I saw a reference to “Freezer Bag Cooking” on a Divas Gone Arctic trip report by Kellie Okonek and checked it out as I’m always looking for new expedition food ideas. The concept is pretty simple; combine a bunch of ingredients into a freezer bag, use a beefy marker to describe what it is, then when you are ready to eat, dump boiling water into the bag, let it sit, then eat it. I’ve been doing a variation on this for a few years, but usually end up cooking it in a pot instead of a bag as things like undercooked pasta will rip your guts apart.
- Partially rehydrated freeze-dried food and one-piece ski suits lead to couloir names like “Intestinal Fortitude.”
The cool thing about Freezer Bag Cooking is that it is both a website and a book with tons of recipes, which is the crux for most male ski mountaineers where the default is Top Ramen and bloatmeal. The book, Freezer Bag Cooking – Trail Food Made Simple” by Sarah Svien Kirkconnell, has recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as drinks and snacks. I like the idea of making and bringing my own food on trips as you know what you are going to get, it is cheaper, you know how big the portions are, and by breaking it down into separate meals or days, you can easily see how much you have left, or pull a package out for a summit attempt.
- So simple even a bachelor could do it…
For winter camping, I like to tuck the warming pouch (or pot in my case) into a sleeping bag or zip it up next to me inside a down jacket to help conserve the warmth.
________________________________
Help support StraightChuter.com and get your flame on with a MSR XGK EX Stove from Backcountry.com! Click on the photo below…
