One pot clean up

[Alabama Scouter]

First rule, don't get it dirty.

 

We use zip loc bags. We carry meals in them, we cook in them, we eat in/on them, we use them for garbage bags, we do it all in Zip Loc freezer bags. Don't use the cheap sandwich bags unless you want to wear dinner.

 

A dinner might consist of a quart freezer bag with 3/4 cup of Stouffers stuffing mix, a can of chicken, placed inside a gallon bag. A packet or two of salt and pepper, two folded paper napkins, your drink mix of choice, a wet wipe if you're really into it, go into a sandwich bag, which goes in the gallon bag. Your fork and spoon go with your plate and bowl and stove.

 

When it's time to cook, dump it all out. Turn the gallon bag inside out, put your plate in it. Take the napkins out of the small bag, turn it inside out and place your bowl in this (after you heat your water in this bowl, if it's your boiling bowl).

 

Heat your water, pour it into your stuffing mix, dump in the chicken, and wrap in your hat until it's done. About 3 minutes. Pour it out onto your plate. When done, remove the plate, turn the bag inside out, and roll it flat, and seal up. Fold and put it inside the other bag with your used napkin and other trash.

 

Pack it out.

 

You can use FoodSaver vacuum bags to make home made trail food that you can cook in as well, and it will last a season unopened.

 

Clean if necessary with boiling water. No three pot method, no soap. Water is scarce in the back country.

Got any other ideas?(This message has been edited by Alabama Scouter)

[DancesWithSpreadsheets]

Interesting Alabama, but one question.

 

If I'm reading this correctly, when it's time to cook, you put the stuffing and chicken in the quart bag, then add water, seal and wait, so other than possibly heating water in, what's the bowl for and why do you put it in the bag if you are using the plate to eat off of?

 

Regards,

 

DWS

[Basementdweller]

The only dirty dish you should have is a spoon. You simply lick it off and wash it, with a little soap and water. The bowl is to hold the hot bag of food, I think he was refering to storing the entire food system in a gallon storage bag.

 

Remember this is not patrol cooking this is two or three people per stove system. When we go as a family we take two stoves. Just makes the process faster.

 

 

edit.....after rereading the op i have no clue what he is doing or why. Simply we boil our water, but bag containing dinner in a bowl to protect our hands from boiling water while it cooks, rehydrates. boil water, dump in plastic bag containing dinner, seal bag, wait, eat. pretty simple.

 

When your done, compress and seal bag, put in your trash bag, trash bag in your food bag, lick spoon, wash spoon, your done.

 

Pretty simple(This message has been edited by Basementdweller)

[Alabama Scouter]

Brain cramp: You don't need to use the bowl for anything other than heating water.

 

I use the bowl for dessert, which consists of hydrated trail

mix, oats, chocolate chips, etc. Just a goo of hot sweet stuff.

 

Sorry for the confusion. This is best used for tent mate camping, not patrol camping, as stated.

 

The idea is to keep the pots and plates clean, so you don't have to "clean up" in the traditional sense.

[CA_Scouter]

We have some guys who buy the freeze dried gunk and just boil water and pour it into the bag. No pot cleanup.

 

We have others who cook in the pot, so that requires scraping before cleaning and packing out the leftovers. We drilled a bunch of holes into a small frisbee which we use to strain dishwater so we don't leave food particles all over the ground. Soap and rinse cleanup, air dry.

 

Gotta try Alabama's method sometime though...

 

[CalicoPenn]

Dinner: Cheese, Sausage, Carrots, Apple, Crackers, Almonds or GORP. Equipment needed? A good sharp knife, fingers, use one of the plastic bags used to carry the individual food items as a cutting surface placed on a convenient, natural, "cutting board". Wipe the knife down well when done. Advantage? No stove, no fuel, no pots needed, clean-up's a snap.

 

Lunch? Onion bagel with peanut butter and cheese - made ahead of time (bagels hold up better than sliced bread), carrots, apple, gorp. No equipment needed.

 

Breakfast? Apple (yes, I know - more apples - they hold up well in traveling), fresh fruit gathered near camp (there is something to be said for raspberries, blackberries, wild strawberries, etc. gathered in the morning), breakfast bars, sausage.

 

 

Unless you absolutely can't live without coffee, hot cocoa, tea - you can do a weekend trip requiring no cooking at all. Imagine being able to go on a longer canoe trip, or hike, or other activity because you've just cut 3 hours of prep and clean-up time out of the day. Something to consider every once in a while.

[Basementdweller]

CA.....there are a huge number of websites dedicated to making your dehydrated food at home. I make a mean trail marzeti and it is made in nothing more than a zip loc bag.

 

No need to spend big $$$ on mountain house or any other high dollar trail food companies. Cheap trail eats is as close as your grocery store or garden.

[skeptic]

Today, even the standard grocery stores have many options that are far less expensive than regular backpack brands. Knorr has expanded, and is often on sale. Instant stuff is widely available, and if bought in larger packages, can be used for a number of meals in a mix and match way. Easy additions include seasonings, various dried and chopped vegies in bags, and bullion for additional base (though needs to completely dissolve). Add in things such as tuna in a bag, small cans of potted meats (now some are coming in packages too if you can find them. Another great method for simple overnight trips is preparing things in the microwave and freezing. Double wrap, then put in ziplock. Only requires heating by evening meal time on Saturday, and no refrigeration concerns because it starts frozen. You can now get liquid eggs in small cartons, and even powdered ones, then do the omelet thing in a bag if you want, and of course standard whole grain cereals and rice come in instant, and can be repackaged to give more variety and add in powdered milk, extra sweetener, dried fruits such as berries, raisins, or even peaches and such.

 

Twenty years ago it was far less easy, and much more expensive. While we know that there are some purists that scream that we should not live in the modern world with scouting, but not taking advantage of innovation and advancements in food storage is simply illogical, just as it would be to still carry an old heavy pack frame with canvas bag or rolled blankets. If you want to get away from the crazies that overburden easily accessible parks, then walking is the only way. No sense in making it harder than it needs to be.

[packsaddle]

To get past that caffeine headache without making coffee, there is a product called 'Diurex', sold at many pharmacies. It is advertised as a diuretic but in fact the active ingredient is anhydrous caffeine. Each pill has 100mg - about one cup of coffee. Cheap, lightweight, easy. Enjoy.

[CA_Scouter]

@Basement

 

Ja. I don't purchase freeze dried personally and I've got a dehydrator which I make good use of...

 

HOWEVER

 

I am mostly completely hands off with patrol food (and money). The only thing I raise objections to are mostly pop tarts and candy, so if they choose to spend Mommy and Daddy's hard earned money on that freeze dried cardboard, then I don't interfere.

 

@PACK

 

YUK! ;-) There is nothing more satisfying to me than to sip a hot cup of coffee watching the mist rise over a lake as the sun comes in the morning.

 

 

 

 

[Basementdweller]

There are Coffee single serving things that are like tea bags....Fantastic. Yes nothing like a nice cup of coffee in the morning.

 

The Boys I serve cannot afford expensive store bought dehydrated meals......so I bought dehydrators off craigs list for $20. We have purchased and dehydrated gallons of spagetti sauce, looks like fruit leather when it is done, hamburger, carrots, peppers, apple sauce....we make our own fruit leather and trail bread.

 

 

I am sure if the boys had the money......they would eat hawk mountain or mountain house.

[GKlose]

At a University of Scouting session on backpacking food, our instructor showed us examples of many things he'd made and dehydrated himself, using his home oven. I recall that his instructions weren't all that difficult (180F oven, door propped open, several hours). He said that you can pretty much dehydrate anything (I would guess that something with a lot of water, like a tomato sauce, would take a very long time).

 

Also -- I know there are online plans for making your own dehydrator.

[Stosh]

Dehydrating does not require heat. You are not cooking anything, only getting the water out. It only requires air movement.

 

Buy a $10 box fan, use paper furnace filters and bunge cord to the fan, put in the window, turn on, if it's good stuff have the air blow into the house, if it's a smell you prefer not to have in the house, blow it out. Running the fan is a ton cheaper than running the oven at 180-degrees for hours. Been doing this for years and works just fine. Otherwise if you want to make fruit roll-ups, blend the fruit to a paste, put on plastic and put out in your car with windows rolled up on a hot sunny day. Makes the car smell really nice.

 

Stosh

[SSScout]

Reminds me of the time when I had to have surgery on my lower jaw. Required having my mouth WIRED SHUT for almost three months. I could still talk (think about ventriloquism), and breath, and I could rinse mouth and teeth with "Scope" and "Listerine", but how to eat?

The surgeon suggested baby food thru a straw, but since the jaws were slightly seperated, I figured if I could drink it, I could "nutrate" myself. So I went out and bought the best multi speed blender I could find. Anything I could prechew with the blender, I could "eat" . I drank my Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, a little milk , WHHIIIRRR, and a turkey milkshake! Tastes like turkey and potatoes. Same with PB&J, hamburgers, vegies, salad, sausage pizza, blend and drink.

One pot meals. Hah!

But Do Not try to blend carbonated drinks....

 

I'm sorry, I guess this has nothing to do with camping, does it?