money, and less weight than if I pack them in a freezer bag, and carrying out a dirty freezer bag doesnt appeal to me at all, because however good intentions are, I only know of one person in the world who actually does wash out her plastic bags for reuse.
I use FBC, eat bars and jerky with wrappers, and put them all in a Ziploc freezer trash bag (usually from a former FBC meal), then all of my food goes into an Opsak.
Is there a reason to use something like these over the Ziploc freezer bags? I use my cozy from my Caldera Keg-H to keep the food warm while it rehydrates. The only concern regarding an appropriate temp.
Once Im done with the bag, it goes right in the canister, and I go to sleep. The solution here is obvious to me.
I find this makes for better packability. However, it was often inconvenient to cook in rain or wind. I make my own assortments of pre-dehydrated ingredients I buy (Asian noodles, for instance) and ingredients and full meals that I have dehydrated myself.
Even if you have a pot that weighs slightly more, in the example of the Evernew 600 vs 900mL the savings is made up on the SECOND DAY. Another option is a plastic bowl or storage container, but its more limiting. I use a freezer bag and then insulate it while it cooks inside an old mountain house bag that I cleaned out.
I think the silicon bags weigh around 4oz which is a fairly big trade off but possibly worth it in my book.
I dug deeper.
We boil water in a regular pot with containerized fuel, then dump the boiling water in a 'foodsaver' bag which has our meal prepacked in it.
Ms. Kirkconnells recipes have served me well, and Ive thoroughly enjoyed having her book.
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I do it frequently, especially in bear habitat and on longer trips in order to reduce food odors. Just to check my understanding, no matter the method the food is still being stored in plastic bags.
Ive made my argument; its been graciously countered by others, including you And yet you continue to be ungracious.. I discourage the use of commercial freeze-dried meals, as evidenced by nearly a dozen DIY recipes. so why are you bashing someone who spent the past apparently 13+ years promoting diy backpacking meals? 1. Each bucket will contain an insert sheet explaining how to achieve a 25+ year shelf life!
(Approved for the JMT+PCT).
I have used these too: I save my mountain house bags and reuse them to cook ramen and my homemade dehydrated jambalaya. Again we all do what works best for ourselves when out on the trail.
What is so hard about waiting an extra 10 minutes for food to cook? 3. I can also have 2 or 3 cozies going at once instead of whatever one-point meal Id have otherwise assembled. OTHER PRODUCT TIPS & RECOMMENDATIONS | #EpicenterJanet, Long-Term Food Supplies - Packages and Kits, Harvest Right Freeze Dryer Problem Diagnosis. I had heard of it, but was turned off immediately by its name Why would I ever want to cook and eat out of a freezer bag? Easy enough to stow in the hang bag- you can put things in the pot if theres not enough room, yknow?
The highest rungs? I appreciate the different perspectives. If youre wondering why Freezer Bag Cooking is named as it is or why its talked about like its something different, youre not alone. If I were going to bring something like a ziplock container, I would want to multipurpose it by stowing things in it while not in use.
With the thermos method, I add boiled water and the dried ingredients to the thermos after breakfast. Rice and noodles can be cooked and dehydrated at home to speed cooking on the trail, but you do lose some starchy water. It may be another pot. No, you do not need to clean the packaging before dropping it off, but please remove as much of the remaining product as possible before shipping.
Previous Post SPAGHETTI W/MEAT SAUCE, 2 cup It was an amazing trip! I find theyre great for repacking because the MH and other brand's bags are so stiff and bulky they dont pack down very well, full or empty.
However, I would also be a very poor hiker.
There are always options to be more mindfulbut in the enddriving a car to a trailhead is still the most impactful thing a hiker can do.
About pot washing, though, I am curious. But theres more nuance to this issue. Thanks to the recycling efforts of our collectors, we've raised over $45 million dollars globally for schools and charities through our recycling programs.
Ive backpacked since the early 70s and have tried many types of cooking (and I still have my Sierra Cup to prove it its in my office now holding paper clips, since its heavy, spills easy, and is hellishly hot on the lips). Its not any lighter (probably heavier) than either method, but it reduces the trash youd have with FBC (wet food is never in your storage bag, so you really can reuse them) and theres no risk of scorching.
Wax paper works well to keep butter tabs intact. Correctly calculated, then, 12 oz.
Ground beef, mushrooms and egg noodles
This is a little bit of the segue from the original, but Im trying to figure how to not use plastic bags at all. Has anyone tried the food saver vacuum zip bags?
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The shelf life of ice cream is 2 years. 3.
On casual trips I always bring a hot drink cup.
For my upcoming AT hike, I'm going to be freezer bag cooking on the trail for the first time. Vacuum bags can be reused for 3-4 meals before they get too hammered or too short after multiple sealings, whichever comes first. But I just toss the empty bag into my fire pit at end of night.
Seaweed packaging sounds a lot like what youre talking about, For me, it is more about the plastic than the convenience or difficulty of clean up. I'll go get some name brand bags and see if they solve the issues.
If they're anything like their standard cut-your-own bags, they're quite heavy duty and made for boiling in. Contains 12 Pouches or 29 Servings. Home Forums Gear Forums Gear (General) Reusing Mountain House bags for trail cooking.
Beef Stroganoff The Mountain House Creamy Beef Stroganoff is a hearty entre that can be added to any meal.
entree pouches is In #5 it sounds like youre saying Ziplocs have BPA? Ive been using the same one for 10+ years now.
minced garlic, olive oil and basil. I dont think so But the other pillars of FBC (DIY meals made of pre-mixed ingredients, cooked together in a single container) have a lot to offer. Get all of your food for your outdoor adventure in one easy location! Nope, my man boobs dont need to be any bigger than they are, thanks. Should I bring a 2nd cup-pot? We can have four different individual meals all cooking at the same time by heating a single pot of water. Hey if washing dishes works for you great man.
On the other hand, a bag or foldable bottle section like the one I use is not only lighter all things considered, its also easier to pack and easier to insulate (plastic is itself an insulator where metal is not). As I did, I also grew in my at home cooking- and both spilled over. The bag never really melted but certainly sagged more and showed signs of stretching so I wondered if it wasn't a good idea to eat out of a ziploc. Cook-Pot Accessory, LDP Camping Foods has been selling camping and backpacking
Like many regulations, dont burn food is aimed at the lowest common denominator. DIY meals and pre-mixed ingredients are probably about as old as backpacking, and seem far more commonsensical than revolutionary. View my favorite recipes.
Use a Ziplock bowl instead.
It was FBC because I was hiking a lot.
Thank you for your support! 0 in stock. Still, I do always carry one or two extra bags.
http://www.harmonyhousefoods.com/Clear-ZIP-Pouch-Empty-50-Count_p_1948.html, Another option: http://www.amazon.com/6x9-5x3-Mylar-Stand-Silver-Pouch/dp/B00D7OBQS6/ref=pd_bxgy_328_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1Q81DVBV40S0P6RMEX2M, Some good ideas in this thread: https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/43377/. Ive done multiple thru hikes.
Ziploc is a great guy but lets be real hes just doing his best.
For ingredients like polenta, macaroni, and instant rice, an extra 30 to 60 seconds of simmering dramatically improves cook time.
with quantity discounts starting at $200. Physics geek moment: Thats true if you ignore specific heat capacity of the two, or assume that theyre equal.
Your article title was immediately bias and why not write something more subjective and give your opinion afterward or let readers make their own? I was planning on using my freezer bag inside of a Mtn House pouch to rehydrate. Basically, there's so much mess to clean out, even with plentiful water, you'll be cleaning for hours.
Also consider the math above AS did that EACH DAYs dinner is .4 more weight than a normal plastic bag (ps my foods never went bad in these). Its much easier to control the temp of the pot of food.
House Meals Freeze Dried Food Breakfasts: Looking
I never end up with burned stuff on the bottom of a pot (freezer bags are much easier to clean than pots). We cant all eat out of the pot and we would need a huge pot if we were going to try.
A circumnavigation of the remote upper headwaters of the Tuolumne, The Ultimate Hiker's Gear Guide (Second Edition): Tools & Techniques to Hit the Trail, Free download: My 12 go-to breakfasts & dinners, Freezer Bag Cooking: Trail Food Made Simple.
From Andrews statements, he, others and myself dont see cleaning a pot as an extra step, just something we do normally at home.
BREAKFAST SKILLET ORIGINAL RECIPE, 2.5 cup Hash browns and scrambled eggs mixed with So now that I'm back in civilization I wanted to find bags that could handle boiling water.. that being said, I knew many people and even did this myself a few times where I just used a regular ziploc baggie and poured everything in that.
I think that I will give your thought process a try.
The difference is only where the food is cooked and eaten from?
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I have not found an alternative yet to buying readymade FBC meals when backpacking in the US.
I use the smaller, but heavier duty freezer bags as well, without a problem.
Works like a charm.
Kirkconnell promotes DIY meals, not commercial freeze-dried varieties like those from Mountain House or prepackaged items like Knorr Pasta Sides. It was and is an awesome idea.
Because I already store them in plastic it seems like common sense to just re-hydrate them inside the bag and save cleaning up.
That you could do it in freezer bagwell that was just a bonus.
When I thru hiked the AT I would buy all my cheap knorr pasta sides and 1 mountain house per resupply.
Then, buy nice freezer ziploc bags to your size. I think i probably qualify as lazy in this department.
The whole concept of FBC came out of wanting something similar to commercial meals, but where one could control it.
Easy prep just add water which makes preparation easy, makes planning mealseasier, and allows you to travel lighter and eat heartier, Lightweight, 2 serving backpacker-friendly size, Zip-close pouch serves as your plate and then doubles as a convenient trash carry out, For nearly 50 years, Mountain House has been a premier choice of campers and backpackers; it has a proven history of reliability and, most importantly, delicious flavor, Mountain House meals are perfect for camping, backpacking, travel and emergency preparedness, L-O-N-G Shelf life 10+ year depending on the meal. Thanks for subscribing! I had a pile of vacuum bags but my sealer took a dump.
The point of the bear container is to prevent them from eating the things they smell. You and your gear wreak of food.
After lunch, I add a cup of mixed dried fruit to the thermos with two cups of cold water. What do you store your bulk items in? Its something that your family will love and will keep you healthy and energized in case of an emergency. Cooking in and eating out of a freezer bag is the aspect that puzzles me.
What?
By making soupy meals, clean-up is generally easier. Freezer bags would not be practical for a group (solo only, I think)
If you are considering purchasing Mountain House products from another seller, there are some questions you may want to ask, even if their Mountain House product packaging looks current. foods since 1991. I like FBC for what it isa quick way to get your food made pronto.
FBC has one big advantage when my wife and I are hiking. I recently tried out freezer bags with a cozie, and I found that there were some advantages:
Second there is an odor issue if you clean and disperse you will attract critters. If youre concerned about space, then jars might not be the best, but theyre more durable and easier to reuse than a bag.
Wonder if they just weaken? Sarah, thanks for providing the hiking community tons of free recipes. I have only once had a bag failure / leak, and that was because of a mistake on my part.
I finish off by pouring my drink into it and cleaning the cup using the drink. For an extra .3 oz, I will eat from my pot every time.
1 serving starch + 1 serving protein + 1 serving plant + 1 serving fat.
For extra messy pots (e.g.
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If you need even 5 cast iron to cook your meal, your recipe needs to be in another sub reddit. This all warms up cold hands very, very well. If needed, we can have a second FB cooking while we all share the first. Sarah, you rule among my buddies. . http://www.stockpkg.com/Boilable-Vacuum-Pouches-Sous-Vide_c_16046.html?gclid=CPyqo63htskCFVcbgQodqvkDxw.
UPS will not accept dripping packages, so please make sure your items are dry.
with.
The freezer bag is the least important element in the concept, and I think its immediately off-putting to most because of the impression it gives. When I do my annual section hike on the AT I like FBC because I can take the cat food can stove and just a tiny bit of fuel.
1. Meal ingredients are pre-mixed at home and cooked together in the field, not bagged and cooked separately, which generates excessive trash and dirty dishes. I cook in my pot, eat (I think I would die if I had to wait that long to eat at the end of a day) use my finger to scrape (because I want every calorie).
I think its a evolution of thinking about backpacking meals.
We designed a 7-day menu of breakfasts and dinners that I still use today. Quality espresso machines are designed to provide 192 to 198 degree temp.
My problem with bag cooking is that Ive yet to hear of anyone packing out the trash in order to wash and recycle the bags!
So why boil the water unless at high altitude and/or low atmospheric temps.?
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We started FBC this year.
It will depend on the particular food but in general a small metal pot + big plastic container will be lighter than a big metal pot alone.
Just the store-brand generic bags. And ive done mostly non cook in the past, though lately ive been using a stove more (i backpack primarily from late fall through winter into early spring, but in an area where running water is rarely ever completely frozen).
adamantly repeating something in a baffled, slightly ridiculing overtone does not make your argument more convincing, imo. We support the bags in small cozies while they rehydrate. Because, sure not everyone wants FBC method, but plenty want easy recipes. aluminum foil from tuna packets or Hershey Kisses).
This dish, apart from the tender pork, comes with rice and vegetables; and all this is served in a lip smacking pineapple based sauce. Beef, mushrooms, and noodles smothered in a and tomatoes accented with red, green and yellow bell peppers. Are you looking for a bag to drop in boiling water?
Ill be several miles down the trail by the time the FBC person is even done with their meal.
More recently, for my backpacking trips, Ive gradually switched to FBC coking. For me Ill stick to what has been working great for me for the last 15 years; which is FBC.
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It makes sense.
Needless to say, pot cleaning was the least appreciated camp chore at those temperatures.
I know for years you used a cat stove which does not simmer.
If the program is full, you will be added to a waitlist. But dont hate on me because I pioneered a movement 14+ years ago! Sometimes I eat half the lunch at one stop and finish it a couple hours later. Backpacking Meals & Camp Groceries | Packit Gourmet, https://dutchwaregear.com/product/bowl-bags/, DIY Backpacking Meal: Chicken Fajita Bowl.
Ive re-read this thread several times in the months since Andrew initially posted it each time, with new thoughts. I can throw it somewhere and deal with it later.
Or in some cases, large ziplock bags, though thats really what Im trying to avoid.
Pantry Cans, Aquamira
Montana Gen ELK Tag - Archery - Guide for Backcountry Public Land??
I used the packit gourmet bags morning and night for two weeks on the trail with no problems (and at home with leftovers afterwards). 
