[pct-l] Re: Food

[ilja at cs.caltech.edu (Ilja Friedel)]

Hi Aloha,

On Fri, 29 Oct 2004, Aloha! Ann wrote:

> I also like Bear Creek products but I only eat them at home.  I must be
> missing something, and/or my cooking abilities are even more limited
> than I thought, but don't these soups, stews and chilis take quite a bit
> of time to cook.  Off the top of my head I'm thinking something like 20
> minutes on the stove.  I'm not seeing that with my little alcohol stove.  
> Not even if I took the Pocket Rocket.

It is my experience, that many products overstate the time they need to 
cook. The potato soup is quite good when mixed in water, brought to a boil 
and then soaked for a while. I have used a pocket rocket for this, but I 
think alcohol stoves should do fine - because they need much longer for 
the heating.

Now the chili soup is a little tricky (but really tasty, so it is worth 
the effort). As soon as you setup camp, soak in water. Let stand for a 
while. Then boil. The pocket rocket uses _very_little_ fuel for simmering. 
I did some testing at home and with a good wind screen you can (with the 
same amount of fuel) either

- boil a quart of water
- simmer for 30-40(!) minutes on the smallest flame

I usually boiled the mix, let soak (covered), brought to a boil again.  
[Now this might be impractical with an alcohol stove.]

Most foods can be attacked with this approach. Just try it at home first!

My only failure was with the tiny, cherry sized potatos (fresh!) from 
Trader Joes. Short boiling seemed to soften them sufficiently at home at 
sea level. But at 10'000 ft elevation they needed some serious simmering. 

Gnocci from TJ makes great food (but too low on calories for thru hikers).
 
And another quick recipe:

bring angel hair spaghetti with a little water to a boil 
(maybe add dried onions)
let water "disappear" (3-5 minutes)
add salt, basil pesto, cheddar cheese
let cheese melt and enjoy

That was one of my dad and my favorites this fall. Quick, yummy, plenty of 
calories.


Ilja.