Those little packs of dehydrated meals

lebarondescarteun · Post by **lebarondescarteun** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 2:00 pm

can anyone share their experiences with the dehydrated meals you can buy at your local camping store. Are they any good?

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 2:14 pm

The ones from REI I've had have been reasonably edible. They're great for when you're out camping somewhere with available water and don't want to carry the extra weight around. I'm not sure they're worth the extra cost for BM, though. You will be carrying the water up with you whether it's in a water jug or already mixed in the food in the can, so you aren't really saving any space or weight.

My recommendation has always been to only bring food that you've tried before and would eat if it were sitting on the shelf at home. Something that doesn't require any cooking is even better. You'll be bringing extra home with you, so it might as well be something you'll be willing to eat later. Start picking up some canned or bagged foods and try them out at home. Campbells Chunky soups are good, so are Tasty Bites though some require actual cooking before they'll taste right. Sitting in the sun doesn't quite do it.

Post by **AntiM** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 2:23 pm

Ditto. We have lots of "easy" foods for larry to carry on the truck, you'd be surprised at far granola bars and turkey jerky and cheese crackers and trailmix will carry you. We just take all the same stuff out to Bman, plus couscous and canned chicken.

Archantael · Post by **Archantael** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 2:23 pm

I've had good luck with Backpacker's Pantry and Mountain House....I second Dork's advice and try to pick things that are close to stuff I already know I like such as chicken, Mexican, or Thai stuff and go from there. Also I've bought some REI stuff and some other brands but I keep coming back to those two, they satisfy our picky groups during our Ozarks float trips. One other bit of advice is to shop around...locally I've seen the price per meal vary by as much as $3.

Toolmaker · Post by **Toolmaker** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 2:27 pm

I like ramen type noodles with a lil more kick. If you don't want to season yourself.. "Bowl Noodle" from Nong Shim Spicy Beef flavor is fairly hot n spicy. I would repackage in ziplocs to avoid the xtra trash from the bowls. MREs work too but taste first.. you will be surprised at how little you wind up eating. BM is a great place to fast as well if you have the experiance to do it safely.

phil · Post by **phil** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 3:02 pm

As everyone has said, try'em first. I've tried them over a couple of decades, and they've never been worth buying till I forget how bad I think they. Since I have a van at the Burn, I can bring 'real' food and not have to settle for the dehydrated stuff.

lebarondescarteun · Post by **lebarondescarteun** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 3:16 pm

Do most of you folks prepare this early or am I over doing it?

phil · Post by **phil** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 4:08 pm

We're all working on the burn. It never stops. :-)

Post by **AntiM** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 4:15 pm

lebarondescarteun wrote:Do most of you folks prepare this early or am I over doing it?

When we arrive Monday morning and start setting up camp, invariably one of us says, "Hey! Know what'd be cool for next year?"

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 4:34 pm

I can recommend the small foil packets of albacore tuna that have minimal water in them.
About right for a sandwich.
About $1.50 at any store.
I wouldn't try anything too dry out there.
Make yourself happy out there.

Post by **AntiM** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 4:36 pm

Tuna packs, AYE! Add a little mustard, some hot sauce, eat with crackers right outta the packet. Yum.

pinemom · Post by **pinemom** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:32 pm

AntiM wrote:
lebarondescarteun wrote:Do most of you folks prepare this early or am I over doing it?
When we arrive Monday morning and start setting up camp, invariably one of us says, "Hey! Know what'd be cool for next year?"

hehehheee we NEVER stop burning! We started up right after we get, back, preparing to go home again!

Since last yr was my first ...I know... joke of the year!
But I definately have changed my list on what food to take this yr.
We wont have MozY's rock-n-kitchen this yr, so Im gonna go with a real K.I.S.S. list! I made a 15lb turkey a day before we left, this yr Im doing it again, but a "week" before and freezin it, shrink wrap 2-4 man portions.
We did chef salads at the beginning of week, they were very refreshing!
10lbs of bacon is still on the top of list! But pre-made frozen brownies got forgotten, and man I sure did want them!!! oh and bite size candy bars were awesome for that lil' sugar rush!
We will be doing a BBQ night at some point? so that will be our huge dinner...but again...its early...we could get somewhat organized...and do a bigger dinner campwise.
Thursday is gonna be a mad push for playa time with the MnG and the wedding...so I really think K.I.S.S. that night will work best.

MikeVDS · Post by **MikeVDS** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:47 pm

Food is easy. Anything that can stay warm for a week is good (chocolate melts and so does ice cream). Take individually packaged things out of packages and put in larger containers to keep moop down. Those dehydrated meals means 1 package per meal that you have to take out with you/worry about blowing away.

Rusted Iron · Post by **Rusted Iron** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:56 pm

The Indian meal packs at Trader Joes work pretty well. Just boil the foil package for awhile. Not much in the way of clean up.

phil · Post by **phil** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 6:44 pm

> Anything that can stay warm for a week is good

My ice cream stayed warm for a week. :->

For individual and larger, easy meals see
http://www.cieux.com/bm/quickMeals.html

Links to vendors of MRE-style meals, kosher meals, vegan, ramen, gluten-free, cook-free, and so on. Also a link to Minimus, a place that sells individual portions of stuff like you see in the diner or cafe - small jelly packs, creamer packs, instant coffee, instant hot chocolate, and on and on, along with TSA travel safe portions of toothpaste, Scope, shampoo, deodorant, and on and on. As others point out, it's all separately packaged. If that's a problem for you, Minimus isn't for you. If you need small packets of food items that won't spoil because you consume them entirely after opening, then it may be what you need.

Louise and I manage to get all our packaging back to the Reno Transfer Station after Burning Man and leave no trace, so others of you can, too.

Badger · Post by **Badger** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 6:46 pm

The Indian meal packs at Trader Joes work pretty well.

Tasty Bites http://www.tastybites.com

They ROCK.

Rob_ · Post by **Rob_** » Tue Feb 06, 2007 7:39 pm

I had success last year with pre-made meals. Whatever the food item... it was fully cooked, then divided into individual portions, then frozen (using plastic bowls). After that, the item was taken out of the bowl and placed into a vacuum sealer thing (from CostCo) to remove the air.

On the playa, these individual packets were kept frozen (dry ice) until about a day before needed... then moved to the regular cooler. To reheat, we put them into boiling water for a few minutes.

We used this not only for hot foods, but also for guacamole, tobouli, ...whatever. Cool system (IMO) with minimal packaging.

Teo del Fuego · Post by **Teo del Fuego** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 7:31 am

I second the recommendation for Tasty Bites. Bad curry done right!

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 8:47 am

I eat from scratch at home.. So there is little problem carrying it to the playa..Most dryed foods are 50% salt.. So I dry my own..

Breakfast is:1½cup water,¼ cup ground flax seed,¼cup steel cut oats,¼cup white rice,¼ cup oat meal..Bring to boil the place (covered) over a (olive oil) floating candle for 12 mins..

Mix oz. water, w/ powdered soyie drink , mix in powered protein adding 5 drops of Stevia (glycerite)"sweetener".. Add a little water to suit...For the desert I will switch to powered Stevia to avoid breakage.

Adding water to the grain I some times put in some dryed fruits..

phil · Post by **phil** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 10:03 am

Unjon, your fractions are not translating for me. They're square blobs of black. Would you mind using 1/9 or whatever? Looks like a good recipe, but I can't follow it.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 11:07 am

I've learned the hard way that if you're going to bring tuna, smoked oysters, or anything else like that that generates funky trash it's also good to bring a two-nested-ziplock-bag Funky Trash Enclosure.
Last year I experimented with the precooked room-temp Swanson entrees- They're in a burnable wax paper carton, and taste okay but are designed to be microwaved...I thought that an hour on the hood of the Element would warm 'em up enough to enjoy, but no such. Need to try a flat-black Warming Enclosure, maybe. Or just set the box on fire.
I brought a huge batch of homemade jerky, too- It went VERY fast. Will repeat this year, and you can come ask me for some. But do so EARLY in the week!
My biggest regret, foodwise, is that with the LabWerks Project we can have TANG but no Space Food Sticks...Why, oh WHY did Pillsbury abandon us so?

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 11:13 am

Rusted Iron wrote:The Indian meal packs at Trader Joes work pretty well. Just boil the foil package for awhile. Not much in the way of clean up.

Yepper. Very good. Like MREs but tangier. No need to consume water.

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 11:14 am

robotland wrote:Need to try a flat-black Warming Enclosure, maybe. Or just set the box on fire.

Sounds like a great excuse to make a solar oven. Some cardboard, a piece of glass, aluminum foul, and black paint and you're in business.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 12:38 pm

phil wrote:Unjon, your fractions are not translating for me. They're square blobs of black. Would you mind using 1/9 or whatever? Looks like a good recipe, but I can't follow it.

\/
that's a 1/4 cup for the grain..The flax seed is your Omega 3, 6 & 9.. The omega is the oils you get from eating fish..The soy milk/drink I mix to taste..The protein drink I mix into the soy drink..Using the amount recomended on the cantainer..All is about 650 calories and a lot of the stuff you need per day..Say aroud 70%protein..I like my stuff kind of blan.. You my want to add some dryed fruit..Like raisens, figs or prunes will keep you regular..

phil · Post by **phil** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 1:48 pm

> that's a 1/4 cup for the grain
and 1 1/4 for the water?

capjbadger · Post by **capjbadger** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 1:56 pm

Best/easiest thing I've had out there was a boil-in-bag rice with one of those boil-in-bag curry things on top that you can get at Trader Joes. After an all day/night drive and then all day building, I was falling asleep with food in my mouth, but I could at least get it cooked easy.

unjonharley · Post by **unjonharley** » Wed Feb 07, 2007 2:10 pm

phil wrote:> that's a 1/4 cup for the grain
1 1/4 for the water?

/\
Double (or a little better ) water to grain..A quarter more w/fruit.. The candle is for simerinig foods.. An empty tuna can with four cuts from a opener around the top..(old beer can opener)..If you do not want to mess with a floating candle us a tea candle..Hope this is clear as mud..<:) I can shoot you a picture. This stuff cook a little faster than just rice so 12 mins. is good..If some of the oats is not fully cooked..Just set in to cool covered for 5..

Tapestry · Post by **Tapestry** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 3:40 pm

My first year, I brought a bunch of army MRE's to eat. First thing I learned was that the altitude of the playa took them longer to cook--about 20 minutes instead of 12-15. The second thing I learned was that MRE's aren't supposed to be delicious or filling-- they're designed to give you just enough calories to keep you alive. Having said that, the MRE's I brought weren't bad, especially the shrimp jambalaya. I have since invested in a propane stove, so my cooking options are different, but I would still pack a couple for emergencies.