Chopsticks (folding and titanium/wood of course) available from Alpkit.
Another wonderful thing to keep in mind, Julian; thanks for the heads-up! I've been keeping an eye on such things and it is always good to have something specific in mind for birthday or Christmas hints or when they unexpectedly go on-sale. Keep the ideas coming, please!
That freezer bag cooking technique looks really good. I like to start the day with porridge - have you ever tried to make it in the bag?
<nods> Yes, Julian, the freezer-bag cooking has really proven helpful to me. It is scorch-proof, and the little Reflectix cozies make sure everything is fully cooked long after the stove is turned off, even in cold weather. It surely saves fuel, as one only need run the stove long enough to boil water. It is ideal if you prefer to use a homemade meths stove made from a beer can. Water takes about 4-5 minutes to boil, the cozy time is another 5 minutes (you can do other things while it cooks in the bag) and then you're ready to eat with no muss or fuss and can even eat meal courses in rounds by having several going and simply reclosing a given bag and cozy to keep it hot till you return to that "course". I usually take two cozies and if I am really hungry, I just boil enough water (2 cups, with enough spare for tea, hot cocoa, or hot apple cider to drink as I eat my meal) to start two at once and eat them one after the other. The second is still plenty hot by the time I've finished the first. I am thinking of getting a small tea kettle to speed the boiling process and aid pouring. This one is on my short-list:
http://www.rei.com/product/798276/gsi-outdoors-halulite-ketalist-cookset The kettle is available separately for reduced cost:
http://www.rei.com/product/768513/gsi-outdoors-hae-tea-kettle The problem for me is the bulk compared to my present cup/bowl system and worries about the sharp ends of the handle bail. This seems the one to get if I go that route, though my father has kindly offered to lend his Trangia, which we used on past tours together, the last over 21 years ago. It isn't quite as efficient as the black-anodized version, but it is full of warm sentiment.
As for porridge -- yes! I have made instant porridge as well as the old-fashioned kind (rolled oats) in my freezer bag and cozy, and it came out wonderfully! What I did was put in a handful of the rolled oats, then a smidgen of powdered milk and about a teaspoonful of brown sugar and a few dark raisins. Add water to taste/consistency, stir or tip/shake with the lid zipped shut, pop it in the cozy for five minutes, and there's nothing better when done. I have also made a porridge substitute using oat bran granola with powdered milk. Allowed to steep to a soft-warm consistency, it is nourishing and good on a cold morning.
Once a person starts, there seems to be no end to freezer-bag/cozy cooking. I've had wonderful luck with white/basmati and wild rice, with cream of wheat and cream of rice for breakfast, and have had good luck with side dishes as well. Dried carrots with a half-tablespoon of brown sugar come out almost garden-crisp but tender and sweet. I will often add dried noodles; spinach pasta is a good choice, or short sections of angel-hair pasta. The whole concept is much like a Ramen noodle cup...with the bag and cozy substituting for the cardboard or styro cup.
I haven't figured out why the process is
so successful, but there's something about the boiling water in the confined space of the freezer bag with the held-in heat of the cozy that really makes stuff cook so well. They're cheap, too. By getting enough materials to make three, the cost was only USD$2.37 each. They weigh almost nothing, pack flat against a pannier stiffener, last a remarkably long time, and can be quickly patched with a square of the same adhesive-backed aluminum duct tape used to fasten the sides. The only caution I can offer is to not reuse the freezer bags for cooking. I think their seams are only reliably good for one go-'round. Freezer bag cooking is particularly good for rainy camping, as it minimizes time outdoors. Just start the water boiling, then return when it is ready and pour in the bag. From that point on, all steeping and eating can take place in the tent -- no dangers of cooking inside. It is often best to eat from the bag while it is in the cozy, as the insulated cozy prevents burned hands. The alternative is to remove the freezer bag from the cozy and set it in a bowl, cup, or pot to eat. So long as the contents remain in the bag, you'll have no dishes to do, saving precious water. With freezer bag cooking, you can leave most cups, dishes, pots, and bowls at home. All that is really needed is a cup and some vessel to boil water atop the stove, and a spoon,
The freezer-bag meals take up so little space, it would be easy to carry a number within an empty kettle. I usually take a couple with me on long day rides, along with my Pocket Kitchen (
http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=3850.0;attach=987 ). It only takes up a small corner of my handlebar bag or rack pack when stored on-end. I squeeze out the excess air, roll them into cylinders, and secure them with a rubber band. They're far cheaper to make than a freeze-dried meal (on average, less than USD$1.30 for most of mine), weigh nearly the same, take up no more room, and are custom-made to your tastes so you get just what you'd like. Pretty much anything dry can be combined, and boiling water with a 5-minute cozy steeping time seems about universally ideal. I have taken to fortifying mine with meats on recent tours. I add the meat in small chunks after the boiling water and just before sealing. It always comes out tender and cooked, but I'd start with pre-cooked pouch or canned meats such as tuna, chicken breast, or beef besides the torn-off pieces of dried beef or turkey jerky. A vegetarian friend substitutes cashews for meat and reports good results.
Slightly off topic - I take some dried full cream milk powder which is nice reconstituted. It is Nido by Nestle and hard to find.
It tastes much better than the usual skimmed milk powder which is commonly available here in the UK.
Very useful information, Julian! I'm not familiar with that brand and am not sure it is available here on this side, but I do know the brand/type of powdered milk makes a world of difference. Some taste like chalk, while others are a reasonable facsimile of real (wet) milk. For years, I put my powdered milk in heat-sealed plastic bags I put together at home. It never really worked as I'd hoped; the heat-sealable plastic was brittle and would sometimes leak at the seams under the constant vibration of travel. The solution for me is a clear plastic mustard dispenser. You often see them on the tables of diners and truck-stop restaurants here. They're fairly narrow, tall cylinders with a captive, capped spout. With practice, it becomes easy to judge just how much powder looks "about right", or you can still measure it into a spoon of known size. It is leakproof, keeps the powdered milk in one place and dry, and is just the ticket for dispensing it quickly. Here we go:
http://www.amazon.com/Ounce-Squeeze-Bottle-06-0520-Category/dp/B00125TALC I can't believe the price; I paid only USD$1.27 for mine at Wal-Mart. They are often a seasonal item and become more available as summer picnic season approaches.
Best,
Dan.
