Backpacker Magazine – August 2003

Go Light, Not Hungry

The One-Pan Gourmet shows how to eat like a king.

by: Don Jacobson

Tags:
• Food
|
• Recipes
|
• Technique
|
• Camping
|
• Ultralight
|
• Skills
|
• Food & nutrition
|

---

Call me crazy, but I refuse to eat worse outdoors than I do at home. Even when I'm on the trail, I want first-rate meals, with fresh vegetables and meats. I will lug a wok uphill so I can enjoy a crispy batch of tempura. I will bring tiny portions of four kinds of vegetable oil to make succulent sauces just right. I'm proof that you can be a backpacker and a hedonist.

Many ultralighters will shudder at such talk. But in 25 years on the trail, I've discovered you can have the best of all worlds--fresh, delicious, nutritious foods without complicated preparation or a ton of extra weight. The key is the one-pot method. When I go camping, I may bring only two out of the seven pieces in my cookset--usually the 11/2-quart pot and lid (which doubles as a fry pan). Just there, I save nearly a pound by leaving the other five pieces at home.

After you pare down your cooking gear, tent, pack, and boots, food is the only variable left. Be as tough on chow as you are on your gear; get a scale and use it. But be ruthless about wasted weight, not worthwhile luxuries you choose to carry (like a small can of pineapple or whole potatoes). A half-cup too much of rice weighs a few ounces. A slab of cheese that fits no recipe means a useless half-pound in your pack. Cardboard boxes add more. Over the length of a whole trip, you could end up hauling several extra pounds of food and packaging. Instead, use the space and weight allotment to bring the ingredients for mouthwatering meals. After all, fresh vegetables taste better than cardboard.

The next trick is to develop menus that work with a single pot. Lucky for you, I've written two cookbooks on the subject. Here are four of my favorite one-pot recipes, each of which delivers big-time taste with minimal hassle.

Chicken 'n Green-Eyed Gravy

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
7-ounce pouch chicken breast (fully cooked)
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 cup water
1 chicken bouillon cube
4-ounce package freeze-dried peas
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon flour

Heat a 1.5-quart pot over medium flame. Add the oil and brown the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onion and cook it until it's soft. Mix in all other ingredients except flour and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to rehydrate peas. To thicken the gravy, combine the flour and enough water to make a paste, then slowly add the mixture to the pot, stirring to prevent lumps. For even creamier gravy, stir in 1 tablespoon of powdered milk. Variation: Include an additional cup of water and 3/4 cup of instant rice after the chicken and onion have been sauteed to make a complete meal. Serves two.

Subscribe to Backpacker magazine
Sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter