BACKPACKER Reader Cooking Tips
Cooking tips from readers.
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One Tough Cookie
When Ann Arbor, Michigan, resident Carolyn Wood’s pack stove went kaput in the backcountry, she was left with a pot of uncooked brownie batter. As luck would have it, she had packed along arrowroot cookies. She found that the hard cookies, usually reserved for teething babies, stand up well to the rigors of a backpacking trip. Plus they are great for dipping in brownie batter.
Coffee Without The Grounds
Nothing gets Marc Lampe of Friday Harbor, Washington, going like morning coffee. To avoid the “stream bottom” effect, Marc developed a way to keep the grounds out and the coffee in the cup. He places a regular coffee filter on top of an insulated mug and pushes down slightly to form a pocket, while keeping the edges of the filter hanging over the cup rim. Add coffee to the pouch, then snap the lid onto the cup. Slowly pour hot water into the lid so it can percolate through the filter. Remember: Pack out used grounds and the filter.
Measuring Up In The Wild
Cooking on the trail isn’t an exact science, we realize, but sometimes you need to measure fairly close or dinner just doesn’t taste right. Thomas Robinson of Clover, South Carolina, found a collapsible measuring cup that weighs nil: a zipper-lock bag. At home he measured out 1/4 cup of water, poured the liquid in the bag, and marked it off with an indelible marker. He then poured and marked off 1/2 cup, 3/4 cup, and 1 cup in the same fashion.
Tip Us Off!
Got a great recipe, trail-tested tip, or in search of a backpacking specialty? Want to turn your weekday dinner into a weekend trail dinner? Drop us a line at Moveable Feast, Backpacker, 33 E. Minor St., Emmaus, PA 18098;
