Backpacker Magazine – November 2010

How to Do Everything - The Master Chef

Temper our recipe for Earthworm Patty Supremes with a little Drunken Choc-Berry Fondue. Plus, other recipes and cooking skills.

by: Kristin Bjornsen

Tags:
• Skills
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• Food and nutrition
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• Recipes
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• Trail chef
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Eat right
Follow these guidelines
» About 60 percent of your calories should be from carbohydrates, 20 percent from protein (like foil pouches of chicken or fish, dried edamame, cheese, peanut butter, lentils, nuts, protein bars, eggs), and 20 percent from fats (almonds, seeds, olive oil, avocados).
» The carbohydrates should be a mix of slow-burning, complex carbs (granola, oatmeal, whole-grain pasta, brown rice) for long-lasting energy, and simple carbs (honey sticks, chocolate, energy blocks) for fast, on-the-trail energy. Also, eat a couple of servings daily of dried fruits and veggies; the fiber keeps your digestion running smoothly, and the phytonutrients help your muscles recover.
» As you hike, rest for five minutes every hour, drinking fluids and snacking on 100
to 150 calories per hour.
» Get plenty of vitamin CCC (chocolate chip cookies), or anything in the Deep-Fried, Chewy-Gooey, or Double-Dipped food groups. When else can you indulge guilt-free?

Make a camp triangle To minimize animal encounters, put your kitchen, bear bag or canister, and tent at the corners of the triangle, 100 yards apart from each other. Ideally, site your shelter upwind of the other two, so smells don’t draw scavengers toward it.

Bake without a stove Put the batter (pizza dough, cornbread, cake, brownies) in a pan, and place the covered pan atop coals or a stove turned down low. Make a small fire on top of the lid (or put coals there), so the top gets cooked. You can also invest in a relatively light backcountry oven like the Bemco Backpacker 7-inch Deluxe Oven Kit (1 lb. 9 oz., $50, backpackeroven.com).

“I never leave home without vegetable bouillon cubes. They’re lightweight, make a savory hot drink, and add welcome flavor to dishes like rice and instant mashed potatoes.” —Caroline Blair-Smith, Outward Bound guide, 9/05



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