I highly recommend trying Glad microwave steaming bags as they feature a flat pleated base, allowing the bag to stand upright during filling/cooking/eating. Although these bags have steam vents along the top, they work fine for storage, since the vents only seam to open under relatively high pressure. Since they contain no PVC (or even BPA for that matter) they will not add any plastic taste to your food.

I generally use a AntiGravityGear insulated pouch cozy with these bags, which stores much flatter than the traditional AGG 32oz cozy that I use for soups and stew.


Bill,

I was thinking the other day about the fact that your WBS design supports a pot directly without the need for a supplemental pot stand. It would seem to me that this would greatly restrict incoming airflow (assuming the base of the pot sealed against the top of the stove) thereby reducing the combustion efficiency of the stove. Do you have any thoughts/data on this?

Obviously it would be easy enough to add a shallow notch or two across the top of the stove to serve as air intakes, but I was just wondering if this has ever been considered to be an issue.


Jim

You are right. I drifted away from "just add boiling water" meals because I could never find one I liked. On my short hikes I bring things like canned curry and mix in pouched chicken chunks, then heat it up in the freezer bag in hot water.

On loneger hikes I've used Mountain House and Backpacker's Pantry dehydrated foods as well as the occasional internet recipe. Usually a large portion of it gets packed out to the nearest garbage can.

I made my own pot cozies from closed-cell foam (Military sleeping pad) and another from an "aluminized bubblewrap" windshield solar shade. Both work very well.

Back to the White Box stove, how does it compare to a Swedish mess kit brass burner in weight and heat output?

-Blast

I guess that there is freezer bag cooking, and then there is freezer bag cooking. I have been known to make an omlette in a bag; eggs, milk, cheeze, ham, whatever. Pour hot water into that and all you will have is a big mess...

I like a lot of the Mountain House stuff... Then again, I like MREs...

I'm curious to try out some of these recipes... I also have a vacuum storage system, so I could really make these in advance and store them.

I think the key to getting a good tasting freezer bag meal is to assemble your own, which the website makes about as simple as possible. Its actually easier than it sounds. It means buying some ingredients, and choosing some good brands - low salt bullion, veggies, meat etc for instance tends to make everything taste better. If you like Mountain House meals you're basically doing the freezer bag thing, probably not as cheap or as nutritious as the cookbook makes it. The author makes it her job to scout out local stores for new offerings, try them out, and post on her website or in her blog what tastes good and what doesn't. I seem to recall she once worked for an Asian food importer, so the concept of pre-assembled / pre-cooked meals like ramen and other stuff isn't lost on her, but all in all you can have a better time and keep it healthier putting together a bowl of noodles and vegetables on your own.

I have found that owning a dehydrator and drying some of your own ingredients is a good idea for keepings costs down, and keeping the quality up. I'm not religious about it though, if she identifies a good deal at a local grocery store I'll just go buy that. Trader Joes has some good stuff, especially some low salt bullion that comes in vegetable, beef or chicken and is stored in little sleeves that are really handy for hiking. Asian grocery markets also have some key ingredients you may not find other places (curry mixes etc).

Its an infectious concept though - I think we all grew up on freezer bag omlettes, once you turn some Scouts onto this way of cooking though you end up with freezer bag pizza, apple crumbles etc etc - and with alot less preparation or cleanup than any other Scout meal I've tasted. Its all helped along by the fact that you've just hiked 7 miles, cheese coated freezer bag cardboard would taste pretty good.

Sorry Blast I don't have a Swedish mess kit so I don't know. I was kind of curious about the WBS before ordering because I couldn't locate dimensions or much of anything about it. Right now I reckon the WBS weighs maybe a shy ounce, the aluminum windscreen and aluminum 'groundcloth' (a square to protect what's underneath from the heat of the stove) maybe 2-3 more ounces. (I will go home and weigh these for an actual weight). Heat output was pretty healthy, don't know the BTUs, but alcohol created enough heat to feel it very hot about a foot above the WBS when I took the kettle off. I filled the neck of the stove up with fuel about 1/4 inch from the top of the allowable fuel area (before the neck of the stove widens), and that was about twice as much fuel as I needed to boil 2 cups of water in about 4 minutes. If Bill from MT wants to provide some details and dimensions that may be better than me, and saves me from hauling out a camera and producing a full review. As I said, I've only boiled water for tea in this so far, but from the design I reckon if I were using dirty alcohol and gummed up the works a bit, the stove appears to be field serviceable with something that I usually carry in the field (pipe cleaners and a knife). Impressive amount of heat for the fuel I used, which tells me it should make a decent freezer bag meal this weekend when I'm out with my son.