When attempting to cook
gourmet-style in the
backcountry, certain
stock ingredients are necessary, in
addition to specific requirements depending on the
meals you have planned. I will go over some of the most
useful goods to take with you.
Dry Ingredients
Pancake mix:
generic brand, cheap as possible. This stuff is always good for a meal or two.
Cornbread mix: again, generic is the
economic way to go. I find cornbread to be an extremely
tasty snack when you have the time to make it right. The simplest way to do this is so mix a
soupy batter and fry it like
pancakes. For the interested, however, there are ways to prepare an
effective oven atop a
mere camp stove! Ask at an
outdoor store for
baking bags, or just ask for
advice.
Brownie mix: dessert!
Flour: usefull for
breading things as well as
sataying
meat (prevents
burning).
Oatmeal: Preferably
instant or
minute variety. I like the
Quaker packets myself.
Couscous: A staple that is very
flexible and lends itself to many a
delicious dinner, or even
breakfast!
Pasta: simple enough.
Dried
fruit and
nuts: A delicious way to spice up
GORP or couscous!
Granola: as a cold
breakfast and the
foundation for many a
trail mix.
Rice: is something to
stay away from. It is extremely difficult to clean a rice pot in the
wilderness.
Wet Ingredients
Vegetable oil for greasing your
frying pan.
Also in this
category goes
Water Purification methods. Bring along a
pump because these are fastest, but make sure to take
iodine or other
disinfectant tablets as a
backup.
Seasonings
Salt and pepper: a
chef's best friends.
Ginger: nothing spices up a stir fry better.
Onions,
garlic: makes pasta sauce much more
tasty.
Soy Sauce: can be eaten with
anything!
Sugar: For flavoring plain oatmeal and other things. Dont forget the
brown variety if you so
desire it.
Hot Sauce: While not everybody's thing, this is a
must for me!
Oregano: Helps red
pasta sauce.
Cinnamon: Good on oatmeal
Flavor packets: e.g. those included in Ramen noodles, or alfredo pasta sauce
mix. Instant
soups are good, but
instant miso soup is not!
All of these can help make your cooking great, and with them, you can prepare a
quick meal in a
pinch. Don't forget to play
amounts depending on the number in your
party, and to include extra ingredients for more
complex meals you plan on making!