Backcountry Cooking Made Easy
Imagine cooking a very tasty and nutritious meal using only a tiny, one-burner backpacking stove, ingredients that are light enough to carry on your back and resilient enough for a week or more of non-refrigeration.
"Man, we'd better just do the freeze-dried thing" many people think.
"There's no way we're going to enjoy the food" others may say to themselves.
It's actually very feasible to cook delicious, hearty meals for weeks on end while backpacking in the wilderness.
The guidelines below will give you a framework to make it happen.
First, don't do the freeze-dried thing.
Outdoor shops are packed with pre-prepped, freeze-dried meals that cost a ton and taste like plastic.
The truth is there are LOTS of foods and ingredients at your local grocery store that are one third the price and are practically engineered for backcountry use.
Some of those ingredients are instant rice, margarine, cheeses that don't have to be refrigerated until they're opened, pastas, instant beans, instant lentils, olive oil, vinegar, summer sausage, packs of tuna and chicken, tortillas, dehydrated vegetables, oatmeal, cream of wheat, pancake mix, no-cook cheesecake, instant pudding...
the list goes on and on.
Second, buy a cook book.
I recommend a book called the NOLS Cookery - you can get it on Amazon.
com without a problem.
It details what to buy, how much to buy, recipes that rock, and lots of other great information that you'll want to know.
Third, bring plenty of fuel.
The last thing you want to do is try cooking over an open fire.
It's a nightmare.
Bring plenty of fuel for your trip.
The NOLS Cookery (see above paragraph) has a formula for deciding how much fuel to bring.
Good stoves to use are the MSR Whisperlite and the MSR Dragonfly.
The Dragonfly has a higher level of adjustment for simmering or boiling but is a bit heavier.
I hope this information gives you more confidence that you can get out and enjoy the wilderness - it doesn't have to be a fasting boot camp experience.
I own a hiking and backpacking company, and we often receive great compliments on the food we're able to prepare.
Some people say they cook better in the backcountry than at home! The bottom line is that the enjoyment of backpacking is being in beautiful, remote landscapes and the food you eat can actually be the frosting of your trip.
"Man, we'd better just do the freeze-dried thing" many people think.
"There's no way we're going to enjoy the food" others may say to themselves.
It's actually very feasible to cook delicious, hearty meals for weeks on end while backpacking in the wilderness.
The guidelines below will give you a framework to make it happen.
First, don't do the freeze-dried thing.
Outdoor shops are packed with pre-prepped, freeze-dried meals that cost a ton and taste like plastic.
The truth is there are LOTS of foods and ingredients at your local grocery store that are one third the price and are practically engineered for backcountry use.
Some of those ingredients are instant rice, margarine, cheeses that don't have to be refrigerated until they're opened, pastas, instant beans, instant lentils, olive oil, vinegar, summer sausage, packs of tuna and chicken, tortillas, dehydrated vegetables, oatmeal, cream of wheat, pancake mix, no-cook cheesecake, instant pudding...
the list goes on and on.
Second, buy a cook book.
I recommend a book called the NOLS Cookery - you can get it on Amazon.
com without a problem.
It details what to buy, how much to buy, recipes that rock, and lots of other great information that you'll want to know.
Third, bring plenty of fuel.
The last thing you want to do is try cooking over an open fire.
It's a nightmare.
Bring plenty of fuel for your trip.
The NOLS Cookery (see above paragraph) has a formula for deciding how much fuel to bring.
Good stoves to use are the MSR Whisperlite and the MSR Dragonfly.
The Dragonfly has a higher level of adjustment for simmering or boiling but is a bit heavier.
I hope this information gives you more confidence that you can get out and enjoy the wilderness - it doesn't have to be a fasting boot camp experience.
I own a hiking and backpacking company, and we often receive great compliments on the food we're able to prepare.
Some people say they cook better in the backcountry than at home! The bottom line is that the enjoyment of backpacking is being in beautiful, remote landscapes and the food you eat can actually be the frosting of your trip.
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