Omlette in a bag

[Scoutfish]

We cooked these this past weekend at Pow Wow.

 

All camping or outdoors aside...I'm thinking this is gonna be a real common occurance at my house from now on.

 

Why?

 

 

Lets compare:

 

Things that get dirty when making "normal" scrambled eggs or omlette:

 

Mixing bowl

whisk or fork used as whisk

frying pan

spatula

plate

eating fork

 

Things that get dirty when making bag omlettes:

 

ziplock bag

 

Yeah, I can see doing this way more often. I even just bought some Jimmy Dean pre cooked and crumbles sausage. Cost double, but still don't have to dirty my stove or a pan cooking it!

[OwntheNight]

Those silly habits, we pick up from camping! For what?, To make things a little easier?.....Absolutely!

 

It's not only good for omelettes, throw your biscuit mix in a bag, mix up and cut the end off and BAM! Squeeze biscuits, YUM!

 

My Dutch Oven gets used almost as much as the crock pot. Food just tastes better when it's cooked on the outdoor gear, indoors. Isn't it true that if it's cooked outdoors, the calories don't count?

 

I still draw the line at digging a cat hole in the backyard. I do enjoy the indoor plumbing though!

[Basementdweller]

make sure you use the real deal ziploc bags the cheapo's leach chemicals into your food.

 

Just sayin.

[moxieman]

And try not to cook too many at once! One scout unit I was with at a trip about a year ago made that mistake. A couple of the bags got too close to the edge of the pot and melted, ruining the contents, never mind all those nasty chems mixing into the water.

[Scoutfish]

I use my DO inside alot too. Matter of fact, I even started using the one my wife bought me that has the red ceramic coating outside and white inside.

 

I wouldn't put it in a fire, but when inside, it sure cleans easier and i don't have to worry about seasoning it.

 

But food absolutely testes better cooked on ca,mping equipment.

 

We have an indoor electric grill. Used it a few times if it was raining outside. Stuff just doesn't taste the same as if it's gooked on the outdoor grill.

[83Eagle]

This is a camp favorite! A few tips on these:

 

-Use Ziploc FREEZER bags, not regular Ziplock bags. Regular bags can melt, not just cheapo generics.

-Use a sharpie (before you fill the bag) to write an initial or something on the bag so you can tell them apart (if it matters).

-Don't try to be cheap and reuse the bags...learned that one the hard way.

 

Also, be prepared for people to say "You can't do this!" Our local council scouting newsletter even published a warning about it. You'll find lots of threads on the 'net about how dangerous this is because of release of "toxins" but this is a bunch of hogwash. Ziploc released the following info related to toxins in plastic bags:

 

"In 2002, we became aware of an email that was being widely circulated, which warned consumers about the alleged dangers of using plastics in the microwave. This email claimed that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body, thereby increasing the risk of producing cancerous cells. We researched these claims and it is clear that the information is misleading, and unnecessarily alarms consumers.

 

Saran and Ziploc products are 100% dioxin free. You also should be aware that dioxins can be formed only when chlorine is combined with extremely high temperatures, such as 1,500F, which even the most powerful consumer microwave ovens are unable to produce."

 

Of course, 1,500F is hotter than your boiling water can ever get to as well.

 

Now, Ziploc will not officially recommend their regular bags for this purpose because they are not "designed" for it (read: legal liability). However, Ziploc sells a "zip & steam" bag!...so you can draw your own conclusions...

 

This might be more info than you'll ever need, but I've run up against this and have had to use this info, so there you have it...(This message has been edited by 83eagle)

[Scoutfish]

Funny you mention frezer bags.

 

The instructor at Pow Wow was using the frosted side Ziplock freezer bags.

 

I bought freezer bags too. Not frosted, but double seal . As I was looking at them, I figured freezer must be better because of the extremes it was designed for. maybe a micro millimeter thicker or something?

 

[skeptic]

Broken bags give you egg-soup. Actually, you often can salvage most of the leakage with a good spoon with holes. Those of us that have less inhibition will eat what the others might not.

[83Eagle]

The only problem we've ever had with melting has been when the bag hit the side of the pot!

 

Then you get, as mentioned, egg-drop soup!

[AnniePoo]

From Food Safety Annie...

 

I usually just lurk here, but had to respond to this one. You can probably assume that most types of plastic freezer bags will leach at least a small amount of hazardous chemicals (not likely to be dioxins) when used off-label to boil foods in water. There are bags specifically designed for sous-vide (i.e. boil-in-bag) type cooking, but these are meant to be heat-sealed, which is not feasible for campouts.

 

Having said that, the risk from boiling foods in a Ziplock bag at a Scout campout once or twice a year is probably negligible and I would not be concerned. As with most negligible risks, driving home is probably by far the most dangerous thing you will do.(This message has been edited by AnniePoo)

[83Eagle]

You can probably assume that most types of plastic freezer bags will leach at least a small amount of hazardous chemicals (not likely to be dioxins) when used off-label to boil foods in water.

 

Not looking to pick a fight here, but what evidence is that based on?

 

The on-box instructions for Ziploc freezer bags (and Saran wrap) provide instructions for use in the microwave, which has the potential to give you much hotter temperatures than your boiling water will.

 

The only concern I see here is with melting. If anyone would ask at a campout, I'd give them this answer. And they could always grab the pudgie pie maker, which makes pretty good omelets too.

[Kudu]

I haven't tried it yet, but the book Freezer Bag Cooking: Trail Food Made Simple might solve the problem of backpacking stoves which only have two settings: Blowtorch and Off.

 

http://tinyurl.com/25mv6yx

 

 

[Scoutfish]

Well, by no means am I saying "Throw caution to the wind", but i do think the bags are pretty safe overall. Maybe I never cooked an omlette in one before, but stoting food, tossing in the microwave as well as oven bags....well, you get the picture.

 

Then we drink out of plastic bottles, we cook on steel, aluminum, teflon, cast iron, hold food over direct "raw" fire , drop aluminum in direct contact with coals.

 

Thing is, maybe a deer came by and peed on the exact spot that those glowing red coals are on. Might not immediatelt affect me, but what about 20 years fromnow?

Might be that the teflon ( over a period of time) causes big toe cancer. When you heat metal - wether aluminum, cast iron, steel, stainless - there is some reaction. Harmfull? Might be. Has anybody ever done a 20 year, 30, 40 , or even 50 study of it?

 

I drive 30 miles to work each day. About 5 miles from my shop, you start to notice a distinct sharp chemical smell. I ask myself, am I smelling the paper plant, the plastics factory, the pharmaceutical plant, the concrete plant, the coffee brewery( say what you want, preparing beans stinks!), corrugated pipe plant, electronic chip factory or the aluminum and bromine autoparts manufacturers.

 

Wet, let me resay that:

 

About 5 miles from my shop, you start to notice a distinct sharp chemical possible cancer or other infliction causing smell.

 

Water? Could be something in it, cars( from vinyl seats/dash/interior, plastics, elsctronics, foam cushoins)household objects/furiture/appliances...

 

 

Just saying, I don't see cooking in a plastic bag to be that much more of a risk than anyth8ing else.

 

Of course, my bags didn't get stuck to the side of the pot and melt either.

[Stosh]

Why not teach the boys to do real cooking? I don't eat out of a bag whether it comes from scouting or McDonalds. I may eat my sandwich out of a brown paper bag, but I don't cook it either.

 

I would hate to think that my boys starved to death because they didn't have ziplock bags handy.

 

Stosh

[perdidochas]

The omelet in a bag is good for breakfast on the day you leave (beats cold cereal). Less dishes to clean (and barring leakage) you already have hot water to clean the plates/utensils.