Backpacker Magazine – Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2012

Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2012: Food

Fuel the biggest cold-weather adventures.

by: Lauren Gladu & Kristy Holland

Tags:
• Gear
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• Food
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Dinner/Dessert

Adventure Appetites Carbonara Gemelli Pasta
Rich and savory applewood-smoked bacon—along with fresh Parmesan, butter, and garlic—helped catapult this pasta dish toward the top of our testing lineup. “The bacon chunks are salty, fatty, and probably the best I’ve ever encountered in a packaged meal,” says one tester. Prep requires two pots, a vessel for rehydrating peas, and some smelly garlic slicing, but the cleanup is worth it, say testers, who raved about the Alfredo-sauce-based comfort food on cool, rainy nights in the Colorado backcountry. $9 (1 serving); adventureappetites.com

[Editors’ Choice Award]
Bear Creek Country Kitchens Dry Soup Mixes
Plenty of veggies, winter-worthy servings, a wonderfully rich texture, easy-prep cooking, and 15 flavorful varieties earned these value-priced soups an Editors’ Choice Snow Award. $4 (four 2-cup servings); bearcreekcountrykitchens.com

Hungry Hikers Chicken Pot Pie
With a buttery mashed potato base, real chunks of chicken, and a medley of veggies that rehydrated to their original texture, this meal was a winner with testers. “It tastes like real food—it’s in a totally different league than other pre-packaged pot pies,” says one. To soften the veggies and meat and fully thicken the gravy requires at least 10 minutes of simmer time; pack sufficient fuel. $9 (2 servings); hungryhikers.com

Backpacker’s Pantry Crème Brulée
When you sprinkle the caramel-flavored sugar topping on this custard-based sweet, it creates a crust that you can crack with a spoon. “Like a real brulée!” say testers. It mixes in the bag with cold water, so in a pinch it’s an anytime energy booster. $6 (2 servings); backpackerspantry.com



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