Fw: [pct-l] cold water food experiment

[kdpo at gottawalk.com (Ken Powers)]

From: "Marcia Powers" <gottawalk@pacbell.net>

> We just saw Scott Williamson at his REI presentation on his PCT yoyo. His 
> no
> cook dinner EVERY NIGHT was black beans. His no-cook recipe:
>
> Mid afternoon in a Kool-aid or Gater-aid powder jar with screw lid add 4oz
> dehydrated black beans. Fill jar to the top with water and carry for three
> hours. Add a dollop of olive oil and add crumbled taco chips, stir and 
> eat.
> EVERY NIGHT
>
> This meal has more protein and fiber than pastas, but I'm not sure about 
> the
> calories. Fantastic Foods dehydrated black beans are one of our favorites.
> We add instant brown rice and Mary Jane's organic corn salsa and is always
> the first meal out of town after resupply. Yum! So even though Scott's
> recipe may not sound good now I bet we would like it when hiking.
> Scott even says that he wouldn't eat this meal when off the trail.
>
> I use Fideo Cortata (1" pieces of angel hair pasta in 6-7 oz sold in the
> Mexican food section) When we had no fuel in NM we carried it in water for
> the afternoon like Scott's method. It tasted raw. I think that pasta may
> need cooking.
>
> Hot food is refreshing and comforting. I am not sure that I could hike
> stoveless. I also think that I would carry a dinner jar like Scott's under
> my jacket so my dinner would at least be body temp.
>
> Even lighter, stove-free hiking is something I would consider. Thanks for
> your analysis of soaking times!
>
> Marcia
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Robert Ellinwood" <rellinwood@worldnet.att.net>
> To: <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
> Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2006 5:18 PM
> Subject: [pct-l] cold water food experiment
>
>
> Roll your eyes now and get it over with...
>
> Last summer on the very few evenings when I decided to "eat cold" and not
> cook, due to tiredness or inclement weather, I found myself "wired" late
> into the night by too much sugar, I guess, in the snackables that I 
> consumed
> in place of "dinner."   Tonight, I finally got around to experimenting 
> with
> some traditional hiking dinner foods and seeing how edible they became 
> after
> periods of soaking in just cold water.  A couple hikers have told me 
> mashed
> potatoes fixed with cold water were quick and good.
>
> Arranged before me were couscous, stovetop stuffing, mashed potatoes, 
> ramen,
> pre-cooked minute rice, a Lipton noodle dinner, and Mac & cheese spirals.
> Arbitrarily, I chose intervals of 10 min, 20 min and 30 min for tastings.
> Predictably, at 10 min the mashed potatoes and stovetop stuffing were just
> fine for eating and probably were almost immediately.  At 20 minutes the
> ramen noodles were fine for eating and may well have been at the 15 min
> mark, but could definitely not be included in the 10 min group.. At 30 min
> the couscous and the minute rice were "doable" but gritty and not 
> enjoyable,
> while the Lipton noodle dinner was "barely doable" and definitely not
> enjoyable.  30 min didn't even make a dent in the Mac & cheese spirals.
>
> The mashed potatoes and the stovetop stuffing have the same caloric value
> and taste good immediately.  The ramen has more calories at fewer ounces,
> but takes a bit longer to soak.  I had assumed, incorrectly, that the
> couscous would be among the top finishers, but nope.  Stovetop stuffing,
> while good, has a distinct, pronounced flavor, while the mashed potatoes 
> and
> ramen seem to me better suited to "doctoring up" with cheeses and other
> additions.
>
> So, FWIW, if I find myself stuck in a tent in a storm on the PCT this
> summer, any deviation from a normal hot dinner will probably involve 
> mashed
> potatoes or ramen fixed with cold water.   I hated lying there wide awake
> most of the night from too much sugar too late.   It was probably not the
> caffeine in the chocolate, in that the "level of caffeine in chocolate (6
> milligrams per 1 ounce of milk chocolate) is low when compared to the 
> level
> in coffee, tea, and some soft drinks." (ask.yahoo.com/20001018.html)
>
> Dr Bob
>