Make Backpacking Meals Better

No refrigerator, no problem, says this cooking instructor. Here's her secret to making every meal better.

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Elizabeth Perrault, instructor of the Wilderness Gourmet course at the Cooking School of the Rockies, says good backcountry food doesn’t always mean more work. She first learned to cook on a camp stove in Africa while serving in the Peace Corps. “I didn’t have a fridge so I pushed the limit of fresh food, and used a lot of grains.” That experience made couscous one of her staple trail ingredients. But Perrault says her number one tip for improving wilderness dining is packing along a big hunk of hard cheese. Gruyere is her favorite for its rich flavor and lasting power on the trail.

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