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I see a lot of threads in here for favorite restaurants or for folks personal recipe's. And although I have a couple restaurants and recipes that I will share too, I was also looking for a thread where we could share all our best tips for eating EASY--something in between the obvious (throw a pack of ramen into boiling water) and the complex (double-chocolate dutch oven crumble with caramel glaze). In short, somewhere to discuss our favorite "ready-to-eat" backpacking options, including both store bought and home made. It does not matter if you invented it yourself, or if you think "well, EVERYONE knows that trick, right?", just throw it out there!

This would include the freeze-dried options from Mountain Home, Backpacker's Pantry, etc.--especially to discuss favorites, or which ones to SKIP, or simple variations that make them better. For example, use a pouch of canned chicken or bring a small baggie of sliced bell peppers to stretch the "Chicken Fajitas" MH meal. (this might not even be a good one, I just made it up ;) )

Anyway, I haven't been doing this for very long, and these are not all my ideas, and I am sure that most of you already know 'em, but here are some of my current tips:

OMELETS

Prepare an omelet just like you would at home, including cheese, veggies, ham, etc. Pour into a freezer baggie. Secure in a larger baggie, along with a freezer pack or some other frozen item, stuff in your pack. Then, on your first morning, slip the baggie into a pot of simmering water. You can use a plastic spoon to mush it around, or just lift it out and squish it with your hands a couple times. Continue cooking to desired consistency, and enjoy a fresh fluffy omelet!

Other variations: Going to try and freeze the baggies with the egg. Also, going to take a package of FROZEN franks in lieu of the freezer pack, which will also double as the first night's DINNER!

joe bartels wrote:Some like bacon undercooked and soggy fatty but I'm a crispy bacon type of guy.

Same here. Burnt even. I always go for the most well-cooked bits on the platter ...

i wasn't too sure about it, but my costco buddy wanted me to try it
flavor is excellent
texture is better for me than regular jerky
i've had pre-cooked bacon from omaha steaks, which isn't bad unless it's been in the freezer too long
at a restaurant i prefer crispy bacon
when camping, i like to cook and eat the entire one pound package between two people
mmm...bacon

I only buy pre-cooked or turkey bacon anymore, because I can't stand all the grease to get rid of. Same for ground beef. Yuk!

BACON!

There is nothing in this world like good Kosher Bacon.

@Al_HikesAZ
I'd bet halal bacon is pretty close ;)

@Alston Neal
There is a god. I wonder if we could talk JJiii into selling those.

When backpacking, sometimes I am not very hungry at night, especially if I'm really tired. In that case, instant soup goes down easily--I like different flavors, such as miso, split pea, potato. Safeway has some varieties of instant soups I've used that are okay. I have to have hot food.

Like many backpackers, I use the Via coffee. I like strong coffee, and Via is pretty strong and tastes pretty good. It's a little bit expensive, but is worth it. I used to bring a funnel, filters, and drip grind coffee, but that is a pain to deal with, although it tastes good.