Personally, this sounds system is more for an emergency food storage or long backpacking trips than weekend camping use. The problem with this theory of camping is cold storage when camping. Raw foods can keep longer in ice chests than trying to keep frozen foods from thawing and rehydrating themselves with internal moisture. Besides, these freeze dried foods are very expensive. If you want bland, tasteless food while camping then by all means, take the freeze dried system with you. There is nothing like waking up and smelling the coffee boiling and the eggs and bacon cooking on an open fire at a campsite, then a cold glass of milk from the cooler. Cooking is a part of the camping experience and all should try it at least once, you'd leave the emergency rations at home or save for hikes. Camping is not about convience, its an experience. Bon Appetite.

I agree having a real cooked meal when camping can be wonderful -- appetites grow in the outdoors!

However, I think that cooking uniquely can also be a fun part of camping memories! Think of foil dinners, banana boats, etc. It is great to see a first time camper's amazement when what was thrown in the fire turns into a meal or dessert!

'Course, there's nothing as disappointing as a half cooked/half burned foil dinner either :-).

I think I'd try these at home to be sure I know how to do it & what it tastes like -- out in the wilderness disappointments are not easily remedied!

Great idea--sure beats lugging a Dutch oven!!

Love this article, and thanks for including the link to FreezerBagCooking!

Yuk!

I cooked steak and lobster, Cornish game hens and many other fantastic meal camping. I could make ckili starting with drid New Mexico chilies.

Be creative. Have fun. Rid yourself on thinking that you can't cook great meals in the wilds.

Thank you for the nice mention of our site. My husband and I started the site in 2004 to spread the word on how easy trail cooking could be.

For those who don't backpack the concept of FBC style meals may seem odd - but it isn't.

The meals use a combo of convenience foods found at most grocery stores, dried items and in some cases freeze dried items (such as fruit and vegetables). It is quite often very economical. A poster above said the meals would be bland, it is far from it - one gets to make meals the way they want, be it mild, spicy, low sodium, etc.

If you have a Food Vacuum set up you can do long term storage of meals this way as well.

Thank you again for a nice mention and for all of you who have visited our site today!

Sarah Kirkconnell

Sometimes the hiking/camping experience is about the hiking and photography. This idea may show up in my repetoire for a different type of quick meal without all the bulky cooking implements. At times when my focus is less on the camping aspect and more on the moving and doing, I've made do with cut up veggies, trail mix and jerky. Not high on the gourmet scale, but serviceable.

DleeD I've one the energy bar thing too. I can have shrimp stored with dry ice at base camp so when I return I can have a great meal. This is no better place to eat than the outdoors.

It doesn't have to be lobsters. I did a great cream sauce flavored with smoked salmon. The sauce was a mix. The pasta dry and the salmon required no ice.

You can do jerky. I can stop by a local German sausage maker that makes a great smoked dry sausage for $.75 each.

It just tastes better when cooked outdoors doesn't it? I do lots of backpacking and freeze dried food actually tastes wonderful now! I loved this article! Good job and close to my heart! Heavenly Father saved some of his most beautiful creations that can only be reached on foot or horseback! Some of you know what I mean!

Sounds like a great thing for Scout troops, especially when they go camping in places that don't allow fires. Our Troop has been using oatmeal packets for breakfasts; just open and pour hot water in, then eat out of the bag.

Loved the article and good ideas for something simple. Children can have a hand at making rice pudding or potatoes and have a great time doing it, plus it keeps them busy while dad is doing to cornish game hens or the shrimp. j

Thank you for writing about this innovative technique! I think it will be fun to try.