Rehydrate meals in your pot

I think 600ml is too small for most packaged meals, but I’ve never tried.  I only eat my morning oatmeal from the pot (Toaks 750 ml) and that never gives me any trouble cleaning.  I kind of scrub the pot with the spoon, rinse it, and then make instant coffee in the same pot right after. I made a cozie using the (reflective bubble-wrap) bags that we used to get frozen food in when we used grocery delivery.  I don’t think it’s mandatory except in the cold.

I pack a .8 oz plastic bowl and cut as many 10″ X 10″ pieces of aluminum foil that I’ll need for each meal. I simply push the foil down into bowl lining it beforehand. Instant potatoes, stuffing, oatmeal or anything that doesn’t require substantial boiling time works well. Clean up is non existent because I just remove the foil and crush it as small as possible to pack out. I also bring a DIY Reflectix cover that goes around the bowl to keep contents from cooling too fast and to allow heat reaction to adequately take place. You’re not eating out of the pot but the bowl is worth the weight penalty in order to keep from having to do dreadful cleaning.

Making brown rice or anything that requires an 10 minute simmer time is of course a different story.

Whatever size mug that one usually has will work fine. The individual must decide that. 600 ml is about the size of a normal bowl or larger mug. I’m using the Toaks 650. Love the Titan kettle too for the next step up to 850 ml but any size pot that fits your fancy and people needs. You don’t have to pour the whole freeze dried food packet contents, just what you want. Fill with the needed amount of water and bring to a boil. Add freeze dried food, stir and cover mug with cozy to save on fuel. After eating add more water and make tea which cleans the mug. Wipe any excess with paper towel and star gaze. Done this for decades.

I don’t think sans is necessarily considered environmental friendly anymore. It’s maybe best to keep it in the bag and pack it out.

I just use my Windburner pot to either cook or rehydrate anything. I think it’s a 1 liter? I have used other pots in the past in the same way. Cleaning is a quick wipe out with a bit of paper towel, if needed, and then a swish with water. Since I’m only cooking and eating from it for myself, I don’t worry much about making it spic and span. The next meal or tea/coffee gets boiled anyway. Never gotten sick from it.

For rehydrating, I just measure the amount of water needed and add a cup for tea or soup, which goes in my bowl for drinking while the meal rehydrates; the meal just goes into the boiled water. That pot comes with a cozy and it’s sufficient. I have a homemade reflectix cozy for my other pot. Yes, if you rehydrate in the pot you need to keep it warm somehow. A fleece jacket tossed over works well, if you don’t mind the smell. The reflectix one is super easy to make.

For cooking I don’t do that much – soups mostly, or stews. Tends to be very liquid because the stoves I have do better at boiling or simmering than other types of cooking. I have a small fry pan and cannot remember the last time it went anywhere with me. I do always have a bit of foil, usually at the bottom of my bear canister. I can use that for heating bread or tortilla on a fire if the occasion arises.

If you’d all ask me….I’d be happy to give you ideas and methods. If you are “cooking” meals that just need boiling water (ie…they can be FBC or One Pot), cleanup is not hard. Bring paper towels, and wipe your pot immediately after eating. It’s that simple to remove sauces and oils.

This is why on my recipes on TrailCooking I nearly always write up both methods on how to “cook”. Don’t overthink it.

Making meals where you saute, then build in ingredients, yes, cleanup is far harder.

The other is using appropriate cookware. Don’t use Titanium pots. They are hard to clean. Use HAA or HAA non-stick. I don’t own any non-stick at home, but trail use it is appropriate.

As for freezer bags, they are polyethylene. That is food grade plastic. It is the same plastic used in Sous Vide bags and Food Vac bags. If you buy a latte to go, nearly always the cup has an inner liner of this. In fact, if you eat out at many fast casual places, the soups and pasta dishes come in these bags and are heated up in them. Polyethlene has no hardeners added.

If you consume commercial meals, most of the mylar bags are multi layer as well.

But also, plan your meals for the area you are visiting. If you are in Grizzly territory, then consider that bags ARE better there. Look it’s no different than new moms screeching over cloth and disposable diapers. Each one has a place and a time.

AK: I use a Wallaby bag which is aluminum lined to block air ingress or egress (they’re meant for storing food for years) and seals so its much better for scent management than an open pot.   I wash it well away from camp and store it in the OPSak for double protection, it takes no room unlike a pot that rarely fits in the Ursack unless just out for a couple days.

YMMV, but IME it takes a lot of soap and water to get the strong smells of sesame oil completely out of a pot.  Oil needs soap to cut it.  I couldn’t imagine a trip without sesame noodles

I used to open air store my pot and had something big tear my camp up one night by the pot so was done with that.   I guess storing well away from camp in the open is an option but I don’t want some brute wrecking my pot.

I get this is being anal, but the Wallaby is so easy

> What’s your backcountry sesame noodle recipe?

Hopefully this comes through OK.   Dehydrated green pea flakes subbed for the mixed veg is nice too.

I use the ramen packets & spices listed.   Korean red chili powder because I have it.

I premix 3:1 crunchy peanut butter and honey in a rubbermade take a long and throw it in after the hot soak so that it cooks faster.

The Nissin Kimchi ramen is also pretty interesting for other recipes.  I like that brand, some reasonably authentic flavours, nothing like “Mr. Noodles”!

I haven’t had peanut butter in 10 years on trips due to my youngest going anaphylactic on his first encounter with it. Good times I can tell you. He can’t eat any tree nut either.

I make a sesame noodle pot that is brothy. He can eat sesame and he can eat shrimp by the bucket. (Both being major allergens so we got fortunate)

https://trailcooking.com/fbc/shrimp-sesame-noodles/

That has 3 versions on the page, using freeze-dried in one and canned in the others.

But I agree that sesame oil has a very strong smell – and it loves plastic to sit on (so if you eat with a spork it is going to reek till you get like Dawn on it later). Sesame oil is something I love, but I have reigned it in when outdoor cooking. Unless it’s Pinoy Spam Fried Rice, then it comes out. But we save that for the RV trips where I can really clean after.

Hi Steve, the Wallaby’s are 20g, not too bad but need a cozy too, +24g.  In place of a spatula I used to use a 7g pot scraper to get up the oily stuff out of a pot, it doesn’t hold smells like silicone and saves a bit of weight.  For pasta, I moved to Capellini, no need for a second boil but doesn’t give that big noodle comfort.