Commercial 'Just Add Boiling Water' Meals - Field Test

[gstevens]

I use a lot of the pasta packets that you get from the supermarket for $1. Require some simmering though. I laughed so much when I saw people had been weighing their sporks. If you can't carry the weight of normal cutlery you probably shouldn't be walking

[corvus]

I use a lot of the pasta packets that you get from the supermarket for $1. Require some simmering though. I laughed so much when I saw people had been weighing their sporks. If you can't carry the weight of normal cutlery you probably shouldn't be walking

Glad we made you laugh it is sometimes the main reason for some of the comments in threads and also makes members aware of what is available on the market

[Son of a Beach]

I use a lot of the pasta packets that you get from the supermarket for $1. Require some simmering though. I laughed so much when I saw people had been weighing their sporks. If you can't carry the weight of normal cutlery you probably shouldn't be walking

I can't believe people carry a spork at all, when a separate knife, fork and spoon are so much more civilised . How would I eat my steak? Or my bacon and eggs? Or my soup?

But each to their own.

[corvus]

I can't believe people carry a spork at all, when a separate knife, fork and spoon are so much more civilised . How would I eat my steak? Or my bacon and eggs? Or my soup?

But each to their own.

You could mince your steak and fetch pre cut bacon to mix with scrambled eggs and like others do eat you soup slowly with the spoon part of the spork or use a mug

BTW the spork does have tines that you can use on a steak and I know you carry a pocket knife

[Son of a Beach]

and I know you carry a pocket knife

a pocket knife? That's not a knife! I carry a big-ass strap-it-to-the-side-of-your-pack knife (I'm not sure why... I know I'll find a use for it one day).

[corvus]

and I know you carry a pocket knife

a pocket knife? That's not a knife! I carry a big-*&%$#@! strap-it-to-the-side-of-your-pack knife (I'm not sure why... I know I'll find a use for it one day).

You could use it to mince your steak chop your bacon and fry your egg on the wide blade then you would have a "multi knife tool" also you could double it up as a sanitation trowel
c

[james cav]

better yet I carry 2 sporks just in case i lose one

[Kainas]

better yet I carry 2 sporks just in case i lose one

Don't joke about that. Sitting down to cook a meal on one of the last days of our hike, only to find that both sporks had been left in the previous hut. I contemplated curling up the edge of a pasta packet to server as a 'shovel', but *lucky* it was an NZ great walks hut, and a quick trip to the hut warden saw equipped with some 'real' cutlery from the lost property box.

[gstevens]

lol you guys are crazy! actually I brought the silicon cup/plate/bowl set. Very cool. Easy to clean and folds up flat. Not cheap but apparently unbreakable (we will see about that!)

[corvus]

lol you guys are crazy! actually I brought the silicon cup/plate/bowl set. Very cool. Easy to clean and folds up flat. Not cheap but apparently unbreakable (we will see about that!)

If you need to carry foldable easy clean unbreakable crockery perhaps you should try lawn bowls instead of bushwalking
c

[Kainas]

Well now, perhaps it should be the other way around...if you need a spoon, desert spoon, teaspoon, butter knife, steak knife, fork and cake fork....then lawn bowls might be a better sport...

I bet they even serve up non-dehydrate food....cucumber sandwich anyone?

[Son of a Beach]

I actually enjoy a cucumber sandwich while bushwalking sometimes (cucumbers keep quite well for a few days). Maybe I should be bowling instead?

... um... but we're quite a long way off topic here, so maybe we should try to steer it back on track.

[north-north-west]

To resuscitate (or should I say 'rehydrate') a slightly aged topic:

I agree with those who find the Backcountry meals insufficient. I'm only a little thing - 5'3" in my (usually) bare feet - and graze a good bit on nuts and raisins and chocolate during the walking hours, and aren't really in the habit of eating much at night. Of course, after a day's walking (especially on extended walks) I'm ravenous, but even after starting off with a double Cup-a-Soup, a single Backcountry just leaves me wanting more. These days I usually add a packet (or a half) of instant noodles, to pack it out. That works.
I also find that they don't taste properly cooked (or rehydrated) with just the 'add water and wait 10 minutes' jag, so I simmer them for five to ten minutes. Tastes much better.
Best commercial pre-made meals I've found are the Chefsway - their mushroom risotto is to die for, especially with a little added cheese. Cost a bit more, of course. A bit more variety from them (but not curry) would be great. Even better would be someone finding a way to freeze dry a good rare chargrilled T-bone steak . . .

[Son of a Beach]

I didn't get around to organising any good dinners for myself on my last walk, so resorted to the freeze dried stuff again. This time I tried a different brand last Friday night at Shadow Lake.

I had a packet of 'Backpackers Pantry' (Kung Pao Chicken). The packet said it served 2, and I thought that this would probably be about the right size for 1 hungry bushwalker.

Well, I was right... it was the right size for 1. But it tasted like cardboard with peanuts and chilli. Bummer. I bought another packet of the same brand but a different recipe that I was planning to eat on Saturday night, but I walked out early, and didn't need to. Phew! I'll save it for another walk, but I sure hope it's better than the Kung Pao Chicken!

[walkinTas]

Maybe Kung Pao means cardboard?

[Ent]

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Last edited by Ent on Thu 11 Nov, 2010 2:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[walkinTas]

Maybe Kung Pao means cardboard?

Nope, "Ka pian" means cardboard, did you read the ingredients carefully.

[JohnM]

Oh yes, that Kung Pao chicken is the blandest freeze-dri I've ever had (and that's saying something).

I really wish we could get Mountain House over here, but for some bizarre reason they're not allowed to import into Australia. Had their stuff over in the US once, and it was good. Properly hearty, old-school comfort food: none of your fancy-pants recipes for those guys. Beef Stroganoff, spag bol, chilli mac with beef, hamburger patties with cheesy mashed spuds... yum.

[photohiker]

I haven't had a lot of these meals, but what I have had has been very high in salt.

Usually added to either mask the lack of flavour of low quality ingredients, or through general ignorance.

What's the chefsway salt content like?

[north-north-west]

What's the chefsway salt content like?

*raids pantry*
The Spag Bol quotes 90mg Sodium per 100g, the Mushroom Risotto a whopping 230mg per 100g. The rest you'll have to find out for yourself. (Neither of the above tastes particularly salty - and I have very sensitive taste buds.)

[photohiker]

Thanks. I think I've seen some Chefsway down at Snowy's. Might buy a couple and try them out.

Back Country Cuisine also seem a bit more reasonable than the US sourced foods in this regard, but perhaps a bit higher than Chefsway.

The Mountain House nutrition table reveals about 2 grams sodium per packet (theoretically 2 serves). Certainly not the worst, but given table salt contains about 40% sodium then 2g is equivalent to 5g of table salt (1 teaspoon) Backpackers Pantry looks to be about the same, although they have several dishes around 2g per serve. Both way too much IMO.

Time to buy some of these and try them out.

[flyfisher]

Found some Chefsway in Hobart at M D 's. Haven't tried it yet, but will this weekend so I pass comment then.
ff

[nicandboys]

A very informative and entertaining post. In December my husband and I will be carry not only our food and equipment but also the majority of our boys (aged 12 and 9) during the overland track. My conundrum with food is weight versus satisfaction versus fullness versus time it takes to cook the meals for 4 people on a small stove versus cost of dehydrated meals.
Any recommendation for this chef to make her customers happy while still having something that resembles a holiday!

Nic

[Humpo]

Can you buy Chefsway online in bulk? There is 6 of us going away and want to get about 18 packs.

[tasadam]

I use a lot of the pasta packets that you get from the supermarket for $1. Require some simmering though. I laughed so much when I saw people had been weighing their sporks. If you can't carry the weight of normal cutlery you probably shouldn't be walking

I think you will find some of the spork weighing was a bit of banter.
To me, weight does count, if you can find ways to reduce the weight to an acceptable level it helps in the long run, but it's easy to go overboard in the gram counting.

Re supermarket meals like Continental pasta packs like Alfredo or Creamy Bacon Carbonara etc, we used to use them a lot but they are quite high in salt which made us drink more before going to bed which also made us get up more through the night for "relief".
Also they require simmering (as you mentioned) for 10 minutes or so, which is very hard to do - the MSR Simmerlite does not simmer unless you have got a huge pot, which you wouldn't have when bushwalking.

We find the Back Country dehy meals very good, satisfying, some better than others.
We also have a cuppa soup for entrée (also can be a bit salty), and a cuppa tea and ginger nut snap biscuits and/or chocolate (usually Toblerone) for dessert.

Eating straight out of the bag when you use the single serves - I think that's been mentioned. The long handled titanium spoons are great for that AND Backpackers Barn in Devonport as of this morning had more than 10 in stock, at $19.95 less 40% = under $12.

The biggest surprise re these Back Country meals is that they seem to hold the heat well although needing 10 minutes of wait before eating.

[corvus]

I think you will find some of the spork weighing was a bit of banter.
To me, weight does count, if you can find ways to reduce the weight to an acceptable level it helps in the long run, but it's easy to go overboard in the gram counting.




Eating straight out of the bag when you use the single serves - I think that's been mentioned. The long handled titanium spoons are great for that AND Backpackers Barn in Devonport as of this morning had more than 10 in stock, at $19.95 less 40% = under $12.

.

All this from the man who never had a problem with lexon cutlery
C

[tasadam]

All this from the man who never had a problem with lexon cutlery
C

To clarify, Corvus is referring to plastic cutlery, as stated in this post, dated October 2007...
I should also point that I don't have a problem with plastic cutlery because I found I was never using the fork when taking it, I use a metal spoon and a pocket knife, so the fork now sits in the cupboard with the other unused plastic cutlery.
My spoon is a steel one I have had since scouts, you remember the sets you used to get - the spoon with the lugs on it, then the fork and knife had holes like keyholes into them, would slide down over these lugs in the spoon and lock in place?
Same old spoon, still going strong. Though I did just buy one of those long titanium ones.

[corvus]

Only cause it was cheap eh!!
c

[tasadam]

Yeah, well, I didn't really need it.

[north-north-west]

My spoon is a steel one I have had since scouts, you remember the sets you used to get - the spoon with the lugs on it, then the fork and knife had holes like keyholes into them, would slide down over these lugs in the spoon and lock in place?

Yeah, I wish I could find the old set I had from my brother's Scouting days, but it disappeared two or three moves back.
Ditto my mother's old omelette pan, which is an even bigger loss, though not for bushwalking.