Here comes the all time dumb question. I have zero knowledge or skills in cooking. I hear everyone talking about eating so much mac & cheese on the trail. The boxes I see on the shelf want a considerable amount of time to boil, which doesn’t seem practical on a small backpacking stove. What kind of mac do I use? How much? Do you have to boil for several minutes? Any help would be appreciated.
The Great Whazoo
I like Kraft Mac & Cheese and the box feeds 2 of us (older) hikers. I think the young guys eat the entire box.
I buy a 12-pack at Costco and repackage the elbows in quart baggies at home to save weight and space.
In camp, bring only 2 cups of water to boil to save fuel and water. When the water is boiling add the elbows and boil about 6 minutes, then add the cheese packet and about 1 1/2 Tablespoons of powdered milk. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let the mac & cheese “steep” a couple of minutes until the liquid is absorbed. (This is similar to the microwave instructions on the box.) If you carry a small piece of plastic (like the lid of a planters peanut can with the rim cut off) you can scrape your pot clean and get every last calorie. Then swish water in the pot and drink it and your pot is clean without much effort and without dumping waste water into the environment.
Browse the grocery store pasta shelves and you can find many similar dinners like Near East spicy tomato, Kraft minute Brown Rice, Papadini lentil Orzos. All use the same basic cooking time and fuel. You can add a tuna packet, hard boiled egg or anything else that sounds good to any of these meals. Try these as a one pot dinner at home, but remember everything tastes better in the woods!
Enjoy!
Marcia
Our version, which was better I think, was getting the/whatever kind of noodle at Odd Lots for .39 cents a pound and adding some quality cheddar to melt + a dab of butter, maybe some hot sauce, onion. The pasta and cheese power in the box stuff can be replaced with real eats pretty easy. And no trans fat. As for the cooking time, Waz, most hikers will “pre-soak” everything to save fuel. Pasta about twenty minutes in cold water and then bring up to boil…done. Stir in the sharp ceddar and inhale. Add some brocolli, yup tuna, what ever is left in your food bag. Spoon this mess into a ptia, on a burger bun, its all good:cheers
Bushwhack w/Bramble
I like the damn velveeta and shells. I’m sure its a bit heavier than regular kraft, but the cheese is already in oozy-guey form and it packs about 1200 calories a box.
word.
emjay
I used the Easy Mac and Cheese, as well as Pasta Express, and any other type of pasta that was designed to be cooked in the microwave. It takes about 5 minutes tops to cook it, once your water’s boiling, and it also doesn’t require as much water to cook. There’s a decent variety of microwave pastas available now, so you don’t have to have mac and cheese every day. You can get them in bulk at Costco, BJ’s, etc. I usually cooked two packages for one dinner.
Woods Dragon
well this is my subject if there ever was one. i have eaten mac and cheese nearly EVERY night in something like 3500 miles. i ate a lipton once and puked. literaly. the only other exceptions were some deliscious home dehydrated meals teflon and stormy were giving away on the pct.
its no trouble to cook, really. being a conisuer, i will not insult my palate with that microwaveable gunk. kraft is the standard, though it sticks to the pot. with most generics you truly get what you pay for. cardboard. the squeez cheese is unholy, a good treat. the way to go is annies, all the way. they have like 10 varieties and thier distribution is getting better. you can certainly find it at a health food store. very, very worth the price. (like 1.50/box.)
try tossing in fresh cheese, dehydrated chili, dehydrated soups, sunflower seeds. get creative.
enjoy.
milo
The Easy-Mac-n-Cheese is great because it’s enough for one person, or for someone that doesn’t eat large meals. The cooking process is the same as the cup-a-soups. :tongue
StarLyte
Mac and Cheese were on the trail in 1998 and successfully hiked the whole shebang in 1999. Great on the trail! 
Kinnickinic
If I am in a gourmet mood, I will call my Mac n’ Cheese w/ Tuna: “Pasta Formaggio con frutta di mare”
Sounds so much better that way!
Mags